Ralph Hiatt's Argentina: What’s up… Everything’s up!

Last Thursday, March 12 I flew straight south about 1,500 miles to El Calafate… where I would be ministering to our Missionary Fellowship and at our local AG church.

Friday our entire team of missionaries took a bus the 50 miles to one of the most spectacular glaciers in this hemisphere, el Perito Moreno. It was a beautiful day. We hiked for two hours down hundreds of steps on the elevated ramps, then up again and down again… as we took in the incredible scenery. We took pictures, but there is no way to capture the magnitude of this wonder. Then after noon we took the boat ride up as close as could be safe to this huge advancing 200 foot high wall of ice. Every day it advances over 4 feet.

17 year old Jeremy Echevarria shot this just as this 200 foot tower was crashing into the lake.

This is called calving. They say over the years that 32 people that stood too close have been killed by flying ice. Flying pieces can look small, but may be as large as a car.

The ice disappears below the surface to return rolling over to reveal the deep blue color and forming icebergs that float off in Lake Argentina.

At one point we had a very unusual treat. On rare moments a huge section of ice as tall as a 10 story building will break off. One can hear the crash, but can seldom can get a camera ready to take a video or a picture. But Jonathan Wellborn was on the prow of our boat with several others of our team. He has an excellent camera and was taking video. One of the ladies on our team pointed out a huge section that seemed ready to fall and Jon aimed his camera that way. Several small pieces of ice started falling, probably no larger than a piano or a car. That was spectacular enough… then a much larger piece fell and finally with the camera rolling the entire 200 feet high section broke off with great commotion and disappeared in the lake to rise again as icebergs.

Do not read any further without seeing this short video clip. You could wait hours, days, weeks and never catch something like this in action. https://youtu.be/wm-BRTMpNIA It may require you to copy and paste it. I hope I got it right this time.

And here I am at the glacier with our Area Directors, Mike and Dodey Files. We are blessed with the best!

And with Gilbert and Virginia Contreras who are doing a great job with Argentina Chi Alpha and much more!

On Saturday night, after a full day of Missionary Fellowship business with our Area Directors Mike and Dodey Files, I had the honor of ministering to my wonderful friends, some of them my co-laborers for several decades.

Of course, Perfume and Felipe came out to charm the little kids. Timothy Schneider (“Timo”) seems delighted. What a blessed time we all had in the presence of our Savior!

We had special prayer for Brad and Rhonda Walz who have made such a massive impact on international missions that their expanding role is demanding that they leave their beloved Argentina for a location more central and less costly for international travel.

Sunday evening I was invited to minister in the El Calafate church with Pastors Antonio y Lidia Villegas.