A few nights ago, I took a quick detour on the way home from work. All of my students actually canceled or didn't show up (which is incredibly rare), so I was able to head home around 6pm. I took a nice leisurely stroll from the church towards the house. I was able to stop in a bookstore for a few minutes, window shop, and walk slowly down the street...

One of my favorite buildings is on the way home. It is a BEAUTIFUL church building that stands on the corner two blocks away from the house. The church, Basilica Auxiliadora (Church of our Helper, aka Mary), is a beautiful masterpiece renowned in the city for its beauty.

I don't have any pictures of the church, because (a) it is rarely open, and (b) it is always filled with people praying, confessing, or worshiping. (I always feel bad taking pictures of people while they worship.)

The church is absolutely beautiful. The columns are beautifully painted in stripes. The confessionals and woodworking are beautifully crafted of walnut with a gorgeous finish. The holy water vessels are marble statues of angels proffering the libations in seashells. The chapels are tastefully done; not overpowering, like in many churches. And there is actually a statue of Jesus alive, not just the crucified Jesus on the cross, another Pieta, or the Jesus of the Sacred Heart.

As I stepped into the church, I was awed by the sense of grandeur that was there. (No, I have no desire to become Catholic.) Yet as I sat in the back row, taking in the scene around me, I realized that this church evoked the same feelings and energy that the Gothic cathedrals of Europe inspire. These basilicas were built to remind the worshiper of the majesty and mystery of God. The nave draws the worshiper's eyes up towards heaven. The columns reminde them of the stability of God. The echoes seemed to wait in eager anticipation for the sounds of worship. The congregants join with hundreds and thousands throughout the generations who had thronged together in those same halls for countless years.

As I drank in the scene before me, I was struck by the majesty of God. I watched as a dozen people (mostly older, but of all generations) entered and left the church. Some came for confession. Others came for prayer. Some stayed for hours, while others entered and left within the length of a "Hail Mary, full of gace, the Lord is with thee..." Yet each person comes for an encounter with God.

Often I find myself caught up in the monotonous cycle of life. I run from home to work, work to home, with class thrown in between, along with odd trips to the store, errands in the area, occasional soccer games, and coffees with compañeros. Yet I rarely take time out and just stop: stop to process, stop to pray, stop to encounter, stop to listen to a message from God.

I rarely feel overwhelmed by the majesty of God. Yet any time that I stop and process, I recognize the beautiful majesty and holiness of the God of the Heavens.

God is amazing; sometimes it takes long walks home and detours to beautiful basilicas to help me stop and recognize the mystery of God.

May we keep our eyes open for chance encounters with God! May we worship with all abandon. May we sit in silence or sing with all our hearts, praising the God who was, who is, and who is to come.

On the edge of the waterfall, in the midst of God's glory!

Nos quedan 31 días hasta regresaman a los EEUU. (31 days until we return to the US...)

This is a joy and a deep sadness. It carries deep significance for the two of us, for we are leaving behind wonderful friends, a beautiful family of Christ, a great church, and a lot of work to be done. God has done amazing things here in Buenos Aires. We are sad to be leaving such amazing people, but we are also glad to return to the US, start a new ministry, and look at starting life again in the US...

For the next 31 days I want to blog once per day. I might fail at this endeavor. I might blog twice a day! Who knows what will happen! However, God bless this endeavor, and I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures and what God is doing here in BsAs...

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God is good! As I stood on the edge of the precipice, looking into the edge of the roaring abyss, I couldn't help but be awed and humbled by the scene before me.

Two weeks ago, Megan and I traveled to Iguazu Falls. Recently named one of the New Wonders of the World, Iguazu Falls stands on the border of Brazil and Argentina. (In fact, the line of demarcation runs directly through the river and the falls, and Paraguay is just a stone's throw away...) We spent two days in the park. The first day we arrived INCREDIBLY early (around 8), and walked directly to la Garganta del Diablo.

For those of you who have been blessed to be there, it is the most poorly named feature anywhere. As we walked down the walkway, we walked above the rushing waters of the Rio Uruguay. We saw beautiful birds nesting in the trees. Turtles lazed in the sunshine. Swifts flew overhead. And the sound of the rushing waters grew larger as we got closer. As you step up to the waterfall, all I could think was, "WOW! Isn't God amazing!?!? This isn't the Devil's Throat (the meaning of Garganta del Diablo); this is the glory of an amazing God who creates beauty all around us. God is an artist whose sculptures, paintings, and masterpieces exist all around us.

Las obras de Dios... God's Masterpiece... THAT is a more appropriate description. God does amazing work!

Tomorrow we will share the experience of entering into the depths of the waterfalls and being overwhelmed by the rush of it all! God is good!

The Ministry of Emptying

    “And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us…” I had never thought about how difficult this was until recently. I mean, I (Daniel) have lived away from home a number of times. I spent a semester in Greece, a summer in Germany, another summer in Papua New Guinea, and visits to Peru, Honduras, and Belize on mission trips, as well as the blessing to travel. But I’ve never experienced a culture in-depth like I have here in Buenos Aires.

   We’ve built amazing friendships in the church. We’ve been taken into people’s homes and lives. We’ve laughed, cried, shared, joked, and loved over a meal together or a coffee. We’ve opened up about our faith, taught about God, learned about culture, and shared our lives with others.

   We’ve also experienced the struggles of expressing ourselves in a new language, learning how to get food at the super-market, and buy cell phones. We’ve wrestled with making ourselves understood. We’ve cried over the bad decisions present in our friends’ lives. We’ve been frustrated over crowded subways and buses, broken ATMs, and things that aren’t like home. We’ve missed family, friends, and peanut butter. We’ve survived, we’ve adapted, and we’ve been changed. We have been blessed by this experience, and it has forced us to grow in new and exciting ways. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves, and a LOT about God.

   How amazing is it that Jesus chose to do this intentionally for us! Jesus willingly left his home in Heaven and came to earth! That is a greater change than we have ever experienced. Jesus learned a new language. He taught the truths of God in new ways. He laughed, cried, shared, joked, played, learned, and taught. He came to share the truth about God and to change the hearts and lives of the people.

   Jesus has cried over people’s bad decisions. He’s rejoiced as they respond in faith. I am sure there were times when he simply wished like things were the way they were at home.

   “And the Word became flesh…” Paul writes that Jesus “made himself nothing…” He emptied himself, he gave up what he knew to bless us! How amazing is it that Jesus gave up everything, EVERYTHING, in order to win us back.

   Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to give up everything for the sake of Christ? To make ourselves nothing, to take the nature of a servant? To become all things to win some? God, give me the ability to empty myself for your glory.

We recently took a trip to Iguazu Falls! Stay tuned for insights about God's marvelous creation, as well as some amazing pictures!