So Many Miracles

Back in Patagonia, & beyond grateful

¡Hola, amigos bonitos! Besos y abrazos 😘🤗

…Argentine-style 😄

It’s been about a month since my last post, and I have a fair bit to say…so grab a coffee and prepare for a 10-minute read! 😄

I’m feeling so blessed with all the gifts in our lives that have come through recently. Villa General Belgrano (in Córdoba province) was so good to us for the 6 weeks we spent there. We had time to relax, explore, spend time with friends, walk almost everywhere in the town…and we stayed in a comfortable, spacious house right next to a great meat shop, an organic produce store, and a big park for the girls to run around and enjoy!

We also did a road trip with our Kiwi friends to the other side of the Sierras Grandes mountains to the west of VGB.

We drove 3 hours, crossing over the Sierras and then stayed at an Airbnb near the town of Villa de las Rosas where Angela*, a friendly, hospitable lady, greeted us with hugs and kisses. We cooked up some steaks and made ourselves a delicious dinner. Angela had started a wood fire in the living room—where the girls all slept—but the bedrooms were chilly, so we stayed warm under several blankets. The next day we all went to the huge farmers market in Villa de las Rosas. There must’ve been around 100 vendors, with some amazing artisans and a whole row of people cooking up delicious-smelling ethnic foods from various countries. And Tom was excited to find this guy who bakes tasty gluten-free treats and breads.

We had an amazing time exploring a few small towns in the area, and enjoying mate by lakes and rivers in the afternoon sun. And this sunset that lit up the whole sky was such a gift for us all to witness!

That evening, we’d decided to eat out in San Javier, a small town with lots of cute clothing shops and cafes. As we looked for a place to eat, a local directed us to a restaurant across the street—it was filling up and looked quite popular. As we sat at our outdoor table, we remembered that a gaucho festival had been happening nearby—now dozens of gauchos were trotting by on their horses. That was fun to watch!

It was great to go and explore the other side of the mountains and see some of San Luis province including the big city of Merlo where we stopped for lunch, but it was Sunday, so most shops were closed. We returned back to VGB with our friends, after 2 fun days away, having enjoyed all the sight-seeing and exploring in nature.

We were wondering if we should stay put in Villa General Belgrano for the remainder of our time before returning to El Salvador in September. It would definitely be the convenient thing to do. But we still questioned if it was the best option for all of us. In April we’d spent a month in El Bolsón in northern Patagonia and had felt like it could be a future place for us to put down roots. We wondered if we should return to El Bolsón and the people who had welcomed us like family at the church there.

Decisions are often hard, but this one seemed especially hard for us. For about 2 weeks, we’d change our minds every few days.

Then we said, “It’s just too much money and hassle to go all the way back down there—let’s just stay here.”

“The expedient thing and the right thing are seldom the same thing.”

—Charles Hendrickson Brower

The next day, our landlord said they’d be raising the rent considerably, starting in July, so we began questioning yet AGAIN if we should return to El Bolsón.

And so, as we’d already been doing, we prayed. Lots. Tom and me separately, together, and all of us as a family. In April our oldest daughter had started to make friends at the church in El Bolsón, and we’d all loved those incredibly welcoming people, and the passionate, friendly pastor.

And as we thought about it more, we realized we needed to do the less convenient thing. To give you an idea of how far we’d have to travel (27 hours by bus), here’s a map of the route. It’s about 1,700 kilometers.

In the meantime the World Cup in fútbol (soccer for some of you) has been ongoing. Many businesses have an Argentine flag hanging in their window. Argentines are some incredibly patriotic people when it comes to fútbol. Lionel Messi, the top Argentine player—who is considered by some to be the world’s best fútbol player—can be seen everywhere, and was sitting on the sidewalk as we were out walking the other day.

Some of the things I mention in this post might seem like coincidences, but looking back, every one of them was an answer to our prayers, even prayers we prayed “silently” and talked about together later.

A video I stumbled upon about 2 months ago (of a young man who died and came back) inspired me that our prayers aren’t just words. He saw that prayers actually have substance. I’ll post a link at the end of this post for anyone who’s interested. I know many of you believe in God and the power of prayer. Or at one point in time you did. My aim is to encourage you that our prayers have power…not because of us, but because God hears and is powerful.

I just want to highlight all the answers that came in the form of blessings to us recently. Stick with me here, friends…

When Tom had messaged the pastor in El Bolsón (northern Patagonia) in mid-June, he’d asked him about mentoring him, and Pastor Rodrigo had heartily agreed to meet with him once a week.

