Author: Anastacia Maness

August 2024 Report

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Our first ladies Bible study went great!

This last month has been a great time of growth and blessing.  Stacie has been especially busy with the beginning of the ladies Bible study.  She has been reaching out and coordinating with the ladies throughout the month and has been building great relationships between all of them. 

Please pray for the next ladies meeting which is about to take place and is planned for the beginning of each month.  Please pray for her as what she has been doing is not easy and requires a lot of time, attention and energy.

Kids inviting their friends to come

We have been extremely busy in many ways, but each thing that we are involved in doing, each outreach, each event allows us to have great conversations with many people from several walks of life.  During the last month, Jonathan was very pleased to have two of his friends from his orchestra and band come to our Sunday service though his inviting them.  He has invited many more in the past, but the normal response many times when we reach out to friends and loved ones can be disappointing when we get a negative reaction to our kind wishes.  He said that he was kind of surprised when they not only said that they would come, but actually came!  I love seeing a desire in my kids to share Christ with their friends and acquaintances.

Outreach in the Plaza

During August, we took advantage of the Argentine holiday, “El día de los niños” (Kid’s day).  All of my family got involved packing gift bags containing candies, a Bible, tracts and other goodies.   You can see in the picture how our table was situated where we had great visibility where people would pass by. During the day we had not only had a lot of great conversations with people in the plaza but got out two cases of Bibles.  One of the young boys hugged his new Bible and exclaimed how much he loves books!  Pray for each one that received a gift bag, that the Lord would work on their hearts.

Jonathan had two great opportunities this month.  He was asked by the pastor of Templo Bautista if he would bring a message for the youth during their special youth meeting.  He did a great job!  Also, after our outreach in the plaza, I had gotten real sick that Saturday evening and was very thankful for Jonathan being able to fill in for me for the message and leading the service.  I was thankful for Elijah as well for helping me lead the music.

Our New Sidewalk Sign

We were very thankful to have a sidewalk sign made for us.  It is the same kind that is commonly used here in this neighborhood by many local shops and businesses.  It is a great addition for us as it allows us to write in chalk any special events that are happening.  When we are having a meeting, we put the sign out on the sidewalk and when we are closed up we have the sign visible through the glass in front of the curtain.  I would like to personally thank each of you for your remembering us in prayer!

Bonus Pictures

August 2024

July 2024 Report

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How do I sum it all up on one small page?

We have been very, very blessed this month with several opportunities to both share the Gospel and minister to others.  This month the kids had an opportunity to be with other kids their age at a teen camp, Stacie was invited to teach at a ladies meeting, a lot of great conversations about the Lord with various people and many other events taking place!

Return visitors and first time visitors

Our attendance had been down for a few months due to sickness and I don’t know what, but this month we have had several come!  There is a couple that has been out since February and has been coming every Sunday for the whole month.

Our attendance had been down for a few months due to sickness and I don’t know what, but this month we have had several come!  There is a couple that has been out since February and has been coming every Sunday for the whole month.

On Wednesday night, in the other neighborhood where we have been working, we have been able to come back to be with them each week as well.  Daily we come across lost people that need to hear His message of Salvation!  Please continue to pray for strength for His servants and open ears of the hearers. 

Stacie invited to teach at a ladies meeting

It was a great blessing to be asked to present a lesson to the ladies at Templo Bautista during their special ladies meeting.  It has been on my wife’s heart to be able to reach out to the many needs of the ladies around her.

Organizing our own monthly ladies Bible study

Please pray for my wife as she has been taking extra time to reach out to the ladies that have been coming on Sunday and spending extra time with them.  They have put their heads together and came up with a day that they could all get together and have a ladies Bible study together.  There are going to have their first one on Monday the 5th of August.  Please pray for them in this endeavor.

Playing the piano again

Another thing that Stacie had a desire to begin, was to get an electric piano up at the meeting place in order to play during the worship time.  It also turns out that others that have been coming have some experience playing in the past.  We are looking forward to a great time in the Lord and continuing to thrive as we work for him here in Cordoba, Argentina.

Just coincidence?

I love watching the Lord work!  We had a visitor this month that had not planned on coming!  He is a trombone player that I had met through the brass band reached out to and had several conversations with in the past but had not seen any at all in at least a year!  What a surprise it was when he, not even knowing that we were meeting there, walked by just before we began service and we saw each other through the window.  I was thankful that he stayed for the entire service. Please pray for his salvation!

