Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part 6

*After 7 days of no internet, finally back online :)*

Part 6: Northern Argentina: The Guaraníes

(Here the spiritual leader is telling the Guaraní creation story, in the native tongue, with Spanish subtitles. If you understand Spanish and Argentine culture, the end - what the Creator does after He's finished creating the world - is actually really funny lol! :))...

 [Native Peoples of Argentina: Part 1 2 3 4 5]

Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part 5

This is a really good one - notice the baby in the front seat, no carseat *gasp*...

Welcome to Argentina! Well, Latin America, in general.

This is how I brought Firstborn home from the hospital (only I figured I should at least sit in the backseat, just in case) - the boy never saw a carseat until we moved back to the States. That's just the way it is. Even if you can afford to buy one, a lot of cars just don't have seatbelts (and that's assuming you can afford to buy the car). And a lot of people will actually try to talk you out of using one. Oh, it happened to me, trust me. So good luck; and make sure you pray ~ a LOT!)

Northwest Argentina: the Kolla

 [Native Peoples of Argentina: Part 1 2 3 4]

Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part 4

You know, now that I think about it, these videos are rather truncated snippets, a type of very short pseudo-documentary of the reality and the lives of native Argentines - not an oversweeping view, just a small peek into the lives of others.

But I want everyone who visits this blog to watch these, because it makes me think of that saying, "Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente" - "Eyes that do not see, heart that does not feel". You can't care about something unless you know about it. What better way to know about something than to see it for yourself? Tony and I often think the reason we American Christians are so complacent is that most of us have not seen firsthand how the rest of the world lives. If we did, it would surely change the way we live our lives.

What I really like about these videos is that they show the people and how they live - even if just for a short two-minute glimpse. It's another world, Argentina. It is. I hope everyone takes a look. In many of these videos in this series you can even hear the native languages spoken.

(forgive the Spanish, please watch anyway:))

Northern Argentina: The Toba



Tony has a real desire to visit the Toba, many of whom live in desperate poverty. Here is glimpse (warning: strong images of poverty).


And here, also:

(watching this one made me get over myself and my previous fears - I truly pray God gives us the opportunity to go, too...)

[Native People of Argentina Series: Part 1 2 3]

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Any new questions, shoot away, we'll see if we can answer them.

:)

Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part 3

The Tehuelches of Southern Patagonia

(Again, in Spanish, but worth the watch. I am also posting in a different order than appears on YouTube)...

 [Native Peoples of Argentina Series: Part I 2]

Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part 2

Patagonia: The Ona of Tierra del Fuego (in Spanish, but worth the watch)

[Native Peoples of Argentina Series: Part I]

Pueblos Originarios de la Argentina//Native Peoples of Argentina - Part I

For those who speak or study Spanish, this is a great seven part YouTube series on several of the native people groups of Argentina.

Even if you don't understand Spanish, just the scenery and their way of life alone is amazing to watch. Makes me want to go!

Here is Part One (well, not technically, but I like this one, so I'm posting it first). I'll be posting one each day for the next week.

Enjoy - I did! :)

Patagonia: the Mapuche


:)

The Call for Missionaries

Lottie Moon, missionary to China from 1873-1912, once wrote this challenging letter back home,

"It is odd that the million Baptists in the South can furnish only three men for all China. Odd that five hundred Baptist preachers in the state of Virginia alone must rely on a Presbyterian minister to fill in a Baptist pulpit. I wonder how these things look in Heaven. They certainly look very queer in China."

the Evenk of Siberia

Missionaries today are still making the same appeal. Yesterday we received a newsletter from missionaries in Ecuador. They write,

"There are two kingdoms. The kingdom of this world, and the kingdom of God. We have to decide which kingdom is ours. Yet most of us like to keep our foot in the door of the world. We need to pull that doorstop out and be freed to live out God’s ideas.

We are misguided if we think that our life goals must be:

1. education
2. marriage
3. own a house
4. profession
5. possessions
6. retirement

But isn't that what the sleeping giant of the American church believes? In the nine years I have been back in the States, I have not met one Christian person, one Christian family who has left for the mission field; who has left to take the light to those who haven't even had the opportunity to hear in the darker corners of the world. Not one. Be willing is not enough - not enough to get one Evenk saved.

Something is wrong. Something is very wrong, indeed.

Entry [into Argentina] Fee for American Nationals

Bad news for us - taken from the Embassy of Argentina's website:


"Entry Request Fee for American Nationals

When entering Argentine Territory, the American nationals must pay a "reciprocity fee" of U$D 131.- or its equivalent in Argentinean pesos.

