Archive January 2010
It Was Tuesday in Buenos Aires
Today and tomorrow are tourist days. After that it’s time to go to work and serve. So, we enjoyed the day to the fullest. We heard that it was suffocating hot the day before we arrived. Yesterday and today, however, have been just about perfect! Temps in the 80′s and clear skies. Nice!
On Bus to El Caminito en Boca
This morning we hopped on a city bus and traveled to El Caminito, a cute, touristy little spot near the home stadium of the Boca Juniors team, one of the two great rivals of soccer here in Buenos Aires. Cute little shops, street vendors, mimes and tango dancers in the street. After a couple of hours there we headed back downtown to savor a couple of authentic Argentine empanadas to hold us over until dinner. The rest of the afternoon was free time for shopping, since this would be about the only time to focus on this very important aspect of life.
Many of you have heard me speak of our dear friend Edgar and Sonia who are greatly used of God around the world. They are both native Argentines, but Edgar comes from an ethnic Armenian background and Sonia is Ukranian. Both groups are well-represented in Argentine society. If you know anything about history, you will appreciate it when I tell you that Edgar has the most amazing ministry to Turkish speaking people around the world. Edgar and Sonia joined us for dinner tonight and we were thrilled to hear a bit of what God is doing through them and others. We also just had fun spending time with them.Edgar is a Boca Junior fan, and Ryan had purchased a Boca shirt and hat today. Edgar hugged him at first sight! No other introductions were necessary.
A couple of our young ladies were very curious about the whole mate culture in Argentina and desperately wanted to taste some mate while they were here. I did my best to explain the cultural and relational aspects of this drink that countless Argentine, Uruguayan and others here in the southern part of South America constantly carry with them in a thermos and drink out a gourd through a metal straw.
Finally, I suggested that they ask questions of the hotel staff since I had seen the tell-tale thermos behind the counter. I knew that if they expressed sincere interest, it would not be long before they would be sharing their mate. Sure enough! Several of our young adults were able to taste a bit of this bitter herb last night. Several also slipped out in their youthful energy to catch some tango happening live since our hotel is right smack in the middle of the historic heart of the tango.
All it takes to keep Emily content - Cafe con Leche
It’s late and I need to catch some sleep to keep up with these young people. We will be up very early in the morning to catch the Buquebus (Boat Bus) to Montevideo, Uruguay. It’s a three hour trip down river in a high speed, very large ferry. We’ll spend the day there before getting back to the hotel close to midnight tomorrow.
Arrival Day in Buenos Aires
Hotel Check-In
An amazingly coordinated trip brought our team of ten to Buenos Aires. Emily and 7 students flew through Denver to meet me in Houston. As my plane pulled in to one terminal, I watched their plane dock in another. They were shocked when the hopped on to the shuttle train to go to the international terminal and I was already on board. Jeannie met us this morning as we arrived in Buenos Aires.
Fearless Ladies Ready for First Subway Ride in BA
A shuttle bus from the hotel was waiting for us and we got settled in to a nifty little hotel in the very heart of the Tango area of Buenos Aires. This afternoon I took them on the subway (subte) downtown to see some of the sights. We ate dinner at a great pizza place that has been around for something like 100 years. We all loved it.
Let's see .... does BA stand for Buenos Aires or Bad Attitude?
We got back to the hotel early to be able to rest up a bit. It’s always hard to get any real sleep on an overnight flight. The weather here, though, was perfect today. In the 80′s and beautiful! Tomorrow we will spend the day exploring once again in Buenos Aires before going to Montevideo Thursday.
Hmmmm. I keep hearing these voices from the lobby. A couple of young ladies were intent on convincing one of the young men on the desk to explain to them the culture of mate and maybe even achieve their goal of being able to share mate with a real live Argentinian. (Google it)
Winging from Winter into Summer
Don’t get mad, now, but I am headed for a few days of summer just so I don’t forget what it’s like. Ten of us are headed for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Emily and seven students left earlier today because they found a cheaper ticket going through Denver on their way to Houston on their way to BA. I already had my ticket and went straight to Houston where I met up with them and where I am posting this. Jeannie, another team member is cashing in some frequent flier points and will going through Atlanta to meet up with us in Buenos Aires in the morning.
