Uruguay Mission

Jonathan’s Journal, August 19-26, 2009

The Road to Uruguay...
Proverbs 16:9 – In his heart a man makes his plans, but the Lord who directs his path.
Psalm 91:9-11 - If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order His angels to protect you wherever you go.

I first want to thank the many of you who as much as even breathed a single prayer for me as I prepared, traveled, ministered, experienced and returned on my recent mission trip. As most of you know we were “suddenly” re-routed from Brazil to Uruguay due to issues w/ a major Swine Flu outbreak in Caritibo and unexpected Passport/Visa issues as well. Instead of canceling the trip we were invited to Montevideo, capitol and primary port city of Uruguay by John Hamilton, who had planned to attend the Brazil meetings. John is the pastor of an English speaking Christian church in Montevideo, one of only two Uruguay. John and his wife Lisa graduated from Asbury University with Wendy and also with GO President Bert Jones, and his wife Cheryl.
Uruguay was unlike anything the Hamiltons had experienced in the prior ten years that they served in Colombia. In Colombia they witnessed a great harvest of souls and a hunger for the Gospel. As well, they were serving with a large thriving church founded and still currently pastored by Lisa’s dad. In Colombia they were surrounded by family and friends, administrative help, and nationals receptive to Christian efforts. In comparison, life in Uruguay was like living on a spiritually deserted island, in the middle of an ocean of apathy and inhabited by distrusting and disinterested natives. We knew that John and Lisa, along with their three awesome kids, often struggled with spiritual attacks of discouragement from living in a culture with such an extreme contrast from their previous field of service.

For GO International, Uruguay was also an unchartered field, and with only a few days notice before our departure, there was very little time to make even a quick study of the country. We really had no idea what purpose the Lord had in store for us, but the doors were opened and the decision was made to go to Uruguay. All four of us sensed the Lord’s leading, booked our flight changes and set out on our faith journey strengthened by words of encouragement, Scripture, prayers and financial support from friends and family.

Obstacles and Trials...
1 Peter 2:9 - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
It’s really no secret to the Christian who walks by faith and obedience that steps of faith often lead us into immediate opposition and adversities that test and stretch our faith. Our trip to Uruguay proved to be no exception as we faced swine flu and visa problems that blocked our path to Brazil, flight delays, lost luggage in Uruguay in the midst of winter (they are south of the equator), no cell phone communications, and even family crises back home.
YET, IN THE MIDST...of challenges our mission team bonded together, we were accepted and trusted by our

National hosts, clothes were loaned to us, funds were provided to replace personal items lost in luggage, Uruguayan friendships were established, encouragement and testimonies were shared, we learned more how to be content with little and to experience the joy of simplicity, serving, sharing, worshipping, and abiding in Christ. We absorbed the culture and history and were able to assess the field from the Hamilton’s perspective and GO International’s potential vision.
AND IN THE END...our lost luggage was found with nothing missing, the cold, cloudy, windy winter days turned to warm and sunny days, multiple people expressed how they knew God had sent us to them and felt blessed and favored that God had chosen us and them and most importantly we found the “Lighthouse”: GO’s first official partner for Uruguay!

We all were incredibly blessed by the Uruguayan's gratitude and attitude in welcoming and embracing us. Our unplanned, God-directed path to their doorstep allowed them to know we had no pre-planned agenda or motive for visiting them. Thus, trust and friendships were established easy as they became overwhelmed that we simply wanted to know how we could bless them without being a burden. We were also able to be a blessing without being a burden to the Hamilton family. They shared with us how short term teams often are much more of a burden than a blessing due to lack of education and preparation by team leaders.

More Discoveries... Uruguay
We had no idea we were flying into a country that was considered economically stable, (current unemployment rate of 7.9%) and one of the safest places to travel and live in the world. Yet 25% of the population suffers from depression contributing to the highest suicide rates in all of Latin America and what some have said is one of the highest teen suicide rates in the world. Uruguay is also widely recognized as the most atheistic, secular and least evangelized country in South America. Since 1973 the country experienced 12 years of cruel military dictatorship,
followed by nearly 20 years of stabilizing democracy, four straight years of recession caused by Argentina’s banking and financial crisis that led to 20% unemployment, 40% poverty and in 2004 the election and acceptance of a president and political party comprised of socialists, communists and liberal social democrats. These discoveries gave me even greater concern for the Unites States as I saw how economically susceptible we are while politically and spiritually headed in the same direction.

Montevideo...
John Hamilton explained to us how the now famous Uruguayan Rugby players, whose airline crashed in the Andes and had to result to cannibalism to survive, lived in Montevideo and several within a few miles of his church and home. He said their story, known worldwide because of the book and movie “Alive,” brought great pride and notoriety to Uruguay and even more so to the Montevideo community and remains a current influence on local culture and psyche. Montevideo represents almost 50% of the entire population of Uruguay which places the mayor of Montevideo in a powerful position of national political influence. Feeling more European than South American, Montevideo is a port city where horse cart recyclers gain food credits for sorting through dumpsters, taxi’s are so small your luggage travels in one and you travel in another, and to my great joy...70’s and 80’s American pop music is everywhere. With no pop artists or culture of their own they seem to have made this era and genre the music of Uruguay. People are warm and friendly and it is common to see friends and family gathering for an entire evening at one of the local and wonderful restaurants that always served large portions of excellent food. But mostly it is a city full of individuals seeking a sense of purpose and meaning for their life.
Church

I was asked to be the main speaker on Sunday morning at Christ Church, Montevideo - one of only two English speaking churches in Uruguay. Although the request came unexpectedly and gave me great anxiety, I knew God had sent me and thus would work through my nerves and inexperience. I was able to share how poverty, a broken home and bad influences impacted my life as a teen and young adult in school, the armed forces and employment. I knew the story of how God saved me from self-destruction, transformed my heart, and changed my circumstances from broke and homeless to a wonderful marriage, family and business owner/operator.

Business leaders and professionals...
One of the greatest opportunities the Lord gave to me was in meeting with other leaders in the marketplace. They shared with me the frustrating challenges of trying to make a profit in a highly liberal and socialistic environment - and I thought it was tough in Ohio. We all shared the challenges of trying to operate our business by Christian principles - being true to our values, conscience and Heavenly Father. I was able to relate with them by sharing various tests of faith and trials I experienced via personal failures, economic changes, extortion/power plays by customers, and betrayals by friends and family. It was clear from subsequent individual conversations and material requests that many Christians in business or leadership are hungry for resources, books and anything else to help them use their business for the Lord. What we have immediate access to in America, stands in stark contrast to a large modern city where I am not certain there is even one Christian bookstore.

Friends For Life...
I have been able to make friends for a lifetime in Uruguay. The blessing of technology like Facebook and email allows us to continue to build relationships of friendship and support. Here are some of the messages I have received since returning from Uruguay:

Fernando Font...
Querido hermano en Cristo Jesus. Estoy muy contento de que El Señor nos haya presentado . Realmente este encuentro fue muy fuerte espiritualmente hablando , ojalá nos veamos mas amenudo
Dios te bendiga.

In English: Dear Brother in Christ Jesus. I am very happy that the Lord has made. Actually the meeting was very strong spiritually speaking, I hope we meet more often! God bless you!