Ministry and life combined...

My question lately is how to explain what is going on in my life and at the same time keep things confidential? How do I help you understand how to pray during a time that is so difficult and confusing? My life here in Argentina although full of blessings is constantly full of challenges. I can honestly say that my support has been my time in the Word and in Prayer. There comes a time in which I just want to get away and be with God. I guess that is the life of a missionary, a pastor, or anyone who is involved in the lives of others. It is hard to watch those I love suffer. It is hard to know how to help or when your help is ‘enabling’ them. I can say that I haven’t lost hope, but I have learned that my own strength is insufficient for the job.

Now that I have left you more confused then when I started I suppose I will give you a few prayer requests. Pray that God would give me wisdom in knowing how to respond to some difficult situations. That He would give me love that overflows into the lives of those that I am in contact with constantly. Pray for healing physically, emotionally and Spiritually for the lives of so many youth. I wish I could give names but God knows who they are. Pray that the truth would shine through in each situation.

Now on to the encouraging part… I have come to realize that a big part of my ministry here in Argentina is hospitality. Yes, this should have been obvious from the beginning as the house has always been full of youth. I love seeing the growth in the lives of some of the guys… guys in which I am not ‘discipling’ but yet who come to my house for small group studies, for times of prayer, to hang out and to be loved. I had a hard time feeling that I was a part of their Spiritual growth until recently when I was reading about how we each have a different role in the growth of others. My role at times is simply CLEANING… cleaning the house before they come and when they leave. Not always do I have the time or energy to sit and talk with them, but I can serve them in this way. These guys are growing in leaps and bounds. A couple of them are interested in being baptized and are currently attending a study on the basics of the Christian faith; such as Salvation, Baptism, Communion, what is the role of the church, etc.

I think I mentioned it before, but birthdays are a big deal here in Argentina. This past week has been FULL of them… since the beginning of the month there have been 9 different people who have celebrated their birthday… many of them are close friends of mine. In the past two weeks I have either hosted or been invited to 6 birthday parties… and there are quite a bit more to be expected in the weeks to come. I guess the good thing about these “birthdays” is that it has given me an excuse to visit some of my “English” friends on a more regular basis. I have gotten to know Gisela (my friend Patricia’s roommate) pretty well and am excited about this new friendship. Pray that God would continue to give me opportunities to share with these girls.