About Us
The Maness Family
December 2022
Dirty Ice
We had been buying bags of ice from the store next to our house because of the heat. After about a week of using the Ice for our water, we noticed that there was a lot of nasty floaties in the water when the ice melted. We are not sure if that was a contributing factor in us getting sick or not.
Two Weeks of Sickness
During the middle of this month we had sickness that even shut down our midweek service for a week as I was sick at the same time as the family where we are meeting. I was sick for the first week and as I was getting better Stacie became sick. Thankfully as I write this we all are better and are diligent in His service.
A Short Rest
We had planned since last month to rent a house outside of town for a couple of days. The time that we went fell at the time that I was recovering from the sickness and Stacie was starting with it. The change of scenery was a blessing for the kids, even if only for a few days! Cordoba has been very hot lately, over 100º and in the house it gets very hot some days. Where we went had a nice breeze blowing throughout the day as it was on a lake in the mountains.
Cursed by False Prophets but Blessed by God
Continue to pray for the next door neighbor where we are meeting. She had a meeting at her home where she called her false prophet pastors to pronounce a curse upon us and on our Bible study on Wednesday night and upon the family where we are meeting. About this same time four of the people in their family became sick and it looked like we would not be able to have our special Christmas outreach. This took place on the Friday before Christmas. We prayed! They prayed and read scripture! The next day I received a phone call from them letting me know that they were all feeling better the next morning and they all wanted to still have the meeting that evening and not let Satan have the victory
We spent the rest of the day getting things ready and had the best meeting ever! We even prepared a gift basket for the lady next door that had been so vile to them and to us! Jesus had the victory for the evening!
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Thankfully my kids are hard headed! towards the end of the month the plaster fell from the ceiling on into the middle of the dinning room table while the kids were eating lunch. The roof as already been fixed at the time that I am writing this but you never know what each day will include.
Thoughts from Stacie
End of Year Band Concert and Last Violin Class for the Year
The beginning of December we had all of our end of year concerts and parties with the band and violin classes we are taking. Scott and the older three children had an end of year concert and the younger girls and I had our final violin class for the year. We made our last class special by having the rest of the family bring their instruments and we played Christmas songs with our violin teacher.
Weekend Getaway at the Lake House
Even though Scott still had a cough we decided to go ahead and escape the big city and head to the lake house. The last time we visited the lake house was about three years ago. It was good to get out of the dusty city and enjoy some fresh air. It was beautiful weather and Scott started feeling better. Then I started coming down with the same symptoms he had. Getting sick was not in our plans for the month.
Soccer – Argentina won the World Cup
Most of December was filled with excitement as Argentina competed for the FIFA World Championship. Soccer is super important in the culture here. It’s bigger than the Super Bowl in the U.S. People here practically worship their favorite players and when Argentina won it was like all the problems of the world were solved in that final victory.
Soccer – Argentina won the World Cup
Most of December was filled with excitement as Argentina competed for the FIFA World Championship. Soccer is super important in the culture here. It’s bigger than the Super Bowl in the U.S. People here practically worship their favorite players and when Argentina won it was like all the problems of the world were solved in that final victory.
Christmas Shopping
We want to thank all the churches that sent us special Christmas offerings. We were able to not only buy gifts for our children but it also helped us to take them out Christmas shopping as well. Letting them shop for each other and us has been a tradition that we all love. It’s fun to see what each one picks out for everyone. Then they also get to go out and buy gifts for us. The special offerings helped us be able to give them enough money to buy gifts they knew everyone would truly enjoy. It is also fun for us to see how much older they are getting in their gift selections.
A Christmas Blessing
We almost thought we weren’t going to be able to have the special Christmas Eve celebration when several people from our Bible Study in Malvinas Argentinas fell sick. The Friday before Christmas we found out about those who were sick and also heard the sad story of the neighbor who had the elders from her church come curse the Bible Study and the home where we’ve been meeting.
Scott asked the ones who were having problems with their neighbor to read Nehemiah who went through a similar situation while repairing the temple. That night I prayed for special Christmas blessing for our brothers and sisters in Malvinas Argentinas asking God to bless them more than the others wanted them cursed. The next day as we were preparing the baskets to deliver to the families we received the news that they were all feeling better and wanted to continue with the plans for the Christmas Eve celebration.
Happy New Year!
We ended 2022 with thirteen in attendance in our Wednesday night Bible Study. We discussed goals and the possibilities for the New Year. In 2023 we would love to find a better place to meet and to add another service on Sundays. Please continue to pray that the Lord opens the doors as we continue to seek His will.
Bonus Pictures
One Sunday the church in Cordoba where we visit asked Scott to translate for some special guests from the U.S.
It was Bro. Victor’s first time to have someone translate his sermon.
First time to preach in a gaucho poncho! It was a cool evening and our host passed us out coats to keep us warm!
