It is cold outside...the wind is blowing and the air is frigid...and I'll be headed out here in a bit to go spend some time with a guy at the movies. I've been building a relationship with him over the past several months and look forward to tonight's opportunity to share the Lord with him again. Ironically enough, his name is Jesus.

The past weekend has been good. The Lord gave opportunity to share the Gospel with several people. One man named Rodrigo who works in a t-shirt shop, and then one of the guys who works at the orphanage named Gustavo. Looking forward to more conversations with them. Tomorrow I'll meet with a guy named Ruben (who is the security guard at the sports complex) to begin a Bible study with him. He is interested in learning more about the Bible so we'll meet up and study once a week.

Something about the Gospel that always amazes me is it's simplicity...and yet it's depth. So simple, yet so profound and life-changing.

May I be a faithful bearer of the Good News.

Rafa

I think I'm starting to get excited about the jujitsu tournament that is coming up in 2 weeks...my instructor (Vini) said he wants me to enter and compete. I'm excited...and kinda nervous. I've got soooo much to learn. Guess I'd better keep training hard and get ready for it the best I can.

Busy afternoon and evening today. I'll give an English class then head off to my normal bball practice...after that I will start to train with the other group of guys that make up the top 2 teams we have here in City Bell...I'm looking forward to that and really hope it goes well. Some time on the court during a game would be amazing! Then there is a game I'm going to take a couple young guys too...should be a good time.

Headed to the movies to see Robin Hood next Monday with a guy named Jesus...we have had some good talks about the Lord and I'm looking forward to getting to spend some time with him and share more of the Gospel.

After my run this morning I feel a little more loosened up...I'd better get to finishing all the homework and studying I have to do for the young peoples Bible study and hermaneutics class. Hasta Luego!

Rafa

Emilio

Cold. It has been cold and raining here in City Bell for the past 3 days. When I am home I have tried to keep my room as warm as possible since the rest of my little house is so cold. My little heater does a decent job of keeping my room warm enough. They tell me that this is just the beginning and that later on in the year things will get really cold.

Last night I went to La Plata to watch the Banco Provincia basketball team play. I took my neighbors kid with me (Emilio, 12 yrs old) and we had a good time. He is a really inquisitive kid. He had a lot of questions about the United States and couldn't understand why we don't play international tournaments in American Football against other countries. I just told him there was no one who had any teams that could compete against us. Anyway, we got to the game a little after it started since we had to get there via bus and taxi in the rain. The game was really exciting! One of our best players got injured 2 minutes into the game and was benched for the rest of the game. Even still we went on and wound up winning by 2 in the last seconds of overtime! Emilio had the time of his life which was great to see. Lord willing we'll go to every game together this season...great opportunity to share the Lord with him and pour into his life the love of Christ. Praying for his salvation

Till HE comes,
Garrett

"Christians are like spaghetti...they first must be cooked before they can be used."

1 Peter 1:7 says: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

Here in Argentina things are transitioning. I now have completed the language phase of my training. Indeed it was a fire I had to go through... but the Lord gave grace and strength to make it through to the end. 200 hours of classes was quite a bit. I'm glad to have that done. Now at last my time and energy is turning towards ministry on a larger scale.

There are so many ways here in City Bell that I could be used by the Lord to build relationships with other guys and share the gospel...sometimes when I sit and think about it I get overwhelmed with the amount of possibilities. I know my time here is limited, and I only have 24 hours in a day like everyone else, so I must be wise in how I spend my time and energy. My prayer is that it will be put to the best use that it possible can be.

Today I went with Vini to the local sports complex (like a country club in the States) and checked into some various different classes and groups I could join to be able to be constantly surrounded by the same young guys on a consistent basis and use that as a platform to share the gospel with them. The idea is to build relationships through sports, then begin hosting "pre-evangelistic events" (we've been brainstorming a lot for these) at the church building during the week, then start a bible study and then get them plugged into the church.

May I be a faithful laborer for Him!

