Touched Down... Just in Time!

My plane was supposed to arrive in Argentina on Wednesday morning.  I was going to have 24 hours to get my car out of storage at the "Castle," (Headquarters of the King's Castle Youth Program)... exchange some dollars for pesos and move into an apartment above the Martinez church before ministering on Thursday night.  However my flight left San Francisco one hour late and we missed our connection in Houston.  My flight had already left for Buenos Aires!  So I was stranded in Houston for 24 hours!  I took a motel to get a little sleep and made the best I could of it, spending most of those 24 hours in the airport.  I was surprised to meet up with Stan and Julie Wagner and a team of 13 Assemblies of God workers on the same plane going down to work on our Buenos Aires Bible School's new dormitories.  

I confess I was exhausted when I arrived in Buenos Aires on Thursday instead of Wednesday.  I cannot sleep on airplanes like others do.   

My taxi, driven by a brother from our Martinez church, was waiting for me at the airport.  He rushed me to the Castle.  It was 1:30 PM when we got there and these wonderful youth at the Castle had washed my car and prepared a feast to receive me!  I wish I had thought to take a picture.  These youth in their late teens are true servants of God, and each one of them powerful in their varying ministries. 

I was on the ground now with my car, however there was a problem:  The Martinez church apartment was occupied, and the two other places that I have stayed previously were also occupied!  So now I had to search for a place to live.  I finally moved into a hotel where I had stayed before.  They had only one room left... an apartment... and that for only 5 nights.  I just barely had time to shower and shave, sleep for exactly 45 minutes and head out for the Cathedral of Faith church.  Pastor Osvaldo Carnival's 92 year old father was in the hospital and he had asked me to take his Thursday night "leadership meeting."  These are leaders of their many cell groups and daughter churches.  Look at them!  They didn't know I was coming, but there had to be at least 1,800 leaders present, maybe 2,000... (the building seats 2,300.)  

They brought the kids in for a few minutes with Felipe.  In this picture I had just asked the audience to give an applause for my "special helper" who was holding the suitcase.  He is Pastor Osvaldo's teenage son, Dan, and the people, who obviously love him...went wild with cheers and applause.  I think I successfully embarrassed him... ha.

When I sat down on the steps of the platform to pray with the kids, the whole gang ran up and smothered me with love.  They were hanging all over me.  I couldn't move.  Some ushers rushed up to save me and pulled them off me so I could pray for them and send them back to their classes.  Obviously these kids weren't into praying at that moment, after being pulled off me... but I blessed them anyway.

At the close of the message I called for those that wanted to pray to come forward.  Many did and stayed for maybe an hour after service.  Several told me that God had used my message to speak to them profoundly.

The ministers in charge of the service invited me out for dinner, but it was about midnight I think and I needed sleep more than food, so I skipped dinner, went back to the hotel and crashed.  

The next day, Friday, I was going to preach at the new Gypsy Cathedral of Faith Church!  They would be inaugurating their recently rented hall that Friday night.  Hopefully you will see their photos in my next blog.

Be blessed!

Ralph