Preparing Christmas gift baskets for people in our neighborhood and for our Christmas outreach!
November 2022
She that goeth forth and weepeth!
One of the ladies in our Wednesday night Bible study has been going up and down the streets in her neighborhood and inviting her neighbors. She would share with the people that she met, (bearing the precious seed), and weep and pray over the lost souls in her community! She truly has a heart like Jeremiah (Mine eye affecteth mine heart… Lm 3:51) It is a blessing to be able to encourage such people with the Word of God! After only three months of meeting we have been running 14 in attendance consistently. (Seven in my family and seven besides!)
May all of our hearts look to His promise and be soul winners!
She chose to be with us on Wednesday night!
Last month we shared about the lady that lived next door to the family where we are meeting and how the false prophets in the neighborhood had pressured her to not spend time with us since we we Baptists! We noticed that at one point in the month she stopped leaving in the middle of the service to appease the other pastor. She decided to spend the whole Wednesday service with us! Please pray for her as she has a lot of physical pain in her legs, especially now that the weather is so hot!
Bible Lesson for the kids!
Another thing that we did was to reorganize our Wednesday night meeting to have a short kid’s Bible lesson before the preaching. It is hard to describe the neighborhood where we are reaching out, but there are several kids that do not go to school and are not able to read that many times have never seen what a Biblical family is supposed to look like as they have never had it modeled for them in their homes! Please pray for the Lord to give us the wisdom and strength to reach out to win souls for Him!Another thing that we did was to reorganize our Wednesday night meeting to have a short kid’s Bible lesson before the preaching. It is hard to describe the neighborhood where we are reaching out, but there are several kids that do not go to school and are not able to read that many times have never seen what a Biblical family is supposed to look like as they have never had it modeled for them in their homes! Please pray for the Lord to give us the wisdom and strength to reach out to win souls for Him!
Thoughts from Stacie
Jonathan’s 15th Birthday
On the 4th of November we celebrated Jonathan’s Birthday. We surprised him by taking him and his siblings to the Super Park. The Super Park is a small local theme park with rides and activities for kids. It has been several years since we’ve been. They’ve all grown so much since our last visit there.
Women’s Conference
That following Saturday, November 5th, I took Hannah and two other ladies from our mission point in Malvinas Argentinas to a Ladies Bible Conference in the southern part of the city. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement.
Children’s Bible Lesson
Also this month I started teaching a children’s Bible Lesson on Wednesday nights when we have our worship and Bible Study services. There is a little boy named Samuel that has been coming to our Bible Studies with his mom. He is a little too independent four year old that has never been in any school setting and has never heard about Jesus and the Bible before coming to our meetings.
We all felt like we needed to do something special for him. It’s been a process teaching him to stay and listen to a lesson and to not run off with my illustrations. We are seeing progress with him though as we continue to show him the love of Christ.
Decorating for Christmas
It’s going into summer here as we approach the Christmas season. We had a cold front come through the Monday before Thanksgiving and so we decided that was the perfect day to put up the Christmas tree and stockings. It doesn’t change the temperature but having the Christmas lights glowing makes things feel a little more festive even as we enter the hot days of summer.
Thanksgiving Dinner with Friends
For Thanksgiving we were invited to the home of another missionary family in the country. We joined several other families. Argentina doesn’t exactly stop for Thanksgiving.
We managed to cook some good food to share at the Thanksgiving dinner and really enjoyed getting to spend time with other English speaking friends. After the dinner we surprised our children by taking them to hear a string quartet in concert.
Last Homeschool Co-op for this Year
Our last meeting with the other homeschoolers was held in a different location a little outside of the city. A family in the co-op owns some property with a camp style building that is used throughout the year for group events. They invited the group to their campground where there were rooms that we could teach our classes in. We all had good classes and enjoyed the fellowship afterwards. All the children were also given certificates for participating in the co-op.
End of Year Concert and Band Recital
The school year has been winding down as we approach the summer break. Yes, it still sounds strange to be approaching summer break in November. After four years here in Argentina we are finally starting to get used to the school year ending and vacations beginning in December.
Summer begins in December and ends in February. All the normal school activities and other classes will begin again in March. We are getting better at planning a vacation during this time of year. In July when the United States are in the middle of summer break, we will be experiencing a two week winter break.
Bonus Pictures
October 2022 Report
One Lady Saved! Praise the Lord!
This last month has been very busy. During the beginning of the month there were several fires outside of the city which brought smoke into the city. Between the smoke and the crazy weather changes we had more sickness (congestion, runny noses, lost voice). Even with problems, the Lord has continued to bless. On the 12th during our Wednesday night Bible study, a lady had visited us with her two children. That evening I taught on John 14 about Jesus and the way of salvation. After the service she prayed to be saved! Please pray for her and her children. There are many difficulties in her life that the Lord is helping her to work through.