Bonus Pictures

Joanna and Elisabeth had fun playing with Luisa’s dog during our Tuesday morning Bible study at her house!

http://argentinabaptist.org/Newsletter/Report-2024-07.pdf
July 2024 Report

June 2024

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Immigration Temporary Visa… one more year

Kids making enormously large crochet chains while waiting at immigrations.

In 2021 we were supposed to receive our permanent residency visa here in Argentina. We were assured we could travel that year and return without any problems. However when we tried to return from furlough the Argentine government no longer had us in their system. So in 2022 we had to start the 3 year process all over again.We were hoping we could obtain our permanent residency this year but they told us we need to complete the temporary just one more year.  At least our temporary visa for this year was approved. The details are always in the Lord’s hands.  Please pray that all of our DNI (Identification) cards will arrive quickly.

Sunday Evening Bible study

Tuesday Morning Home Bible Study

We are so thankful that Luisa, pictured left, is feeling better. Please keep her and her family in prayer. She had been sick and bedridden for 15 days and it had been four weeks, due to her sickness, that we had not been able to meet with her. She was very excited to be feeling better and to have us come out.

Trouble in the neighborhood

Please pray for the neighborhood that Marcelo lives in, where we have been having a Wednesday night Bible study.  Last week, he told us Not to come out that night due to problems that were there on his street.  Apparently, police had come into the area to arrest some thieves and youth were throwing rocks at the police.  I really do not know the full extent of what is going on.  We are hoping to get back over there and are personally not afraid of the events, but also listen to the voice of wisdom in where I lead my family.  We have had a great study out there over the last ten weeks going verse by verse proving the deity of Christ from scripture.  (There are many Jehovah witnesses working the area.)

Ladies’ Retreat

Stacie had an opportunity to attend and bring a devotional at a Ladies’ Retreat. She is also planning to start a Ladies’ Bible Study soon to minister to some of the mothers she is friends with. It would be a great opportunity for her to get to know other women in the neighborhood as well.  There is so much more to share that space does not provide.  The Lord knows!  Keep praying!

Bonus Pictures

Scott was blessed to be able to repair Bibles for two brethren at Templo Bautista.

Stacie had a fun time with Joanna while the others were gone to the youth conference
June 2024

May 2024 Report

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Upcoming immigration appointment

Getting your permanent residency in Argentina should be a three year process.  We have been here for six years but due to complications in their system we had to restart over three years ago.  We have an appointment on the first Friday of June that is scheduled to get our permanent residency.  Please pray!  Even if you are reading this after that date, still pray!  Everything works slow here.  This will be a great blessing and help to us if we can finally get this accomplished.  There is a lot of work to do here and the Lord blesses hard work for Him.

As an eagle stirreth up her nest…

One of the challenges for the foreign missionary, as well as any parent, is when one of children has grown and is leaving the house.  The difference for the missionary is that the son or daughter isn’t moving to the other side of town or the other side of the state, but to a completely different country.  As I write this, my daughter Hannah, who just moved out the beginning of May, along with my oldest son and daughter is 4,865 miles away.  Just writing that great figure puts a longing in this father’s heart to see them, hug them and let them know how much I love them!  We are very proud of all of the steps that Hannah has made in the last month and look forward to seeing what the Lord will do through her!

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.

One of the challenges for me personally was the absence of my wife during the first half of the month.  At the beginning of May, Stacie traveled to Texas with Hannah to help her get set up in the US.  It was a great, productive and busy time for both of them.  I can bear witness to the fact that life is much better with my wife around!

Sicknesses and other challenges

Please continue to pray for the three areas that we are currently working in.  Satan is also busy working!  Our Sunday evening service has been way down due to sickness.  There is a couple that have been enjoying the services, praying for family and encouraging them to come.  The last few weeks they have been out due to their kids being badly ill.  There is another elderly couple that continues to chat with me through WhatsApp, that has been in bad health for the last couple of months.  Our heart’s desire is to not only see souls saved, but disciples made!  The lady that we began a Bible study with on the other side of town has been down in health in bed with bronchitis the last couple of weeks as well and unable to have us out.  Our Wednesday night service has been steady, but with several that are still out, initially from sickness but later from whatever is distracting them from the Lord’s will.   Again our heart’s desire is to see strong disciples of Jesus made that will in turn make more disciples.

Bonus Pictures

March 2024

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Classes have started back

Here in Argentina, our month of March corresponds with September in the US, when schools open again and people have come back from their vacations.  For us, since we first arrived here, the month of March marked off several new chapters in our lives as well as opportunities for reaching out to people.

