Nothing is
so much fun as blessing others! God has
set me up for this. You can’t just make
something like this happen. It’s a God
thing. And I can’t imagine any
retirement activity that could be both so entertaining and so fulfilling.
At this
moment I am back in the Buenos Aires area after driving exactly 4,000 miles in
a huge circle, ministering a total of 58 times… in tiny fledgling churches, strong
booming churches, rented halls, home meetings, kids events, plazas and city
parks in eight provinces (like eight states) and in the Federal Capital City of
Buenos Aires… and all this in 57 days… averaging one service per day! Are we having fun yet?!
And I am
not finished yet with this “tour.” I still
have 30 days left to have fun. I plan to
arrive in Modesto June 19.
Last
Saturday was a pretty busy day. Pastor
Mario Morana had invited me to teach a one day course to their “Jesus-Sharing-Team”
of 80 people of all ages who minister in hospitals, schools, parks, businesses,
homes on the street, etc… each one with their specific designation. (Pastor Mario is one of the boys who received
Christ along with his friends in the summer [Jan-Feb] of 1977 where we were
preaching a 30 day crusade in a park. After
his graduation from Bible Institute we helped him plant his great Prince of
Peace Church.)
So starting
at 9:30 AM until noon (with a short break in the middle) I shared some inspirational
thoughts with this dedicated team comprised of all ages from youth to seniors.
Then the team walked about 15 blocks away to Parque
Ledesma, a city park where in years past I have publically shared Christ many
times.
It was May 17, a sunny, but cool fall day. Felipe always attracts a nice crowd that often
remains to hear the message of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary to offer us unworthy
sinners the free gift of salvation. I
love the gospel of Jesus, because it doesn’t just sound good... it works!
Lives are changed! Often long-term
addicts are set free, sick people are healed and somebody I never saw before
starts a brand new life! I hear about it
ten years later!
After
praying with the people someone had some happy music coming through the audio system. I just happened to grab this darling “young”
gal with the big smile and we enjoyed a short dance. Now all you sweet widows out there, don’t get
worried. It was just a wild fling. I don’t even know her name. Ha.
That same Saturday
night I had the privilege of preaching at the 8:30 PM youth service in Pastor Claudio
Freidzon’s Rey de Reyes (King of Kings) Church.
As usual there was a long line on the sidewalk waiting for the earlier
service to close so they could stream in. One can always sense the presence of the living Christ in their
services.
I challenged the youth with Jesus’
words that have powerfully affected my life: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to
the ground and dies, it remains sterile.
But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)
It was around 11 PM when hundreds of youth responded trying to find
a place to kneel in prayer to plant the seed of their lives and claim the
promise of “much fruit”.
So now go out and share the love of Jesus with someone... and you will have some fun, too.
Ralph