“Have nothing to do with them! They’re Baptists!”
This is what one of the false prophets in town said about us to the elderly lady that has been visiting with us for several weeks. There are very many prosperity “gospel” pastors here in Argentina that want people to come to their church so that they can demand offerings. If people turn to the true Lord, their means of income is being diminished. Ravening wolves will always eventually show themselves for who they are! For a couple of weeks she did not come to our Bible study, following the command of this “pastor”. They start at 8:00 and we have been starting at 6:00. For the two weeks that she was staying away, she was hearing us sing and play praises to the Lord and us teaching, not demanding their money and she longed to be with us! She determined for now to be with us at 6:00 and then go to the other to not rock the boat. Pray for her as she struggles through making important decisions. She is in a position to hear our message and theirs and to compare them! Spiritual slavery is very common here, where people willingly put themselves into bondage of a religious system of works to either try to earn salvation or to work to try to keep it.
Thank you, Lord, for holding the security of my salvation in Your strong hand!
There is so much more that I could share about the work in Malvinas, if there was more space to tell! I could tell you about how excited they were when I brought a wooden stamp to stamp their address on the back of the tracks! I could tell you about his oldest son who has already visited for two Wednesdays in a row and has enjoyed coming! Many, many, many more blessings!
God is truly good!
More importantly, the book uses chess to touch on several Biblical lessons for life!
Thoughts from Stacie
Birthday Party
We were invited to a Birthday party by a family in our Homeschool Co-op. I took Elijah, Elisabeth, and Joanna to the party. While we were there one of the mothers asked me what the differences were between us and one of the other churches near us. I had a good conversation with her and later sent her the PDF of our Gospel of John Books. She and her husband are very interested in learning all they can. Sometimes the problem isn’t the desire to learn more but the lack of information available to them. One thing we find is there are people that study the Bible and might agree with us but there is a shortage of churches teaching the truth about what a New Testament church really is.
Independent Baptist Church Organization Service
We were blessed to be able to visit an organization service of an Independent Baptist church in the province of Ojo de Agua. Scott, Hannah, and Jonathan were invited to play with the other musicians during the worship service. We were blessed by the service and happy to see a small group become a self-supporting church with a national pastor. There are so many towns, cities, and provinces in Argentina without any gospel presence. There is so much work to be done.
Día de las Madres – Mother’s Day
The following Friday, Templo Bautista, the Independent Baptist Church we’ve been visiting on Sunday Mornings hosted a Mothers’ Day dinner. I brought Eufemia with me to the dinner. (Eufemia is the wife of Juan. On Wednesday Evenings we are meeting in their home in Malvinas Argentinas.) She really enjoyed getting to meet other Christian mothers.
Female Driver
There are a lot of women in Argentina that don’t drive. Of course as an American I surprise them a lot by being a fairly confident driver. I picked Eufemia up in Malvinas and drove to the church where the Mothers’ Day dinner was held. It was about a 20 minute drive. Once we were inside the building I looked in my purse and realized I didn’t have my wallet. I immediately messaged Scott because I didn’t have any of my important documents nor my driver’s license. We left the church and I took her the “back way” to my house where I knew there weren’t police guards set up. Scott was waiting for us with my wallet and he rode with us back to Malvinas. Eufemia really enjoyed sharing the story about my driving and how confident I was. We had a good laugh about my avoiding check-points which is a very Argentine thing to do.
Homeschool Co-op
Scott taught the chess class again and I taught the younger children’s sewing class again this month. The mother I visited with at the Birthday party earlier in the month brought her children to the co-op for the first time. Her husband also came with them and that gave me the opportunity to share a physical copy of our Gospel of John books with her and for Scott to get to visit with her husband.
More Books and Bibles
We have been giving away a lot of Gospel books and Bibles. We gave several Bibles away in Malvinas Argentina to various visitors this month. We are having to be careful how we give Bibles out.
The culture here is very opportunistic. It’s so ingrained in people to look for a good deal that they might take advantage of our generosity. So we’re having to be real careful how we give things away. Our method is to be super generous with gospel tracts and the gospel of Johns which are our cheapest options. Then if someone asks for a Bible we give them a New Testament. Then the full Bibles are given to those who we feel are genuinely seeking to learn more about God.
Bonus Pictures
We took the kids out to eat the last Sunday in October. When Joanna saw this advertisement with a bacon cheeseburger taller than her we had to get a picture!