Spending time at the University of Cordoba

The city of Cordoba boasts of at least 8 major universities and half a million combined student population!  The national university of Cordoba (Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, UNC) began in 1613 and averages about 180,000 students.  It worked out that my son Jonathan and I had the opportunity to sign up to take some music classes at the university together!  We have been enjoying  time spent together as well as meeting several new people.  Please pray that the Lord will guide our steps and our conversations with the teachers and students that we meet!

Teaching a New Testament Greek Class

For a couple of years now, brother Victor has asked me to teach a Greek class for their church seminary.  It is a great blessing to have finally worked it into the schedule and begun.  We are having the class on Tuesday nights and will be going from March to November.  Please pray for the students, a few of them that have surrendered to preach and may be some of the future pastors here in Argentina!

I am here because of you!

“I am here because of you!”
This is what Juan told me as he hugged my neck after his baptism.  

If you look back on the front page of January’s report, you will see a picture of him and his wife visiting our Sunday night service.  His wife was baptized last year by brother Elinai (Missionary from Mexico) but for several reasons Juan was not ready at the time and they were still struggling in their marriage.  When they visited us, we counseled them that they should follow the Lord together as a family and return and work out the problems and conflict.  It is surprising when the advice that you give is followed! (Sadly, much pastoral marriage advice is not followed:  “I know the Bible says, but…..”)  They are not only together in their marriage but now active members together in one of the Lord’s churches!  Continue to pray for them as well as the city of Malvinas where they live! 

Bonus Pictures

http://argentinabaptist.org/Newsletter/Report-2024-03.pdf
March 2024

February 2024 Report

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Stacie’s Parents

The first two weeks of February were occupied with helping Stacie’s parents (Paul and Janie Clark) with Physical Therapy sessions and a Doctor’s Appointment. The doctor’s appointment went well and she was approved to fly. They were scheduled to fly out on Valentine’s day but had to push back a day because Stacie’s father came down with a stomach virus. The Lord got them through their flight and once back home Paul saw a doctor about his stomach problems and Janie can now walk without assistance. It is good to see them getting back to normal. Janie’s birthday was on the 24th and Stacie sent her flowers for her Birthday.

Family Counseling Session

One week during the month a mother reached out to Stacie asking for help with one of her children. Stacie talked with the mother and the next day we went to their home to talk with both parents about the problems and were able to help them communicate better with each other and with their family.

Open Door for another Home Bible Study

A friend of ours that owns a Bible Book Store in our city mentioned a family that was interested in learning more about the gospel. He had talked with one of the daughters but said they needed someone to come visit and talk with her mother. They gave us the address of the vegetable store where the family works. Stacie and I went and spoke with the mother (pictured with the bird). While I was sharing the gospel with her a parrot surprised me by jumping on my shoulder. That was the first time I have ever had a bird land on me while I was witnessing to someone. During our visit she prayed a prayer of repentance. 

She said that she tries to read the Bible but that it is often too hard for her to understand. She would like us to come to her home for a Bible Study. I have visited with her at the vegetable store twice. Pray for us as we make plans to go to her home. She lives in a part of town where there are no other Baptist churches available. This would be another good area to start a church.

Classes on Baptism

On our Wednesday night Bible study, Marcelo had requested that I begin a series teaching on Scriptural Baptism.  Nobody besides my family coming on Wednesdays has scriptural baptism yet.  One of the ladies coming each Wednesday will be turning 90 this year!  She said that she would like to be baptized after the classes.  Please pray for everyone coming as there is much error being commonly taught.  God’s Word is well able to dispel the darkness with His glorious light!

Bonus Pictures

January 2024 Report

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A Very Full Month!

The month of January was so full of events that it seemed to be several months in one!  During the month our daughter Ruth returned back to Texas after visiting us for Christmas and New year’s day.  We had several visitors to the work, including Benjamin’s brother visiting our Bible study and the couple from Malvinas that we worked with a year ago visiting us.  During the middle of the month, Stacie’s parents, Paul and Janie Clark, came to visit us, planning to visit us for two weeks.

Visit to the Hospital

While visiting here in Argentina, Stacie’s mother had fallen and broke her hip.  It was quite a process getting her to the hospital, but the Lord provided and helped.  In Argentina, if you do not have an ambulance insurance policy already written, they will not come!  We actually carry an ambulance policy for our meeting place but over their emergency number they bluntly told me that even though we were already customers, they could only come to that specific location.  We have seen Argentines driving down the road with a flag hanging out their windows many times going to the hospital.  Apparently it is all too common for an ambulance to not come unless you have a policy.   We were told that the only recourse for tourists is if they already have traveler’s insurance, otherwise nobody will help them!  We had a strong friend come to our house and using a wheel chair he assisted us getting her down the steps of our house so we could get her to the hospital.  

