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The gifts of Argentina A living example of a mission-centered church
Sánchez described the growth that happened when, in 1996, this church embraced the missionary vision of planting one new congregation each year. In the 11 years since that time, the Argentine Mennonite Church in the Patagonia region has added 22 markers, indicating places of worship and evangelistic contacts, to the maps that hang prominently in the places they meet: church buildings, schools, homes, community halls and even bars. They already boast of the southernmost Mennonite church in the world and intend to go "to the ends of the earth" — literally. "We don't understand how God works.” – Edgardo Sánchez, president of the Argentine Evangelical Mennonite Church A woman who lives in the small village of Chacharramendi learned the Lord’s Prayer from her sister who attends the Mennonite church in Choele Choel. That woman began praying the Lord's Prayer with a neighbor every day from 3–6 p.m. Now, a group of 20 women meets together to pray. "The incredible part of this story is that the first woman wasn’t really married to the man with whom she was living. We would say that she was living in sin. We don't understand how God works," Sánchez said.
Call to mutual conversation "I think of walking with specific people, not a whole population." – Luis Acosta, an Argentine International Partnership Associate with the Mennonite team in the Chaco, speaking about mission growing out of long-term friendships
Understanding God more deeply "Women began saying, 'We need our own Bible circle.' For many of the women it was the first time that they ever shared their stories in public. They gained confidence and found courage to speak in church services too.” – Byrdalene Wyse Horst, Mission Network worker in the Chaco
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"In the next 10 years, we will go to the ends of this nation. We only have 1,500 kilometers to Ushuaia (a town at the Antarctic tip of Argentina)." – Edgardo Sánchez, president of the Argentine Evangelical Mennonite Church
"When I visited the United States, there were three congregations talking about joining together because their membership was dwindling. For me, this is incomprehensible. The big problem may be the benches that are nailed to the floor. I’ve never been in a finished place, always one that is just beginning. Being the church is about going and growing through sharing. Our small congregation doesn't dedicate a portion of our budget to mission. Our total budget is for mission. We concentrate on bringing new people in rather than wondering what kind of a building we will need in order to do mission." – Damián Reyes, a church planter in the mountainous area around Chos Malal
"Mennonite mission workers saw the need for their own spiritual conversion and started to relate to the Toba people as equals, recognizing the validity of Toba spirituality. They turned to Bible translation and visiting as a sacrament — ways of making God’s presence real, making God's love concrete, and strengthening the local churches and the church leaders through translated Scripture. We meet each other around the word of God as brothers and sisters, one-to-one. Gift sharing is delicate. We come to share of ourselves, not to bring anything." – Willis Horst, Mennonite Mission Network worker in the Chao. For more information on Willis and Byrdalene's work in Argentina, visit the 
"It may be easier to say what we are not than what we are. We are not bringers of money or the providers of relief, not pastors or missionaries. We have to be humble enough to work behind the scenes. We have to be willing to depend on others, to be guests in their homes. This means they have to trust us enough to bring us into their homes." – Ute Paul, an International Partnership Associate from Germany with the Mennonite team in the Chaco
"The indigenous people have great resources to share with us. Faith is the biggest resource of the indigenous people. No matter how great the need and how few the resources, indigenous people teach us to trust in God who responds. They also teach us about perseverance and joy in difficulties." – José Luis Oyanguren, an Argentine International Partnership Associate with the Mennonite team in the Chaco
In worship, Toba Christians engage in sustained praise (alabanza), with the result of joy (gozo) or shalom, a deep sense of well-being. That joy/shalom is rarely experienced in a two-hour service. The common reference to worship is 'work,' as in, 'Tonight we're going to engage in our work,' meaning that we're going to have a substantial worship service, and we will be involved in praise and that hopefully will lead us into the experience of gozo, not just for the moment but joy and contentment that is deeply sustaining to individual Christians as they go about their life after the worship service." – Keith Kingsley, Mission Network woker. For more information on Keith and Gretchen Kingsley's work in Argentina, visit the 
"Not only does the Lord's Supper represent our being in the body of Christ, but they often talk about communion being the place where healing happens. And so, sharing the cup that represents the Lord's blood is a way of taking the power of Jesus' blood into their lives to heal illnesses. If a person is sick, that's not the time to stay home from church, but you go to church to participate in the communion service and find healing." – Gretchen Kingsley, Mission Network worker on what she learned from Toba believers in trusting God to provide all that is needed 
