High Patagonian Desert

Yesterday, Sunday, I ministered in Ingeniero Jacobacci. Great service! Deep time of dedication. Lots of youth. They have a huge building in a tiny town. It was a railroad town in it’s day. This is where the famous Patagonian Express narrow gauge steam train “La Trochita” did its run for many years… Ingeniero Jacobacci to and from El Bolson. Years ago a Chilean Pastor Sepulveda crossed the Andes to Argentina and carried his family on this steam train to this desert town of Ingeniero Jacobacci to plant the first evangelical church here and of course the first Pentecostal one. At my first visit here in 1993, old brother Sepulveda’s son was pastor and they had nearly 1,000 in their church in a town of 6,000! They began building an incredible building for such a little hick town. While the building was still unfinished in the mid nineties a heavy snowfall caused the roof to collapse. No one was inside. They rebuilt it stronger and it is beautiful. (See photo above) This whole huge area is high desert around 2500 feet above sea level.

Going back a little, Friday night enroute to Los Menucos from El Bolson I stayed in a hotel in Ingeniero Jacobacci (zero stars… not even worth a half moon…ha)… but I slept well. Nine hours was too much driving on these teeth chattering gravel roads… so I split it in two. On Saturday morning when I was just leaving town heading east to Los Menucos I could hardly believe my eyes. I slammed on the brakes, parked quickly and ran over for a closer look. There was the famous “Trochita” steam engine all fixed up, blowing steam, belching smoke and towing a string of ancient cars. (See photo)
The last time I saw it, it was like a piece of junk all in pieces. Now they were getting it all ready for a run the next day. All I knew was that this train had been retired many years ago. I watched them disconnect the cars and park it in the engine barn… and I followed it in. The men who were operating it let me take pictures and invited me up into the cabin where the fire pit was red hot and steam blowing out all over the place. They told me they now do a tourist run of 15 kilometers each way every Sunday afternoon. The ancient train passenger cars have a pot belly wood stove where on the long runs years ago you could keep warm and heat up water for your maté… if you’d bring you own firewood which is scarce in these parts.

I arrived in Los Menucos about four hours later on Saturday. You couldn’t distinguish the color of the car since it was covered with dust. Inside the trunk the dust was thick. I had to get a wet rag and wash off my suitcase and everything else that was in the trunk. We had a good service in the civic auditorium Saturday night. The new church chapel was too small since the young pastor had announced my coming on the radio. They are a sharp couple, Walter and Lorena Colinier. His mother is the daughter of the old brother Sepulveda that set in motion the work in this desert area. Walter’s father is also pastor of another AG church in Bariloche.

Sunday I drove back to Ingeniero Jacobacci… amid clouds of dirt and dust. Enjoyed another blessed service Sunday afternoon! Today I joggled my way five hours to Bariloche. Much of the time I had to creep along at 10 to 15 mph as the washboard effect shook the car so badly. It seemed almost heavenly to hit real genuine pavement again at 3 PM this afternoon. I am now in a nice hotel in Bariloche and have two nights to rest. I am to preach in one of our AG churches here on Wednesday. It was started in the nineties by Missionaries Steve Hill and Marc Triplett. Brother Colonier, father of Walter would have had me preach in his church, too, but they are enlarging their building, replacing the huge roof supporting beams this week and can’t have services until next Sunday. I hate to miss that one. He has a great church where I have ministered many times.

Well I did it again. TMO (Too much information) ha.

Ralph