I stumbled out of bed at noon today, and on my way to the
bathroom ran into some more recently returned seminarians. After shrieking each
other’s names and hugs, the same question: how was your break? And, inevitably,
variations on the same response:
“Good…cold”
“Good…warm”
“Good…nice”
Which is obviously code for ‘I have so much to say about my
awesome vacation that it will take me days and maybe months to unpack all of
the stories’. And, bright-eyed and bus-lagged, we start to unpack.
So, along with my grime encrusted socks and crumpled plane
tickets, here are a few things I can unpack from my break…
I spent most of my non-sick break in Joaquin V. Gonzales,
Salta province. It’s about 21 driving hours north of Buenos Aires, which is why
I flew, and roughly The Dalles in size and Dufur in feeling. I stayed with my
friend Ani, who is finishing up her last seminary credits online while living
and working with her parents, who are pastors of a robust church. She had
organized a youth retreat for my weekend there, so I ended up helping her with
that: I preached twice, gave a workshop, coordinated a prayer meeting, and
talked on the radio three times- all with little to no voice!
It was very humbling to be able to get to know the teens and find that, despite a continent and culture difference, we were able to connect like a family and share God’s Word, which is just as relevant to their lives as it is to mine. Staying in the parsonage has its own rhythm of ministry- if you’re not strategic about when you get out of the house (grocery shopping, walking, etc.), you can get caught in a revolving door of visitors and tea- it’s a bit like being in the Connor house, for those of you who remember such times. I left quite a few hours of sleep, my Bible, and a bit of my heart there.
Nevertheless, Ani, Pedro (her fiancé) and I were able to escape for a FULL day and a half of exploring Salta and Jujuy, complete with huddling in the cold for 3 am bus rides, marveling at painted hills, eating llama sausage (delicious), and singing while trekking down a canyon by starlight. Quite an adventure!
It was very humbling to be able to get to know the teens and find that, despite a continent and culture difference, we were able to connect like a family and share God’s Word, which is just as relevant to their lives as it is to mine. Staying in the parsonage has its own rhythm of ministry- if you’re not strategic about when you get out of the house (grocery shopping, walking, etc.), you can get caught in a revolving door of visitors and tea- it’s a bit like being in the Connor house, for those of you who remember such times. I left quite a few hours of sleep, my Bible, and a bit of my heart there.
Nevertheless, Ani, Pedro (her fiancé) and I were able to escape for a FULL day and a half of exploring Salta and Jujuy, complete with huddling in the cold for 3 am bus rides, marveling at painted hills, eating llama sausage (delicious), and singing while trekking down a canyon by starlight. Quite an adventure!
Or, in other words…
“Good…nice” ;)
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