I am in the midst of teaching a class at the Bible College here in La Plata, Argentina. It is a 4 week class (1 night per week), and last night we just completed the third of the four. The class is 2 1/2 hours long. Obviously it is all in Spanish. This has really stretched me and I think it is going pretty well. Last night we had a visitor (from the United States) with us. He taught much of the class and I did the translating. This was my first time translating and I think it went well (albeit not perfect). Through this class I have learned a valuable lesson.

People have grace. I know I don’t speak perfectly. The students in the class know that as well and have had grace as I have attempted to communicate the truth. They correct me (I asked them to do so), they respond with facial expressions letting me know that they understand and that I am saying things correctly. They laugh with me at my mistakes and allow me to move forward in the lesson. People see that we are trying and have grace as we struggle to speak correctly.

We have one more week to go before the class ends and summer break starts. One of the students actually asked if we could continue the class for a 5th week. I think they are really learning from the class and enjoying it. There is still much to learn but we are at a place where we are able to move forward.

Great days are ahead. I believe firmly that the harvest field here is wide open and God desires to make Himself known to men and women across this country. We are honored to have a small part in it.

 

We have been in Argentina for almost eight months. We love it here. I have been asked a few times what I miss most in the states. Obviously we miss family and friends. Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I am sure we will miss the traditions we have been a part of all of our lives. There are other events that we miss as well. One of the greatest is the annual Summit we have in December. This year the Summit is going to be in a new location, Lanier Islands north of Atlanta. There will be missionaries who are currently serving in Nepal, South Africa, Peru, Tunisia, China, and the United Kingdom! There are also missionaries on deputation who are on there way to Burkina Faso, Turkey, China, Colombia, Indonesia, India, China, Bosnia, South Africa, Chile, Japan, and Argentina! This is going to be a great conference! The dates are December 29-31, 2016. For more information, click this link to VisionMissions.com.

So, what makes the Summit so special? The missions emphasis makes it very different, the time of year is a special time of year, but in my opinion the Summit is so special because during the times between the sessions and services, you are able to spend time with the missionaries. I have been to many good camps, conferences, and retreats. When the services are over, we normally don’t get to spend real time with the preachers. The Summit is a place where you can talk to the missionaries, spend time with them, ask them real questions, and become friends! I encourage you to go to the Summit. I encourage you to take your youth group to the Summit. I believe you will be glad you did!

I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. There are certain things I think back on with fondness. I can remember playing outside in our yard as a young boy on Friday nights in October and being able to faintly hear the local high school marching band playing in the distance. I share this to give you one very small example of the customs I grew up in. Every nation has different customs. It can be broken down further, into regions (different states, cities, and even towns have unique customs), and even in families (for example, some families have the same meal on Christmas Eve). Our customs make us unique.

We live in Argentina now. We are welcomed by a whole different set of customs. You will not hear marching bands playing faintly in the distance on Friday nights in October. That doesn’t exist here. However there are many new and interesting customs to be learned. Whenever you pass by a car with a jug on top of it, it means the car is for sale. When you greet a friend, you place your cheek to theirs and make a “kiss” sound. When you walk by a table at a restaurant, you may say “provecho”. When you see that 85% of the ice cream flavors include something called “dulce de leche” (a very, very sweet caramel-like sauce). When the biggest part of Christmas is Christmas Eve night when the clock strikes midnight until about 3:00 AM (we will be experiencing this for the first time in just over a month). I could go on, but I think you understand. New customs are not weird or bad, they are different. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned as we continue to adjust is that my attitude determines almost everything.

This is the final post in the series “Living in Argentina”. The truth is we are still learning. There is much to learn. I make mistakes often, and I correct them as I learn what I have done. Living in Argentina is a blessing, but greater than learning the customs of a new and beautiful country is to share the Gospel with others who have never heard!

Living in a different country than the one you grew up in means you are constantly learning differences from what you are accustomed to. I find that some things are really small, almost insignificant changes and other things are much bigger. Attitude has everything to do with how we adjust. It is important to remember that the customs we are learning are not “weird”, just different. The subject of todays post is something that is much bigger as “culture shock” is concerned. I grew up eating dinner around 7:30 PM or so. As Leslie and I were married and had children, we would normally have dinner around 6:30 PM (with small children it was easier that way). We arrived to Argentina 7 months ago. One of the larger differences is how late Argentines have dinner. Many of my friends normally eat dinner around 10:00 PM. This is normal. If you eat out, restaurants do not normally open until at least 8:00 PM and people don’t really start dining until 9:00 PM or later. Our neighbors can be out on their patios eating dinner at 10:30 PM or later. This is certainly something we are not accustomed to! It is not weird, but it is different. it is humorous to talk with people here about dinner. They will ask about our lives and when they find out that we used to eat dinner so early, they are shocked! “How can you eat so early?!?!” (all said in Spanish). The same reaction I had when I find out they eat dinner so late is the same reaction they have when they find out we ate dinner so early.

I think the first question I had is how in the world could they eat lunch at noon-1:00 PM, how can they wait until 10:00 PM to eat again? The answer is how the day works here. We have a normal breakfast time, lunch around 12:30 PM-1:30 PM, and at around 5:00 PM we have something called a “merienda”. This is a “snack” time that consists of coffee, mate (click here to learn about mate), a pastry, cookies, etc.

So, how do we adjust? We eat at home most of the time. Because of this we can eat at an earlier time. When we have people over for dinner we usually have the dinner later. If we do go out to eat it makes for a late night, but that is okay. We make it fun. It is all a part of life in Argentina!