A summary of our trip as a team:
We read with 79 people.
We had 344 bible study hours.
We had 36 people interested in follow-up.
We are so thankful for the lives that were touched and the seeds that were planted. The Lord was with us every step of the way and was able to help us in ways we couldn't help ourselves. We have lots of wonderful memories that we will be able to cherish for a lifetime. I pray that I will be able to see many of the people that I met again whether it is in Argentina again or in heaven. My life has been changed and I hope that others were changed too.
Thanks to everyone that supported me financially, through prayer and many other ways. I am so blessed to have you in my life and I would not have been able to go had it not been for you. I thank God for you!
Well our last party was a great success! We had red beans and rice and played bingo. We made paper airplanes and took lots of pictures! We said some goodbyes, but the church is having a special tea time for us today so many of them are coming to say goodbye there.
Our last weekend in Argentina has been filled with last minute things that we wanted to see and do. We went Uruguay on Friday and rode the Buquebus. It was awesome and very relaxing, just want we needed. On Saturday, we went the Chris (one of the missionaries) to the Province to have lunch at a down home Argentina grill. It was very good. The grill they cooked on was HUGE!!! Then we spent the afternoon with Karina, souvenir shopping and sharing coffee together. We walked along the port and talked about our experiences in Argentina. Then to close out the evening, we went to Spettus (the resturant I talked about before, that we promised to go back to). We took Eric and Erika as a thank you for all they had done for us while we were here. About 1 am, we headed home. We packed and stayed up late to be sure and be tired for the plane. Today, we visited one last place, La Boca (the city with the painted houses). It was very interesting and very different from anything else we had seen, but a lot of fun. We grabbed some lunch at Burger King and then closed out our sightseeing with a gigante cup of Freddo! (ice cream, that is).
We have a meeting with Eric to debrief our trip and then it is time to say our goodbyes. We have had a lot of fun and have made some wonderful friendships, but we pray that seeds have been planted and we will see all the people that we have grown to love in heaven one day. (but maybe before we meet in heaven, we will be able to come back)
This is will be my last post for a few days because we have our end meeting in Dallas. We will be in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday, but I hope to see most of you on Wednesday night at church.
Thanks for all your prayers and all your support. Our team would not have made it without you!
Okay, Dave, you asked for it! Below are your questions, which you will post on your blog, along with the official rules which will come after the questions. Ready? Go!
Questions for Dave
1. What is your favorite scripture in the Bible and why?
2. If you could change one thing about your trip to Argentina what would it be?
3. What is your dream or ideal job?
4. Of all the things that you did in Argentina what did you like the most?
5. Who is your all time favorite actor or actress and why?
Bonus Question:
Why is it that every time you fill out a survey about what character are you, you end up being a women?
Here are the "rules" I posted before, which you will post along with your answers:
1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here on my blog (not the same questions you see here).
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Good luck, Dave-- I look forward to reading your answers at The Retirement Home! http://retirementhome.blogspot.com
1. If I could live anywhere without worrying about a job, where would it be and why?
I would want to live where my closest friends are, because they are what make a place special. But I would love to speak Italian and live in Rome or Florence, Italy. It would be spectacular place to live, but I would want my friends there with me.
But my dream is to have a log cabin in the woods, (not necessarily the backwoods) with a lake on the property and privacy to enjoy the nature around me.
2. What is your favorite song and what does it mean to you?
I have lots of favorite songs, but usually I have a song that I listen to that speaks to me at the time. So today, I have two. Being that I am on a mission trip I have things on my mind that make me want to be a better Christian. The first one is Audience of One by Watershed Worship.
Words: What I want doesn’t matter, what I do depends on you, what I become that’s matters (repeat) Who am I to chose, without your lead I lose, that is why I live to please an audience of one. Holy, Holy, Holy Lamb of God
When I listen to this song, it puts things in perspective. It is hard for me to say what I want doesn’t matter, but in truth does it really, it should be what God wants. What I become is definitely what matters, and whom I chose to follow to get there makes all the difference in the world. So the audience I should be please is God (the audience of one) not the world or myself. But if I am really desire to do what God wants then what I want should be the same as what he wants.
