Field Council... in Jujuy!

This past week was spent in Jujuy, Argentina which is about 7 hours north of Catamarca. We got together for our yearly “Field Council” in which all the Baptist General Conference (BGC) missionaries in Argentina get together to encourage one another, discuss various business items related to our fields and be strengthened in the faith. Most days were spent in business meetings all morning and all evening. A couple of the afternoons I then had to learn how to do my new role as field treasurer. I ended each night completely exhausted but also refreshed.


We were also able to take a day off and go visit Northern Jujuy. I am also amazed at the beauty of the mountains up north. There are so many vibrant colors… and I will never get bored at looking at God’s creativity. We happened to be in Jujuy during “Carnival” which is a festival celebrated each year. We decided to wait until the majority of the festival was over before heading North, but unfortunately still caught the tail end of it. The Carnival is celebrated by dressing up as Satan and contains a LOT of dancing, drinking and what not as Satan supposedly has free reign during this time, including the power of God. It is sad to see the people pretty much worshipping Satan. Carnival ends with a ceremony where they bury Satan, with lots of weeping and sadness.

As a team we had family devotions in the morning with all of the children. It is so neat to see the children involved and growing in their faith. I don’t know if I have ever spent a week with such a respectful group of children. This activity was a great way to bond as a team and get to know one another a little better. I am truly blessed to work alongside this group of people. There are three families and one other single lady.

(Catamarca – Scott and Ruth Millar, Laura Russell and Me. Santiago del Estero – Paul and Ana Hill. Tucuman – Mike and Sherry Hill)

After devotions we spent a couple hours a day listening to a study on the importance of prayer. The speaker stressed how important prayer is to the unity of a church and that it is essential to have a loving growing church. (Not only did we listen to the study but we also spent time in prayer after each video and various times throughout the weekend.) It was a great encouragement to me, especially because there has been a lot of conflict and broken relationships in Catamarca. I have been struggling with what my role is in the healing of these relationships and have decided that I need to start spending hours a day praying. Please pray alongside me, that GOD would be at work here in Catamarca and that I would be consistent in praying by name for each of people that I am working with.

I have no doubt that God has great things in store for this year. That He is going to work in mighty ways. And I am truly blessed to be able to be a part of HIS work here in Catamarca.