What God did while we were there was nothing short of amazing.
By the time we all gathered at the airport in Portland to board our flight to Argentina, God had already done so much. He had poured out His blessings on each one of us and on our team as a whole. He miraculously provided us the money to go. He provided the funding for the materials for the building project. He removed the many obstacles and put all of the pieces in place so each one of us could be on this trip. Each bit of resistance we encountered in preparation for the trip was met with resolution from God. It was so clear to us that God's grace was covering this trip.
From the moment we got up that morning until we finished the building work, the enemy was constantly scheming up ways to derail God's plans, but God is so much bigger and stronger than him and God took good care of us.
I woke up not feeling well. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't have the time to get to a doctor on my way to the airport, so Steve and I prayed and off we went. We had a safe and uneventful trip down there. I wasn't feel any worse, so I was thankful for that.
When we got there we were met by our host and two other men who had so graciously come and volunteered their time and vehicles to transport us an hour and half from Resistencia to Saenz Pena. On the way there one of the cars got a flat tire, but the guys made quick work of getting the spare put on and we were back on our way.
The next day we gathered together and had our first Argentinean meal, which was amazing to say the least! The meat was so tender and flavorful, and empanadas! Yum! Then we were off on our way to Samuhu, where we would be helping with the building project. I wasn't feeling any worse but I wasn't feeling any better, so I asked the team for prayer.
We began our stay in Samuhu with the evening service. We got to experience the very same presence of God in a very different culture. Worship was absolutely beautiful. We were able to pray for people and God spoke to the people through some of our team members. It was such an encouraging experience!
The next morning we began work on the building. Before we even got started God had protected one of us from serious injury. It was crazy to hear about what happened and know how badly it could have ended up, yet God was with us and He was protecting us. It was quite literally a miracle. So, we set about our work, moving thousands of bricks, making sure they were wet, filling and carrying buckets of cement and water. It was our job to make sure that those who knew how to lay brick had everything they needed to work as efficiently as they could.
That evening was their weekly prayer meeting. We were asked to minister as we felt called to and share as we felt led. We had all been praying about what God would have us share. One of our incredible team members was learning some worship songs in Spanish so she could lead worship. (And she did a fantastic job!)
As we prepared to enter the church for the service, I had this overwhelming feeling of utter uselessness. I didn't have the talent to lead worship, I had never received a word from God for anyone, I had never prophesied or seen anyone healed from my prayers. I felt like a total failure. I felt like I had nothing to offer. I felt like I shouldn't be there.
I prayed anyway. I prayed that if God wanted to use me, He would use me as He saw fit. That He would provide whatever wisdom, knowledge, healing, word, etc. that He wanted to share, and I took a deep breath and went in.
While I was sitting there God spoke to me. He reminded me of the importance of each part of the body and how He fit them all together to work as He designed. I wasn't sure if the word was for me personally or for me to share. I began looking through the Bible to find the verse. I felt like if I was going to share this word, I needed the scripture verse to go with it. I looked and looked but just couldn't find it for the life of me. So, I began to think I wasn't supposed to share. (Which was oddly relieving. In spite of my desire to be useful, I am terrified of getting up and speaking in front of anyone. Seriously. Terrified.) I decided to just say a quick prayer and tell God that if I was supposed to share, He needed to give me the verse. And... He did. I got so nervous. I was going to have to get up and go share. I felt sick. But I did it anyway. I felt like I was yammering on and wasn't sure if I was making any sense, but I did it. I got up and shared a word... it was crazy, but it was exciting to feel God using me... me!
That service was amazing! God did so many wonderful things. He united us in worship. He used the testimonies of our team to encourage people. He them prophetic words through our team. He ministered to the people and He showed them His love. It was an awesome experience!
The next day, half of our team had come down with a cold of one kind or another. The medicine I was taking had started to work and I was finally feeling better. We took the afternoon off and went to Villa Angela. We walked, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had some of their fantastic ice cream before we stopped at a cafe for dinner. It was a much needed rest to allow our team's health to recover.
We worked hard the rest of the week, moving more brick and keeping the builders supplied. We accomplished a fair amount of building in 5 1/2 days. During this time we got to know some of the local people. We began building relationships and falling in love with a new culture.
In the evenings we got to attended some of the community groups. We got invited to a party to watch the U.S. play Ecuador in the Copa America Centenario. (Which was AWESOME!) We had fun and fellowship and got to know each other better. We didn't just build a building, we built friendships.
Our last day in Samuhu was spent celebrating the church with the people that we came down to serve. They had their Celebration Service in honor of the 49th anniversary of the church. It was a wonderful way to spend our last hours in this place we had come to love.
My husband dedicated a baby. Our Pastor, that came with us, shared a sermon. Our teammate led us all in worship, alternating flawlessly between Spanish and English, bridging the gap between us and them. We prayed for healing. We prayed for direction. We saw a family united at church, people healed, prophetic words from God that people had been longing to hear.
God did so much for the people of Samuhu in the seven days we were there. It was awesome to see His hand at work in their lives. He blessed us beyond anything we would have ever imagined through the beautiful people that we came to serve. He touched our hearts and He united us all as brothers and sisters. I learned so much about myself, and about the life I want to live. I was encouraged, inspired and changed.
Argentina will forever be a part of me.
No comments:
Post a Comment