Shores Argentina Trip

We had a great flight and we just landed at 6:45am in DFW.

We are back in the states safe and sound. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support for us during this trip.

Please ask us to share and we can’t wait to tell our stories about Argentina, the people, each other and what we have learned!

Ciao!

bunga and the shores team

Well we had a great last day at our camp! We cleaned and got ready for our long flight home, but then had to say goodbye to our friends. It was very sad to say goodbye. There has been a special bond with our Argentina staff. Some of them I have had the privilege and honor of working with them for 3 years. They are truly family.

We had to wait in line for a long time but we made it safely to the gate and are now on the plane!

We are delayed a bit, which is fairly normal for a flight that goes out later in the day. Below is our picture in the airport. We are hoping to be in Dallas around 7am now.

Flight 996. American Airlines.

We are so thankful for what God has done on our trip. We can’t wait to share our stories!!

Ciao!!

Well we are preparing for our last meal together and are so very thankful for the time we’ve shared.  We’re getting ready to close down camp and sadly say our goodbyes.  Tears will be shed.  This morning was great to spend some time with one another in the Word and build each other up with character qualities that were displayed throughout the week.  Once again, the flight we will be traveling back on is AA 996 and we will be arriving bright and early at 6:20 friday morning! This is our last blog from camp sadly. Thanks for all the support, encouragement, and prayers! We truly appreciate it.

Adios amigos!

We had a great day of tourism! We started out bright and early and headed to the city Tigre.  We stopped by a popular tourist spot called “La Bocca” that is filled with history and culture.  After our bus ride, we took the subway to catch a train to finally reach our destination.  Before we started our shopping at different booths, we all gathered together to enjoy our picnic lunches! It was really cool to see another area of Argentina other than the airport and camp site.  We saw their form of our White House and other historic monuments.  It was fun to spend a day in fellowship with our new friends from Argentina before we get all packed up for tomorrow.  Our flight tomorrow is still a go and we should fly out on AA flight number 996 and arrive in DFW at 6:20 a.m central time. Thanks for keeping up with us on the blog throughout our journey here and all the prayers. We’ll be home before you know it!

All together!

We had an incredible camp this past week! We just finished up talking with one another about camp sharing different stories that happened in the last six days.  Counselors shared about different situations where God was able to break down barriers between them and their campers and really get to know what was going on in their lives and hearts.  It was really encouraging to spend time reflecting with the Argentina staff. We were able to focus on how God works and know that it was, is, and will be Him who works to transform others’ lives.  It was a sweet time to just recognize the Lord’s power.  We then split up into the Argentina staff and Pine cove staff and shared about what God was teaching each one of us personally throughout this experience.  All of us have learned one thing or another while in Argentina and again it just reflects His power that He is capable of teaching every single one of us a different lesson from the same trip.  There are so many newly exposed truths and I’m sure we have only hit the tip of the iceberg.

It was harder than we were expecting to say goodbye to the campers who became our friends so easily.  But so uplifting to hear campers say that even if we never saw one another again, we would see each other in heaven.  So very encouraging.  Time truly does pass in the blink of an eye and we have been blessed to be emersed within a community that wants to take in each moment with one another.  Just being with each other is enough. Tonight we’re planning on soaking in the time that we have with one another with a traditional barbeque and are looking forward to our day of tourism tomorrow!  Below are our cabin photos and our big group photo!

Juan was a camper in our camp this week.  Here is his incredible testimony!

En Español:

“Hola mis queridos amigos, mi nombre es Juan y quería contarles un pedacito de mi vida, y lo importante que es Dios para mi.

Tuve una infancia muy muy marcada y ahora puedo ver y distinguir la mano de Dios con su tierno cuidado. Cuando naci mis padres no me esperaban, era un hijo no deseado, esto fue un detonante para que mis padres tuvieran discusiones. Mi madre era la que me daba su amor y cuidado, en cuanto a mi padre era solamente rechazo que demostraba una indiferencia tan grande, al punto que hacia diferencia en el trato hacia mis hermanos y hacia mi. En vez de recibir cariño y afecto lo único que conocía era odio y resentimiento. las agresiones siempre estaban presentes y no solo verbales sino también físicas, los golpes eran constantes desde que me despertaba hasta que me iba a dormir. Hasta que por una discusión muy grande mis padres se separaron y mi madre y mis hermanos nos quedamos sin hogar. Un árbol, un ropero y un plástico grande fue lo único que teníamos para pasar la noche, lo único que nos protegía. El vivir de esa manera no me permitio estudiar, ni aorender a escribir y leer. Una de las cosas mas feas que recuero es cuando se me inflamo el apendice y al no tener los medios para llegar rapido al hsopital casi me muero.

Paso el tiempo y encontre la manera de descargar todo mi odio y resentimiento a traves del boxeo; pero esto aumento en mi el ser una persona mucho mas orgullosa y que al saber golpear y defenderme nadie me iba a tratar mal nunca mas; lo cierto es que seguia sintiendo que no era suficiente, tenia un vació en mi alma que no podía llenar con nada.

