well, we know that we have a lot to catch you up on over the last couple of months but we also want you stay updated with the current day to day. here's what we've been up to this week and how you can be praying for the ministry....

The 2007 school year starts here the week of March 12 (or 19th for some)...and ends in November. So, we are about to begin our first full (school) year of ministry! The University in La Plata is free for any student, but as a freshman you have to take certain placement tests in order to be accepted to study for some of the majors. All of that is happening right now. The Humanities campus has the most number of students attending (and also the most English speakers).

We spent some time at the beginning of the week planning, praying and gathering materials to help reach out to these freshman - many who are new to the city! The rest of the week we set up a table at the entrance to the building to tell about our ministry, Vida Estudiantil (Campus Crusade's name in South America). We decided as a team that it is really important to get our name out there so that students recognize it and know who we are. Most of the people who set up tables or "promote" anything on campus are political groups who organize big parties and big protests. So...we wanted to distinguish ourselves and give students a much more life-fulfilling option :) Student clubs and organizations are not common here (unless it's a political group), so some people have a hard time understanding what we are.

Praise God that we were able to meet soo many students! Between the 9 of us, we were able to spread out around the campus and talk to students, do surveys about being a freshman at a new place, hand out information on Vida Estudiantil, gather contact information, start our list for English Club and give out the 4 Laws!! I was blown away by how many students approached us to ask questions!!

English Club is a free service we offer, as part of Vida Estudiantil, to help students who are learning, practice conversation. In the past it has proved to be a great way to build friendships and not just share the gospel but share what life is like following Christ. We already, this first week, have more students signed up for English Club than we had come the second half of last year!!!

Also, Praise God for bringing to us 2 Persons of Peace! We met 2 new friends, Gisela and Matt, who are both believers and who go to the same church we go to. ...and they were looking for us on campus! They just moved to La Plata and are trying to get into the program to study English. They heard about Vida Estudiantil somehow and were hoping to find us to get involved. It was a moment of joy and excitement for them and us!!!!!!! and they already have met some new classmates who are not believers and brought them to the table to tell them about Vida and English Club. We are so excited to see how God will use them in this city and on campus!

Please be praying over these next few weeks as we continue to meet new students and reach out to them with Christ's love. Sometimes these campuses seem like such dark places - pray that through the Holy Spirit many would see the light that Jesus is.
Pray also that the students who are believers and already involved in our ministry would step up to join us on campus, sharing with their own peers. We often feel out of place as foreigners and non-students...we want them to see the vision for their campus and to take ownership of this ministry. Pray that they too would be passionate for the lost and would take action, trusting in the Lord.

thank you for your partnership and prayers! we will continue to try to keep you posted

Living again in La Plata! We have had some amazing adventures and experiences, but we are glad to be back to our home in La Plata - to get to stay in the same bed for more than a few days at a time and to see our friends here.

Today is a day of rest and maybe some cleaning for us as we prepare to start work tomorrow for the new 2007 school year (here the school year starts in March and ends in November so it's all in the same calendar year). We have many updates and pictures to share, but we'll start with just a few. Hopefully we can figure out how to upload video also so that you can see firsthand what camp and project were like!

Campamento en el Sur - camp in the south:






we stayed at a Christian boarding school in this very small village, Villa Pehuenia, along the Argentine/Chile border. this camp was much smaller than the first, about 85 students here - more than half were from Chile!












this is Lake Alumine, across the street from the school we stayed at for camp. the water was so cold, but beautiful and super clean (this is Seth - he was one of the few brave ones to swim). Kathryn, from our team was baptized here that week!





Social Project - Mapuche communities










this was our team (2 teams combined) of 22 for the week of project. each team was placed in a different town to reach the Mapuche people. our team stayed in Villa Pehuenia, where we were for camp. the staff and students on this team are awesome - they are on fire for the Lord. we saw them moved by the Spirit in sharing the gospel







this is the bus that drives around the country showing the Jesus Film. it served as transportation for our team during project. this part was often an adventure in itself - most of the roads are unpaved, gravel, very very narrow and windy and often contained obstacles like unstable bridges. this day the bus helped carry one big Mapuche family to the home of another for Bible study and worship time.








this was one Mapuche family that we visited for follow up. One of the daughters, Pilar, accepted Christ last year - Amalia, from our team spent time helping her memorize scripture because she cannot read very well. she is growing in her relationship with the Lord. we spent time talking with them more and praying for them. we were also able to leave them with clothes and food donations.


