The Silent Hallelujah!

Missionary Donald Exley baptized 34 new converts after a powerful Sunday morning service.  The church school gym, presently used as a sactuary, is overflowing and the new sanctuary seating 2,000 will not be ready until end of 2013.  

Following the service the baptismal took place in the Christian School patio.

I shot some photos from the 3^rd floor balcony where I was watching.  This brother being baptised is hearing impaired.  If you look carefully you may be able to see the woman who is translating Pastor Exley's words in front of him.  When he rose from the water he raised both his hands high moving them excitedly signing a “Silent Hallelujah!” and a shout of praise and applause filled the area as he embraced his pastor!  The Martinez Family Christian Center maintains a ministry of translating for the hearing impaired in every service. 

 

It was my joy to dedicate Sunday afternoon to bless an as yet "unborn church" in Devoto, a nice neighborhood of the Federal Capital Buenos Aires. I call it a "baby church" once it starts breathing on its own, but this one is still in the pregnancy stage.  First we did a meeting in the plaza.  The weather was perfect, however now a few hours later, lightning is flashing, thunder rolling and a torrential rain is literally flooding the streets!

I played the Hawaiian guitar. Sweet little kids gathered curiously to watch and soon a crowd gathered. 

The kids loved petting Perfume.  And the crowd grew.

Felipe a sang and told a Bible Story and I preached briefly to the adults. 

The kids crowded around to get a copy of the Spanish “Book of Life” edited especially for children.

They each were delighted to have their copy.

Then we moved to a rented hall a half block from the plaza where the pastors open the door weekly.  Delicious coffee was served to all.

We enjoyed a worship service with their small group… mostly workers from the mother church. 

 

 

 

Perfume, Felipe, the Hawaiian guitar and the accordion all did their thing and I enjoyed singing, preaching and praying with them.  Pastor and Mrs. Carlos Blanco will need our prayers as they attempt to bring to birth another AG church.

Tomorrow I drive 140 miles south to begin Monday evening with ministry in the southern part of the Buenos Aires Province.  I start with the original church that Alice Wood founded in the 1920s in the city called 25 de Mayo (“25th of May”). This area was the seedbed for our first Assemblies of God ministers during the early part of the 20th century.  I plan to preach each night in one of 14 cities during the next two weeks… plus a Saturday morning regional pastors meeting… then move on south and west to La Pampa Province… the only one of the 23 provinces (like states) left in Argentina where I have not ministered since Frances’ home-going two years ago.  It’s going to be a busy month hopping from hotel to hotel and church to church, but I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

Ralph