September 2022
The devil hits hard, but God hits harder!
| This month has been a whirlwind of activity and blessing! This month we began having regular meetings in the home of a couple that lives in the next town over that want to see a scriptural church planted in their town! As we have been laboring this month with this family, the devil has been very active trying to discourage them as they step out in faith to see what the Lord will do! In the last month they have had multiple problems crashing upon them like waves of the ocean including a motorcycle accident, a broken arm, two family members being robbed at separate times in the month and a nephew dying among other things. |
| During the majority of this month my family suffered from sickness, allergies and losing my voice. God has been seeing them and us through all of these things and in the midst of it all blessing them with joy in the middle of the trials! Please pray fervently for them that God gives them strength to face and overcome the many trials! |
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“God Sent Your Family to Our House!”
On Sunday evenings, my wife and I have been meeting with this family and looking at the scriptures together. Last Sunday as we were sharing our whole story about how the Lord moved us to Argentina, they suddenly realized the full impact of what the Lord is doing in their home. Juan, the man of the house, looked at me and said, “God brought you from so far away directly to my house!” It was that evening that they realized that their willingness to follow God’s will was a greater blessing to us than even our presence was to them! May God continue to knit our hearts together as we serve Him!
My Family Asked to Play Music During a Professional Soccer Game
I am surprised sometimes at the opportunities that the Lord gives us to serve Him! I received a phone call this month from an Argentine friend that I would love to see come to know the Lord! He invited my self and three of my kids to play with their band during the Belgrano soccer game. I had always heard that Argentine soccer games were crazy but had never experienced it before. They had gathered 68 musicians to play during this event. You can get some idea at the energy by looking at the pictures. My prayer is that God may use us to be at the right place at the right time to win somebody to the Lord.
We were there for several hours but decided to leave early. It turns out God had more plans for us that evening! When the trolley bus came by the driver saw the four of our smiling faces and was instantly cheered. She told me later that she had been sad that day grieving the loss of a loved one when we entered her bus at just that moment. At her request we played songs, mostly hymns, for the rest of the ride. Before we left she gave us her information to be added to the list when I send out messages from the Bible each week on the podcast! Please continue to pray for her and for the ones in the band that we would like to reach with the gospel!
Thoughts from Stacie
Students’ Day
There are quite a few holidays here in Argentina. Some are national holidays and others are just celebrated days. This month’s big celebration was Student’s Day. Joanna’s and Elisabeth’s violin school had a party for their students. The girls dressed up as princesses and had a lot of fun with their friends.
Colds, Allergies, and a Stomach Bug
September is the start of Spring here in Argentina and as the weather appeared to be warming up we were still hit hard with all sorts of sicknesses. With seven of us in the house it seemed like we were going to be sick forever.It started with colds and then just as we seemed to be on the mend we got hit with a stomach virus. Then as trees were starting to bloom in our neighborhood we got hit with allergies. As we talked to people we found out we weren’t the only family that had problems with sickness this month. We tried to take care of ourselves and had to miss a few activities that we would have normally been a part of.
Bible Month – The Gift of God’s Word
We were asked by the family with whom we are meeting each week, if we had a Large Print Bible for their neighbor who has trouble reading small print Bibles. We went to the Bible Book Store here in the city and found her a Giant print Bible. She was really happy to be able to see the words for herself. We have also seen a large interest in the Gospel of John books that Scott put together. It’s been amazing seeing how many people have shown a great interest in these books. Quite a few have even asked for more books so they can share them with their friends. Pray for the people that receive the Gospel’s of John and other resources we’ve been giving away. God’s word does not return void! Please continue to pray that souls might be saved.
Homeschool Co-op
Each month we meet with other homeschool families from around the Cordoba Province for a homeschool co-operative. There were a couple new students in our classes this month. Scott is teaching a chess class and has been working hard putting together a book not only as a teaching tool for his class but it will make a nice ministry tool as well as he is incorporating spiritual and life lessons throughout the book. Books and tracts that share the gospel through different topics can be a very effective way to share the gospel. People are more apt to read something that looks interesting to them. I am teaching a “simple” sewing class for the younger children in the co-op. This class is a bit more chaotic as I have about 14 children ages 8 and under. The co-op has been good for our own children and also it’s been good getting to encourage other homeschooling families through it.
Bonus Pictures
August 2022 Report
Possible New Bible Study Location!
One of the blessings this month was making contact with a new family that desires to have a church in their town. They live in a city called Malvinas Argentinas. (Not the actual islands, just named after them.) Their city has a population of about 12,000 to 15,000 people. I counted 20 places in that town that had a church sign out front. The majority of these were either charismatic/prosperity gospel or Catholic. The remaining three were a Methodist, an Adventist and a Mormon. We had planned having a first meeting with them on the last Wednesday of the month. There was a complication on their end and so we rescheduled our first Bible study with them for the Sunday after. They were not able to keep that appointment either as they faced a family emergency requiring them to travel to another town several hours away.
Whenever the Lord is working you can be assured that the devil is working hard as well to put up obstacles in the pathway! Please pray for this family as they resolve the situation they are faced with and that the Lord gives us wisdom and understanding as we continue to reach out to them and their neighborhood.