And then less than a week later he died. Yes, the 51-year-old, charismatic, energetic, healthy pastor died. He’d gone to the hospital with a heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and they gave him some medicine. It must’ve been too strong of a dose, because instead of helping him, it stopped his heart. Completely. He was gone. Yes, he was dead, leaving his lovely wife a widow, and their 3 kids without a father. Here’s a photo just to give you an idea—this man had been the picture of health!

“Sometimes we seek God for what we want, but not to know Him more.”

Everyone who knew that he was in trouble was praying. We’d also been praying for them for 2 months since we’d met them, because we had sensed God’s presence in that church in such a tangible way, and they’d treated us like family.

And then, after 5 minutes of being dead, when the medics resuscitated him with the defibrillator paddles—which literally give the heart an electric shock to help jump-start it—he came back to life!! Tom messaged him about a week later—we’d heard that something had happened, but we didn’t know any details.

Rodrigo told him the story. He said he was now resting, but so excited about life! At this point, he’d been tested and told that his heart is completely healthy, and it’s likely the irregular heartbeat had been caused by over-exertion—he said he’s realized he needs to slow down.

“Dios es increíble!” he said.

I just talked to him last week. He must’ve said, “¡Gracias a Dios! ¡Fue un milagro!” 🙌🏼(Thanks be to God, it’s a miracle!) at least 5 times!

The rest of my post will seem bland compared to that story. But please stay with me…😅 Also, I know I’m jumping around a bit here, and this post isn’t completely chronological. Sorry!

We’d finally made our decision to make the long journey and return to El Bolsón. We were psyching up for another very long bus ride—like I said, 27 hours or so—back down to El Bolsón. But then Tom started looking at some flights. Those all seemed to be much more pricey than taking the bus.

Then, a few days later, some flights went on sale, and just on the right days for us. It felt like a sign—and an answered prayer. And instead of us all dreading the long bus journey, it felt exciting now that we could fly.

One big obstacle presenting itself still was finding a great place to stay in El Bolsón. Tom and I had been looking, but most places were either too small, wouldn’t rent out on a monthly basis, weren’t located close enough to be walkable, or many of the spacious places weren’t furnished.

We messaged a few landlords, and had a “back-up plan” if all else failed. The place we’d stayed for 2 weeks in April could work. But it had no living room, just an armchair next to the dining room table. And the wifi had been so weak, it didn’t even reach the bedroom, so Tom couldn’t set up a workspace. I also remembered that using the semiautomatic washing machine was more like a make-work project—Lol!

But, we knew one thing—we needed to go back to Patagonia!

At this point, the only part we needed to figure out was getting from Villa General Belgrano to the airport in Córdoba. It would mean taking 2-3 stop-and-start buses—requiring getting off and collecting our bags and then getting on another bus—or ordering 2 separate Ubers.

Just 4 days before our flight, we finally heard back from a landlord we’d messaged in El Bolsón who said they’d be happy to have us stay in one of their amply furnished townhouses—and the rent was even a bit cheaper than the place with no living room! Based on the photos, it looked like a well-equipped, modern house—it even had a photo of a new-looking couch, and a normal washing machine! 🙌🏼 Now we were all getting excited for our new home too.

Things were lining up. We just needed to figure out how to get to the Córdoba airport still.

Then, 3 days before our big journey, our very kind Kiwi friend, Jake* offered to drive us the 2-hours there. 🙌🏼 And, because he and Vicki had just signed a lease on a place with lots of space, they offered to store some of our extra things (like camping items) until our return in October! 🙏🏼

On July 1st, we got up early, finished packing up, and Jake met us with his spacious SUV. The 2-hour drive went smoothly, and we got ready to check in.

Of course, we were a bit nervous that our bags would be too heavy—we knew mine was for sure—and we’d have to pay extra. Then, Miguel*, a kind airline employee with a man-bun and a big smile, waved our two overweight bags through without any hesitation. 🎉

“¡Muchísima gracias, Miguel!” 🙏🏼

Our flight to San Carlos de Bariloche was short and sweet, less than 3 hours. And the mountain and lake views were spectacular.

Then we sat in the airport, got some overpriced dinner at the only restaurant there, while we waited for our bus. All things considered, everything had gone amazingly well.

As we rode the bus for a few hours, knowing that the temperature in El Bolsón was hovering around freezing, Tom and I were hoping and praying that the townhouse would have some heat on when we arrived.

Not only were we greeted with a warm house, but Cristina*, the lady checking us in, told us that the heat is “en el piso”—in the floors. Wait, what?! We’d never seen heated floors in this country before!

Wow, what a deluxe place!