The other song is Start A Fire by Watershed Worship (also)
Words: Start a fire in me; let the flames run free, burn away the scars, holy fire of God. So let it begin, let it be new, let it be used for your sake, giving glory to your name, I can live knowing that you, you reside in my heart oh Lord you are the fire, the fire of God. (It repeats lots of times, so these are basic words)
I like the idea of know that God resides in my heart. I want the fire of being a Christian to run deep in me all the time. I want to get ride of all the things that could get in the way of me not being used for his glory. I think of fire as providing light and warmth, which is what Jesus, provides from me and I want to help provide that for other people.
3. Describe the place you feel most at peace and closest to God
I love to sit on the rocks by the lake or ocean and listen to the water hit the rocks and watch the sunset. I also (even though I am scared of heights) like to sit on the side of the mountains and look out (not down) and see the landscape.
I also love to lie on the dock or on a blanket in an open area at night and look at the sky and watch for shooting stars. I mostly feel closest to God when I am in nature and can see his awesome power and creation.
Retreats with other Christians singing praises to God (like Gulf Coast), when I get goose bumps from the words and the sound of all the voices being lifted up.
4. What is one of your first memories of me?
I am not sure if this is exactly a first, but I remember chatting with your mom when she came up early to paint your room before you moved into the center. You were working at the pharmacy and couldn’t come paint (since she loves to paint it was ideal for her)… that is not really a memory of you but then again it is. We were always rearranging furniture at the center and trying to decide what to do about the lobby upstairs. I remember going bowling and you were better than you let on…and still are. The memory that stands out most in my mind is the LSU/Ole Miss, we stayed up late and made signs, then we got up pretty early to go and sit outside the gate for hours on end to get our seats. It was hot, but it was a blast and an event I am sure we will never forget! (it just stinks that we didn’t win) (I also remember you being an Alabama fan and that is still not acceptable). It is hard for me to think… We didn’t start getting to be close friends until this past summer, because before then you went home often and stayed in your room a lot. So I have to say I like the later memories than the first one (not to say that the first were bad, I just didn’t know you as well as I do now). I hope this answer is not too disappointing.
5. What is the most unique experience you have had while in Argentina?
This one is difficult (not like the others aren’t) but I have so many. But I must say the one that sticks out in my mind, is the night we went to this steak house called Spettus. It is an all you can eat (literally) meal, without a buffet. They serve you and you have a red and green card on the table, when you are full you put it on the red side for stop. But being that we don’t speak Spanish very well they kept bringing out all kinds of meat and we didn’t know how to ask, “what is this?” but even if so would we understand the response. So anyway, they bring out this meat and we decide we will just try to all. And this particular piece was so awesome that we wanted them to bring it back, but there again we didn’t know what it was to ask. So until someone could come tell us in English what it was, we just called it the mystery meat. After waiting and eating many other things, it came time for us to eat it again. So you are wondering what was it… COW THROAT!! (Ok, get grossed out… but it was awesome… it tasted so good!!! )
Here are the "rules" I posted before, which you will post along with your answers:
1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here on my blog (not the same questions you see here).
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
thanks for interviewing me, heather.
My 5 questions from TraceTalks:
1. Top 3 reasons I decided to go to Argentina:
A. I had been on LST missions before and loved meeting new people and sharing my faith with them and I wanted the opportunity to do it again (also I will be graduating soon and I wasn’t sure if I would get the opportunity again)
B. I wanted to spend the summer with my closest friends, and what better way than in Argentina sharing my faith. (A great experience to share with friends)
C. I love to travel and see other places in the world. I am financially limited, so have a reason and being able to see the world on the side sounds great to me.
2. How are my sisters alike and how are they we different?
I think the way we are most alike is that we are all Christians and that has helped us get through our differences. We are all active in church activities, such as teaching Bible classes. We all want Christian husbands (some are more successful than others and that is how we different). We all love being outside doing outdoor activities. We are all daddies’ girls. We all like our sleep, but some like it at different times (for example Gena goes to bed early and sleeps in (but not since she is a mom), I go to bed late and sleep in even later, Carrie is like me and Carla is in between). We have the same smile, growing up we liked to share clothes and like a lot of the same foods and are all pretty picky (some more than others).
Ways we are different:
Carla and Gena are married
Gena has Davis (my nephew)
Carrie and I are still in school
Our interest in jobs and careers are different
Gena is a homebody, the rest of us not so much
Carla, Gena and Carrie loved Harding (I never went, Christian school was not for me)
We all have different ways to handle our problems, and this usually can cause fights between us.
