Back in Mar del Plata, and summer is turning into fall...

March 2, 2010

Dear friends and family,


The last update I sent you was from the YWAM base in Santiago, Chile. But I returned to Mar del Plata on the 25th of January, and I am alive and well here at the YWAM base, where no effect was felt from the earthquake in Chile. We give thanks to God because the two groups from YWAM Argentina that were in Chile at the time are safe and sound. I returned after having traveled between four different YWAM bases in Argentina and Chile over the course of six weeks.

During the last week of January, four of us from the Help & Rescue team at our base traveled to Córdoba (a province in the mid-west of Argentina) to give workshops to the youth of a huge, biannual, international youth mission’s conference called CIMA. Our workshop was titled: “Evangelizing through First Aid, Help & Rescue.” We had a group of about 45 students, three days in a row, which we were able to instruct in basic first aid skills, and in so doing, prepare them for the mission field. The most exciting thing for me was to see over 2,000 youth so on-fire for Jesus, that they would consider leaving their comfort zone to preach the truth of Christ, even if it meant risking their lives. I am so encouraged by their energy and faith to step up to the challenge to reach every tribe and every nation with the message of hope in Jesus.

When the earthquake happened in Haiti, we prayed for God’s guidance in how we ought to respond in reaching out to the people suffering there from so much loss and trauma. We decided we would send at least a portion of our Help and Rescue team as soon as possible, and set a potential date for February 15th. Soon after, the opportunity arose that Argentina’s national search and rescue organization, “Cascos Blancos,” would transport at least two members of our team to and from Haiti, free of charge. In response to the many prayers lifted up, God provided in miraculous ways so that four missionaries from YWAM Argentina were able to travel to Haiti on the 8th of February and return on the 15th, safe and sound. We are all very excited, being that this was the first real “Help and Rescue” mission from our base—the result of much work and preparation from the birth of the vision over five years ago. I would have liked to be able to go, but I know that if it is God’s will, I will be there before long with a larger team, to serve not only through the means of humanitarian aid, but to evangelize through art and music as well.

February was a month full of evidence that God’s hand is at work! We held our first ten-day “Summer of Missions” for 9 students from different parts of Argentina. Summer of Missions is a mini-DTS (Discipleship Training School) mixed with Biblical teachings on interior healing and identity in Christ along with times of evangelism and outreach activities. I was given the topic of intercession to share, which is one of my passions and areas of gifting from the Lord. The camp was a great success, and I truly enjoyed my roles as a mentor to one of the teenage girls, camp nurse, and as the daily aerobics teacher! (Picture below: I am leading the group in some boxing-aerobics exercises on the ocean shore)

The mission to Haiti came up during the same time-frame as “Summer of Missions” in the first week o f February. The rest of us who stayed home on the base were busy putting on a campaign for Haiti which we named “Sonrisas para Haiti,” or “Smiles for Haiti” in English. The idea was developed from a word we received during fasting and prayer that is Proverbs 17:22. It says: “The best medicine is to have happy thoughts; but when one loses their hope, the entire body becomes ill.” I have translated the description of the outreach event into English so that you can read it and share it with the church and with all who may be interested. YWAM Argentina is planning to make several mission trips to Haiti at least over the next two years, including a “Christmas for Haiti,” which is a ministry focused on bringing Christmas to Haiti in the form of gifts and donations. So, if anyone is interested in a short-term mission trip to Haiti, we could coordinate to meet there and serve together!

Sending you my love and blessings and prayers of thanksgiving for all your loving support!

Praise Reports:

In my 6 weeks of travel, the Lord kept me and my travel companions completely safe in traveling by bus in and around the city, and not one item was robbed or lost! I praise the Lord that every financial need was met for food, housing and travel expenses.


Prayer Requests:

• For the Holy Spirit to guide us in our prayers for our neighborhood, and how we should involve ourselves as we recently learned of a division in the leadership. And we believe God has called us to be mediators of peace.
• Since the 27th of February, there have been two earthquakes in Argentina near the Chilean Andes. We are praying and seeking the Lord’s guidance for our role in response to these disasters as well as the need for aid and assistance in Chile.


En Cristo (In Christ),

Marissa