Till HE comes,

Garrett

Like the Rockies

“The fear of the Lord”

Here are five words that carry such meaning, such depth, and are so key to our acquisition of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Been studying through the book of Proverbs during my time with the Lord after language school and was really struck by how significant and essential this is. To truly have “fear of the Lord”. What does it mean to have “fear of the Lord”? What does that look like practically walked out on a day-to-day basis? This is something that I must devote time, meditation, and prayer to as I seek to understand this key to unlocking the depth of the book of Proverbs. This is where it all starts.

It is interesting how many times a person can read something and fail to see great depth and weight in the words. How many times have I read the Bible and failed to be struck with its great richness and glory? How many times have I missed key phrases or thoughts in understanding a passage? With this Book we indeed should take the greatest care in reading it, for it holds the Words of Life. What other cause do we need for careful examination of the Word?

Indeed the Lord is showing me that the Word is alive…living and active, sharp and discerning. The freshness we can find in a portion of Scripture that has been read many times, maybe even memorized, is truly an amazing thing. It is like looking at a picture of a wild view of mountain range in the Rockies…The picture never changes, it is the same every time we look at it. But yet each time we gaze at it we are struck with the great beauty it displays and the glory it portrays. Maybe we see something that we never saw before, like another snow-capped ridge, a magnificent bird in the sky, or the glow of flowers in the valley. Same picture, yet possesses great beauty and depth that is never exhausted.

So is the Word of God. Unchanging, Unfailing, and always the same wonderful Truth…yet each time we come to them we can see new things the Lord has to teach us, new lessons to be learned, new glories about our Lord, and fresh encouragement to help us through the day. What a gift the Lord has given us in His written Word! May we be faithful to partake in it.

Till He comes,

Garrett

Survive or Thrive?

As the days go by my mind get more and more filled with many new things. The time in study of language has been a new challenge for me. After six hours or Spanish study my brain is about toast...I feel like shutting down. Learning the nuances of the culture has been interesting too...I found out that no one ever takes homemade breakfast to go...or wears pajama pants outside. Part of me feels beat down, just struggling to survive and make it through the net day...but then I think of what the Lord did when He was faced with a hard task in Luke 9...

⁵¹When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ⁵³But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

What was waiting for Him in Jerusalem? Betrayal, treason, beatings, mockings, false accusation, and the most terrible death in history. He had his chance to take another road, to avoid what He knew was coming, to get out of it...but no. He went forth with a resolute will and a focused goal. He thrived where the Father had sent Him and did with all He had that for which He was sent.

I've been encouraged by the example of Jesus...he didn't just come and "survive" and "make it through" what He was sent for...He lived to the fullest and fulfilled the will of the Father in all He did.

May I be like Him...as I face the challenges here may I not simply survive, but thrive where the Father has sent me.

May all of you also live in the example of Christ. Thriving where the Father has placed you and living to the fullest! Make the most of your life. Make it count for the Kingdom.

Till He comes,

Garrett

Culture culture...

Had an interesting experience today...had a guy named Wiliams over for lunch after church...he is a 20 year old guy from Liberia who is here in Argentina playing professional soccer. He came to the church today so I invited him over. It's so weird, I was thinking about how I am going to share the gospel with him and talk to him about the Lord as we were walking to my house...but things in the field are so different than things in the States. I learned very quickly that I am going to have to spend a little time getting to know this guy, the way he ticks, and his culture before I can even begin to share the Gospel in a way that makes sense. It was weird how unobservant he was...so laid back without a care in the world, and how the slightest joke would make him laugh so hard. He said he likes to be free and liberated, and that most of his friends don't understand him. Lord willing I will be able to make an impact on his life. May I know Christ above all else. May I seek Him all the days of my life.

(The picture is of Wiliams...he was on the phone with a buddy and I cooked him hamburgers, and built this card house right in front of him and he didn't even notice...weird to me. Anyone in the U.S.would have noticed)

Pray that the Lord will use our time together for His glory!


Till He comes.