Visiting with Jen's parents, Bob and Olga








this is the 4 of us at the Cathedral in La Plata. we had a great time with them - we are so thankful they were able to come visit! it was neat to be able to show them around the city - where we live, the grocery place, the sede, the girls and guys' apartments... they also got to meet some of our friends and the students and staff that we work with...it was such a blessing to share that first hand!













Bob and Olga were troopers and did a kayak trip with us in the south - it was so much fun and they did great! the scenery was beautiful!



ok, we'll be in touch with more details on each of these last 4 weeks. thank you for being a part of this chapter in our lives. we miss each of you!

A new year and a new post. Jen and I just returned home from a 10 day summer camp in Mar Del Plata for the students here in Argentina. It is the biggest camp of the year and a place where students from all over the country can meet and fellowship with one another. There were over 220 students who participated this year. The focus of the camp was a play on Mission Impossible and called, "Mission Possible." Meaning obviously that the task of missions is finishable. It was encouraging for us to see the excitement of the students and their dedication to reaching their campuses for Christ. There were many evangelistic outreach events during the 10 days and we were able to participate with Argentine students in sharing their faith on the beaches and in the city center.

We've attached some photos from our time there for ya'll to look through. We've got a week to rest and relax before heading down South to Patagonia for a similar camp with students who live too far south to participate in the camp in the North. It will be much smaller but followed by a two week long missionary project to the Mapuchee Indians of Southern Argentina and Chile.

to finish off our long friday post, here is another link for some other pictures :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=311&id=502138880

The Burrito Journey

I know that I'm backing up a little, but I forgot to tell a most glorious story. It all happened about two weeks ago when our team decided to trust the Lord and step out in faith towards finding a small and obscure burrito places in BAries. I had read about this company a few times, once in the states prior to moving south and once again in an english newspaper they have here in La Plata. The name of the Company is California Burrito Company or CBC. One thing I have been seriously missing while down here is the Free Birds burrito or Chipotle burrito. Both are incredible options! Well, due to the fact that we needed to travel to uruguay to renew our visas, and having to travel through BAries to achieve this, I knew it was a crucial moment to devour a much needed burrito. So I began to research this small restaurant started by three college grads from the US. They wanted to bring heavenly burritos into a country starving for something they know nothing about. It's much like the gospel! And we are deffiniately bringing that as well. But back to the story. We arrived in BAries by bus and hopped on the subway. FYI, we had never been on the subway thus far and that was an adventure! But we popped up in the right area and wondered around looking for our destination. It came up on us rather quick and we almost walked right past it. A narrow entrance to dinner and salvation lay before us! We entered and we ate. It was not the same as back home, but it rocked the house. We will make this journey again one day soon.

It's Friday and considered to be one of the days where we take care of the majority of our administrative stuff while here in Argentina. Along with that comes updating you folks on whats been happening here in the southern hemisphere. I must say, it's not a bad place to be living. There are certainly foods that we miss from the states, but they have been replaced by other foods here that ya'll may never get the chance to experience! I have found the primary staples that I need to survive though. Walmart is a 15 minute bus ride and stocks peanut butter most all of the time. The second and equally as important is cereal. They don't have near the variety, but that doesn't matter much to me. The hardest to get used to would be the milk. It comes in 1 liter bags intead of gallon cartons or jugs. And the milk is not processed the same either. It has a funny odor and flavor, but I'm getting used to it.

We had our coaches from Midsouth come in the week before this one to visit and gauge how we're doing. It was a great time to continue building team unity and focus on what our vision for this country and these people are. At the end of the week we took our coaches to BAries for the day on Saturday. We spent a few hours in the bario La Bacoca as well as a few hours in the bario Recoleta. Which happens to be my favorite. Recoleta is where the famous cemetery is and it just happens to be one of the coolest places I've been to here in Argentina.


This is a picture of myself, Jen and Brian with our two coaches Cam and Neale at an outdoor tango show in the bario La Boca.

La Boca is known for its wild colors and outdoor tango performances. They are also known for having some decent art for sale.

This is me and Jen posing for a picture in La Boca. It's amazing what a little makeup can do!