When we went out the next day, we were sure in awe of the views. This mountain, Piltriquitron, is even more beautiful with snow.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Iglesia El Faro (the Lighthouse Church) is full of many beautiful people who had welcomed us with open arms—and cheek kisses—in April. Our two younger girls had joined the kids group, our oldest was in the youth group, and Tom had been to a men’s group.

I was feeling happy for all of them, but I’d been wondering how I’d make friends here, and was surprised I hadn’t heard about any women’s gatherings.

After only a few days here, I took our oldest to a huge youth gathering in a nearby town on Saturday night, and we didn’t get to bed till after 1am! That’s pretty normal in Argentina, but I was exhausted on Sunday, and because the younger girls had bad colds, I stayed home with them that evening.

When Tom and our eldest got back, he told me that there had been an announcement about a ladies’ group, and he had a number for me to contact. And so, at 9:30 pm, I messaged the lady, Marisa*, and asked her about it. She said I should come on Wednesday evening. As it turns out, Tom’s and my groups are studying the same book—Pastor Rodrigo’s book called Sin Límites (without limits).

Wednesday came, with lots of rain, and I was a bit nervous, but mostly excited to meet some other women. I walked a kilometer to the church, dodging huge puddles of water on the sidewalks and the edges of the roads.

Marisa met me at 6 pm with a big hug and a kiss. There were 9 other women who came, and they were all so friendly and welcoming, asking me about our family and our story, and sharing their mate 🧉 around the group. They’d all brought evening snacks—or as they say here “marienda.” If only I’d known they’d all be bringing food, I wouldn’t have eaten an early dinner! 😅 No one could believe I’d already eaten—Argentines often eat dinner at 10 or 11pm!

I was pleasantly surprised to be able to understand almost everything that was said that evening. Here’s the memory our leader sent us from that evening.

Afterwards, one lady offered me a ride home, and then we realized she happens to live just 2 blocks away from us and has 2 girls. She invited me to come and visit, and we went the other day and had a great conversation while our girls played together.

We still have lots to figure out here, but all of the blessings this past month have made Tom and me realize that we can TRUST that God is looking out for us, and cares about every detail—I mean, we don’t just have a couch, washing machine, and good wifi, we have HEATED FLOORS!!

Meanwhile, the World Cup goes on! 🏆 Argentines are so patriotic that we woke up last Saturday night to honking in the streets when Argentina won against Switzerland. I’d predicted that we wouldn’t sleep through the night if they won! 😅

My Spanish instructor who lives in Mendoza sent me this video she made after the England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Argentina 🇦🇷 game on Wednesday night. It was a fun game to watch, because England was in the lead awhile, but then Argentina made a comeback, and won. This was downtown Mendoza—and my instructor captured the Argentine spirit in this video.

Those are some excited Argentines! 🇦🇷

Because we don’t have a car yet, we’re doing lots of walking, as it’s about a kilometer to the center of town, so we’re getting plenty of exercise. There are also some quiet, more rural areas in this part of the city, great for running or walking.

I’m sure I could go on about even more of the gifts in our lives right now, but just to list a few:

• Our younger girls are spending hours playing with the neighbour kids who live in our tiny gated townhouse complex. Considering there are only 2 other families that live here, we’re so thankful the kids are similar ages to ours.

• Our Kiwi friends who’ve been in Argentina for a year are keeping us posted on how to navigate getting residency, so it doesn’t feel so daunting. We hope to begin the process in October.

• Even though we’re not that close to the center of town, we have a big grocery store and some meat and produce shops nearby.

• We didn’t have a place for our winter jackets, mittens, and toques—“gorros” here; “beanies” to some of you. But a guy in town was selling shelves for $20 on the street. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference 😊

  

• There are so many health-conscious people in this town, and it’s easy to find local produce and honey. And there are lots of gluten-free options for Tom too.

• We all love having 4 seasons again, even if winter is a bit chilly. There’s a ski hill nearby that we still need to go visit. 🏔️

We know there will still be many challenges ahead, but we’re confident that our prayers are being heard, and even answered in ways we probably don’t even know about yet. And so we trust God with the future. 🙏🏼

Thanks to each of you for taking time to read this. It’s been over 4 years of writing, and I’m inspired by your ongoing encouragement—each of you! 🤗

Until next time, my family & friends 🩵

Hasta la próxima, familia y amigos😘

*names changed for privacy

P.S. I think this might encourage some of you, so I want to share this video with you, because I truly believe that there’s so much more to this life than what we can see. Here’s the link 🔗 for the video about Gabe Poirot’s experience in heaven ✨ for anyone interested. At around 11 minutes in, he talks about how he saw that our prayers have substance—he was out of his body at this point, & saw and heard his friend’s prayers! The whole story is just incredible. Some of it might seem crazy, but I highly recommend.