Adventure Bloog: That Love Connection, Tho

Sometimes you go into something fearing the worst. I expected to spend most of my time in Argentina fighting my fears, barely hanging on, and regretting my decision to try this study-abroad thing again.

When I decided to go through with it-- when I actually said goodbye to my family, walked through airport security and got on the plane, I thought I was going to have to just "make it through" for four months.

I don't think I've ever been so wrong before :)

It feels like an appropriate time to talk about what is probably THE BEST EVER THING about Argentina:

Iglesia Evangelica Bautista de Barrio Norte!
(P.S. for non-Spanish speakers that's "Evangelical Baptist Church of Barrio Norte")

At first this flattering picture may seem unrelated to the previous sentence fragment. However, if you look closer, you will see that this photo OBVIOUSLY takes place in a church. I mean, look at that glowy light. The tan walls. THOSE TAN WALLS ARE SO HOLY, MAN.

Before winging my way o'er the majority of a continent sixtysomething days ago, I remember telling my mom I felt confident that God would provide us with a church near to the residence. I just had no idea it would be SO FREAKING AWESOME.

SO.

FREAKING.

Here are some of the reasons for its glorious stand-outness:

1. Like actually probably around half of the people that go here are Brazilian. (And basically everyone else is from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica...) Sometimes (*coughcough* all the time) when we're chilling together, people will spontaneously burst out speaking in Portugese instead of Spanish. While these two languages share mebbe 40% of their vocabulary, it still mostly sounds like gibberish to me and I can't really understand it. However, there are so many Brazilian attendees that some native Spanish-speakers are picking up Portugese. I like this :) To me, it shows compassion, concern, and interest in the culture of others.

OMGGGG, SO MANY BRAZILIANS

(also pictured-- 1 Colombian, 1 Chilean, 1 Argentine, 1 Ukranian)

2. There are activities almost every day of the week-- feeding the homeless, inviting neighbors in for English classes (which I will soon be teaching EEEEEK), meeting for prayer-- and I think this demonstrates a liveliness in the church that goes above and beyond simply going to a service on Sunday morning. This is what the church is about!!! Getting out there into the world!

Also it's about eating.

wow dude do i make that face all the time

why did nobody ever tell me

probably they did

and i ignored them

3. They are FAMILY. The vast majority of attendees are not from Argentina; they are studying or working here, sometimes planning to live in Buenos Aires for years. As most of us don't have our families with us, the church has become our family. I couldn't tell you how many hours I've spent with these guys. I have never, never felt SO comfortable away from home SO fast. They are kind and caring, generous and talented and intelligent, funny (like REALLY funny) and welcoming.

They're my brothers and sisters and good friends.

The Spirit of God is working in this place like I've never seen it before.