Argentina Missionary

God’s faithfulness anchors thirty years in Patagonia, where Christ keeps opening doors among people who are still surprisingly open to the gospel. The harvest is still plentiful and the workers are still few, so the call to go is not a niche assignment but the ordinary obedience of anyone Jesus has changed. Gratitude rises for a church that prays, gives, studies Scripture, and puts it into practice; that kind of faithfulness bears fruit, even four services worth of it, praise God.

The work asks for prayer in three clear lanes. Provision is needed to finish itineration and return to the field. A married-student housing build at the Patagonia Bible Institute stands ready for floors, plumbing, and walls so couples and families can be trained well. A successor couple is needed to carry the baton, because long faithfulness must become long continuity.

John writes, there came a man sent from God; his name was John. That pattern still holds. There comes a man or a woman sent from God; insert a name, not under guilt, but because Jesus has truly made a difference. The Great Commission runs on the Spirit’s power, not human push, so a believer goes the way Pentecost ordered it, clothed with power and simply telling the story Christ has written.

Luke 19 paints the picture in Zacchaeus. He is rich, despised, and short, a chief tax collector with a crowded wallet and an empty peace. Curiosity sends him up a sycamore; compassion stops Jesus beneath it. Jesus knows his name and invites himself home, and acceptance cracks the hard shell of isolation. Repentance blooms as restitution; half to the poor, fourfold to the defrauded. Unlike the rich young ruler of the previous chapter, Zacchaeus steps into freedom, and Jesus declares salvation has come to this house. That is how Jesus lifts the head of the shamed.

The fruit looks like graduates who are formed in intimacy, integrity, and Great Commission vision. It looks like Nico and Meli loading a truck and planting where there was no Assembly of God work. It looks like Rosillo carrying Light and Life after Johnny died at 33, naming a daughter Vida and refusing to let grief cancel calling. It looks like Jorge and Veronica rebuilding a school in Chad after bulldozers erased the first one. The pattern repeats. God calls. Someone says yes. It only takes one.

Key Takeaways

• 1. It only takes one yes Saying yes is not bravado, it is surrender that lets God write a story bigger than comfort and longer than a season. One obedient life becomes a door through which grace walks into a city, a school, a family. The math of the kingdom often starts with one seed and ends with a harvest. The question is whether a believer will move from stirred to sent. [45:05]
• 2. Jesus knows the name in the tree Zacchaeus hides in plain sight, but Jesus stops, looks up, and calls him personally. That moment dignifies a man others only despise, and it reframes evangelism as presence before persuasion. Love that lingers under a sycamore often does more than arguments shouted from the road. Naming is the first mercy; table fellowship is the second. [55:29]
• 3. Repentance bears restitution and repair Grace does not skip justice; it empowers it. When salvation lands, money loosens, wrongs are named, and repair is pursued, even fourfold. The heart that has been seen and forgiven becomes free enough to make costly things right. That is why transformed character is the clearest apologetic for a transformed soul. [57:06]
• 4. The Spirit empowers ordinary testimony Pentecost comes before mission, so witness is not performance, it is overflow. Most are not called to pulpits, but every disciple is called to open a mouth and tell what Jesus has done. The Spirit turns fear into courage and stories into invitations. That is how the Great Commission moves, house to house and heart to heart. [52:22]
• 5. Intentional steps open divine encounters Zacchaeus runs and climbs, and Jesus meets him at that tree; intention meets visitation. Faith often looks like moving feet before full understanding, small obediences that put a person in the path of grace. The same is true for prayer, giving, and going; trajectories change when someone actually takes the next step. [48:22]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:40] - Argentina missionaries return and update
• [37:16] - Thirty years of faithfulness
• [40:02] - Prayer cards and penguin memory hook
• [41:35] - Three focused prayer requests
• [44:39] - What will it take? Only one
• [45:49] - Sent ones in John 1:6
• [47:44] - Zacchaeus: rich, isolated, curious
• [55:29] - Jesus calls him by name
• [57:06] - Repentance shows up as restitution
• [59:23] - Training fruit across Argentina
• [62:35] - New church plants and perseverance
• [66:58] - Mission to Chad despite setbacks
• [70:41] - Stand in the gap and pray

1. What specific actions did Zacchaeus take to see Jesus, and how did Jesus respond to him?
2. In the sermon, what examples were given of people saying “yes” to God’s call despite challenges (e.g., Nico and Meli, Rosillo)? [01:02:35]
3. How did Zacchaeus demonstrate repentance after encountering Jesus, and how did it differ from the rich young ruler in Luke 18?
4. According to John 1:6, what does the phrase “sent from God” imply about the nature of calling?

1. Why do you think Jesus specifically called Zacchaeus by name, even though Zacchaeus thought he was hidden in the tree? How does this reflect God’s heart for individuals?
2. The sermon emphasized that “repentance bears restitution and repair.” Why is restitution a natural outcome of genuine repentance, and how does this challenge cultural ideas about forgiveness? [57:06]
3. John 1:6 describes John the Baptist as “sent from God.” How does this model for being “sent” apply to ordinary believers today, not just missionaries or pastors?
4. The story of Zacchaeus includes grumbling from the crowd. What does this reveal about societal expectations versus God’s priorities in reaching people?

1. Zacchaeus took intentional steps to encounter Jesus (climbing the tree). What is one practical step you could take this week to intentionally position yourself to hear from God or serve others? [48:22]
2. The sermon highlighted that “it only takes one yes” to impact a community. Is there a specific area (e.g., prayer, giving, sharing your story) where you feel God is inviting you to say “yes” right now? What holds you back?
3. Zacchaeus immediately made restitution for his wrongs. Is there a relationship, habit, or situation in your life where God might be calling you to pursue repair or reconciliation? How could you start?
4. The Holy Spirit empowers ordinary testimony. Who in your life needs to hear how Jesus has changed you? What simple story could you share with them this month? [52:22]
5. The sermon mentioned missionaries needing successors to continue long-term work. How can you intentionally invest in or encourage someone younger in their faith journey to carry forward God’s work? [43:36]
6. Rosillo continued leading her church after her husband’s death. When have you faced a setback that tempted you to abandon your calling? How did God sustain you—or how might He want to now? [01:05:49]