November 9, 2005
Buenos Aires

But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13b-14

After reading this passage in our devotional this morning we started to think how we could share with you the way we have been experiencing this “straining toward” (in Spanish the translation would be “stretching forward, reaching out”) to press towards the goal set by God. Here are three examples that we want to share with you.

“Straining toward” embracing another culture and uniting as the body of Christ

This is what we experienced when a group of nine people from two different Presbyterian churches from the United States came together for a short mission experience in Buenos Aires. What had the highest impact on us was seeing how church people here in Argentina were reaching out to them in love, sharing themselves, their time, their dreams, listening (even if it meant taking time for translation or simply counting on God’s intervention!), and strengthening the body of Christ. The two groups became one to minister to a marginalized group of young boys.

“Straining toward” a way of life for the many and not for a few

The majority of Argentines are frustrated and unhappy with the U.S. push for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). A meeting last week in the city of Mar del Plata (about six hours from Buenos Aires) was attended by 32 heads of state of the Americas. People in Argentina and other parts of the Americas want to see what the agreement is really about, since it is believed that the FTAA will mostly benefit those who already have a lot and will widen the gap between the rich and those who lack even the basics.

There was a “counter meeting” in that same city organized by human rights organizations and other popular organizations, including some churches, called the “Cumbre de los Pueblos” (the People’s Summit Meeting), which hoped to alert the presidents that the people of each country need to express themselves, be respected, and be well represented by their presidents.

We are reminded of a quote by Howard Snyder, mission professor at Asbury Theological Seminary:

What would happen if we created economies of care and economies of enough, rather than economies of exploitation, destruction, and growth at all cost? Today’s national economies “work” by spending huge sums on weapons of destruction. Redirecting a significant proportion of these resources toward canceling the debts of poor nations and reclaiming our own cities and environment would work just as well—better in fact—and would “reverse the spiral” leading to disaster, sparking instead international peace, stability and community. (Cited by Bob Goudzwaard, in Idols of our Time.)

“Straining toward” growing in relationship

We have started to work with the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina and are building and reaching out towards our new partners. One of the churches, La Iglesia del Buen Pastor (Church of the Good Shepard), is a congregation where initially middle-class members of a traditional congregation reached out to an area of their neighborhood where people lived in what are called “casas tomadas” (“taken” houses, or abandoned houses). These folks are now growing in the church, and some of have taken leadership roles while continuing to reach out to others in this complex neighborhood that we are discovering.

Please continue to keep the people of Argentina and especially the Christian community in your prayers as we all “strain toward what is ahead and planned by God.”

Your family in Christ,

Juan, Manuela, Laura and Camila Kauer

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.40