Hello from Tucuman!

I arrived last Wednesday, almost 24 hours after leaving Chicago. Thankfully the three flights went smoothly. :-) It seems very natural to be here with friends that we've known for so many years. This past Friday night our friends Jesus Fernandez and Mercedes Vaca were married. It was so special to be with their families and friends from church. On Saturday Victoria Cilimba and Hernan (his last name is a long Polish name that I don't remember right now :-)) were married in an outdoor noon wedding. Once again it was very special to be with families and friends that we've known for so many years. I wish I could post pictures but I don't have the cord for camera with me or my laptop either to download the pictures..... Maybe I can download some pictures and send them from someone else's computer.

Last night I went to the Zona Oeste church that we helped start 20 years ago. What a blessing it was to see the "younger" generation, who were in the youth group when we first arrived in Tucuman, now leading the various ministries in the church. They miss us and wish we'd return.

I spoke for a few minutes at the end of the service and Walter, the new pastor, read a letter of greeting that Dick wrote to the church. When Walter was reading the letter, I thought of the Apostle Paul's greetings to the New Testament churches. I shared some of what we are doing right now and some of the ministry options that we are praying about. I also said that leaving Tucuman is like uprooting a tree. It's a great change and we miss everyone so much. I asked Walter to read Ephesians 1:11 where Paul writes about God working everything together in conformity with His will. It is so reassuring to know that God is in control and works everything together for His greater purpose!

In the next few days I'll be visiting friends in their homes, at a ladies' tea at church and a citywide ladies' meeting at one of the churches in Tucuman. I'll also be going through our things we have stored to see what I can take back with me on this trip.

We appreciate your prayers for me and our family during my time here. I'll keep you posted on how the rest of my trip goes. Thanks so much for your encouragement and support during this time. Until later....