New Semester Teaching in the Homeschool Co-op
One of the things that we started back this month was teaching in the homeschool cooperative. After the pandemic there was a great increase in homeschooling in Argentina. It is a great opportunity to have a part in the lives of several kids and their families. This semester I am teaching a chess class to the middle and high school age students. As we are free to talk about our faith in our classes, chess provides a great springboard to talk about life and the decisions that we make in life and their consequences. My wife is teaching a sewing class to kids ranging from 4-9 years old. In her class I am assisting her with “crowd control” as she has 12 very energetic kids in it!
A New Gospel Tract Printed!
Many times I have repeat conversations with people. Many times I have already given them a gospel booklet or other tract or flyer. As a result, the Lord has put on my heart to constantly write or translate and prepare new material so that I always have something new to put in peoples’s hands. This tract encourages skeptics who have never read the Bible to come to know the God of the Bible! On the back of the tract is a QR code that has a link where they can download a Bible for their phone to examine the evidence of God’s Word!
Thankful to Have a New Deep Throat Stapler!
One of the office items that I have wanted to acquire for a long time is a deep throat stapler that allows us to staple larger items like tracts, booklets and magazines. This new stapler will allow us to staple up to 12” inside of a paper. It was quite an adventure simply buying this tool as it does not seem to be common at stores and the wholesale store that did have it did not want to sell it to an individual. Thankfully I was able to finally purchase one for the Lord’s use creating resources that we can use!
Thoughts from Stacie
Ladies’ Retreat
The Ladies at Templo Bautista invited me to join them for a Ladies Retreat in Valle Hermoso (Beautiful Valley). There were about twenty to thirty ladies that went to the retreat. We met at the church and I drove 5 of the ladies in our car. It was quite an adventure driving behind another car and listening to ladies giving instructions in Spanish the whole way. I really enjoyed the opportunity to make some new friends and to get to know the ladies better.
The theme of the retreat was Hebrews 12:1-3, “Putting Our Eyes on Jesus.” I had some good conversations with several of the Ladies who asked me all sorts of questions about home and family. There were some fun games and a craft time. It felt good to see progress in my Spanish being able to understand and to be understood. It still can be overwhelming at times but any opportunity to immerse in the language helps towards our progress.
Band Recital and Violin Concert
The older children had another band recital this month. The younger two girls and I also had a bigger violin concert in August. Everyone is making good progress in music. I’m really excited to see them learning and growing with music and their desire to use their talents for the Lord.
Invited to Participate in Song Services
Templo Bautista invited our family to participate in the song service at their church. They have choir practice on Saturday evenings. Scott, Hannah, and Jonathan have enjoyed being able to participate. As the younger children continue to learn and progress in their music they will be able to join in the services as well.
Celebrating Scott’s Birthday
Scott’s Birthday falls on August 30th. His birthday was the only one that didn’t fall during our furlough in the States. He is avoiding sugar so Hannah made him a fancy berry pie with no added sugar for his birthday. With all the activities we weren’t able to get away for his Birthday but we still had a good time celebrating his day .
July 2022 Report
Winter Break in Argentina
In the middle of July a strange thing happens if you are not expecting it. Businesses that are normally open are closed. Activities that are normally taking place are suspended. When we first arrived here in 2018 we were left unaware but have since begun to learn the rhythm and flow of the city. During the first week, we rented a house in the mountains for a few days and let the kids have fun playing in the dirt. Even though we were an hour and a half from the city, I was able to talk to two people there about the Lord that either lived in our city or worked in our city. While we were enjoying our time in the small village I was able to pass out several Gospel of John booklets in that place. Please pray for seeds planted!
During the second week, Hannah, Jonathan and Elijah had the opportunity to spend the week at a youth conference with other kids their age. This was a great experience for them and for their Spanish. Elijah had not had this opportunity during our first term since he was younger. This term will be his term to truly soar in his learning and speaking! Please pray for him! It is not easy to make friends in another language and culture, but during the week he made some friends!
On the last day of the youth conference the rest of us joined them as we traveled 2 hours south of Cordoba to the mountains. There is a place there that has zip lines that are stretched between the mountains over a river and other activities. The kids had a great time and continued to bond with their new friends.
“Maybe you should pray right now!”
One of the activities was one that I truly enjoy, archery! As I was shooting, we had a conversation with “Franco”, the one running the activity. Pray for him, as he needs to be saved! I shared what Jesus did for him and how one day we will leave from this earth and stand before Him in judgment and how Jesus willingly gave his life on the cross to pay our sin debt. I told him how he needed to repent and trust Christ before it is too late.
About the time that I was stressing the urgency, my daughter Elisabeth shot an arrow that missed the target and ricocheted back and flew right by him nearly hitting him. Without missing a beat, I looked him in the eyes and said, “Maybe you should pray right now!”