This was an outdoor drum line performance. Pretty sweet groove they were rockin.

sorry that it's been awhile since we've posted anything up here. we really want to be better about little updates so you all know more of what goes on day to day! ...and so that you'll keep checking back and won't get bored with the same thing over and over.
...here's a bit of potpouri to catch you up...


this was in Cordoba at the student leaders' retreat. these 2 girls are from Tucuman, in the North - they are both leaders in the Campus Crusade movement at their university. they were very sweet and patient with me as we tried to get to know eachother, speaking spanish. they asked really great questions about marriage and God's calling in our lives. i was encouraged to hear their stories and their vision for Argentina.






this was the night we celebrated my (Jen's) birthday. Kyle and Fabbie made me a delicious banana cake with icing! natalie made a strawberry cake and chocolate chip cookies (with chocolate from the states!) too...they were so good!! we had friends over and just hung out on the balcony and inside - it was a fun time. they were so sweet to bake for me :)







this is where we currently have our Vida Estudiantil (Campus Crusade) meetings - it's the church at the Salvation Army. we meet here Tuesday nights to pray and Thursday nights for our weekly meetings (set up similar to young life club, geared towards outreach).

please be praying for this as we are seeking to rent a more personal space that better suits the needs of the ministry (here they call this place a "sede"). today we looked at a possible building - it would need a lot of time and energy put in to clean and repair it, but it would be ours to use whenever we needed it. one of the problems with the space we use now is that we pay by the hour so we are limited in when and how often we can be there. this other location has room to grow into and great potential for meeting needs for outreach and also providing a place for students to gather at any time during the week. please pray for wisdom in making this decision and that we could negotiate a reasonable offer.



for those who are curious about whether Argentines really eat a lot of meat(beef) or not...yes, they do! this is a picture of the famous "asado". there's really no literal translation for it, but the closest is barbeque - only you can't think of BBQ the way we eat it in the states. it's just different here. their grill is called a "parilla" - this is Meeker (one of the guys on the old team) tending to the meat. at this asado we had "choripan" (sausage in bread, as a sandwich) instead of beef because it is easier and cheaper when cooking for large groups. we had about 60 students that day to play soccer, eat asado and meet other students. the purpose was to challenge them to become more involved in Vida Estudiantil

ok, we're signing off for now but we'll be back soon with more from the front lines...and stay tuned for our next prayer letter in the next few days.
we miss you friends and family!

Praise God that we have been meeting many new friends through our English Club. We are now holding 4 clubs a week and God has been faithful in bringing people back and new students to each one! We have a lot of students to follow up with now - it's such a blessing and we're very encouraged and excited to see what God's done already and what He's going to do.

Please be praying for: Maia, Celeste, Marcela, Rocio, Lucy, Flor, Maira (girls)
and Angelo, Guillermo, Lio, Damien (guys)

please pray that their hearts would be softened to the gospel and that they would see their need for Jesus - that they would delight in surrendering their lives to Him

thank you for your prayers - we truly appreciate them and know that there is much power in prayer

for those who love pictures and have asked to see more, we've posted them in another place that doesn't take near as long to download. here are the links below if you'd like to visit...if you roll the mouse over the picture or click on it, you can see the little description


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154&id=502138880&l=9aef1

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153&id=502138880&l=7462d


miss you!
our love,
jen and kyle

for those who love pictures and have asked to see more, we've posted them in another place that doesn't take near as long to download. here are the links below if you'd like to visit...if you roll the mouse over the picture or click on it, you can see the little description


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154&id=502138880&l=9aef1

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153&id=502138880&l=7462d


miss you!
our love,
jen and kyle

...more fun pictures...

Melissa, Jess, Flor, Jen, Jenna at Flor's birthday party.
We went to her parent's really cool house just outside of La Plata.
Meli and Flor are students involved in our ministry - Jess
and Jenna are going to be on our team next year


the 6 of us in Buenos Aires with Kathryn's grandma...
she's so cute! she cooked empanadas for us!


Kathryn in BA - Puerto Madero...a renovated area
by the water with nice restaurants (like a boardwalk)


dinner out in BA with our Castellano teacher, her son,
and daughter...at...TGIFriday's of all places!

...more to come...
chau

pictures, pictures, pictures!! here are some pictures we've taken of our time in Argentina - we're excited to share them all with you!

...these shots come from a trip we took on a small river outside of La Plata. the boat was owned by friends of our Castellano teacher

our team on the boat - it was so cold with the wind!
...you can see the Argentine flag too

this is one of the many fruit groves along the river.
people live in small river flats and grow the fruit

Check out the La Plata Yacht Club. Membership is
open! Any takers?

This is a sunken vessel that has been affectionately
named, The Gringo.

Kyle, Jen and Kat on the boat

This is the port in Barriso that receives all shipments
coming up the rio de la plata and into town.

Today marked our three week anniversary here in La Plata. The time has already been flying past us at the speed of light! I've been adding text to this blog entry a little bit here and there as I've had time. Jen has made some significant contributions as well. But we are still without a place to live. So internet and free time have been a little touch and go.

