Tonight was a much bigger open air event than last night. This was put on by the “mother” church here… a church planted by Missionaries David and Carol Ellis along with a young Argentine Pastor, Alberto Ferrando, about 20 years ago. The mother church has now planted several other churches.
Three of these daughter churches are in needy areas and feed a full meal every day, except Sundays, to about 100 neighborhood children each. None of these churches receive help from the government. It is the Church in action with voluntary workers. I visited the kitchen where the ladies were stewing a huge pot of lentils that really smelled good. Kids of all ages were already seated at the table long before the food was ready. The mother church kitchen provides a hot lunch daily (except Sundays) to about 40 university students from the campus nearby. Chi-Alpha is alive and well in Argentina.
About once a month they choose one of their daughter churches to do an “outreach” event in an open plaza… using talent and medical specialists from the local church and the mother church. Today they took over the plaza all day.
They set up several special tents. Each one was attended by a specialist, dentists examining kids and adults and giving a new tooth-brush and paste to each with instructions on how to use them, a pediatrician checking babies, a gynecologist and his doctor wife for the women, someone giving free haircuts and more.
I think there were 16 medical people in all. Several of them were medical students from the university here. I don’t think they did a lot of treatments, but mostly consultations and health giving advice. In the meantime games were going on all day with the children.
At about 6 PM the kids’ program began… a couple of youth dressed as “magician and helper” pulled a string of colored cloth from an empty hat… and finally a stuffed rabbit. A clown act was well planned and really cute with a “wannabe clown” interrupting every circus act by sneaking on stage, trying to copy the act and getting scolded and pushed off,
a “terrifying” lion show with cute little kids dressed as lions and finally four women with identical expressionless face-masks and dressed as mannequins in a store window. This last one was designed more for adults (and there were lots of them there, too), and was very well done. A background voice spoke for them. When “the store closed” they took off the masks and came to life discussing what it might be like to be real people walking freely on the street. They knew their lines and mouthed the words very well. In all they put on a really good show.
Perfume and Felipe were hits as usual, delighting all ages. Then I preached to them about how Jesus treated an adulterous woman and how her religious accusers went slinking away in shame. I told about the “invisible miracle” that took place while Jesus lifted the burden of guilt and shame from her shoulders and took her guilt, her sin, her shame, her condemnation and her death upon Himself and gave her the free gift of a new life. Jesus was offering her a new beginning, a fresh start, which He calls being born again. That woman, trapped in shameful sin, represents each one of us. Then I gave the invitation. Many responded. I talked with a few of them afterward. Hugo is 48 years old, but I would have guessed his age as in his 60s. He has colon cancer and has been operated on many times. His wife is a pretty lady, but suffering from Lupus. Hugo obviously had never given a thought to spiritual things before and knew nothing… a round zero… about Jesus and the Bible. He told me that he was really touched by the story about that sinner lady and how Jesus gave her a new life. He and his wife are going to start their new life as of today.
Sometimes the best things happen after the lights have been turned off and the chairs taken up. God often leads me to somebody that is just standing around waiting for a chance to meet Jesus.
Check out the pickup that carries the chairs and equipment back to the church.
Mission accomplished! Buenas noches!
Ralph
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