Tomorrow is a new day!

Growth

These last few months have been full of growth here in Santiago. Our missionary family not only grew by the addition of the Andrew's family but my church family continues to grow with the birth of new babies. Along with new physical life, God is providing in form of outreach as well. Many new small groups have started out in the interior of Santiago and some are in the works here in the city. Please keep this new growth in your prayers. As well as the planting of seeds that took place in August and September by too teams from Georgia.

On a personal note:

God has moved in my own life a lot these last two months helping me to see how I can be a better missionary and leader. I am growing in the area of independence and faith daily. After a recent trip to Paraguay to renew my visa and have some health check-ups God continued to show me how capable I am with his help.

Praises:

~A successful trip to Paraguay

~2 successful mission teams

~ Letters and packages from home.

~ Continued guidance and growth in Christ

Requests

~ God will continue to lead me in where I should start a small group

~For my allergies and sinuses ( the weather changes fast here and I feel it in my face when it does)

~For continued desire to get my monthly tasks done.

~For my trip home in December

~ For the spiritual warfare that is so alive because God is moving here.

~ For continued language learning

New Additions!

God has blessed me with so many amazing friends here in Santiago and two of those couples I was able to participate in either giving them a baby shower or the birth of their children. Ezekiel and Pilar had Bianca about a month ago. I was able to plan the games for her baby shower. Then Tato and Andre just had Maxiliano on the 15th of October. I was able to be at the baby shower for Maxi and at the hospital for his birth.

The last half of the Adventure!

The last part of the team adventure was in Bajo Grande a small community about an hour in the other direction going away from the city then Atamisqui. During this time the team got to minister at the Baptist Church at Bajo Grande but playing volleyball with the youth, telling the testimonies, preaching, and just loving on the them! Who says you're too old to play! Katie loving on some sweet girls!

Dust Storms are not good on the eyes but they do add texture to the walls!

Most of the 6 working days that the team was here were used to paint the First Aid Station and show 2 movies to the public at Atamisqui. During the day the team painted and at night they showed, "Fireproof" and a Billy Graham movie. The movies were well received and the team was even invited one day for lunch over to the school. God opened a lot of doors that week just by the presence of the team in that small town. Everyday as we drove into Atamisqui we knew we were getting close because a dust storm would start to pick-up. We knew it was the devil trying to keep us away but he was going to have to do a lot more then that to keep us from doing Gods will that week!

Atamisqui: Prayer Walking

On August 10th, a team from Maysville, GA came to Santiago del Estero, Argentina to work in a part of the interior that needs to know about God with urgency. Atamisqui is a small area about an hour outside of the capital city. Atamisqui is known to be a very dark place spiritually with very few known believers. The first day of work was used for orientation and prayer walking of the small town. The 7 member team came prepared to paint the First Aid Station as their "open door" into the community.

Team 2: Maysville, GA

Hitting the Ground Running! The 7 member team from Maysville, Ga came to Santiago del Estero ready to do whatever God opened the door for them to do. They started their first full-day off with orientation and prayer walking in a new area of the interior that Jay Cook (head missionary) is working on opening, Autamishqui.

The little things, give them back!

I was hoping culture shock had moved right along and wasn’t going to visit me here in Argentina but last week it did. Exactly at the 3 month mark everything began to hit me at once. I could look at the different type of water heater or shower and cry. Because I was aware of what I was going through I began to pray, and talk about it. I was not going to let all the new little overwhelming things steal my joy. Another way I got through it was by thinking about someone God has placed in my life…

Mariela is 28 and because of family circumstances has to live the life of a 38 year old. Over a year ago Mariela’s father was accused of fraud. After that happened the city seized most of their possessions but could not prove her father was guilty. However, being that the justice system in South America is very corrupt, he was still held under arrest. He fell ill and has been held in a hospital for the last 9 months or so. Recently he was taken back to jail when something happened with the recent governor. When he was taken back to jail he began to use the example God had given him preaching to his fellow inmates. He had led 4 men to Christ when he fell ill again and recently was back in the hospital again. When he became sick, those men stayed up all night praying and reading the bibles I took them. Moreover, Mariela has had to grow-up very fast, she is running her families internet café business, and she has had to quit school to help her family. Her mother is now working when she didn’t work before and is now figuring out how to run the family. What does all this mean? It means when the little things start to become too much to handle we have to refocus and realize why we are where we are. I open up my apartment sometimes just so Mariela and her brothers have a place to go and feel free from the rest of the world. I go see her father and take him moves etc. I remove the little frustrating things from my life, find the positive and give them back!