Metzgers to Argentina

Summer camps

Once again summer camps have come and gone. It is a whirlwhind of activity that our whole family loves to be a part of. This year Ben was a director and Rachelle was in the kitchen. We had the three youngest as campers in their respective weeks, and then Lucas was a junior counselor, Alenna worked in the snack shop and Nico ran around and played. We were also thrilled that Natalie and our son-in-law Facundo could join us at camp helping as counselor and kitchen help one week, and Natalie as a tecaher and counselor the other week. It is still such a blessing to serve alongside our grown children when we have the chance to. And this year’s camps were full to the brim with youth and kids! Hearts were open and tender and there were over twenty decisions for salvation plus many others for various reasons. Praise God!

Ministry Retreats

A highlight each year is the Missionary/Pastor’s retreat held at camp in February. Foreign missionaries and national pastors throughout Argentina come for four days of rest, relaxation, fellowship, and practical learning. It is always a wonderful time to reconnect with fellow co-laborers and obtain useful tools for our ministries. Our kids also love spending time with other pastor’s kids! Please pray that more pastors and their families who need this special time would be able to come next year. And pray for those who were there this year. Many are going through difficult ministry seasons and heealth problems. We know that strong churches need strong leadership, and that is what this time is intended for. We believe that Argentina needs more laborers, but we also need to care for those that we have so that they do not give up or fall by the way-side. 

Special Visitors

We were grateful to host Missionary-to-missionary care leaders: Don and Kathy Mingo for almost the whole month of February! It was such a privilege to have them stay with us in our home. They came down to teach those at the ministry retreat and then also stayed to speak at our annual marriage retreat! Along with that, Don preached and both of them gave testimonies at our church and were a blessing to our church people. We are so thankful for all their hard work preparing and getting down here. We know it was a great sacrifice for them to come down, and we thoroughly enjoyed all that they imparted to us, and our family enjoyed hosting them! Please pray for them as they recuperate from this trip.

Women’s Ministry

We are so thankful to God at the growth the camp ministry has been having these past years. This women’s retreat was another record-breaking camp with almost 200 women present from area churches! We were so excited to participate in this, and see our women impacted with God’s Word and with fellowship with other sisters in Christ. Pray for the continued growth of the women in our churches here. Rachelle led the women of our church in a study of hermeneutics and they are now doing inductive Bible studies, which has been a wonderful thing to be a part of: women learning from the Word of God themselves and then applying it to their lives! What a blessing to experience!

Ministry Partners

Our year has been quite difficult ministry-wise, with upheaval in our church, not only in the church body but in our ministry team. As a result, we are extremely grateful for the team that we now have, that has been supporting us, carrying the load of ministry in the church. We know that without their help we could not be where we are. Please pray for these precious people and their families. From left to right they are Monica & Oscar Suarez, Gabriela & Jorge Iannace, Mirta & Guillermo Acosta, (Rachelle & Ben), Nilfa & Marciano Vergara (Senior ministry), and Marcelo & Gabriela Ibarra (youth ministry). Each one has trials they are going through, and need your prayers to remain faithful and strong.

End of Year Celebration

Our church started a lovely tradition the past few years in which we dedicate the last Sunday of the year to a gratefulness and praise service to God for all He has done in the year. This year we added on baptisms and new members joining the church. It was a wonderful reminder of all that God is doing in His people. Four young men were baptized, and four families and some individuals joined the church also. It is always wonderful to hear the salvation testimonies of those being baptized and joining our membership. Praise God with us for all He is doing in our little corner of Argentina.

Youth Retreats

During the last week of July in winter vacation we held our now annual youth winter retreat at camp. However, with continued interest and growth, we had to have 2 3-day retreats instead of only one like we previously have. Both camps were pretty full! The first one was for middle and high school age, and the second one was for young adults. Ben helped plan and run it, and Rachelle planned and worked in the kitchen. We love to be able to minister to the youth, not only from our church, but 12 other area churches. The theme for this year was “No Holding Back”. The youth were challenged to follow Christ no matter the cost. Please pray for the youth of Argentina. Many want to be faithful, but the cares of this world continually threaten their faith.