First step in a long process

Getting her to the hospital was just one step in the process.  The Hospital that we use is a private hospital.  It is probably the nicest hospital in the city.  We have been in the public ones before!  I will be the first to dispel the myth that the political-left likes to push about the greatness of public healthcare.  After we arrived there, we checked her in for the initial consultation and then an x-ray.  The x-ray revealed a complete break at the top of her femur which was going to require a complete hip replacement.  We then began the process of getting her admitted and going about the process of providing the materials that the doctors would use during the surgery.  Everyone worked so hard during the process to ensure her comfort and wellbeing.  After getting all of the materials gathered, then they were able to operate.  The surgery went well without problems and she was released a week after being admitted.  Before being able to fly she would need two weeks of recovery to prevent blood clots during flight.  At the time of this writing, she has been undergoing physical therapy and has been walking with a walker.  Please continue to pray for her as she continues to recover.

January 2024

– December 2023 –

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“Please come and help us on Wednesday evening!”

As I had mentioned last month, we had an unexpected visit from Marcelo and his family, with whom we spent a lot of time during our first term.  He asked if we would come on Wednesday nights again and asked me to preach. His family has been through a lot in the last two and a half years.  Please pray for wisdom and direction for Marcelo, his family, and for the group meeting in his home!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is always a strange time here in Argentina as the weather gets hotter and hotter as the month progresses.  We are thankful that God gave us His only begotten Son to pay for our redemption and the sin of the world!

Our Daughter’s visit

For us, our great Christmas present was having our daughter Ruth come and visit us for two weeks at the end of December!  She spent the first year and a half of our first term with us when we first came in 2018.  It was a great blessing for us to show her firsthand some of the blessings that the Lord has been working in our lives here! We want to thank all the churches and individuals who gave us Christmas offerings. You helped us not only bring Ruth to visit us but also the ability to buy gifts as well.

Christmas concert in the park and professions of faith!

One highlight of the month was putting on a Christmas concert in the plaza in front of our meeting place.  Several musicians and youth from Templo Bautista helped us not only play the music but also in passing out tracts and fliers to the people in the park and neighboring houses.  During the concert one of the men from Templo had an opportunity to lead a young man of 22 to the Lord.  The next day he came to our evening service and stayed until 11:30PM talking with us and asking Bible questions.  He has been coming back and continuing to grow.  Please pray for him!  His name is Benjamin.

Wishing you all a blessed new year in the Lord!

One of the things that my family always likes to do is take inventory of the last year looking at the Lord’s blessings and planning with resolve what He would like us to do and work on in the future!   How has this last year been in your personal life? in your family? in your church? in your workplace?  What would the Lord have you do in this new year?  What would He have you change, remove or add?  I am not asking for an empty resolution but a firm decision to let the Lord lead and have His way!

December 2023

November 2023 Report

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“Thou are not far from the kingdom of God”

This is the verse that I was thinking about while talking to the electrician as he was working on our building.  He was raised and baptized Roman Catholic but did not identify as a religious person or a follower of God. As we had a great conversation, I could tell that he had a very good work ethic.  He did not believe in the priests and that a person needed to go through a Catholic priest to get to God (Directly opposed to standard Catholic teaching).  I shared what Jesus did for us on the cross to open up that reality that all mankind could come to God through His sacrifice!  It is a hard thing for a person like him to connect the dots and see his great need of a savior.  Many people are close to understanding the process of salvation but oh, so far away at the same time!

“Your son gave me a tract!”

We had a couple that recently moved to Argentina from Ecuador that has visited now for a couple of weeks.  They are both doctors and are planning of establishing practices here in Cordoba.  A couple of weeks ago my son, Jonathan, had passed them a tract in the plaza in front of the building and based on that contact, they have come.  Please pray for them as we continue to minister to them.

The word of reconciliation

During this month there were two very interesting events that took place.  One was being invited to the baptism of the woman that gave us so much grief almost a year ago!  We are thankful that she is trying to go forward in following the Lord and wish the best for her.  The church that baptized her is an independent Baptist work on the other side of town.  The missionary and his wife are a very good family from Mexico serving here in Argentina.  It was a strange flood of emotions being there that morning as we not only saw her but also the child and her mother that used to come each week to our meetings there in Malvinas. 

