It was a great day full of sun and a gentle breeze. Perfect for the long walk to town to get to the bus terminal. There were 24 of us altogether but before long we were pretty spread out along the road according to walking speeds and involvement in conversations. Some managed to get a ride almost all of the way there, but even in this part of Argentina where you can fit six or more people into a car, not all of us were going to fit in. Multiple trips finally sorted that out, picking us up along the way.
Walking to the bus station.
At the bus terminal the bus to Trelew, our nearest city, leaves every half-hour. You cannot purchase tickets ahead of time and 22 people almost fill the bus. So with the first bus full, we were left with a little more than half an hour to rest after our walk. Some of the girls took advantage of the time with some sweets from the local bakery while others rested against the wall or on the nearby seats.
The girls resting against the wall in the bus terminal.
On reaching Trelew, it was a little under 1km to walk to the venue where we sorted out the details of our entry and all filed in. We were just in time for the second session of the day. The speakers came from all over South America and the United States but today all of our speakers turned out to be from Argentina.
Arriving at the Conference venue.
Each speaker gave their presentation. Three of them in all. The first one spoke on very intellectual matters and lost me within the first fifteen minutes of his two hours. The second one was a replacement for another speaker who had become ill. He was more passionate in his presentation but it still seemed to lack substance.
The YWAMers in the conference.
Both had talked about things and told us what needed to be done without actually doing any of it. The conference was called “Light the Fire” and yet I felt like somebody sitting in a group around a dead fire. Here we were talking about how you should light it, why it went out, what to do when it is lit, and the things to help it keep going… YET NOBODY WAS ACTUALLY GOING ABOUT LIGHTING IT.
Our view from the side seats.
Call me a critic, but doesn’t it seem ironic to you too? These sorts of things frustrate me, and frustrated I was. However the third speaker did more than just speak intellectual things in the air. I was proud to know that he was our national YWAM leader, although this has nothing to do with my thoughts on his speech.
Alejandro taking to the platform (receiving prayer before speaking).
Speaking to the core of the people there, Alejandro Rodriguez cut to the chase and brought many people to account for their selfish attitudes and actions within the church. He pulled no punches. There was an authority in the way that he spoke that neither of the other speakers had. It brought people to their senses, made them think twice, and had many repenting of their wrong actions and attitudes. So influential was his preaching that virtually everybody went forward as a declaration that they would change those areas where they had been wrong.
Almost everybody went forward.
Finally somebody was doing something about the fire. It was like ordering the wood to get it ready to light. Not a fire in itself but an important step. It was not everything that needs to be done, but it is a start. May God use this to bring more action into this conference.
Alejandro surrounded by a repentant group of people.
Lighting the fire requires action. Not talk.
