What is a "Prayer-Hug?"

A great Resurrection weekend! 

Saturday night:  At Sierra Grande, an iron ore mining town that seemed about to die when the mine shut down years ago.  Now resurrection is happening and the church is growing along with the city.  I taught their pastor in Bible school many years ago.

This elderly lady needed a "Prayer-Hug" and got one free of charge.

After getting to bed at 1 AM Saturday night (and too excited to sleep until at least 2:30) I set the alarm for 5:10 AM… jumped out of bed, took no time for my normal exercises, (Saturday morning I did 110 pushups and 55 stand ups from and squatting position.) showered and dressed and at precisely 6 AM headed 80 miles further south to the beautiful city of Puerto Madryn.  

It was totally dark when I started.  I watched the sun rise over the Atlantic ocean in a bright display of Easter colors.  I arrived at 7:20 in time to set up my instrument in the huge church that Pastor Horacio Balbi has recently completed.  We are talking BIG!  You could park a Boeing 747 in there!   I ministered at the 8:30 AM service to mostly elderly folk... some were young families, too.  The church fills up for the night service, they say, and I believe them.  

Pastor Horacio Balbi prays for this couple that is leaving for over a thousand miles away to minister to an indigenous tribe way up north in the area called the "Inpenetrable."

The Balbis offered me an early lunch which I enjoyed with them.  They are the greatest!  I then drove to the Instituto Biblico Patagonico campus in Gaiman, another 90 miles south... where I will stay for two days.  

I took a quick Sunday afternoon nap and drove 40 minutes to Trelew to set up for a 6 PM kids service… 120 kids filled with excitement at the thought of seeing Felipe.  I survived the pandemonium and was ready for the adult service at 7:30 and at midnight arrived back at my room at the IBP.  I had a “tea” between services, but did not eat dinner… which is okay… since these midnight dinners don't sit well on my digestive system. 

Really these pastors and their families are almost like family to me.  I have known Horacio and Julia Balbi since we arrived in Buenos Aires in 1965 before they were married.  Now they have 7 grand kids!  Also Pastors Ramon and Blanca Saucedo from 1965.  They had three beautiful daughters, all now married and all wives of pastors.  They are all just super, beautiful people.  And they pamper me to death!

I have celebrated the resurrection of Jesus by preaching three times to adult audiences and once to 120 kids.  And these hundreds of people seem to love me to pieces.  They crowd around me after every service waiting their turn to hug me and kiss me on each cheek.  Some weep tears,  both men and women, as they squeeze me tight and tell me of their love and appreciation.  

This morning one young lady had been waiting for her turn for a long time.  Now she was the only one left.  I noticed huge tears filling her eyes.  She grabbed me in a big hug and bawled her heart out and didn’t let me go for a while.  My face was soaked with her tears.  I have no idea what was behind that incident and I don’t need or want to know.  It is enough to know that God had deeply touched her and many others.

I hope I am not just an addict to all the attention and honor that is given me.  I am often embarrassed at the presentations the pastors make of me.  Yet I don’t think this is like the typical hero worship shown to movie stars and singers.  There is something much deeper within many of these Argentine people.  Some have sat under my ministry many times and some date their deep experiences with God to some of those past moments.

Ralph