Our flight will leave around 9:00pm this evening and if all goes according to plan, around 10:30 tomorrow morning we should magically plop down on the runway of Ministro Pistarini International Airport better know as Ezeiza for the suburb where it is located. Or, if you really want to go local, this is know as the “Airport” while the other airport across town, Jorge Newbery, is simply called the “Airpark.” After spending a couple of days in Buenos Aires, we will actually fly out of the Airpark headed to Códoba and the site of CIMA 2010, the youth missions extravaganza that is our final destination.
As I said, this is summer in South America and Buenos Aires is a port city at the mouth of the River de la Plata that separates Argentina from its neighbor Uruguay. The climate is subtropical which means that Buenos Aires this time of year can feel much like New Orleans or Houston six months from now.
I’ll do my best to keep you posted on our adventures over the next few days. Since this is not a limited access country, you’ll be happy to know that I can freely use names, times and locations without having to resort to code to protect the innocent. So, I’ll tell you openly of our experiences with our Argentinian friends and not the A’s or the A@ or something like that. 
Oh, if you would like to follow along from a student perspective, check out the trip blog at http://teamcima.wordpress.com
Odds and Ends
Good evening! I have no great wisdom, insight or even anything clever to share. However, I do want to give you a few updates.
Thanks to all who have responded here and on Face Book regarding my tribute to Phyllis Jones. Many have already heard, but for those who have not, there will be a memorial service at KCBT at 10:00am Wednesday morning.
Tomorrow, a group of ten of us head to Argentina for the CIMA 2010 student mission event. The event itself will be held in Cordoba, but since most in our group are students and have worked very hard to come up with the necessary funding, I thought it would be a shame for them not to see some of the sights. So, we will leave tomorrow and arrive Tuesday morning in Buenos Aires where I will show the around the beautiful Argentine capital for a couple of day and also take a day trip to Montevideo, Uruguay. On Friday we will fly to Cordoba and then fly back to Buenos Aires exactly one week later arriving back home in KC on Saturday, January 23rd.
Another group of students led by Chris and Thao Romero arrived back yesterday in good shape from Spain and Morocco. I haven’t had a chance to be debriefed on any details, but understand that it was a life transforming experience.
Wow! I was very encouraged by our services this morning. Our weather has been cold and snowy since before Christmas that many have been hindered from attending services. Today was soared into the 20′s with no snow! It was great to see everyone and the spirit in both services was sweet. We continued our Nehemiah study dealing with foundations of community.
It seems like readership of this blog spikes when I am traveling. So, I will do my best to keep you up to date as we travel. Several in this group have never been outside of the USA and I always enjoy seeing things through their eyes.
Tribute to Phyllis Jones
Some people blend into the scenery; others couldn’t hide if they wanted to. Phyllis Jones’ unique personality and skills commanded notice.
Cheryl and I had arrived in Kansas City in January of 1971, appropriately in the middle of a huge blizzard that shut down the city. I was the pastor over student ministries and Phyllis was already established as a key figure, a sincere young woman heading to Bible College. Even then, her wonderfully quirky sense of humor and easy laugh set her apart.
Phyllis would hold numerous jobs and positions over the years, but her dedication to education would distinguish her as much as anything. Many in the Kansas City area will remember her for the years she was principal of Tri-City Christian School. Some years ago Phyllis returned to KCBT and eventually served in several capacities on our staff, most recently as administrative assistant to our executive pastor over ministry, Tim Mensendiek.
Her fertile mind, creativity and analytical abilities made her a valuable team member. Her people skills, love and humor endeared her to everyone. No one ever forgot her or failed to notice her. Over the years, a passion sprung up within her to mentor young women. She touched more lives than I suppose we will ever know.
Phyllis fought several health issues during her life, but the past couple of years were rough. She was in and out of the hospital several times. Those of us who knew her well were concerned for her, and she seemed herself to sense something was wrong. Last Tuesday she was diagnosed with an aggressive liver cancer. This evening at 6:05 she quietly slipped into eternity. We will miss her terribly. We rejoice that her suffering is no more.
Pray for her family and pray for us, her church staff family. We spend a lot of time together and become as close as flesh and blood in many ways. I’m sure many of you have experienced the death of co-workers, but incredibly this is the first time in the 25 years I have been senior pastor here that we have suffered the death of an active co-worker. So, this is a new experience for us and one that will stretch us a bit. We will trust God, and we will go forward, but we will always love and miss Phyllis.