Children’s Day Celebration

We once again celebrated Children’s Day with a festival for the children of our church and neighborhood. The theme was medieval kingdom, and the children learned about the Kingdom of God, in which the heavenly King offers salvation and son-ship to all! There were no decisions made for Christ, but many parents said they wanted to bring their kids again, and we know the seed planted will yield fruit in its time. We are thankful for the church members who served the families of our community through games, songs, and food. We were also able to have many meaningful conversations with the parents while their children played.

A Very Special Wedding

September 13 marked an extremely large milestone in our personal lives: Our oldest daughter, Natalie married her sweetheart, Facundo Ibarra. They met at church and were friends for almost a year before letting their interest in each other be known, and now two and a half years later were finally ready to become man and wife. It was a bitter-sweet time for us, as everyone who has married off a child knows, because our family home dynamics changed from six down to five, and our little girl is now a married woman. We are so very happy for both of them. Please be in prayer for them as they make decisions on how to continue serving God together. If you would desire to send them a wedding gift you can send it through us earmarked for Natalie and Facundo’s wedding.

Church Anniversary 

We praise God for another year celebrating the Lord’s work in our dear church. It has been a year full of blessings but also with various hardships that have shaken the church. However, the verse, “Let us not be weary in well doing” (Galatians 6:9) has been a constant reminder to us that we know Whom we serve, and He will continue to work even during and through hard times. He is blessing. There are new visitors, new professions of faith, new discipleships, and new growth as a result. Please pray for the youth ministry of our church, which has had a large growth spurt. That we would be able to meet the needs of each youth now attending, searching, and growing spiritually.

Father’s Day Celebration

Father’s Day is the same day in Argentina as in the United States. (unlike Mother’s Day) We always try to get a special gift for the church’s fathers. This time was a decorative desk clock with Joshua 24:15 on it, reminding them to purposefully lead their families to serve the Lord. This is our prayer for each family. We know strong churches are made up of strong families which are comprised of spiritually strong fathers and mothers, leading in example and service. Please pray for the fathers of our church to be men of integrity and purpose- glorifying God with their hearts and lives.

Building Progress

Many of you have helped us raise funds for our new auditorium, and we are incredibly grateful for your generosity. We are mostly there, but have paused the fundraising, and thus, the building, due to focusing on the legal process involved in receiving a donated land for a church. There are many hurdles to overcome, especially in trying to do everything aboveboard and not cut corners. Also, any legal process in this country takes a long time. In fact, this process has extended one year over the initially expected duration. We are thankful for a knowledgeable lawyer to help navigate all the paperwork, and we are confident that our side has met all the necessary requirements to complete the process. We appreciate your prayers in this matter. We cannot wait to get started on this new building! 

WOMEN’S RETREAT

December was a whirlwind of activities. We started it out by wrapping up plans for the yearly women’s retreat at camp. This year our church hosted it along with Keri Kondracki’s Women of Worth ministries. We had over 150 women from area churches come to fellowship, eat delicious food, be pampered, and above all be blessed by teaching from God’s Word. We are so thankful for all the investment Keri and her ministry put into this event. Our women came away thoroughly blessed!

YOUTH CAMPS

In January our church sent almost forty kids and youth to camp. Our family was privileged to also serve at the teen and kids’ camps as counselors and cooks, and we saw fourteen youth come to know Christ as their Savior. Three of them were from the youth in our church! We praise God for this fruit. Camp is something we value and participate in year after year because we know that God uses this time away from the world to touch hearts and change lives.

MARRIAGES STRENGTHENED

In the past month we not only had a Valentine’s banquet, but also a marriage retreat. We believe healthy churches are made up of healthy families, And healthy families start with healthy marriages. That is why we invest in our church couples. It was thrilling to see nineteen couples come to the banquet, and twelve couples go the retreat. Both events were perfect for strengthening their marriages through God’s Word and fellowship with other Christian couples so that we could encourage each other.

SPECIAL FAMILY LIFE EVENTS:
Lucas graduated from high school in December, and Natalie got engaged in January!
Natalie and Facundo will be married in September.

