1. Parent Meeting: We kicked off the year getting the parents together, both believers and non-believers, to talk about our goals, and to communicate about how we wished to come alongside them in ministering to their kids.
2. Cordoba Cup: We participated in a city wide evangelistic soccer tournament in which we brought 15 first-time visitors, ten of which heard the gospel.
3. Sport Night: We invited the kids who had come to the Cordoba Cup, back to a home grown sports activity in a neighborhood gym which we rented.  We presented the gospel and two kids made a profession of faith.
4. Vida en Las Encrucijadas:  Sasha began teaching a weekly class on values and character in a public school.  He was able to give the gospel after showing the Jesus Film midway through the program.  Six kids asked for a copy of the film afterwards in order to show it to their parents.
5. Girls Bible Study: Maria Silvia and Elena went through an in depth Bible Study on the the book of John, and were able to guide 8 girls in discussion and learning in God's word.
6. Youth Celebration: Barbecue, Fundraiser, and Ministry Presentation.
7. One-on-One Discipleship:
1.  Martin Moreda
2. David
   Rivero                       
   
3. Samuel Rivero
4. Nestor Pastor
   
5. Nicolas Correas
   
6. Matias
   
7. Facundo Vera
8. Belen
9. Angie Frey
8. Consistent unsaved Visitors
1. Melina
2. Mikaela
3. Alejandro
9. Two Counseling cases:Visible Progress in both cases, Spiritual Growth:  one student reported feeling as if he'd grown more in this year at Centro Crecer (our church), and in Alto Voltaje (our youth group) than he had in all of his years up to that point.Support: The other student also thanked the whole group and its leaders in an e-mail for being there for him during this critically difficult year.Healing and change can be seen in both cases.
10. One Baptism: Mid-year one of our faithful students asked to be Baptized.  Angie first went through a Discipleship process with Maria Silvia specific to baptism, and then was baptized by Sasha in May.
    

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for our camp on the 26th of February through the 1st of March.  We should be having from 5-10 unsaved kids coming.
2. I will be speaking at another camp on January 18-25th. Please pray the God uses me as His instrument.
3. Pray for Maria Silvia as she finishes up the last three months of her demanding volunteer Medical Residency.
4. Pray that God would give us wisdom as we assess last year and make plans and changes for the next.
   

Thank you for your faithful support in the midst of a global financial crisis! We understand that it is not easy to give sacrificially each month and year, but we assure you that your faithfulness has meant enormous blessing for us personally, and for the gospel.

We appreciate you!

 

Sasha and Maria Sivlia Rasmussen
2530 Broadway Ave.
Boise, Idaho 83706

David Luque 234 Dept. 2A
Barrio General Paz
Cordoba Capital 5006
Argentina

Argentina Tel. 351-452-2454

 

When I came to Argentina the first time in 2004 to do a year long internship here, one of the people with whom I quickly developed a close relationship, and who ministered to me greatly during my year in Argentina was Javier Aldaz. 
 
Javier is the embodiment of joy.  His MO is to make sure that everyone is having a good time, and quite often invites people to his house to eat one of the best barbecues known to man, the one made by him.  He is also a deeply committed believer, one who seeks to live every aspect of his life for the glory of God.  He is staunchly consistent in His walk, and seeks to live a genuine and authentic life before his Lord.
 
Elena moved to Argentina from Venezuela to go to school in Buenos Aires.  Her bright faith has always been one of action.  She seems to have always been integrally involved in many ministries, both within the church and in parachurch ministries throughout her life.  She is a tireless laborer and a shining witness for her Lord.
 
Through a cousin of hers she met Javier, and before long God had knit them together in marriage.  Thankfully early on in their relationship I had a place in their lives, and prayed with, talked over, and celebrated what God was doing with them.  They were also there as God brought Maria Silvia in to my life.  I remember very distinctly the excitement and encouragement Javier showed as we prayed together about the decision for me to court Maria Silvia.
 
