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ARGENTINA
Fabian & Marcela Abregú
The residents of La Rinconada (Argentina) have at least two pieces of advice for visitors:
- Expect your travel to be slow and dusty
- Don't get caught in the rain
Even with that warning, Fabián and Marcela Abregu have been making this trip every month for over a decade. The first 125 miles are generally easy--paved highways. But, the final 75 miles consists of rough, mostly unpaved, dirt roads. If it rains before you begin your journey, the roads may not only be treacherous, but the newly formed bodies of water could keep you from reaching your destination.
La Rinconada is a small, farming community where Marcela grew up. Over the years God has continued to develop a love in Fabián and Marcela for the people of this town and region. So, for 10 years, the traveled from Córdoba to lead Bible studies and serve the residents in whatever ways they could. Eventually, in 2011 they moved their family to La Rinconada.
With the help of the congregations from Centro Crecer Church (Córdoba), First Baptist Church (Oak Grove, MO) and Life Connection Church (Independence, MO), land was purchased and a small home was built to start the church.
ARGENTINA
Marcelo & Nancy Brondo
To travel from Córdoba (Argentina) to Cachi is not a journey for the weak-of-heart. The first day is a 12 hour trip, traveling by car north out of Córdoba--stopping only to take a quick break or fill the car with gasoline. By the end of the first day, you will arrive in Salta, and you'll notice that mountains have replaced mile after mile of flatlands. After a good night's sleep, the next 4 hours will be mountain driving--with lots of dirt roads and switchbacks. (A little chocolate is a good remedy for the motion sickness for this part of the journey.)
Now you arrive in Cachi. It is an isolated area in the northern part of Argentina called the Valle de los Calchaquíes. The area is marked by a serious lack of evangelical churches and an abundance of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) worship. As one Cachi resident explained, "We like to read the Bible, but we have no one to explain it to us..."
It was to this isolated town that Marcelo and Nancy Brondo felt the call of God to go. So, instead of accepting a position as pastor of a growing church in Córdoba, Marcelo began proclaiming the gospel in Cachi, building relationships, planting a church and sharing a vision with the believers to reach others with the gospel. Along the way, they've had to address the high alcoholism rate and prolific child abuse issues that are rampant in the valley.
ARGENTINA
Ariel & Mónica Ficetti
In the early days of the Saldán church, worshipers gathered in a one room, cement block building. The landlord was glad to rent the building to the congregation because they took such good care of it, and has kept their rental rate steady. The pastor and his wife (Pablo and Noelia González) care for this growing congregation and encourage them in their Christian life.
On each Sunday morning, while the adults are inside for worship, the children met outside, under a large tree and had their Sunday School lesson. This was a perfect environment for them--most of the time. The tree provided lots of shade and there was plenty of space for the children to run off their excess energy. If it was raining, the children could join their parents in the main building.
As the Church grew, so did the number of children attending. It is a good advertisement for the community to see a group of children meeting on Sunday, laughing and having a great time. But here was the challenge. As fall and winter approached, the tree no long provided a good place to meet. The size of the congregation was filling up the building, so it became difficult for everyone to fit.
So, permission was granted to build a classroom on the same property as the church, but not attached. In fact, the classroom would be constructed so that it could be moved to another location when the Church moved from its current location.
Two churches in the United States recognized the urgent need to have a classroom for the children, so they provided funds and sent a construction team to work with believers in Argentina on this building project. Within a few weeks, the new building was funded, constructed and being used to teach Sunday School classes.
