December started out with lots of moving around, since we are in the midst of switching to a different rental house. An answer to prayer is that we recently were able to sign a 2-year lease for an affordable rental house! It is just across the street from the smaller house we are continuing to lease and have been renting for the past two years. Praise the Lord! Signing a 2-year lease is not an easy task here, since they require high-value collateral and lots of signed paperwork!
The first weekend of the month, four of us went to minister with a church in the city of Villa-Gesel, just about 100km from Mar del Plata. We helped with outreach events in a neighborhood where the church had closed down for two years and was just opening up again. I won’t forget the first night, when I met four girls between the ages of 10 and 15 years old, and they all accepted Jesus! I went forward with them and after they prayed to receive Jesus, I shared about the dream the Lord had given me one year ago, when I was dealing with the sadness of preparing to leave my family. In that dream, I saw my little sisters dancing in white gowns so beautifully, without any physical ailments, with complete joy and perfect peace. When I woke up, I prayed to ask God what it was it all about, and I knew His response was this: “Marissa, your little sisters already know and love me. Where I am sending you, there are many little sisters who don’t know me, and if you don’t go in obedience, they may never come to know me.” I then explained to the girls that although sometimes I don’t understand why God chooses to call someone like me from the US to go to Argentina, or why he calls Argentines to go the US to share with others about His love and salvation, I came in obedience and I celebrate now with them as they are proof of God’s faithfulness to fulfill of His promises.
The following weekend was our first missionary dinner, which was focused on the Middle East. We rented an event hall and decorated the walls, entry way and table center pieces with the flags of the 13 nations. We dressed in typical attire from those countries and served delicious, middle-eastern cuisine. It was a great success as we were able to convey God’s heart for the people and culture of the Middle East, and also to encourage the people to have a heart for the missions.
The following day, I attended the wedding of one of my classmates from the DTS in her hometown of Necochea, which is about 150 km south along the coast from Mar del Plata. It was beautiful and I even got the chance to play a piece on my violin at the reception! The next day was Sunday and the church invited me to play my violin and to speak for the evening service. So I played with the worship band, and then got and up and shared what the Lord had placed on my heart, about His transforming love. That night I got on a bus to Buenos Aires where I was able to receive the package my family had sent which included my brand new computer, which my home church on Vashon gave to me as an offering! What a blessing! 
What is more, is that Mom, Dad and the girls had included several wrapped gifts which I saved to open on Christmas day.
Wednesday, December 16th, I arrived at the YWAM base in Mendoza, joining the three other “JuCUMeros” (YWAM-ers in Spanish) from Mar del Plata who had arrived 2 days earlier. Mendoza is very different from Mar del Plata, in that it is in the middle of the hot, dry, desert! Luckily, they have an awesome swimming pool which we jump into whenever we can! We came here initially to serve as volunteers in the week-long camp for the “Huarpes” community. The Huarpes are the indigenous people of the desert region, and they are invited to come each year to enjoy the YWAM ministry called “Semana Diferente” which means “Different Week”. It is a family camp that is set up specifically for us to shower them with the love of Christ in the way that we care for and serve them. Some of the ways we serve them include three complete meals each day; medical, dental and eye care available for the entire family; fun activities and day-outings for the kids and adolescents; Christmas gifts for the entire family; new shoes and clothes; and much more! 
My duties included everything from cleaning port-a-potties to lifeguarding at the swimming pool, to assisting in the medical area! It was a great experience for me, working long and hot hours of service with this single motivation- to show the love of Jesus! Honestly, it is a blessing to be a blessing! December was so full of activity! I am so thankful for God’s guidance each day, as I am learning more and more what it means to truly depend on Him for everything from emotional wellness to financial provision. And His faithfulness to provide never ceases to amaze and surprise me!
We arrived here in Chile a week early for the conference; due to the fact that my visa was due to expire on the 6th. The day before we traveled, some other foreigners serving with YWAM in Mendoza warned that I could be charged for having gone two days over 90 on my tourist visa, because some agents don’t have lenience for the months like October and December, which have 31 days each. And so, I count it a blessing of God’s grace and protection that I was able to cross into Chile without a fee!
All my life, the scripture in Philippians chapter 4 has spoke to my heart and guided me. First I saw it as a promise of peace, and now I am learning to obey it as a command to “not be anxious about anything”, but instead to depend on the Lord for every need and concern. And so, whether it be in the midst of a busy day, a crowded bus terminal, or dealing with financial matters, I choose to obey God and to turn my anxious thoughts over to Him with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise. Then, most assuredly, every single time, His blessing of peace comes upon my heart and mind, because He His always faithful to His word.
May the Lord bless you with the same peace, “which surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
I love you miss you all a ton! I always keep you in my prayers, and I thank you so much for your support!
Con MUCHO AMOR!
Marissa
xoxo
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