Random Shots Rio Negro

Rio Negro is one of the provinces that is part of our field here in the south.  It includes the city of Cipolletti where there is one church, Fernández Oro, a small town where there is another, the city of General Roca where one lady, Adriana, lives.  And  Villa Regina where there is another church.  From Cipolletti to Villa Regina, the trip takes about two hours on a bus that stops at lots of little towns on the way through "the valley" as they call this fruit growing area.  I always wondered why it's called a valley as it all seems to be flat!  But when I looked closer, there are these strange cliffs all along the riverside (the river called Rio Negro flows through and from that river they get water to water the trees.  Canal systems everywhere, which are shut off from autumn till spring).  It's dusty, grey landscape, broken by poplars and orchards.  As I've mentioned most people here are either Chilean or of Chilean descent.

Here are photos of some of the places we frequent, and the people:

Adriana Saavedra and her little house.  Here she's making quince jam (very common here).We spend at least one night a week in her tiny house in the town of General Roca (known as Roca).  She moves onto the sofa in her kitchen/dining area and leaves us her bedroom.  We have just started a Bible read with a young lady in Roca called Andrea.  Andrea’s partner Jose and his mother Nina have known the workers for a long time as Nina was brought up going to meetings.  She never really made a personal commitment though.  Andrea started searching for something more than religion, went to church after church until finally Nina told her to have a talk to the “señoritas” (which is what they refer to us as!).  Now Nina is also making the most of her opportunity to listen and the two women are always there.  

Adriana was outside of fellowship for many years, and now she is back, her enthusiasm and whole-hearted zeal is contagious!  She lost out because she married a man who she thought was the man of her dreams…but he didn’t love God, and within a month of marrying him, she realised her big mistake.  He was brutal and nasty, told her that the day the last child left home, that she was to leave as well….and he kept his promise.  She walked out of their home with nothing.  But it doesn’t hinder her happiness, she has two little rooms and a bathroom, but a very big heart!  She says "I left a big house and many possessions behind...but it doesn't compare with the peace I have now!".  She travels to Sunday am mtg an hour, leaves home to get 8.30am bus, each Wednesday makes same trip to the mid-week Bible study.  

Adriana also makes these bread things, bit like donuts, sprinkled with icing sugar.  Very moreish while they're fresh!!

This is where we wait for the bus that takes us on another hour to Villa Regina.

Very typical scenery from this area.  Look at all the pears lying rotting on the ground!!  

This is a very dear old couple Hernan and Laura Fica.  He’s 83 and she’s 80, but you could easily mistake them for being 10 years younger.  A real dear old couple, just quiet country folk, but their quiet spirit speaks volumes! Laura can’t read, but it doesn’t take the life away from her testimony in the meeting!  Hernan sits and reads the Bible to her.  Hernan’s parents met the workers in Chile when he was 15.  They both accepted the gospel, but it took Hernan till he was 30 to be willing for it.  By that time he had met Laura, so they both came to meetings and made their choice to serve God.  They've had many sad experiences in life, both their children died in tragic accidents, neither of them interested in the things of God.  Sunday am mtg in Regina is in their home.

Going home after gospel meeting

Patricio and Cristina Bravo and three of their five kids - Karen, Gladys and Noemi.  

This couple used to be in fellowship years ago, but lost out for some reason.  These two girls, Karen and Noemi, right from little would go along to the meetings with their grandparents, even though noone else from their house went!  The mum and dad have been coming to gospel meetings lately, so hope one day they receive life.  They are very generous, big-hearted people, would do anything for us...but that's not salvation either!

This is the entrance to the town of Villa Regina.

Same place with volcanic ash again the other day, a blustery norwester brought it all back :-(

This is Julio Ortiz and his little hut.  It's just one room that he's divided into a kitchen/dining with a big cupboard, and on authorised is his bed...and tools!He's 38 now.  He grew up going to the meetings with his mum, but soon lost interest and went his own way in life.  That way led him to drink, fights and all kinds of terrible strife.  His cousins tell of the time he was stabbed 24 times, all because of a drunken party that led to a fight - Julio always used his fists, but this time his assailant had a knife!  One night after such a drunken fiesta, Julio got on his motorbike to go home.  They had hidden his helmet and keys so that he wouldn’t drive, he was so drunk.  But that didn’t deter him, somehow he got the keys and off he went helmetless into the night.  He had a terrible accident, crashed into a barrier on the highway…they took him to hospital not thinking he would survive the night.  Terrible injuries to his head and face, had a tracheotomy... After a month in coma he came to!  Amazingly, he lived to tell the tale.  Of course, he has been quite affected by the head trauma, but noone thought he would survive.  The best thing of the whole story is that he began to think of his soul…and realised he was being given a second chance.  He’s taken that opportunity, and it’s SO inspiring to see his love, zeal and thankfulness to God for giving him his life back.  His partner left him a long time ago, not surprisingly, due to his previous lifestyle.  So he’s on his own, but goes to visit his daughters who live a long way away now.  He must have been well known for his punching prowess, because he told us how recently a young man taunted him to have a punch up but Julio said no, I’m afraid to fight now. Another man said to him “What? You afraid??”, “Yes” he replied, “I’m afraid” and walked away.  He said to us I’m regarded a coward now, but I don’t care!  Sadly, his mother went off the rails a few years ago, so at the moment he's the only one in his immediate family.  

Inside the bus that we always travel on.

After the meeting at the home of Gladys and Mario Montoya, and their daughter Katherine.  Their other daughter Jacqueline started in the work two years ago.  Mario was a heavy drinker, but gave up a little while ago.  He doesn't miss a meeting, and recently bought a little car with the main purpose of taking the family to the meetings, and lending it to the workers!  He doesn't have his licence yet, and is teaching himself to drive!!  Hope one day he has a need woken in him.

In the home of Willy and Yasna Lück.  Yasna in black t-shirt, her daughter Jasmine in the grey-patterned t-shirt.  Visiting are Maria Barra (orange) and her daughter Olguita.  This home is in the town of Fernandez Oro (about 10 mins from Cipolletti).  Sunday am mtg here.  We spend a lot of time here.

Ruby Barra and her son Alberto making out he's baking bread!  The Chilean women are fantastic bread bakers (no bread-makers around here! Pure muscle...).  It's sooo good too.  The old man pruning the grape vine is Edmundo Rios, who was in the work.  He's now 88, and lives with a family here.  Goes around doing people's gardens as a pastime.  I took that shot of the two kids kneeling beside my bed with their Bible.  One came in, then the other, as I was getting ready for the meeting one day.  I said they could only stay if they were quiet.  So out came the Bible, and the silence lasted about two minutes, but it was pretty cute.  

Alberto helping his dad Carlos dig the septic tank hole.

Playing hopscotch with Alberto and Caryn

Natalie Gonzalez and her fiancé Nicolas.  Soon getting married, we hope she'll come back to the meetings some day.