Once Strangers, Now Friends
03/23/2019 .When Susan arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2016 for a PEACE trip, she thought her goal was clear: teach the purpose driven children’s ministry model to local church leaders. A high school teacher for eight years, she was comfortable giving those types of presentations.
But when Susan’s trip leader asked her to deliver a bag of groceries to a local family, she froze. Delivering groceries is not a typical PEACE trip activity. But the family had recently had a baby, and their church wanted to do something to serve them after they came home from the hospital.
“I am not one of those people who is naturally outgoing,” Susan says. “That is not who I am.” She tried to think of excuses to avoid the situation. “I even offered to go tool shopping instead,” she recalls.
When she shared her apprehension about speaking with strangers, her trip leader tried to encourage her. “She encouraged me to step out in faith and go,” Susan says. However, Susan continued to feel reluctant. “I am an introvert by definition,” she explains. “There is some fear of not knowing how a new person I meet will perceive me and judge me.”
While speaking to any stranger was hard enough, Susan’s dread of the situation increased because of cultural expectations in Buenos Aires. “Culturally, they will expect a guest to come in, sit down, and stay to eat and drink,” Susan says. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to just drop off the groceries quickly and leave.”
Despite the anxiety that Susan had, her trip leader kept encouraging her. Susan also had her husband by her side to help translate. “Because he knew the language and was familiar with the culture of South America, it helped ease my fears to know he would be there,” Susan says. She knew that God was calling her to overcome this anxiety and help this local family.
Following God’s voice, Susan agreed to deliver the groceries to the family alongside her husband and another PEACE team member.
On the way to the family’s home, “God did a miracle,” Susan says. She recalled Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” “This verse centers me when I’m afraid,” she says. Then, all her doubts vanished. “God took the fear away.”
The Buenos Aires family welcomed Susan into their home and expressed gratitude for the groceries. During the visit, the group was able to communicate despite the language barrier. In this home far from Southern California and across the globe in Buenos Aires, “God connected us together,” Susan says. With smiles, laughter, and compassion, the two groups felt like family despite their differences. “Our visit was a powerful testimony of God’s love over the whole world,” Susan says.
God also links generations together. “Even though I don’t consider myself naturally good with babies, I felt myself drawn to the baby,” Susan says. “We played games with the grandma … How do you explain that I was suddenly able to relate to the baby, when I was never good with babies before? This bond could only have been made by God.”
At that time, the family was just casually attending Saddleback Buenos Aires. However, after meeting Susan and the Saddleback California team, the father knew that this was the church they belonged to.The family is now actively involved in the church, and the father is serving as a worship leader.
Susan’s visit and compassion were instrumental in leading the family to their Saddleback church home. In fact, the father was so moved by the grocery delivery and the compassion that he described the experience as a “visit from three angels.” Susan beams, saying, “I am honored that God used me.”
Susan and her team also had the opportunity to meet with other members of the Saddleback Buenos Aires campus. They learned the typical greeting: “In Argentina, they kiss on the cheek. This took some getting used to!” she says. The willing spirit of the church members also stood out. “I was blown away by their warm welcome and love of the church,” Susan recalls. She knows that this crosscultural bond proves God’s love for his people globally. “We are one church, many locations.”
Back home in California, Susan and her husband stayed in touch with the family through texting and Facebook, with the help of Google translate. “We have seen the baby growing up,” she said with pride.
In 2017, Susan was prepared for her next challenge on a second PEACE trip: attending an HIV/AIDS conference. “These conferences are nothing but talking to strangers,” she says. An extra challenge was that the conference attendees were primarily non-Christians. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this before,” she says.
Susan remembers with gratitude her trip leader who encouraged her to visit the family in Buenos Aires. “God used my trip leader to prepare me for this conference where I would be meeting new people all day long,” she says. “God is right here, giving me the courage to reach out and talk about Jesus. I am still not 100 percent comfortable in talking to strangers, but God is helping me do this better.”
In 2018, Susan and her husband returned to Buenos Aires on a third PEACE trip and had a joyful reunion with the local family. “They even gave us a ride to the airport,” she smiles. She also learned a new fact. “The day we brought the groceries home was the first day that the baby had been home from the hospital,” she says. “Knowing that we were there for them on that day brings overwhelming joy.”
Susan encourages others to step out in faith to obey God’s calling, even if there are emotions of uncertainty. “God wants the best for his children,” she says. She reflects on how she almost missed the opportunity to meet the family in Buenos Aires due to her apprehension about speaking to strangers. “That would have been the regret of my life,” she says.
However, there are no regrets when it comes to saying “yes” to God. Susan also has her eye on another PEACE trip, possibly to Rwanda or Costa Rica. Though the location and timing are still to be determined, Susan knows one thing for sure: “I’ll go wherever God leads.”
Learn more about PEACE and missions at saddleback.com/PEACE