I would say that we are more alike than we are different, even though our overall personalities can be very different, when it comes to interest such as movies, music, and friends (we do have a lot of the same ones though).
3. What makes art and design so intriguing to you?
I like creating things and making things look good. Most people will buy something depending on how it looks, so if the design is poor they are not going to buy it. That is where I come in. I love crafty type things and drawing. I love to see what other people can create, that is why I love art museums and shows. It is always interesting to me, to ask how did that think of that? what was going on in their life and mind at the time? Just like music (what inspired them to write the words they wrote)
A lot of times art comes from making a lot out of something little, like using junk at home and putting it together to make something interesting. Also art is something that will last, just like a picture. Every art has its own personality and that makes it special.
4. Five Memories or lessons you will carry with you from Argentina for the rest of my life
(These are not in a particular order)
A. Patience is a special gift and I don’t have a lot of it. Reading with different people and understanding why they believe the things they do takes patience, because I want them to know Christ and how much better life if they were living for him. Being patient, knowing you can’t have it your way all the time and being considerate of other people’s habits and behaviors. Not everyone thinks and acts like me. (Thank goodness)
B. Communication and honesty is very important! Every problem we came across this trip was all about communication. If we had just said what we were thinking or asked instead of assuming, things could have gone a lot smoother when there was conflict. Just being honest about how you are feeling and the desires you have. No one will know unless you tell him or her.
C. God is with me and anything is possible with Him! There were times where patience had run out, bodies where tired and sick, taxis were lost, hearts were broken and homes were missed but God helped us through it all! We always made it home, prayers were ALWAYS being answers and love was always being shown from those around us.
D. People need the Lord! There are so many people that just don’t know what they are missing. There are people here who have so many problems and are looking for a solution and I wish that they would look to God. There are so many people that need to hear God’s word and need to be loved as Christ loves us.
E. Friendship is priceless! We have made some friends and I hope that we will see them in heaven one day, but I would not have made it through this trip without my friends. When times were tough there was always someone there to pick up the pieces. When you think you can’t go anymore there is someone there to lend a hand or carry a bag. When you are missing the comforts of home, you know that one comfort from home is with you… My Friends!
5. Tell me about a time in your life that you look back at and say, “I will never do that again!”
Wow, there is so many! I guess most importantly what is on my mind right now, is relationships. There are lots of things I would never do again when it comes to dating someone. I have a list of what I am looking for and settling for less is something that I will never do again. God has a plan for me and he wants nothing but the best for me, therefore I should not want anything but the best for myself.
Now, by Tracey's instructions, I will interview the first three people responding to this post. The rules are as follows:
1. Leave me a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here on my blog (not the same questions you see here).
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
With only one weekend left, we are trying to make sure that there is nothing that we missed and going back to the places that we want to see again. But this weekend was a little more relaxing than most because we were going to hang out with some of our readers and friends from church.
The weekend began was a good lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. We were in need of a little taste of home in the food department. So we ate til we were stuffed and then relaxed at the restaurant for a few hours before heading to the The Hance's to meet our friends. We arrived there about 6 PM and enjoyed visiting with Karina (one of the church members) as we waited for the others to arrive. We played cards and they taught us their version of spoons. (and you thought spoons was intense). Then we ordered empanadas and visited until everyone was tired and ready to go home.
On Saturday, we split up to go to places that we want to go back to. Sean and I went back to the Art Galleries, but only a couple were opened (I am beginning to wonder if they are ever open anymore) and Dave and Jeremy went to buy souvenirs. Then we met up with Karina to go downtown and see some of the things that she enjoys that we had not seen, like the planaterium, japanese gardens and the rose garden. After enjoying an evening around town we decided to go get something to eat. We ate at ta Chavito and it was awesome!!! It was one of the best meals yet. The hamburger was pretty close to a Wendy's hamburger. The meat was better but the taste was pretty close. That will be a place on our list if we are in that area again. We sat and visited at the restaurant and then to home it was. We had to get up early for our readers on Sunday morning.
It was a lot of fun hanging out with Karina and seeing the city from a different point of view.
We will be working extra hard this week to get ready for the LKT team that is coming on the 28th and preparing for our end meeting. Please pray for our last week here, that we will be able to end well and leave the message of Christ with all those we meet.
Thank you for your prayers when I was sick. I am must better now! I look forward to seeing you all in a week or so.