News and Updates
February 21, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
What follows is a summary of the work of Envoy Christian Mission in 2009, including
material from Enrique, Walter and myself. Please accept all of our thanks for your faithful
support this past year.
Family
This year was a difficult one for all of us on the field. Walter Chavez had a relapse of his
fibromyalgia and was hospitalized for a short time, and his girls struggled with scoliosis.
Enrique continued to have problems with his hip, Edith with the varicose veins in her legs
and their girls with some chronic joint and back problems. As of the start of 2010,
Walter's health has vastly improved and all 3 girls have recovered from scoliosis. In fact,
Walter tells me that the recovery was nothing short of miraculous since all 3 were healed
after a prayer time in the church there in Salta. Enrique's girls have all enjoyed better
health so far this year, but Edith continues to struggle with a chronic intestinal infection
and still needs the operation on both legs (the first operation is scheduled for late Feb).
Enrique's hip continues to improve, though it seems as though he will need further
treatment this year (he was hoping to be through with treatments in 2009).
Vanesa and I had a few minor health problems, mostly flu and allergy related. The most
difficult part of the year for our family was the notice in September, for me, that my
father passed away suddenly from an unexpected heart attack, and then in December that
a good friend of Vanesa's family died in a car accident the same week that a distant
relative of hers was shot to death on the streets near his home.
As you might expect, this changed our plans for the end of the year somewhat, and we
spent quite a bit of time in the States helping mom with estate issues, talking to people
about the mission and doing a little preaching.
ACI
Most of the news about the ACI this year had to do with repairs and renovations. The
years had taken their toll on both the facilities and the older weight machines, and
Enrique and Edith worked hard to bring both back up to the standard that our customers
were used to seeing in our gym. The pool project was delayed due to weather-related
damage to the shelter construction (it is an outdoor pool that is being converted for use as
an aquaerobic location etc). Several of the machines were replaced and new carpeting
(and then a nev\"floor) put in the weight room.
The big news with the ACI, however, was the development of Facundo, one of the young
men from the church, as an employee of the ACl. This begins to realize Enrique's dream
of having the ACI function as an evangelistic tool that draws people, allows time to
witness to them, and then provides them with a place to witness once they have made
their own decision for Christ. Facundo is the first of the young men and women who
received the Lord to both stay with the church and begin to work regularly in the Institute,
and Enrique is pleased with his work.
Real Life English
I was very pleased with the way the year ended at the WELL institute in spite of
attendance issues mid year due to the HINI epidemic. The students both enjoyed the
English class and were challenged morally on a number of topics. The only down side to
the work was that the success of the institute short circuited my plans to work with the
owners/professors as a group in their own class. They simply did not have the time as
they had to add more courses and more hours mid-stream in both semesters to meet the
demand. I will re-open the possibility of "professor only" courses this year upon my
retum to Argentina.
My individual classes were tilled with opportunities to witness to people, and the
relationship I developed with a local literary translator was not only a witnessing
opportunity, but was beneficial for me, too, as her knowledge of the Argentine
educational system helped me tine tune some of the work that I hope to be doing in other
institutes in 2010. I would like to continue to work with her, but I am not sure that will be
possible as one of her daughters lives in Quebec and she has stmied studying French in
preparation for a move there. Dad's death meant that I left Argentina before getting a
concrete answer from the English institute in Bemal where I hope to work during 2010.
However, Vanesa helped me stay in touch with the co-owner during our time in the USA,
and I believe that we can get negotiations back up to speed quickly now that we are back
in Argentina.
Varela Centro
Enrique reports that the church had a fairly stable year with respect to its membership,
especially as regards the youth group and the older folks. The low point of the year was
during the HINI crisis in June and July. He and Edith had to spend quite a bit of time at
the gym due to all of the various repairs and personnel issues and that, as he says, took
time and energy away from the church work. They have planned new evangelistic
activities for 2010 and have high hopes for their success and the continued development
of Rodolfo. one of the members of the Varela Center church. You might remember that
we were praying for Rodolfo at several points during the year because he needed a new
house and his father had a number of health issues. You will be happy to know that they
found a new place to rent about a month after we did, and Rodolfo's dad (also named
Rodolfo) has come through the two surgeries just tine.
Aguaray
Walter and Sandra's drug prevention ministry really took off this year. In addition to local
invitations to speak to youth in schools about the physical and spiritual dangers of drug
addiction, they also received invitations to speak in schools all over the region and had
offers to work with a group that travels to Salta from Buenos Aires. The cell group
ministlY continues to develop, although more slowly than they had hoped. As of the end
01"09 they had a children's group led by their daughters (with Sandra's help), a women's
group led by Sandra, a men's group and a young men's group led by Walter with help
from Esteban and one other young man that I don't know, with plans to expand as the
Lord leads and other leaders are readied. Walter continues to offer his micro business
lectures in the community, and started a small micro business it)r the young people of the
church (the selling of house plants) in addition to working with a local man to acquire a
piece of property that the church could use for spiritual retreats and camps (as of
September 2009, the agreement had been negotiated but the last of the official documents
had not been signed). His health and the level of activity postponed his theological studies
somewhat, but he was planning on taking at least one class towards the end of last year.
Argentina in General
This section is simply to remind all of us that life in Argentina continues to be dii1icult
and unstable. Crime rate has gone up, people from the church and near the gym have been
attacked, and inflation the last quarter of 2009 was absolutely ridiculous (meat prices
increased 100% ). Dengue is still a major concern, this year all over the nation. We are
still trying to evaluate all of the changes that have taken place since our departure last
September. but we covet your prayers for the wisdom to present the gospel in ways that
shows God's concern for the "busyness" and worries about daily bread that occupy most
folks these days while at the same time conveying that Jesus is more than "a quick fix."
Personal
Last but not least. Vanesa and I want to insert a personal note.
We would also like to thank all of you who prayed for our housing situation. We still
need a great deal of money (almost $30,000) to be able to buy a house outright, but
between donors and matching loans, we now how have received or have pledged about
$7,000 in gifts and another $30,000 in loans (most of conditional upon raising the
remaining $30,000), and we are in a rental house until we can raise more money. The first
year's lease ends in May of2010, and we would like your prayers.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your faithfulness. We have discovered that a
couple of our most faithful churches will no longer be able to support us financially due
to economic problems and subsequent restructuring of their missions program to do
things closer to home and/or more participatory. We understand their decision, but that
has hit us pretty hard financially and we are grateful for everything that you have done to
maintain your support in these troubled times.
God bless all of you.
In peace,
Tim, Vanesa and Zoe Figgins for Envoy Christian Mission.