Winter Break

The past few years we have had a short youth retreat at camp during winter break. This year was the second time it was a three day event, and we ran out of beds because so many youth wanted to attend. We took twenty-four of our teens and young adults and were thrilled that three of them recieved Jesus as their Savior, and others made decisions in their spiritual walk. Please pray for our youth. So many of them struggle to put God first in their lives and follow Him faithfully. Also pray for our youth leaders: Marcelo and Gabriela to have the energy and wisdom when dealing with them.

Children’s Day

This August we celebrated Children’s Day once again and children poured in! We had a sports/Olympics theme (which our monthly kids’ club has followed this year) and we were thrilled to have the highest attendance that we have ever had. Almost 100 children came, along with their parents and grandparents, to play, sing, and most importantly hear the plan of salvation. Our church family was such a blessing to all who arrived, welcoming them and manning the games, songs, and snack time. Although no one made a profession of faith, we know God’s Word will work in hearts and bring future fruit. 

10th Anniversary!

 At the end of August we were privileged to celebrate our family’s tenth anniversary of arriving on Argentine soil. It is amazing to look back and see all God has done for us and through us in these ten years. We thank Him for allowing us to raise our kids here on the missions field, go through two full terms on the field, two furloughs, COVID, start Iglesia Bautista Redencion, and graduate one child from highschool (and another one soon to follow in December). We look forward to what God will lead us to do in the next ten years. Please pray that we remain faithful to His will.

Happy Argentine Labor Day

Many patriotic holidays fall in Autumn and Winter here. As a result, the patriotic foods shared on these holidays tend to be warmer meals such as locro, a stew filled with meats, beans and hominy. That is why, when Labor day came around on May 1st, our church family got together to eat locro, fellowship, and also share the Gospel with friends and family who do not know the Lord. And we were very thankful that Carol came for the first time and was led to saving faith during the afternoon. Praise God!

Happy Anniversary!

God has brought us to the 7th anniversay of Iglesia Bautista Redención and we praise Him for it! We had a special speaker and many visitors come for the special event. We pray for unity in this coming year for our church family, and that we will be able to finally have the church property in our name and begin construction to have enough room to accomodate the growth that we have seen these past months and years. We thank God for the privilege of serving this community and this church body.

Happy Father’s Day

Once again Father’s Day came around and we celebrated the fathers of our church and our mother church with a special men’s meeting on the Saturday before Father’s Day. It was well attended, and the fellowship was sweet between the men of both churches. Then we had a special gift for the fathers and prayed for them specifically to be the men of God that our families, church family, and community needs. Please pray with us for this same thing! 

Prayer Requests:

* New believers and members to grow, be connected, and discipled.

* Be able to start construction on new church addition.

* Church projects around Argentina be funded.

* Winter youth retreats the last two weeks of July.

Praises:

* We thank God for  years of our beloved church.

* Carol’s salvation at the church fellowship.

Family Retreat
Every Easter weekend our church joins our “mother church” (Iglesia Bautista Calvario, Isidro Casanova) for a three-day family retreat at camp. Even in the difficult economy, our church people know the need they have to fellowship and draw closer together. We always have a wonderful time listening to wonderful preaching, playing sports and games together, and of course, enjoying fellowship. We had new attenders come this year, who were able to enjoy their time, and as a result we had one woman and two teens recieve Christ as their Savior!

Little Children
We have a burden for the children in our church and neighborhood! As a result we began a monthly children’s Bible club to see souls saved and also help them grow in their knowledge and relationships with Christ. The first couple of months we had around 30 each time, but then in May we were down in attendance due to the colder weather. Please pray that we would still have many children come to hear the gospel even with the winter months coming up! Also pray for our teachers to be encouraged as they teach these precious children God’s Word!

Investing
As we mentioned in our last prayer letter, several national church planters have built or started to build their church buildings and have been met with the need to expand due to growth, or just need a little more help finishing building projects. A non-profit organization– Trailhead International- has funded 50% of the needed cost. The churches themselves are buying materials, doing the work, and saving up even in this hectic Argentine economy. You can help advance the spread of the gospel in Argentina! Will you please pray and consider how you too can participate to help these church plants finish these building projects? Thank you to those who have participated! See the post on our website to know how you can continue to help.