A Visit to the Plaza of Alta Cordoba
While the older three kids were away at the youth conference, we worked on a lot of things with the younger two daughters. One of the things that they really wanted to do was visit the plaza where we spent a year before the pandemic. As we walked around the plaza, we were able to talk to several people as the girls played. There was a lady there that rents out trampolines that started the conversation with us, having remembered us from before when we put on a Christmas concert in that plaza during 2019.
The Grey Haired Barber
I had found a grey haired barber that I liked after having my hair butchered by another younger barber. The only problem is that here if you find something that you like it probably wont be there long. One day I noticed that his barber shop was no longer there. I had to find another barber! I went on the search for another barber. It sounds silly, but my requirement was that the barber had grey hair, hopefully distinguishing themselves as more experienced. I walked to the center and saw an older gentleman through the window. I entered and struck up a conversation with him about my search for a good grey-headed barber. After we talked for a while, I discovered he was not the barber! The barber was a young lady with piercings and dyed grey hair. While I was not sure what the outcome would be, I had my hair cut and must say that dyed grey hair must be as effective as naturally grey hair! All joking aside, I had a great opportunity to talk in depth with three people about the Lord and gave them each a Gospel of John Booklet!
Two Reactions to the Word of God
One day when my wife and I were walking in the center we saw a man trying to sell an old, worn out Gideon New Testament for the price of a brand new complete Bible. I began preaching to the man about the value of God’s Word and that it was not intended to be a commodity to be bought and sold! How sad that this book that he had meant nothing more to him than an item to sell! I told him that the only reason that I would purchase a Bible like that would be to turn around and give it to somebody without charge! I told him that I would not buy anything from him, but that I would give him something. I gave him a copy of the Gospel of John and showed him where I had printed on the spine of the book that it was “NOT” to be sold and explained what grace is.
He will probably try to sell it, but I am confident the Lord will get it into somebody’s hands, where He wants it to go! On the same day we met another older man about the same age. When I handed him a copy of the Gospel of John and told him what it was, he immediately hugged the book! What is your reaction to God’s Word? Is it precious to you or do you scorn it?
Thoughts from Stacie
Fellowship with other Believers
One thing we have found is that we need fellowship with other believer’s in Christ. There are no ABA churches here in Argentina and during our first term we visited several different types of churches.
There is one Independent Baptist Church here in the city that we found to be the closest doctrinally to us. They believe in local church only and even practice closed communion. The pastor understands that we’re not there to become members but that it’s for us to be able to fellowship with other believers and for our children to be able to participate in Spanish services. The members of Templo Bautista Bíblico have welcomed us to their morning services and other activities that they have going on throughout the year. Visiting with them doesn’t stop us from starting our own work but they are a big encouragement in our desire to plant churches as well.
Two Concerts before the winter break
Here in Argentina July is in the middle of winter. Even though there isn’t a corresponding holiday here schools take a two week winter break in the middle of July. It’s kind of like Christmas break in the States. Before the two week winter break our children were able to participate in a couple of mini-concerts. Scott and the older three children participated in the band concert on a Thursday.
Then Elisabeth and Joanna played their violins in a casual recital style concert that Friday. The girls were able to dress-up in costumes for their mini concerts. Joanna dressed up as a unicorn and Elisabeth dressed up as a colorful bear. Elisabeth even surprised us by volunteering to play a solo. We really enjoyed getting to hear how far our children have come along musically.
Taking a short break at the Mountain House
Children need the freedom to run around and just be kids. City life can be tough on country kids. Our kids have learned to be flexible here in Argentina. We live in a large city and we give them plenty of opportunities to play in the parks. Of course in the city we try to encourage them to speak mostly Spanish outside of the house and if they do speak English to do so quietly in order to not attract a lot of unwanted attention.
However when we visit the countryside, we give them freedom to run around and be as loud as they want in whatever language they want. Little breaks like that are good for all of us.
Immersion in the Culture
The week following our stay at the mountain house Hannah, Jonathan, and Elijah attended the youth conference with Templo Bautista where they got to spend a whole week immersed in the culture and getting to know the youth of the church. They were talking about how nervous they were on the drive over to the church but when the week was over they were all declaring how much fun they had and how they were glad they went.
Ladies Meeting
I also had a similar immersion experience one Friday evening towards the end of July. I was invited to a Ladies Meeting that started at 8:00 PM. There was a guest speaker and a fellowship afterwards. I made myself go even though it was late in the evening and I was tired. When we’re tired our Spanish suffers. However sometimes that’s a good time to force ourselves to use Spanish anyway. I was glad I went. The Ladies at Templo Bautista also invited me to a women’s retreat in the middle of August. Pray for me as I’ll be driving several ladies to the retreat.
