It's 4:30 am...

It's 4:30 am and we get a phone call from the alarm at church.  So, off Mike goes to check things out. Thank the Lord that everything is in order. Some night owl walking by must have banged one of the windows or it was a big bug or frog passing by one of the sensors. Needless to say, I couldn't go back to sleep. So I decide to get caught up on some correspondence.

This time of year is always a very busy time of year in Argentina!!  Not only do we have Christmas and New Year's, it's the end of the school year.  This means an addition of closing ceremonies, graduations, and end of the year celebrations.  This year we have two young people who are graduating from high school. Renzo and Aldana have been with us ever since they were small children in our Sunday school program.  We are so proud of them! Please pray that they will continue to be faithful to the Lord and that He will bless this new stage in their Christian walk.

Our church choir has been practicing for several months to prepare for our Christmas cantata.  This year in addition to the cantata we learned two songs that are acapella. In the past we have been invited to sing at other locations and have had to deal with different sound systems. This year we decided it would be easier if we didn't have to rely only on a playback. We've been invited back again to other locations this year and we are good to go!!  Pray for us that the Lord will bless the testimony that we will give of His wonderful gift to the world,  Jesus!  This month we have already had 3 first time visitors and are praying that there will be more when we present the cantata in our services on December 21.

Another huge blessing for us is that Stephany will be with us for Christmas!!  We are so excited to be able to have her home this year.  On a sad note, Michael will be unable to come... but we are so very proud of him and thank the Lord for sharing him with us.  And, yesterday was his 24th birthday!!

Sending to all of you an early Blessed Christmas wish and Happy New Year!!

Underwater!!!

It's crazy to think that this picture of the "Las 3 Maquinas" "The 3 Machines" taken out at camp was taken about 2 weeks ago.

Now the camp looks like this...

taken from the road

on top of the windmill

Old lawnmower

                                                                 

Kitchen

Pool

Record breaking rains flooded the camp and many other parts of the area. Please pray that we will be able to get everything cleaned up and that there won't be much damage. We are excited about this camp season coming up in January! We are not going to let a little water get in the way of great things that God has in store!

Tsunami?

The yearly fellowship meeting this year was held in La Serena, Chile. It was the first time for me to visit Chile and to see the Pacific Ocean.  I have to admit before we headed out in our car for the trip, I had to come to terms with the fact that Chile is known for its tremors and earthquakes.  I was able to get my mind settled with that fact. Then, just an hour after we arrived we saw this sign and it just made me laugh!!  I really shouldn't fear anything anywhere because I am in the Lord's hands and He is in control of everything! (By the way no tremors or tsunamis while we were there!)

 The meetings were a great encouragement to us as well as the time spent with our Chilean brothers and sisters.  Glorious undisputed beauty was all around us during our stay and the road trip there and back was amazing. Mountains and ocean all at the same time!
 




  

We also celebrated Mother's Day this month.  For our special edition of our monthly ladies meeting we had a jewelry workshop. We didn't have any knew visitors this year but we had a great time of fellowship. Marta shared a short devotional that gave us spiritual beauty tips to think on daily that would make us pleasing in the sight of our Heavenly Father and a testimony to the world.  Here's a sample of some of the things we made.

Now, the choir is in full swing getting ready for Christmas. Work out at camp has started to get it in condition for camps which start in January.  I'm sure there will be pictures in the next post!!

Thanks for all the prayers!!  Keep them coming!!

Multiple Blessings in Aug/Sept

This has really been an August and September not like any other.  Over more than 20 years of ministry here in Argentina we have had few visitors come from the USA. But this July-Sept. we had two visitors. The first was a young lady, Millie Hatfield, who stayed with us for two months and the second was the Aaron McNeff family, future missionaries to Argentina.

All of them participated in different services and activities during their visit.  We pray that God left impressions on their hearts to keep following God's leading in their lives and that they will never forget the need to evangelize Argentina and the rest of the world.