The payment of this reciprocity fee is NOT a visa, since Argentina does not require visa to American nationals when travelling for tourism or business purposes. The Argentine Government set this entry free on equal amounts Argentine citizens must pay when requesting a Visa to travel to the U.S."


That tacks another $524 onto our trip, just to get into the country - assuming Tony can use his Argentine passport. If the US balks about that, now that he is an American citizen, and makes him use his US passport only, it will go up to $655.

And don't forget the airport exit fee - $40 per person last time we were there. So another $200 just to leave Argentina.

Ay, ay, ay.

We are thinking of scratching the exploratory trip and just moving there.

This is getting ridiculous.

Random Act of Culture - the Hallelujah Chorus

On Saturday, October 30, 2010 the Opera Company of Philadelphia and over 650 area choristers met at Macy's Center City Philadelphia. Unkown to shoppers, they had arranged to burst into song at noon.

I can't even imagine having been there! Amazing.


Imagine what heaven is going to be like! Wow.

:)

Ex-pat Bloggy Friends

A couple of months ago we had the pleasure of meeting Katie, the author of Seashells and Sunflowers. I discovered her blog when I came across Bloggers in Argentina. She blogs about her ex-pat life in a small coastal town south of Buenos Aires. She is writer extraordinaire, takes amazing pictures, and explains the culture (and food!) of Argentina exceptionally well.

Truth be told, I normally don't make friends over the Internet. But after reading over her site a bit this summer, and then talking with Tony, we decided she probably wasn't a psychopath (don't laugh - the only time I ever friended someone over the Internet, she actually was a pychopath). So, anyway, when we saw that she was getting ready to come back to the States for a visit, we decided to invite her over for dinner. It's been a while since we've lived in Argentina, so we were interested in hearing the latest news, and from an ex-pat's perspective.

We had a wonderful evening chatting with Katie. She was delightful company and is absolutamente divina. Her Spanish is better than mine, so Tony had a good time speaking argentino with an American who actually understands his rapid-fire Spanish. She also won some brownie points laughing at his very Argentinian jokes - which she also actually seemed to understand. And she liked my food (which is good, because I made the mistake of trying out a new recipe on company - not a good idea if it doesn't turn out right. Fortunately, it did.).

So, check out her blog Seashells and Sunflowers, if you are interested in learning a little bit about Argentina. She writes about the culture, the food (recipes included), the people, the places, and is currently even writing a little series on (the touristy aspect of) Patagonia here, here, here, and here. Her site is also a wealth of information and links for anyone considering travel to Argentina.

You can view more of Katie's amazing photography here.

Enjoy!

:)

More Quotes from Shadow of the Almighty

[No, I did not post 6 times yesterday. Google clitch or something. Apparently I fixed it - just wish I knew what I did!]


Here are some more, hopefully awe- and obedience-inspiring, quotes from Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot. Jim Elliot writes in his journal and letters:


"Remember that we have bargained with Him who bore a cross, and... His emphasis was upon sacrifice, not of wordly goods so much as of family ties."

"I try to get in what I call 'reprobate reading,' a little every day, just to keep from dropping into the stereotyped and conventional."

"IITimothy 2:4 is impossible in the United States, if one insists on a wife."

"Does it sound harsh so to speak? Consider the call from the Throne above, 'Go ye,' and from round about, 'Come over and help us,' and even the call from the damned souls below, 'Send Lazarus to my brothers, that they come not to this place,' Impelled, then by these voices, I dare not stay home while Quichuas perish. So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers."

"So don't lose your daydreams. 'Nothing is too good to be: so believe, believe to see.' In my own experience I have found that the most extravagant dreams of boyhood have not surpassed the great experience of being in the Will of God..."

"The command is plain: you go into the whole world and announce the good news. It cannot be dispensationalized, typicalized, rationalized. It stands a clear command, possible of realization because of the Commander's following promise. To me, Ecuador is simply an avenue of obedience to the simple word of Christ. There is room for me there, and I am free to go."

"My going to Ecuador is God's counsel, as is my leaving, Betty, and my refusal to be counselled by all who insist I should stay and stir up believers in the U.S. And how do I know it is His counsel? 'Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.'"


For more read the rest of Shadow of the Almighty: The Life & Testament of Jim Elliot and  The Journals of Jim Elliot.

Awe-inspiring.

:)