Missions Conference and Banquet
Templo Bautista where we’ve been visiting on Sunday mornings held a special Faith Promise missions conference and banquet. They asked every family attending to bring food from another culture to share during the banquet. We brought Texas chili, corn bread, and a blueberry cobbler to share. The chili was a big hit.
Celebrating Ruth’s Birthday from a Distance
Ruth turned 22 this month. It’s hard being so far away but we got to talk with her and really enjoyed hearing about all her plans for teaching at church camp. It’s hard to believe my “little girl” is now one of the grownup sponsors and a teacher at camp.
June 2022 Report
Safely Back in Argentina!
We are so thankful for all of your prayers as we traveled. I really believe that your prayers made the difference going back! At the check in booth for the airline, the Lord gave us a person to check us in that was from a large military family that grew up all over the world. What a blessing to have a kind hearted, understanding person to check you in. We are so thankful that there was no extra charge for our 7 extra checked luggage!
When we arrived at the gate we still had more bags than allowed to carry on but the airline needed people to voluntary check their luggage, which brought our number down to just a few backpacks and bags that we were carrying on to the plane.
When we arrived in Cordoba, we were able to go through immigrations and customs without any problem at all! There are so many things we could talk about during our trip that would require a book, such as our daughter striking up a conversation with a couple while we were waiting to board the plane in Chile or getting to share the gospel with the delivery driver on the way back from the airport. God is good in all things and He will richly bless us with opportunities to share His message!
Car Maintenance, Plumbing, and Catching Up
Our house was like a tomb when we came back after being gone for 8 months! Nothing had moved except for an accumulation of dusts! (It is amazing how a house that is completely shut up here can acquire so much dust!) We had so much to take care of during this first month back from paying bills to fixing what needed to be replaced.
Our car was right where we left it in the parking garage with about a 16th of an inch of dust on it. The young man at the parking garage helped us jump start the vehicle and our landlord gave us good quality, reasonably priced places to go for car maintenance. We put a new battery in the car and had a full service done.
We had several plumbing issues in the house when we turned the water back on that needed to be dealt with immediately. Our landlord had given us leave to hire whoever we would like. I contacted a friend of ours that I helped a year ago when he needed business cards designed. Pray for him! He is a saved man, but has not been to any church with his family in a year. He was interested in us letting him know when we were going to have a dedicated place for having services. We are praying for the place that the Lord will give us for that purpose!
Three Days in the Immigration Office
One of the things that had to be done within our first two months here was to report to immigration and bring ourselves and all of our documentation to get our information cards made. It took three days in a row but we have it all done! Please pray that we all get our cards in the mail this time!
We have been in the immigration office so much during the last four years that we know the process well enough to give instructions to other foreigners who were coming for the first time. We joked about the fact that our five year old has spent over a month of her life collectively in that office! Amazingly, as of sending this report, we have received 6 out of 7 of our cards in the mail one week later!
Gospel of John Booklets and New Testaments Well Received!
Before we came back to the US, we took delivery of 1,000 Gospel of John booklets that we prepared and had printed. We were also given a large number of pocket New Testaments to bring back to Argentina with us! Since we have been back, we have already given away many copies to individuals!
It is great to have resources like these to put into peoples hands and to let them know that they are holding a portion of God’s Word, His message to us! Pray that the Lord continues to use this booklet to open doors to share his glorious Gospel!
Thoughts from Stacie
Slowly Getting Back in the Swing of Things
When we arrived back to our home in Argentina, we were determined to get back to daily life slowly. We didn’t want to get overwhelmed Of course we had a lot of cleaning to do the first few days and the plumbing in both the kitchen and bathroom was leaking.
So for us starting slow meant cleaning up and calling a plumber. We also had to get our car running again. Of course by the end of just that one week back, we felt like a whole month had passed.
Resuming Band and Violin Lessons
Then the following week we got violin classes resumed. Elisabeth, Joanna, and I have been taking violin lessons. We were having our classes virtually while we were in the States. The girls were very excited to get back to in person classes and group classes with other children.
Scott and the older kids also were excited to return to band and seeing their friends. The band has a class for adults and the instructor allows the children of the parents in that class to join them. Music is something our children enjoy and we as parents can encourage them in.
Visiting Our Language Instructor and Her New Baby
I messaged our friend and language teacher, Romi, when we arrived back in Argentina. She invited Scott and I to come to her house to see her new baby. She named her baby Elías which is Elijah in Spanish. She liked our Elijah’s friendly and laid back personality when she met him and she liked his name.
We thought it was really sweet that she named her son after ours. Since she invited us to her home we told her we wanted her to come visit us as well. So maybe in a few weeks we will have her and her family come visit us.
Shopping and Paying Bills
Shopping can be a lot of work when you have to think in two currencies. Whether it’s going to the shoe store to buy winter shoes for the children or shopping at the supermarket we have to think about not only how many pesos we must bring with us but we also have to think about how much it is in dollars as well.