And... the new industrial model lawn mower is on its way!!  It was shipped mid-August and should arrive sometime in November.  Almost all of the funds came in for it so we praise the Lord for that!  Thank you so much for those who gave and for the last few individuals who will finish off that last little bit that we owe. Contact us if you can help or use the DONATE button on this page.

One last thing I need to say.  God is so good to us!!  What a privilege to serve Him everyday!  Even when I fail Him or when I have to pass through some valleys, His love for me never wavers and He is always by my side!

VBS-Colonia "Sobre las Olas"

Last week we had our winter Vacation Bible School. Our church adopted the custom of having VBS during winter vacation since summertime for us is full of camps and a lot of the kids go to the swimming pools, go on vacation, or visit family etc.  Our theme was "Sobre las Olas"  (Above the Waves) - a tropical theme.  It was really fun since it is winter here!  

We didn't have as good of attendance as we have had in the past but it was a great time to regroup all our regular kids. Of course we had our annual boat race and even the teens participated!!

   

                                   

We appreciate all your prayers and ask that you would continue to do so!  This year is more than half over yet it feels like it has just begun.  We have so many activities, visitors, decisions, special meetings, etc. that are planned to be done/made by the end of this year.  It is such a great blessing to do what the Lord has called us to do here in Argentina.  May we be able to reach more souls for Him by the end of this year!

Home again!!

How good it feels to be back at home!! The weather has been rather nasty but nonetheless, like the saying goes, "there's no place like home!"
Just a short week after we arrived we were back at the airport to pick up a young visitor friend, Millie Hatfield, who we will be hosting for a two month visit.  So far it's been fun to have the sounds of a teenager in the house again!  ;)

We also want to give an update on the fund raising for the lawn mower for camp.  We have close to about a third of the cost promised.  Our co-laborers who will be moving to Argentina have graciously offered to ship it in their container free of charge.  If you still would like to donate to this project it's not too late. You can use the donate button on the top right of this page or write to us by e-mail.
Here is a picture of the lawn mower we wish to buy.

A "God thing" Opportunity

One of the frequent questions that are asked us as missionaries is "Do you have any special needs?" All missionaries have several "special needs".  We mention some, others we reserve in private. One of those needs has been brought to the top of our list because the Lord has provided a unique opportunity to get large items shipped to Argentina.

Our youth camp is in need of a zero-turn industrial mower and a 10,000 watt generator.  In the US, these items are of better quality and generally cheaper. These items plus shipping cost around $8,000.00. We have until the end of July to buy and get the items ready to ship. So, we are presenting this project to you. We are asking if you feel led of the Lord to help us with this need to please let us know. To donate money to this project, you can go to our web page mikeandsandytoddargentina.synthasite.com where there is a donate button or other information you can use to find ways to help us.

We do ask that everyone will pray that this need will be met if it is the Lord's will.  We know that God will supply all our needs so we are confident that His will will be done. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog and pray for us and our ministry in Argentina!

Tootin' my horn!

Hey!! Proud moments call for some horn tootin'!!!

First event, Mike and Michael both placed in their categories in the One Sole Purpose 10K race! How cool is that!!

Next, my mother and father in-law, Richard and Lynda Todd, were honored for their 50 years of service as missionaries in Argentina.  God's not finished with them yet!!

Our son Michael, graduated from Baptist Bible College!!  And Mike participated in the ceremony by reading some Scripture.  What a great day!!

The last two months have been a wonderful time of re-uniting with family and friends, taking care of business, getting in some r&r, and unfortunately - eating too much!!  Thank you so much Lord!!  May we always be worthy of your blessings and of being in your service.

Couple's Retreat and Pastor/Missionary Family Retreat 2014

This was the first year that we had a 3 day Couple's Retreat February 13, 14, 15.  And I think the results are in.... We all loved it!!  Definitely a do again retreat in the future!

We had our annual Pastor/Missionary Family Retreat February 17-21.  Dr. Bill Smith with GLOBE Ministries joined us again to teach and preach to us this week.