July 17, 2007
Buenos Aires

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from wintry Buenos Aires! On July 9, Argentine Independence Day, it snowed in the Buenos Aires area for the first time since 1918. For eight or nine days, the temperature hovered at the freezing point. Many of my friends and neighbors had never seen snow before and were excited. Others waited through several very uncomfortable days—we are in the midst of an energy crisis.

In Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, the government has been rationing energy. There is a shortage of natural gas, diesel fuel, and electricity. We have been having periodic blackouts for four or five hours at a time in alternating neighborhoods. Businesses have had their heating stopped at night and over the weekend, and limited during the day. The transportation industry has slowed down, so shelves in the supermarkets have been missing some common items, especially dairy products.

We have managed to find enough milk for our 3-year-old daughter, but we have had to hunt through various grocery stores to get it. Several times we could not fill the tank of our car, which runs on combustible natural gas. Fortunately, however, here at home we did not experience any energy blackouts during the coldest days.

The institute where I teach and study had its heating supply cut off for the long weekend. Since there were no classes or office hours, that does not seem to be such a big deal, except that all of the international students are housed in the main building. They spent a very cold weekend preparing end-of-the semester term papers and studying for exams.

Rachel is a doctoral student in systematic theology from England. She is used to the cold, but she is also used to heated buildings in the winter. She not only had to work on her term papers in freezing cold temperatures, but about a month ago the pipes in her bathroom burst, and her bedroom is constantly flooded with sewage water.

Some pipes in the library also broke. The institute does not have enough money to make several major repairs at the same time, and last month, the library had priority over the doctoral student. Rachel was beyond exasperation and indignation with the treatment she was receiving. After listening to her, I told her that it would have been easier for her to study Latin American theologies in England. But studying and living in Latin America would give her greater insights into the daily struggles of so many Latin Americans, which are the very experiences that inspire Latin American theologians to put political and economic justice at the heart of their biblical interpretation. In Latin America, more women suffer the effects of poverty than men. This is a reason why questions of gender justice are more important in Latin American theological reflection, and this is also Rachel’s predominant academic concern. After our conversation, Rachel seemed more tolerant of her uncomfortable living situation.

If you were to ask what the two greatest budget items are at your church, the answer would likely be salaries and building maintenance. What a gift it would be to have one full time staff person free of charge! That would liberate money for mission and ministry. In the case of some congregations, it could make a difference in the very existence of a congregation.

This is one of the gifts that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has made to the University Institute—ISEDET—where I am teaching. It is a way in which many of you are able to share the Reign of God and God’s justice with millions of church members in Latin America.

My family and I are now preparing for a six-month interpretation assignment in the States. We will be staying in Florida, near where my parents have relocated. I have been able to make several email connections with churches in the Peace River Presbytery, where we will be staying. Several people in the churches and in the presbytery office have been working hard to help us find rent-free housing during our stay. It is a joy to know that people who do not know me personally are nevertheless dedicated to supporting the mission work of the PC(USA) and willing to bend over backwards to support our efforts.

We do have a few side trips planned as well, to the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery, which has always been my home, for the October “Mission Challenge ‘07” event, and to the New Life Presbyterian Church in Fruitland Park, Florida, a church that has been supporting me for eight years without ever having met me! At this time, our schedule is:

• August 9 – Arrive in Englewood, Florida (just south of Sarasota)
• August 13-21 – Mission Sharing Conference in Louisville, Kentucky
• September 15-16 (or 14-17) – New Life Presbyterian Church, Fruitland Park
• October 2-4 – Mission Celebration conference in Louisville
• October 5-12 – Mission Challenge ’07 in the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery
• January 26 – Return to Argentina

The rest of our time will be available for speaking in and meeting the churches of the Peace River Presbytery.

Peace be with you, and may God bless you.

Yours in Christ’s service,

Katie Griffin and family

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 39