In truth, nothing was ever resolved as we were never allowed the opportunity to have face to face discussion over the problems we had there.  We were glad to be able to see them and  have at least some closure on our part. We were finally able to say goodbye to Samuel who barely remembers us.

The second event was a visit from the family that we once helped with a home Bible study during our first term here.  We had dedicated many hours with them and the people of their neighborhood.  They wanted us to know how badly they felt for how things turned out because of their decisions back in 2021.  Pray for them as they sort several things out and how they seek God’s wisdom in how to proceed from here.

We were so happy to this young boy at church.  He is one that we were ministering to in Malvinas.  We had lost a lot of sleep over the last year thinking about him without having a scriptural church in his neighborhood.  It did this preacher’s heart good to find him unexpectedly in a church!

“I have always wanted to see a tornado!”

This was from a conversation that my wife had with a pet store worker as she was buying food for our cat!  When people hear that we came from Texas, they have very strange ideas of what people or life is like as their perception is based on TV and movies.  She decided not to shatter the young guys dreams of one day witnessing a real Texas  tornado.

~Thoughts from Stacie~

Women’s Retreat

Towards the beginning of November Hannah and I went to a yearly women’s retreat that is held with several Baptist churches and missions within the Cordoba province. We’ve attended this retreat twice before and this was our first year to not have anyone to bring with us. Some of the ladies at the retreat were friends that we hadn’t seen since the previous retreat a year ago.

I knew it would be hard to explain why we no longer are meeting in Malvinas. To add to the awkwardness one of the ladies from Malvinas that we brought with us last year actually attended the retreat this year but with a different group. Thankfully I was able to give the simple answer that the doors closed for us out there and turned the subject toward our new work and new location.

Visitation on Jonathan’s Birthday

Hannah and I left the retreat early as we had the youth group from Templo Bautista come help us pass out flyers and tracts inviting people to join our Bible Study on Sunday evenings. We have truly been blessed by their encouragement. After canvasing the neighborhood we celebrated Jonathan’s Birthday by sharing cake with all those who came.

Our First Four Services

We had a really good attendance the first service in our new location. Everything went extremely well. We knew we would have a huge attendance that first Sunday as several members of Templo Bautista including their pastor came to help and encourage us. We were really glad to have the 5 visitors from the neighborhood. The second Bible Study we had 2 repeat visitors and 2 new visitors from the neighborhood. Then the 3rd Sunday of November just our family was there but we held service just like we had a full crowd. We did have a woman come in to ask for money from our kids. She didn’t want to stay for the message though.

However we were happy to see our 2 regular visitors come and 2 new visitors the last Sunday of November. The Lord is our greatest encourager. And as of the writing of this report we have had another family visit our services. You will hear more about them in our next report.

Surprise Invitation to a Baptismal Service

Scott mentioned the Baptism already but I thought I would add that it was the lady Hannah and I saw at the retreat that reached out to me after 9 months of silence to invite us to her Baptism. The missionary pastor of that church actually called Scott when she started visiting their services so they were very considerate of our part out there. While going to the baptism didn’t really solve any of the problems in Malvinas it was good to get to see some of those we hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to before.

Repeat Visitors

I just want to share a little about one of the couples that has been coming each week to our Bible Study. The wife is a friend of mine who used to hostess a ladies’ Bible Study in her home 5 years ago when we first moved to Argentina. I knew she lived close to where we are meeting but never thought she would visit us this often. I was so happy when she and her husband came in for our first meeting. She was a real encouragement to me during those early days of learning the language and culture here in Argentina. I hope we are able to be a blessing to her and her husband as well.

27th Wedding Anniversary

Scott and I were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, 1996. We have learned a lot during these past 27 years. We were both just a couple of young starry eyed kids when we first married. This year I reserved us a hotel in a town about a 30 minute drive from where we live. This is the first year that all our children have been old enough for us to leave them alone for a couple of nights. We enjoyed some quiet time away from all the distractions of kids and life. It was a good time of rest, relaxation, and reminiscing over the years we’ve been together. The kids did a good job taking care of each other while we were gone and even surprised us with a clean house when we got back.

End of Year Concerts

At the end of November we had a few recitals and concerts to mark the closing of the academic year here in Argentina. We have only one more recital and concert to go in December but the majority of the classes have ended now. The children have really grown so much this year not only physically but academically as well. We are looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses our children’s musical talents now and in the future. 

Bonus Pictures

November 2023