Formosa trip March 3-15

Formosa is a province in the north on the border of Argentina and Paraguay. We were working with the Toba people. They are indigenous Indians that still live in colonies and big family groups. They were forced off their good land and were continually forced to move north until they reached the area that is now Formosa. The government gave them that land to live on, but it happens to be some of the worst land in Argentina, ironic, huh? There are several Nazarene churches in the area.

A small group of us from Buenos Aires packed the bus and trailer and started our long 20 hour drive north to Formosa at 6AM Wed., March 3. The group from the U.S. was arriving on Friday night and we needed to get the facilities ready for 20-25 people to live for a week. When we arrived, there was no running water, which means, no running toilets, no running sinks, and no showers. We cleaned for two days, trying to scare off the spiders, mosquitoes, and one mouse. Thankfully, we were able to get water running to all the bathrooms and the kitchen! Although it's not okay to drink, it was nice for showers, toilets, and cleaning.

The group consisted of 15 people total, 14 from Olivet, 2 nursing profesors, an engineering professor (my dad), and 6 nursing students. Besides my dad, I knew four other people in the group and it was great to see some familiar faces from home! The group from Buenos Aires consisted of Carlos, the trip coordinator, Stefanie, Elaine, and Edguardo who all came to help cook, clean, translate and to have the experience, and me. Drs. Alberto and Rosita Ainscoff along with Jesica, all from Buenos Aires, joined us as well. Also, Delfin, a Toba pastor joined us for the week.

Each day the doctors and nurses had clinics, I led Vacation Bible School, a group painted the clinic, and we had at least one church service. One day we also handed out clothes and another day we fed the people that were coming to the clinic because it was raining and they couldn't return to their homes to eat.

This was my third trip to Formosa, but I had a lot of "firsts". It was the first time I had helped plan a mission trip, the first time I had led VBS by myself, the first time I had spoken in Spanish to a large group of people, the first time I had explained the evangecube (besides for practice) and in Spanish, and the first time I have really had to conserve water.


I was greatly impacted by the Toba people. They live very simply and while we were there, we lived simply too. We were without many of our possessions and conveniences like computers, internet, cell phones, ipods, hot showers, air conditioning, etc. I've learned that I like these times and I think it is very beneficial. It strips you down to the basics of living, it takes away the distractions, and it keeps you focused on your purpose.

One thing that I've learned while being here in Argentina and even more on this trip to Formosa is the importance of spending time together. People spend several hours a day just sitting around talking to one another, spending time together, getting to know one another, sharing life together! On this trip we brought free medical attention, gifts for the children, clothes, and food to the Tobas, but what they liked most was just that we came to visit! It means so much to them that we came to sit and talk with them, to share what God is doing in our lives, to worship together! Before we even arrived, they were preparing for us to come. One of the churches put in a concrete floor so the church would be nicer and cleaner for us to have the clinic in. One lady in the church made typical Toba necklaces for each person in our group.

I was very touched by the way that they have their church services. They ask anyone who wants to to say something, to give a greeting, or to give a testimony. They want as many people as possible to share something. They want to hear from you. I loved that during that time, people would stand up and speak about what God was doing in their life, a miracle that had happened that week, a prayer answered, a prayer request, a word of wisdom, a blessing, etc. That is the true body of Christ! They sing songs a capella passed down orally from one generation to another. They don't have slides or books. We learned and sang songs in Toba and in Spanish and then we taught them a song in English, "How Great is Our God". It was awesome to have people from different countries, of different colors, speaking three different languages, but serving the same God as brothers and sisters in Christ! It gives me a bigger picture of the body of Christ and what heaven must be like!

Since I've grown so much in my Spanish, I was able to communicate so much better than when I could only speak some broken sentences. It was so great to be able to build those relationships even stronger!

One day we went to visit my friend Michal at her mission/seminary in Asuncion, Paraguay. We went to Olivet together. She was a nursing major, so she knew the nursing profesors and some of the group members. She also knows my dad because they went on a mission trip together last year. We helped her with taking general health information for the students at the school there as well as helped out with class devotions.

We also went to Iguazu Falls!!!! This time to the Brazil side! It was gorgeous!!

We had a wonderful trip full of fun, service, fellowship and much more! God was at work and continues to be at work in each one of our lives!