Marion's Story

When I was a child I thought that to be a missionary for the Lutheran Church would be a very difficult undertaking. You would have to learn the language and the customs of the country to which you were sent; you would then leave home for ten to twenty years, try to talk people into gathering in a small room so that you could preach to them about Jesus and Lutheranism - I never felt I'd be very good at this type of mission work. How pleased I am that today I can go on a mission trip for a few weeks at a time and do what I do best, hold babies, sweep floors, paint walls, plant flowers, paint fences, and most important of all, make friends with people of another culture, many who are already Lutheran.

The church in Comodoro is an inspiration to many of us. Here is a congregation of about twenty-five members. It has survived problems of space years without a pastor, little money, and some difficulties with the Argentine government. I feel privileged to meet and work with these generous and loving people. They come from many walks of life; Mercedes is an elementary school principal, Malena a social worker and an advocate of women's rights, Viviana, a young mother who works in a book store she and her young son live with an aunt. Eduardo is a contractor who invited us to his home for potatoes pan cakes and carne (meat). Hopefully our visits with these people will further the love of Christ among us and encourage others who don't know this love to seek its comfort at San Juan Baptista. - Marion Cunnington

Mini Peace Corps Reflection

Hola!

During our presentations, I made the remark this mission trip, in both 2006 and 2007, was similar to a mini Peace Corps experience in various ways. I thought I should elaborate on that somewhat.

The participant has to be prepared to bend somewhat to the wishes and expectations of the hosts. Planning and scheduling will proceed in a time frame that may seem strange to you. Also they will, in all likelihood, will be more handicapped by limited financial means.

The upside of such an experience is that you can probably learn a lot about them through careful observation. You can find out what is important and unimportant in their lifestyle. You will also discover how much you can buy with their money and what merchandise is costly and what isn't.

What will enhance your experience considerably is some ability to talk tin their language, no matter how limited it may be. It even gives them the feeling that you are more interested in them.

You may discover that they have a considerably different view of the world than you do. Open yourself up to this and you can learn a lot. This is an advantage that a mission trip allows that you will probably never gain on an ordinary touring trip.

In our case we were able to do some things for people that create good and lasting feelings for both sides that will carry over into the future.

It was also nice to see the positive sides of many of our fellow Lutherans!

Dick Russell

Thirty Thousand Feet

Thirty Thousand Feet   

From 30,000 feet the world is a beautiful place. From 30,000 feet you can see forever and the sun always shines. The problem is that from 30,000 feet you can't see a mother crying because she has no food for her child. From 30,000 feet you can't see a father in pain because his son was just shot in a drive-by shooting and from 30,000 feet you can't see that there is a small congregation in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina that needed a hand.

San Juan Bautiste

I must say if you had told me even six months ago I would be on a plane traveling down to Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina I would have told you, you were crazy. Why would I want to travel 7,000 miles from my home?  What could I do for these people? Little did I know. God has used all sorts of people to spread his message and I guess I was just one more.

I could not shake the feeling I was getting. This voice kept telling me "A trip to Argentina is just what you need, I want you to go." I tried to ignore it, I really did. But the voice kept telling me "I need to you to go to Argentina with Bethlehem."  Now I have learned that when God calls, you had better listen. I must confess that I have probably ignored the voice of God before in my life, after all, why would God want to talk to me of all people?  But he did and this time I listened.

No matter how many times I shut the door to Argentina, God kept opening it. I finally told God "OK, I'll go but I don't know why and I'll just wait to find out what it is you want me to do. If you're really, really sure you want me to go.

One of the hard parts to this trip was trying to explain why I was going. All I could tell people was that, "I don't know why I am going, God told me to go". People did seem to understand although I did get some strange looks from a few people. I just knew I was going down there for a reason, what ever it was.

The Argentina Coast is a beautiful place and I marveled at the wonder of God as I sat on a plane and watched it for two hours. Now I do have to add that I never sit in a window seat on a plane but there I was in the window seat. Then about 1 hour into the plane ride it came to me, not a vision, but just as good.  I knew why I was sent to Argentina. I had been looking at life from 30,000 feet. I try to live life as God and Jesus intended it but that was it, I wasn't seeing that there were people in need. Now I figure that God could have told me to go 7 miles from my home instead of 7,000 miles but that's not how God works. He wanted me to stop seeing the world from 30,000 feet.

I was reminded on this trip of the story Jesus tells in the 25^th chapter of Matthew. This is the story of the King and people who sitting on his right and on his left. And he said to the people on his right, "I was hungry and you feed me, I was a stranger and you welcomed me", etc. And the people on the Kings right had asked him when he was ever hungry or a stranger and the King replies, "Just as you did this to the least of me, so you did it to me". (Mathew 25:34-46)  Those verses really hit home me on this trip.

Because of this trip I got to meet some very wonderful people. The work we did down there was just one more small step in a continuing partnership with San Juan Bautiste. I got to spend 9 days with 10 other people that I hope I can call friends for a long time. I also meet the amazing people of the congregation and these are people I will never, ever forget. I did come home changed for the better I hope.

I learned an awful lot about myself on the trip. I learned I could do things I never thought I could do. I also learned what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. Now I can say I think I know how people who come to this country and cannot speak English feel. I also learned that I don't think God and Jesus mind if you look at the world from 30,000 feet on occasion but just remember that your mission is at ground level. So, if you're ever in the window seat in a plane and the sky is clear take a look. The world is a beautiful place at 30,000 feet.

Brian Freed