Un día fui a una iglesia  en busca de algo que me llene ese vació, y descubrí que el Señor Jesús cambiaría mi vida. Se que todo lo que viví llevo a que conociera a Dios. Me entregue de lleno a el  y desde ese momento so otra persona, soy una nueva criatura. El año pasado termine la escuela primaria  con su ayuda, ahora puedo expresarme mejor y soy capaz de poder servirlo con mis dones en la iglesia, contando y alentando a los demás que en Cristo se puede. En este campamento entendí lo importante que sigo siendo para Dios y descubrí  el potencial que tengo en Jesús para poder glorificar su Nombre y también bendecir a otros. “

Juan, 28 años

In English:

“Hello my dear friends, my name is John and I wanted to tell you a bit of my life, and how important is God to me.

In childhood it was very very hard and now I can see and distinguish the hand of God with his tender care. When I was born my parents were not expecting me, and I was an unwanted child. This was a trigger for my parents to have discussions. My mother was giving me her love and care but my father was only showing an indifference to me and rejection so great to the point that there was difference in treatment towards my brothers and me. Instead of receiving love and affection all I knew was hate and resentment. Assaults were always present and not only verbal but also physical beatings were constant from the time I woke up each day until I was would go to sleep.  One day there was a very big discussion and my parents separated and my mother and my brothers and I were homeless.  A tree, a wardrobe and a large plastic was all we had to spend the night, and the only thing protecting us. The way we had to live did not allow me to study, or to write and read.  One of the ugliest things was when I had an inflamed appendix and not having the means to get to a hospital quickly and I almost died.

Time passed and I found the way to download all my hate and resentment through boxing, but this increase in my being a much more proud person, but I had a void in my soul that I could not fill with anything.

One day I went to a church in search of something to fill that void, and discovered that the Lord Jesus could change my life. It is everything that I’ve lived to know God. I gave myself completely to him and from that moment on I was another person. I am a new creature. Last year I finished primary school with His help, I can express myself better and am able to serve with my gifts in the church, telling and encouraging others to be in Christ. At this camp I understood how important it is that I remain for God and remembered the potential I have in Jesus in order to glorify His name and bless others. ”

Juan, 28 years old

What an incredible story of God´s incredible Grace and mercy!  It is a reminder that it is always God`s works and not our own!

Hello friends and family!

Camp has been a blast and it’s hard to believe the campers leave tomorrow.  Time flies.  It is so cool to be in their culture and experience their wonderful community.  They go through life taking in the moments that many people within our society miss due to our “busy agenda”.  This trip to Argentina has given us a new perspective on life and opened our eyes.  We have all thoroughly enjoyed being in a country that truly embraces their culture.

Tonight at dinner, we represented many different nationalities! Before our meal, all the leaders came out and performed a skit for the campers acting like people from each country.  It was hilarious to say the least.  Following our dinner, we all came together to learn some new dances from around the world and worked up a sweat!

Some of the guys after they made their picture frames!

Jordan and his long lost padre!

En Español:

“Hola mis amigos y hermanos de Estados Unidos, les quiero contar que estoy en este campamento solo por obra de Dios, El es asombroso!!

Doy gracias a Dios por brindarme tantos cariños, abrazos, sonrisas, diversión y nuevos amigos inigualables. Mas alla de que no nos entendamos por nuestro idioma, reflejan en sus vidas el amor de Cristo.

Estoy muy agradecida por este tiempo, ya que lleno mi vida de algria!! Muchas bendiciones!!”

=)

Jimena, 18 años

En Ingles:

“Hello my friends and brothers of America! I want to tell you that I am in this camp only by God`s Grace, He is awesome!

I thank God for giving me so much love, hugs, smiles, fun and new friends with love. Beyond that we do not understand the Enlish language, but in their lives they reflect the love of Christ.

I am very grateful for this time because my life full happiness! Many blessings! “

=)

Jimena, 18 años

Here is our camp photo!

Argentina has been frustrating at times but yet so rewarding! Not knowing much Spanish has been very hard. At times, I have had the feeling of being not being needed or even I feel like I am in the way.

Through my desire to help and ‘be usefull’ God has really transformed my view of value. He has taught me that through the feeling of complete inadequacy, that my value is not dependent on my being useful or not. During the Bible study times, I cannot speak to the kids and most of  the time I have very little idea of what is being said. Nothing that I can do in that situation is going to help the campers better understand the gospel. In a situation where I feel I cannot do anything, God revealed that my faith cannot be about my ability.  It is kind of the complete opposite actually. Because my faith is all about my inability. So much my life I focus on what I can do for God or how I can be directly benifical in God`s work. For the first time in my life I have stepped back and watched Gods work unfold without feeling like I helped. This has caused me to reavaluate my faith for the better because God can use me when He wants and I do not always have to feel needed. It is not by my works that God measures our success as a Christian.

My goal centered mindset is useless for the Kingdom. Faith shifts from me contributing directly to me  relying ONLY on the love of God to be the witness through me.  This is true faith, reliance on God to work no matter what I think my level of affectivness is at share the gospel.

- Trey “Punch-Face” Cloud