We love mission conference at our church!  It is our favorite event of the year.  Our church has done different things through the years.  One of our favorite things is the “international dinner”.  This is where different people from our church bring in food that is “traditional” in other countries.  In our church, we have some Jamaican ladies.  They have made traditional Jamaican food before that was wonderful!  We also have a missionary family to Cambodia.  When they were with us, we had traditional Cambodian food (along with the tacos, rice, etc. that other folks in the church brought).

With this in mind, we wanted to give you a recipe for Argentine empanadas.  Empanadas are an Argentine staple.  If you are not familiar with empanadas, they are savory pastry pockets (think “hot-pocket” but that actually tastes good and fresh).  There are many different ways they are made (some are baked, some fried, some have beef, some ham, some chicken, some just cheese, etc.).  Each province makes them a little different as well.  Here is an example recipe that you can make for your church’s international dinner….

Empanadas

Empanada Dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup warm water
• pinch of salt

1.   Put all the flour into a big mixing bowl and form a crater in the center.  In a separate container, mix warm water with the butter and salt.  Pour the liquid mix into the center of the crater.

2.  Mix well, then knead until uniform.  Allow the dough to rest for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.  If you have the time, let it rest overnight.

3.  Flour your counter/table surface, then roll the dough a bit thicker than 1/4 inch.  Cut circles about the size of your hand from the dough.  Now you’re ready to fill the empanadas!

Beef Empanada Filling:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 yellow onions
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pinch cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

1. Finely dice the onions while allowing enough oil to cover the onions heat in a medium to large saucepan.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and allow to saute until they are clear in color.

2. Add the meat and spices, and cook, stirring frequently.  Once the meat is cooked, remove the mixture from the heat.

3. Hard-boil two eggs.  Once the eggs are ready, slice them and add to the meat mixture.

Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven to a medium temperature.  In the center of each disc, add a heaping spoonful of filling, being sure to leave a generous margin.  Then fold the circle in half.
• The hardest part can be folding the empanadas; if the sides don’t stick together, wet your finger with a touch of water and fully seal the edges.  Then, pinch a piece of the rim and fold it in towards the center.  Here is a video I found on YouTube.
• If you like, you can brush the empanadas with a mix of equal parts egg yolk and water, and sprinkling the tops with sugar or parmesan cheese.
• Once the empanadas are all prepared, into the oven!  Let them cook until slightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

I posted an article about the biblical method for world missions.  I will be taking a few posts to look at some of the biblical attributes of a missionary.  This study will in no way be comprehensive.  Missionaries are not a “cookie-cutter” sort.  Everyone is different.  This was true even in the biblical times as well.  Even so, there are specific attributes that these “different” men all shared.  There are some biblical attributes found in our New Testament missionaries that I strive for in my life.  It is important in this study to note that these are not characteristics (or attributes) a man is born with, but are developed in men who follow God’s command to take the Gospel to the nations!

For this post, we will look first call our attention to the quintessential models of New Testament missions.  These men serve as the ideal!  They are a sort of paradigm for modern day missionaries to follow.  Let’s briefly look at them…

• Paul:  Paul is almost always the first person we turn our attention to in New Testament missions.  He is regarded as the most influential in the early Christian church.  Paul was an apostle, author, minister, teacher, and “tent-maker”.  He was also a missionary!  By stating Paul’s missionary status, we are making clear that he was a man-trainer and church-planter (after all, these two things are what missionaries do.  See my earlier post).  He took three missionary journeys to different cities where he engaged the lost with the Gospel of Jesus, started churches, and trained men.
• Barnabas:  He and Paul were partners for the first missionary journey to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  He was a church leader who sought to see all peoples (Jews and Gentiles) to know Jesus.  When Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion, Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles.
• Timothy:  A third generation Christians who was Paul’s companion in many of his missionary endeavors.  Paul called him “his own son in the faith”.  He assisted in the planting of churches and training of men.  Although there are not many details that we know of Timothy, Paul’s instruction to him gives us insight.
• Jesus:  How can we search the New Testament Scriptures concerning missions and not place the strongest emphasis on the best missionary example? Jesus truly is the absolute greatest example of a New Testament missions.  He came from another “country” (Heaven), He trained men and established His church, He not only put Himself on the same plain as the men He trained, but put Himself under them in serving them.  He sent those same men He trained to do the same!  He IS the pattern!

This will be an interesting study.  What attributes do you think a missionary should have?  What attributes did these men have?  Join in on the study.  Our job is twofold, glorify God and make His name known among all the nations!

I have written a few posts about different cities in Argentina.  This time around, I want to take just a moment and focus in on Mendoza.

Mendoza is located on the eastern side of the Andes, close to the border of Chile.  The city is 1050km (652 miles) west of Buenos Aires  and 340km (211 miles) northwest of Santiago (Chile), just to the east of Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. It has a desert like climate, with highs in the summer around 90ºF and lows in the winter around 35ºF.  Most precipitation in Mendoza falls in the summer months (November–March).  The city’s five central plazas are arranged like the five-roll on a die, with Plaza Independencia in the middle and four smaller plazas lying two blocks from each of its corners.  All over the country (and in much of the world), the name Mendoza is synonymous with wine, especially with the area’s more than 1,000 vineyards!

These things are what make Mendoza what it is, but not what it should be!  The population of Mendoza is 1.8 million people!  The world looks at the attractions, but I believe we, as believers, should see the city for its people!  The need in Mendoza is not rain (contrary to what some of the locals think).  The need is a clear understanding of who Jesus is, how He has purchased salvation for us, and how to become one of His! Pray for Mendoza, that “wine country” would become saturated with the Gospel!

Argentina is known for many different things.  One of the most well known things is beef.  Argentina is regarded as having the best beef in the world (I apologize to my Texas friends reading this).  I have had it and I must say it is wonderful (and cheaper too)!

What makes Argentine beef so good?  I read somewhere that the beef’s quality is derived from the grass that the cattle feeds on.  Argentine cows are not fed on grains or corn in feedlots or stalls (as other nations do it) but are raised eating grass, principally in the humid pampas, the biggest beef producing region of the country where open flat plains dominant the landscape.  I don’t know about all that, but I do know that it is tasty!

There are other things Argentina is well-known for.  Gauchos (Argentine cowboys), bolos, mate, the Tango, and the Patagonia are other things people associate with Argentina.  My prayer is that the world will one day associate the Gospel of Jesus with Argentina!  Will you pray that way with me?