8/4/2019 Argentina 2011 Follow-Up Letter

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Romans1:16

-ForIamn

ot

ashamedoftheGospel,foritisthepo

werofGodforsalvationtoeveryonewhobelieves

1

Dear Partner in the Gospel,

I first want to thank you for being so kind and generous as to supporting Lighthouse

Bible Church in sending a team out to Argentina this past July. I can safely say that all of the

team members were amazed at how giving you were and how your actions truly speak

volumes of your love for the spread of the Gospel. I can say as a partner in the Gospel to theArgentines, your efforts did not return void. This year was truly a blessing from God in that

He allowed us to spend time with the people of Argentina, and specifically, the members of

Iglesia Biblica Misionera (Missionary Bible Church) in Tucuman.

Getting to Argentina alone proved to be a difficult time for us, since it eventually led

us to lose a day that was originally planned to be with the church. However, knowing that

God does work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), we were that

much more thankful to get to Tucuman and immediately celebrate our love for God and for

one another. We could tell that not only were we eager to see and spend time with IBM, but

IBM was eager to spend time with us as well. With the occasional food as well as soccer

game, there were many opportunities to spend talking with them and even understanding

more of their circumstances, and how they do not let that sway their allegiance to our Lord.

Seeing Cacho (one of my closest friends and a leader in the church), Silvia his wife and

Santiago, their son, was such a joy to see and another opportunity for us to fellowship and

be a source of loving encouragement to each other. Of course, spending time with Pastor

Jorge, Norma and Josue their son was again a beautiful example of a married couple that

are deeply in love with each other and their love for the people that God called them to

minister to. I dont think I see anything more beautiful than their example, and how the way

they live their lives gives me something to strive for in my own life, especially in theirfocused love for the new and older Christians in the faith. Meeting a man named Lalo and

discovering that Pastor Jorge has been discipling him since April of this year shows the

commitment Pastor Jorge has to his flock, especially when I listen to Lalo express

convictions about the importance of being a dedicated member of your own church,

something I didnt realize until three years after being a Christian. Lalo had only been a

Christian since April! Praise God for the work that is taking place in his life.

Not only was there joy in spending time with the IBM church, but in partnering with

them in going out and sharing the power of God in our proclamation of the Gospel. Each

day led me to be with a translator, as well as one of the youth of the church, going around,clapping in front of their houses (instead of knocking on doors), and having times of going

in depth with the Gospel. Yet, in my case, I could only spend enough time to get the Gospel

to a single person each day! The only exceptions were when I got to talk with a number of

kids out at a park, where we invited them to come later that night to not only give

testimony of what God has done in our lives, but also to speak out the Gospel that God has

given us to tell everyone. On average, a conversation I had with someone willing to listen

8/4/2019 Argentina 2011 Follow-Up Letter

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Romans1:16

-ForIamn

ot

ashamedoftheGospel,foritisthepo

werofGodforsalvationtoeveryonewhobelieves

2

was 2 hours! Time flew, but I knew there was no guarantee that we would ever see them

again, so I had to make sure the Gospel was accurate and directed to the whole person, and

not just the head or just the heart. One person was a college student who believed in a God,

but had no doubt that it wasnt the God of the Bible, yet the more we talked, the more I

understood that he came to that decision when reading the Bible when he was 14 years old,

and realized he needed to read the Bible anew. He believed there were contradictions, but I

wanted him to see that his life, apart from God and all He revealed, was a more worrisome

contradiction that he hadnt even considered. Another conversation was with a mother of 4,

who were crying for attention the whole time we were there, and who considered herself

worthy of heaven. I had to draw her attention to passages like Isaiah 64:6 and Romans

3:10-18 in order that she would see the Bible sees her very differently than what she

assumed. And in both conversations, like the rest I havent mentioned, felt like we were just

starting to talk! Time really flies when matters of eternity become the topic of discussion.

Some major lessons that I took away this year that was different than years past,was how much of an emphasis the Gospel in Scripture points towards Jesus Christ as the

only Savior. From our training and reading, I couldnt stay away from the fact that when I

share the Gospel with someone, I think often of the four main truths I want this person to

know, not realizing that the whole point of sharing the Gospel is introducing sinners to the

Savior, and these truths help us there. If I speak of God as the Creator and the Holy One, Im

anticipating that what Scripture reveals about Christ is the same about God. Where we fall

is where He stays the course. With sinful desires, we cannot seek to please God (Romans

8:7), yet Jesus never had a sinful desire, and never fell under temptation (Hebrews 4:15).

The greatest act of love shows most in Christs life, which we can never emulate perfectly

and are incapable of heading that direction unless there is a changed heart, with a new

desire to not only love God with heart, soul, mind and strength, but everyone around us as

well. Another lesson is how crucial it is to have godly leaders who can stay calm under

pressure, and that was exemplified well in Pastor Patrick as he led our team. His guidance

and leading influenced the rest of the team, even in the area of parenting, which we got to

see many, many times in how they taught the truth of Gods Word in love to Eden.

I could share so much more, but I know you dont have all the time in the world. I

would like to invite all of you to come to our church and hear more and even see some of

the lessons God taught us through the teaching of His Word as well as the daily reality of

experience. Were planning a missions report night at Lighthouse Bible Church on

September 4th from 5:30p-7:30p. Food will be provided and it wont cost you a dime. We

want this to be our act of love and gratitude for the generous hearts you all exposed to us

when you supported our church, and we dont want you to miss out on this great time of

food and fellowship. It would be my honor to serve you, my brother/sister in Christ.

Cesar Vigil-Ruiz