Having been here a few weeks, we're finally starting to get our bearings. The city is not quite as cosmopolitan as I had expected, to be honest with you. It's a little dirty and like all big cities, lacks open spaces to enjoy the outdoors. But there are some nice parks and open spaces that exist just outside of town and are easily accessible by bike or bus. I'll have to make a trip out there to keep from drowning in city life!

Our priority at this time is learning Castellano (that's the type of Spanish they speak here). Being able to speak the language is crucial in ministry here. There are students here who speak English, but the vast majority do not. This past monday we stared our intense language institute. All 6 of us take a bus about 20 minutes outside of La Plata to a town called Barriso. Although each morning this week was an adventure as the buses run in all directions without apparent rhyme or reason. Some rides take about 20 minutes while others are more like 45 minutes! We just say a quick prayer and jump on the Micro. We are in class from 9am - 1pm with a break halfway inbetween to eat some really great Argentine snacks! We hope to gain a foundation and build on that over the next several months. The woman who owns the institute is a Christian and she goes to the same church that we do! It is truly a blessing! She is so excited to help us learn the language and in that way to take part in our ministry, she has been really encouraging and helpful already. She is giving us a great deal for classes, spoiling us with snacks and candy, and has a pastor come in to teach us spiritual vocabulary and how to share the gospel in Castellano. Praise God for all of that!

As far as ministry goes, we have been able to attend English clubs that attract a handful of Argentines with fluency in English. That has been a lot of fun and helped us meet some great Argentines. We've also been tagging along with the current STINT team to meet with contacts and visit the various campuses or (facultades). The thought of taking over for this team is a bit overwhelming. They have been so helpful in training us in the culture and sharing wisdom with us from what they've learned.

Ok, so now about the food ahh, the food! The food here is amazing! So far I think I've enjoyed everything I've eaten!! Most of the food here is not too foreign from what we're used to. Some of our favorites are:
Liquados (similar to smoothies)
Helado (ice cream, homemade and SO good)
Panqueques (similar to crepes with just about anything you want in it)
Empanadas (similar to croissants, fried and filled with ham/cheese, beef, etc.)

At the moment, we would love for you all to continue praying for our living situation. Kyle & I have moved out of the hotel because it's too expensive for us to pay each day. This past week we've been split between the guys flat and the girls. There could be light on the hortunedhough! Stay tunned...

So here we sit. Now, officially living in La Plata! We just returned from a short retreat weekend located at a place right outside of Buenos Aires. It stood in stark contrast to the concrete, crowded and mostly dirty city on the horizon. The retreat center hid behind high walls of bushes and trees and provided a good place to fellowship with our new team and learn a bit more about the direction of our ministry this year. We were able to rest our spirits and feed our lives with the word of God. We're going to need a whole lot of Jesus to survive this year in a foreign place!

We currently do not have a place to live permanently. A few of the locals are working on that right now but it may be at least a week or so before Jen and I have a home. So keep us in your prayers. Pray the the Lord would have a place picked out for us and we would have the patience to wait on his timing.

One Week From Today

In one week, Jennifer and I will board the plane along with our fellow teammates to make the flight South for Argentina. We are incredibly excited and yet have a week filled with last minute preparations and packing to go. I spoke with the in-country team leader for the group we plan to replace and have ironed out a few details regarding the first few days after our arrival. One thing we will need to get used to is the practice of last minute decision making! A country of procrastinators, I should fit right in!

Above is a picture of our team from briefing in Copper Mountain, Colorado. We are missing two girls who are currently in-country and awaiting our arrival. We'll have to update the team photo once we land.

Our briefing time in Colorado was a great week to spend connecting with each other as a team as well as connecting with the Lord. We walked through some basic cultural norms for our respective countries and studied God's plan in reaching out to his lost. We know that the Lord can do big things in and through our team of humble servants. Pray along with us for boldness in sharing the gospel and a life filled with the Spirit.

Below is the last photo taken of both Red Team and Blue Team Fraziers.

Well, in order to launch our new blog we had to post an entry. So here we go! Jen and I will be bouncing around the country over the next few weeks saying goodbyes and training before we depart for Argentina on September 7th. We have moved out of our condo in Austin and will spend the remaining time living from our suit cases. Not fun, but certainly making us long for a stable home no matter where it is!

Over the next couple of weeks we will continue to raise the remaining support needed to go and tie up the loose ends we have hanging around here in Texas.

For some in depth information and back ground on the country of Argentina, check out the CIA factbook at https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ar.html.