This is one of our ‘mothers’. Betty Martinez with Laura in San Martin square. Betty is Paraguayan, and has a sister in the work, Julia. She married a drunkard, and has struggled along on her own for 35 years, with few visits from the workers, years of hard work trying to support four children as her husband drank away the earnings, or was robbed of his month’s wages as he returned home in the small hours in a drunken stupor. She admitted to us this year that sometimes she wondered if it was all worthwhile…she took the children along to the meetings for as long as they were willing to go, but at about 12 or 13 rebelled and didn’t want to go anymore. Two years ago two of her sons, who are now 29 and 33 years old respectively, both married with children of their own, started to feel their need for God. They felt that although they have everything they could want in life, they had a lack. One of them spoke of remembering the peace he always felt in the meetings as a child. They both started attending gospel meetings, and this year the younger one, Jeremias made his choice to serve God, even though his wife isn’t very much in favour, he is decided that this is what he wants to do. We have high hopes for the other son Emilio, and his wife Alejandra. Because we quit the bach this year, we’ve been staying one or two nights a week with Betty, who has a new lease of life, now that she has workers staying in her home – something she hasn’t had in the past – and one of her children professing, and another one very close! She lives in the south of the city in a suburb called Glew.
Looking toward the monument to the fallen soldiers of the Falklands War, which ironically is facing the tower in the background, which was a gift from England (a century before the war of course!!). The Argentinians all regard the Falklands as theirs, on all the maps they are marked with their Spanish name the Malvinas, with Argentina in brackets underneath! Margaret Thatcher is like a swearword.
This is right in the heart of Buenos Aires, it’s full of pretty, leafy parks and squares like this.
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Later that evening helping Betty prepare the meal. We have a study on Wednesday evenings here in her house, with JeremÃas, her son, and a blind lady who came in contact through door-knocking a couple of years ago. So every Wednesday night we stay here.
An interesting way of keeping the chicken warm…it’s an electric contraption that has a hot element up top. Never seen one before or since!!
This is Betty’s other son Emilio…look at the adoration on his face for his newborn daughter!! This photo was taken in March I think, the baby is now lots bigger. He and Alejandra have a son, Lucas, 7 years old. We have the study here every Thursday afternoon. Emilio is the concierge in an apartment block downtown, and they get a little apartment in the basement of the building to live. We’ve just finished reading the book of John with them,and about to start Luke.
Emilio, Alejandra with their children Lucas and Mia
A surprise cake we made for Betty’s birthday. Her son Jeremias is beside her.
These are some of Betty’s grandchildren who for a few months all lived with her when their mother Lorena (Betty’s daughter) suddenly moved in with five of her seven kids (Lorena is 34…). Poor Lorena has been rebellious since she was just young, and recently decided to quit her cocaine addiction. She moved home while she was recovering, and every Wednesday we had a mini kindergarten going. These poor little girls had never been to meetings, so we educated them, taught them hymns, got them drawing pictures…anything to keep them entertained all afternoon!! Florencia decided that she is not going to be a ‘woman’ when she grows up, she’s going to be a sister worker… Now the mother has uprooted again and gone back to the children’s father, so all is peace and quiet in the Gaulish village!
This is Martin Dasso (24) (in his old testament days, as Tim would say…eh-hem). Martin has a similar story to Betty’s sons, his mother faithful, and father not interested in the meetings. Although his father is a doctor, not a drunkard!). He was also dragged along to meetings as a kid, lost interest as a teenager, and all of a sudden this year, recieved a deep need to seek God. He made his choice at special meetings. It was very nice that his mother and grandmother were there beside him when he stood up (he’s not from Buenos Aires, comes from San Luis and is studying here in the city). In these photos we went to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.
Laura’s first experience at eating Chinese…she wasn’t too convinced (Argentinians are very UNadventurous when it comes to eating other foods!)
I on the other hand devoured mine with great gusto…not often you get Chinese food here.
