by Krista Frohling
The past 2 years in Argentina have been full of ups and downs and we have continued to learn how much we have to learn. We’ve made lasting friendships and tried our hands at many different things. In it all, the lesson that keeps returning can be summed up with the words of King Solomon in Proverbs 19:21,“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Although our work here has morphed into something different than we had originally planned, the ultimate goal remained the same: to share the hope and love we have in Jesus while developing relationships and offering practical support to the material poor in our midst.
Spending time with the neighbors in Santa Teresita, watching the boys play with kids who live in dire material poverty with no preconceived judgments from either side, working alongside wonderful Argentines, sharing and serving mate,being part of a healthy Argentine church, hanging out with Leti and her family and neighbors in Las Bajadas, helping college-aged students with their English and sharing Jesus with them, discovering the fun and diversity that comes with making new friends in a different culture, seeing God’s faithfulness to us on a daily basis… these are some of our favorite things of the past 2 years.
God has used this experience to mold and shape us and hopefully make us more like Him. We recognize that we come from a culture where time is money, bigger is better, and numbers matter. However, we’ve realized that is not always God’s way. One of the lessons we’ve learned is that investing in one life – one life – is so important. Time is not always equal to money. Bigger is not always better. And numbers, even for accountants like us, are not the main things that matter.
It is our job to obey. God does the work. And if, through us, He makes a difference in one life or 100, we want to choose to obey and it is a privilege to be used by Him. We worked hard to make it work in Argentina. We have sought out projects and offered our time and yet have had more doors closed than opened. We definitely didn’t see a bright, neon, God-powered light in the sky that said, Return to Santa Barbara, but we have felt a sense of release and a freedom to return, that we had not felt previously.
In February, we began to see the writing on the wall: our projects had a natural ending in sight, we could hand off our parts to locals, and we simply could not imagine attempting to get other projects going. Again.
In coming to Argentina, we responded to God’s invitation. In returning, we do the same. On May 31st, when we get on the plane to make the 15-hour flight home, there will be tears. We have made a life here and life-long friends. There will also be tears of joy when the plane lands in our home country and we are welcomed back with open arms.
Thank you for your willingness to walk alongside us in these discoveries and service. Words simply cannot express how grateful we are for your friendship and faithful support. And we cannot wait to tell you that in person in June.