We are overjoyed to introduce...

We would like to introduce you to you to your new sister in Christ, Brenda Nives! Brenda is a 30 year old Colombian woman who came to Buenos Aires for better economic opportunities. She was a doctor in Colombia, and has come here to practice medicine in the future.

Brenda was invited to LST and church by another LST reader, and she began coming over the summer. She developed relationships within the church, and they became a great support system for her. She began reading with LST and studying the Bible with one of the missionaries here.

Megan began reading with Brenda two weeks ago. During their reading session, Brenda mentioned that she was thinking strongly about baptism. On Wednesday she had another Bible study, and then decided she wanted to make Christ her LORD and Savior. On Thursdays she attends the small group at the Valdez’s house, and she was baptized in their bath tub that evening while we all crowded around to witness her new birth.

God is good! I am amazed at the great things he is doing here in Buenos Aires. We have a few other readers who are interested in becoming part of the family of God; please keep them in your prayers.

We love you guys! God bless you today as you seek to follow him. Please keep us, the LST readers, the Caballito church, and the people of Buenos Aires in your prayers.

Jesus and living faith...

A week ago Megan and I went to the National Cathedral in Plaza de Mayo. We toured the church building, which is built to a grand scale. The paintings are by Flemish master Ruebens, each capilla is dedicated to various saints, and in the middle capilla on the right side is the tomb of San Martin, the liberator of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

In the entrance of the catedral, to the left, is this statue of Jesus. He is hanging on a cross, recently deceased, and lit by an unnatural light. His legs are a rusted patina, where people have grabbed hold of him while praying.

Yet I often wonder if people only see Christ this way, as a figure who died and has little impact on the rest of their lives. Most Argentines claim to be Catholic, but it is nominal. Although almost everyone claims to be Christian, few people understand that this means their lives should be different. The have head knowledge (and sometimes not even that), but the heart knowledge is absent. There is very little in the way of discipleship among the general population.

One of the comments that the Caballito iglesia hears most often is, "You people are different. You actually CARE about people and want to know us, and you want us to know about God." There is something attractive about their love and grace towards people that is infectious.

La Iglesia de Cristo de Caballito believes that Jesus didn't (and still doesn't) just hang on a tree, but that he is alive and well, at the right hand of the Father in heaven. That causes us to try to live differently in our world. How amazing would it be if we would ALL live with the realization that God died for us but didn't stay dead! So, our Christian lives should also be alive and active!

First update on the field...

This week has been rather interesting, and INCREDIBLY busy. We arrived on Tuesday morning, and it has been non-stop ever since. We came to Jonathan's apartment to drop off our stuff, and then we began looking around Caballito a little bit. That evening he had a welcome to Argentina party for us with some of the young adults of the church (about fifteen people were there.) On Wednesday we went downtown to the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and we registered for language school. We had to take a written test first, then have a ten minute "interview" in spanish with one of the language teachers. Megan and I were both placed in Beginner Level B, kind of like a second semester class. (Both of us wrote well, but had a hard time with verbal comprehension.) We then went exploring for a little while, walking around Avenidas Florida and Sante F
e, visiting a bookstore, shopping for a couple of necessities, and then visiting the national cathedral and the Tomb of San Martin (the Liberator of Argentina and Chile.) Megan wasn't feeling well that evening, so she stayed home while I went to the youth meeting. The singing was amazing, and I was even able to make a statement in the Bible study. I felt pretty amazed at how quickly I was "taken in" by the group. They are very sweet people. That evening I traveled on the subway here by myself for the first time.

On Thursday we had an end meeting with the current LST team and discussed handing over some of their students. Then Megan and I found a bank on our own, withdrew money from the ATM, and went exploring around Caballito. We walked back to Jonathan's apartment, took a quick nap, then went out for cafes y medias lunas (coffee time with coffee and croissants.) Then we went to the Bible study at the Valdez's. However, after spending time with one of my future students, Gabriel, we didn't get home until after 1:30, and we didn't get in bed until almost 3. But that is ok. We are sleeping in right now!

We begin reading with LST readers on Monday. We are going to read for five hours a day while in language school, reading from 3 in the afternoon until 8. That was the Valdez's suggestion. We are also beginning to explore the city, and we are having a blast. We are loving the people we have met at church, and are excited to be a part of the work here.

We can't wait to start language school and begin having a deeper understanding of the people that we are working with.

God bless you guys. I am attaching some pictures so you can see what all we've been up to. We love you! Talk to you all soon!

Updates and Prayer Requests

¡Buenas noches! Esperamos que están bien, y estamos agradecido para ustedes y la Iglesia de Cristo de Northside. Es difícil a creer que salimos en tres días. ¡El vez va rápido! Amamos Northside, y estamos agradecido para su amor y su apoyo. No podemos esperar llegar allá, y estamos emocionados estar en Buenos Aires. Sabemos que el Señor está haciendo muchas cosas buenas en Argentina. ¡El SEÑOR es grande, y hay no otro!

This was a message I spoke to the Missions Oversight Team at Northside. It might be a little rough (I wrote it without any aids except my dictionary), but I hope it conveyed our love and support for them.

We leave the country in two days; that is hard to believe! In the last week we've had three great meals with friends, participated in guys/girls night before a wedding, been to our friends' wedding in Wichita, and spent a great dessert meeting with Northside's MOT. We are excited, and apprehensive, and everything in between. Hard to believe this time is already upon us.

I will post a few pictures from the last few days later tonight. However, I wanted to drop you a few prayer requests:

1. Pray for us as we finish packing. We've packed all of our clothes and supplies into four suitcases and two carry-on bags. Pray for us as we finalize all of those decisions!
2. Pray for safe travel. Enough said. =)
3. Pray that God will continue to open hearts and lives in Buenos Aires. A current LST reader is being baptized on Sunday morning (praise God). Pray that more hearts and lives will be touched.
4. Pray for our transition: We are going to hit the ground running, and have to register for language school, find an apartment, get a cell phone, find the market, and figure out life, as well as transition well with the current short term LST team that is there. Pray that all of those things go smoothly. (We are going to be seriously swamped!)
5. Pray for our first time with the Caballito church. We are excited to finally meet these fellow brothers and sisters; pray for great friendships and relationships to be built over these next few months.
6. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving! We have finished our fundraising; God is good! If you want to continue giving, please contact Megan or Daniel for more information.

We thank God for each one of you, for your prayers and support. We love you! We'll post more soon!

In Christ,
Daniel and Megan