Elena and Javier are our best friends, and God also saw fit to bring them back to Cordoba after some time in Buenos Aires.  In a casual conversation one day as we drove through the city, Javier related to me that he felt like he wasn't "wearing any specific jersey" in the church.  He felt like he needed a specific place to invest in ministry.  I obviously had one in mind, but I wanted the guiding to be from God. I enumerated and talked through a few ministries and then just casually invited him to be a part of the youth ministry if he felt like God might be leading him in that direction, to which he replied with his typical enthusiasm "Really? Are you serious? I would love to! That's perfect!"
 
In spite of the fact that they are also both involved in the children's ministry in our church, and that they both have demanding jobs, Javier and Elena have been faithful, sacrificially giving of themselves, their time, their resources, and their lives so that the youth of our church and community might taste the same salvation and love which they have experienced from their Heavenly Father.  Javier, being an Aeronautical engineer often tutors some of the kids who are struggling in math and physics.  Javier is also the director and leader of our praise and worship team.  Elena is quite possibly the most organized person I have ever met.  She brings clarity and organization to our team of dreamers.  She also co-taught the girls Bible study with Maria Silvia, and as I'm told by my wife has an excellent gift of teaching.
 
Ministry, as we all know, is accomplished only by God's community coming together to function as a diverse, yet unified body.  We are aware that the ministry which God has accomplished in the last year in our midst is a result of the availability, sacrifice, and love of our best friends Javier and Elena.

"Fund raising".  How do those words ring in your ears?  They are perhaps the inevitable outcome of ministry to masses, and they may not be all that bad, but they do imply a skill set and drive all their own.  Every church that I'm aware of has some sort of fundraising activity, and some are plagued by them year round.  As you may have able to sensel, I'm not a huge fan of them, and had previously seen them as a necessary evil.  As we approached the end of the year, however,  looming over our heads was the need to put on a fundraiser in order for our kids to raise money for camp.  As I avoided the issue hoping it would just go away, Maria Silvia crafted a brilliant idea, one which even got the unbeliever like me on board. 
 
The idea was simple.  We were to do a church wide barbecue, which actually is called "asado" in Argentina. I think I have gone into some detail about the difference, but put simply barbecue is to asado like Burger King is to Black Angus.  We would decorate the church in Christmas, and prepare skits, music, games and videos which would showcase what God had done in us throughout the year, and which would also communicate the importance of youth ministry (some still aren't quite sure what we do or why).
 
We met as a leadership team a couple of times to plan and work out the details of the huge event.  As we planned it seemed that God had ordained this fundraiser from the foundations of the earth.  My usual experience is that a myriad of details go wrong, and everyone scrambles to make them right until all comes together at the end just in time.  This event however had the opposite effect.  Every time a roadblock appeared, the solution, or way around also simultaneously presented itself next to it in such a manner that it almost didn't even feel like the roadblock ever existed.
 
The big day came on December 6th, and we had hoped and prayed the we would be able to sell 100 tickets.  We have a church that averages around 150 per week, and so were pretty convinced that if we were able to attract 100 we would have been successful.  We were also not sure if we could put on an asado for 150 people.  By the time the last ticket had been paid for we had sold 140 tickets.  As far as a fundraiser was concerned it was a huge success.  Many of the kids paid for their camp entirely from just one fundraiser alone.
 
The activity, however, was a success on so many other levels.  The kids all worked hard, and we had many teachable ministry moments as we labored side by side cutting carrots, roasting meat, decorating, or preparing skits.  The Church was overwhelmingly positive about the experience, and many understood for the first time the importance of youth ministry.  Lastly, about 1/3 of the people who came were not from our church.  Some were believing family members from other towns, or from other churches in Cordoba.  But many were unbelievers who walked away from that night with a clear presentation of the gospel.  One of our kids, Martin,  saw for the first time in his life his father, his fathers long time girlfriend, and their special needs baby walk through the doors of our church.  They really enjoyed the evening, and had an opportunity to watch Martin act in various skits.  After we had finished everything, and collapsed exhausted after the huge event, we marveled at God's power and sovereignty in helping us put on...yes, a fundraiser...to His glory.