A year is filled with different events. Some events we all look forward to (like Christmas) while others we may not be as excited about (like pollen season). Today’s post is about one of my favorite events of the year. I am referring to the OG Summit (OG stands for “Our Generation”, meaning we desire to reach the world with the Gospel in Our Generation). I will take this post to talk give an overview of the Summit and will continue with another post about the newest addition to the Summit.

The Summit, an Overview

The Summit is a time when missionaries representing different countries around the world come together and encourage and promote world evangelism. The Summit is held in Northern Atlanta near Lake Lanier (we will also have another Summit coming up in the Northeast, but more on that later). This is all a ministry of Vision Baptist Missions and also includes other missionaries from other boards. It is a 3 day event in the winter. We will have missionaries representing 16 different countries. Each missionary will be preaching and also will be teaching specific sessions on ministry and missions. There are also great things to do around the Summit. During free times, there are fun attractions like snow play zones, speed slides, bubble skating (yes, you can do all of this in the Northern Atlanta area because of the LanierWorld Winter Adventure). There are also many other things to do in the area. Probably the greatest thing about the free time is that attendees will be able to spend time with the missionaries. They are not just “special speakers” who disappear after the sessions and preaching. They are around and want to get to know you in a more relaxed setting.

This year The Summit will not only be in Atlanta, but also in the Northeast. We will be in Boston, MA in January 2018 (more about this special event is coming in another post)! I am especially excited about these two events, because I will have the opportunity to be at them both! I look forward to learning, growing, teaching, and getting to know others all for the goal of promoting world evangelism!

Jason and Ashley King (and their three children) arrive today. In fact, in just 2 hours from now they will be on Argentine soil! They were supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but their flight was cancelled due to hurricane Irma. We are very happy to have the Kings with us. I have known Jason and Ashley for many years now. We are from the same church. We have served together in several different ministries together. I have seen Jason and Ashley serve others selflessly. I am very thankful that God has led them here. They will be starting language school in the next two weeks. Please pray for Jason and Ashley as they arrive today, start their paperwork for residency, and begin learning the language.

Last week I went on a very quick (one full day) survey trip to Argentina’s second largest city, Córdoba. The reason behind the trip was that we had missionaries Raleigh and Cassie Hill here on their survey trip. They wanted to see a few different cities. The original plan was for them to see Buenos Aires, La Plata, Córdoba, and Mar Del Plata. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short due to Hurricane Irma, so we were not able to make it to Mar Del Plata, but we did see Córdoba.

Before arriving, I knew one thing about Córdoba. Anyone I have ever spoken to about Argentina’s many cities, everyone agrees that Córdoba is beautiful! This is includes friends, taxi drivers, folks in Faith Baptist Church, everyone agrees, it is a very beautiful area. So I knew that we were in for a treat.

Córdoba is 8 hours away from our home. The landscape is very different from Buenos Aires. It felt much more like America’s southwestern states (Arizona and New Mexico come to mind). It also includes beautiful sierra mountains to the west of the city. Although it is a very big city, an estimated 1.5 million people live in Córdoba and surrounding areas, it still seemed to have a bit of a small feel, especially considering our church is in greater Buenos Aires. It didn’t take long to get from the city’s center to the outskirts.

We met with veteran Missionary Ernie Mason and learned a little about the city. Here are a few things we learned…

• There are 6 Independent Baptist Churches in the city.
• South of the river/canal that does through the city, their is only one Independent Baptist Church in the city limits.
• There are two primary areas that we drove through that do not have a Baptist church (that we could find or that missionary Mason knows about), the southwest portion of the city and the northeast portion of the city.

Córdoba is in need of more Gospel-preaching churches. Pray for this needy city and the many other cities and towns in Argentina!

This week has been different than most any other. We have had the Hills with us for their survey trip. We have taken them to a few different cities to see the opportunities for church planting. The furthest being Córdoba (about 8 hours from our house). We had plans to survey another city today. Unfortunately, due to the hurricane that is on its way to Miami, Raleigh and Cassie had to change their tickets to an earlier flight to avoid what looks to be a possible disaster. Their car was in Miami. We had to say good-bye to them yesterday (Thursday) morning. It was a joy to have them with us. Please pray for the Hill family as they complete their deputation.

We are thrilled that the King family will be arriving as missionaries here in Argentina on this Tuesday! Jason and Ashley are long-time friends. We served together in different ministries of our home church. Please pray for the Kings as they will be starting language school this month! I believe God will use this family greatly as they plant churches, disciple believers, and train men.