Tuesday, April 29, 2008

 

Hi Everyone                                                

Here in Corrientes, we are praising God for His faithful protection of our health!  I am happy to report that I am very nearly 100% after my appendectomy at the beginning of the month.  And, this week, we've been praying with our teammates, the Peterson family for their daughter, Ana (11 months).  On Sunday night, she fell and hit her head on the tile floor.  The doctors at the pediatric hospital kept her two nights as they monitored her situation and today have pronounced her perfectly healthy and absolutely ready to return to normal living!  We are so thankful that she is okay and God protected her through this scary situation.  We are blessed to serve Him in an area where good medical service is readily available.  We are blessed to serve through an organization that provides for our needs and ensures that we have the necessary funds to take care all of our needs. 

Our work is going well.  We are now working to some extent in five different neighborhoods (barrios) here in Corrientes Capital.  It is exciting to see how God is answering our prayers for opportunities to reach out to Criollo men.  In two of the five barrios (Jardín - "Garden" & Virgin de Dolores - "Virgen of Pain"), our contacts are exclusively men!  This is such a huge answer to prayer because traditionally, Criollo men are very resistant to the Gospel as they see it as a crutch for weaklings. 

We continue to work with the leaders of the Alpha and Omega Baptist Church in Goya, a town three hours south of Corrientes Capital.  It is so exciting to work with these young people training them to evangelize their friends and families.  We are planning a Family Festival Weekend with this church for mid-July.  We are hoping this will open a lot of doors for the church to increase their outreach to more of the people of the town.  Goya is the 2ND largest city in Corrientes Province and is known as a great fishing spot and for the amount of people who worship Gaucho Gil rather than Jesus Christ.  (For more information on Gaucho Gil, please see our website:  www.nacriollo.com)

Dave has been able to make some more contacts for the outdoors evangelism strategy he is putting together.  This week he had a meeting with the director of "Flora and Fauna" who has pledged to get him a list of all of the professional guides in the province.  We feel certain that this strategy will open doors for us to begin ministry in Esquina, a town in the southwest corner of the province.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays have become our focal days for visiting contacts in all of our new ministry points.  Tuesday mornings, David goes with Frederico to either Barrio Cementerio (Cemetery neighborhood) or Barrio Cremonte (Cremonte is a last name).  Tuesday afternoons, David and Deron along with Andrés visit in Barrio Jardín (Garden neighborhood) which is where we have our active church-in-formation.  Wednesday afternoons the ladies (Beth, Lisa and myself) alternate visiting in Barrio Jardín and Barrio Virgin de Dolores.  Saturday mornings usually find David and Deron in Barrio Virgin de Dolores visiting the men.  Sunday mornings we have a worship service in Barrio Jardín.  This week we will initiate our monthly lunch fellowship.

We will be taking some vacation time May 10 - 20 as we visit with Alisha's family who are coming to visit!  This will be my dad's second visit to Argentina and my mom's first time.  They are bringing my nephew, Chase, with them.  We are all very excited about this time together as a family, it has been nearly two years since we saw them last. 

"Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?"  

                                             John 11:25-26 (Contemporary English Version)


As you pray for us this week, please remember:


*  On the adoption front, we are in contact with the orphanage where Maria lives at least once a week via telephone.  This week we have learned that the judge has asked the orphanage to find a foster family for Maria until she decides which family will be adopting her.  We are frustrated and confused about the process and don't understand what is taking so long.  Please pray for clarity for us in this situation. 

*  Eli has begun taking guitar lessons!  He is very enthusiastic about learning to play.  He is doing very well in school and is super excited about his grandparents visit.  Please pray for his continued progress in speaking Spanish, and for his understanding as he thinks on spiritual matters.

*  Pray for our work around Corrientes Capital:  Barrio Jardín, Barrio Cementerio, Barrio Virgin de Dolores, Barrio Cremonte and Barrio Molina Punta.  Pray that we will be diligent to deepen our relationships with people there, that we will find the people who are searching for God and that we will understand God's plan for evangelizing in these places.

*  Pray for the Family Festival weekend in Goya July 12-13.  This event will include leaders from the Alpha and Omega Church in Goya, all five of the NAC SG missionaries as well as a team from Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Quitilipi, Chaco.  Pray for the logistics of the event and for the people of Goya to participate and be open to hearing the Good News.

*  Pray with us for the Outdoor Evangelism Strategy.  Dave hasn't been able to contact the two men he met in Esquina last month.  Please pray that he will finally be able to do so, or that God will lead him to others there who can make this dream a reality.

*  Pray for the Criollo people as a whole. They are such a battered group, you can get a sense of that just from the names of the neighborhoods where they live: cemetery, virgin of pain, looking for a fight; to name a few.  As a group they are disheartened, believe they have no personal worth and struggle to love and be loved.  Pray that God will move among them, remove their blinders to spiritual truth and lead us not only to the places where they are but in the methodology that will reach them with the Gospel.

Thank you so much for praying with us.  We had the opportunity to fellowship with our home church, Mt. Zion Baptist in Snellville, GA this past Sunday through SKYPE.  We count it a joy and a privilege to be commissioned by the International Mission Board and sent out from Mt. Zion.  There are many more churches and even more individuals who actively participate in our ministry here.  Thank you, each of you for your part in what we do here in northern Argentina.  We love you.

Because He Calls,
Alisha, David & Eli

 

Monday, May 5, 2008

 

Hi Everyone!                                              

This will be another short letter - and dedicated entirely to personal stuff.  We've learned some new information regarding our adoption possibilities with Maria.  Last week, when some influential friends of ours found out the judge wanted to put Maria in a foster home, they decided to do some checking into the situation on our behalf.  Through their efforts, we have found out that Judge Feldman is prejudiced against us because we are from the United States.  However, Dr. Roberto Gomez is well acquainted with Judge Feldman.  The two of them have attended various conferences for children at risk over the years.  On either Tuesday or Wednesday of THIS WEEK, Roberto is going to personally call Judge Feldman and talk to her about the situation.  His intention is to do what he can to convince her to move forward with Maria's case and award us guardianship for adoption purposes as soon as possible.

Also, we fly to Buenos Aires on Thursday to try to pick up Eli's national identification document which has been in the works for over a year now.  On Saturday, we will go to the international airport to pick up my mom and dad for a 10 day visit!

Please pray for us this week in these ways:
* For Roberto's conversation with Judge Feldman.  Pray that he will find the words to use that she will hear.  Pray that he finds favor with her and she will grant his request.

* Pray for Maria.  The doctors in charge of her say that she is acting very sad lately and while this is not affecting her health yet, it will soon.  Pray for her health and her permanent adoption placement soon.

*  Pray for safe travel for us to Buenos Aires and my parents travel from Texas to Argentina.  Pray for uneventful flights and a blessed visit.  We haven't been together since we left Texas in 2006.

Thank you so very much for your continued prayers, emails and encouragement.
Because He Calls,
Alisha, David & Eli