Sharing Electricity
Paying bills can be tricky as well. We went to pay what we thought was the only electric bills we had one day and a few days later our electricity was cut off. It turned out we had missed a bill we didn’t realize was still due. Our landlord that lives behind us loaned us electricity by giving us a cord we could plug into our house like a generator. The next day our electricity was back on but a couple days later our neighbor’s electricity was cut off and we returned the favor and had the house plugged in for his house to receive electricity. Thankfully his was up and running again after a couple of days. It was just interesting having a cord going through our bathroom for several days.
Broken Water Line
It’s almost seems unreal but when our electricity came back on the following day our water ran out. A line was broken down the road from us and they had cut the water to the houses on the street until it was fixed. Thankfully it wasn’t off for more than a day. There is a tank that fills up on our roof so we don’t always know when the water is off until our tank runs out of water. When the water came back on we were a little nervous of using too much water until we were sure that the water pressure was back in full.
Everyday life can be rather unpredictable sometimes.
Celebrating Joshua’s Birthday from a Distance
Our eldest son, Joshua, celebrated his 24th Birthday on June 27th. It’s hard not being able to be there to celebrate in person but we sent him a video of us singing “Happy Birthday” to him and we sent some money for him and Ruth, our oldest daughter, to go out and celebrate his birthday together. Ruth sent us a picture of Joshua wearing a new hat he got for his birthday.
Bonus Pictures
May 2022
About to Fly Back to Argentina!
After our consulate visit this month, we received our passports back in the mail from the Argentine consulate with our new visas! We have all of our bags packed a week early and are ready to fly out on the 7th of June. Our Itinerary is very good as we will be flying out at 12:45 PM from DFW and will arrive in Cordoba the next day at 10:34 AM. We will have two connections one at JFK in New York and the second in Santiago de Chile. Please pray for us as we travel and pray for those that we will be talking to along the way about the Lord!
So Many Blessings!
An Opportunity to Share the Gospel
Part of our consulate appointment was our interview by the main official of the Argentine consulate. He wanted to hear my story of how I started learning Spanish and why we wanted to go to Argentina. I shared with him how I first committed to learn Spanish was because many years ago in 1994, I took a trip on a bus and sat next to a man that could not speak English and I didn’t know enough Spanish to share the Gospel with him well. Since then I poured my energy into learning Spanish and the Spanish Bible to be able to share the message of Salvation with any that I would meet later. I also shared with him how the Lord had called us to go to Argentina and share this message, baptize those who believed and to plant scriptural churches. We had a great conversation with him sharing our hearts and answering his questions.
Eyes as Big as Saucers!
Later in our interview I gave him and the lady that has been handling our case one of our flyers. I showed him where on our flyer he could find more information if he really wanted to know more about us and what we are working on in Argentina. Most people just quickly glance at one of our flyers and put it away, but he began to read the main points out loud on the first page! The first page of our flyer explains how someone could be saved. When he read the third line out loud, his eyes looked as big as saucers as he read how, because of our sin, we are separated from God and worthy of Hell! Please pray for him that we may have more conversations with him in the future!
Thoughts from Stacie
A Date to the Consulate in Houston
We had our consulate visit this month in Houston. They said we didn’t have to have the kids with us for our appointment so Scott and I decided to leave the kids with my parents for a few days and turn our consulate visit into a short getaway. The evening after our consulate appointment we enjoyed dinner and a classical concert together
A Want-to-Do List
This month I sat down with each of our kids and asked them if there were anything they wanted to do before we leave for Argentina. I explained that we might not be able to do it all but we could try. We took them to a rodeo and Bass Pro Shop. Scott took the boys axe throwing. We also visited with several friends. We even took the kids to the movies and watched Family Camp.
Mothers’ Day
On Mothers’ Day we attended our sending church, Nevill’s Chapel, for the morning services. After the morning services we drove up to Idabel, Oklahoma and enjoyed being a part of their special May Missions focus. We also enjoyed getting to see my brother, Jason Clark’s family while we were there.
Elisabeth’s Birthday
We celebrated Elisabeth’s 10th birthday on May 28th. We invited a lot of family over to help us celebrate with a party at the park. She had a wonderful time and really enjoyed being the center of attention. We enjoyed getting to see cousins and family that we hadn’t seen in a long time.
Saying Goodbye
Over all we’ve had a lot of opportunities to say our goodbyes this month. We have all the visas and paperwork in order and are ready to fly out. It’s a bit surreal right now to think that we will be writing our next report in Argentina.
Thank you for praying!
We are packed up and ready to go with only our carry-on luggage left to organize. Please pray for our flights on June 7th, that all goes smoothly, and that we arrive safely with all our luggage.
Bonus Pictures
