Though our flight is scheduled for 8:30 AM, we were asked to be at our gate by 7 AM AND we had to take a 10 minute shuttle to the infield terminal. Arriving at the airport at 5:30 AM has paid off! We are so grateful for our families and Mr. A, who got up super early too, to send us off in prayer! 

We are at our gate now and ready to board. We are looking forward to (not really) the more than 14 hours of travel ahead of us. Thanks for covering us in your prayers. 

The team is very excited for our time of serving in Uruguay. Continue to check our blog for daily updates and to hear about all that God is doing. 

Half awake but texting while they still have their phones,

Team Uruguay

We have arrived safely in Uruguay! After meeting our Teach Beyond hosts, we will travel by cars and vans to the seminary residence where we will be able to stretch out and catch some Zs. 

The team is tired from the day of travelling but in good spirits. We pray for a restful night and are grateful that we will have all morning to sleep and get settled in. 

Other than a team orientation in the afternoon, we will a games night scheduled and will have time to prepare for our ministry opportunities on Sunday. 

Ready for a bed,
Team Uruguay

¡Buenas noches de Uruguay! 

Though this may have felt like one of the longest days of our lives, it has been such a good one! Yesterday, strengthened by the snacks and notes lovingly prepared by the whole school, we made it through our many hours of flying. Today, in the early hours of the morning, strengthened by airport Big Macs, we made it through two more hours on the road to arrive at TeachBeyond’s campus. As the sun began to rise around us, we settled into bed at 4:45 AM, more than ready for a good rest. 

We slept until lunch, when we had the chance to meet the TeachBeyond team and seminary students over pasta and cabbage. There is a mix of English, Spanish, and Portuguese in the air at all times as those living and working here are either locals or Brazilians. It certainly makes for fun conversation! The PCA students have been wonderful at stepping out of their comfort zones and getting to know our hosts. We played some fun icebreakers to learn each others’ names before enjoying a cultural overview of Uruguay and its best known traditions. Then, we got to try our hand at making and drinking mate, a traditional steeped tea, accompanied by a delicious spoonful of dulce de leche. The rest of our afternoon was spent practicing our drimes, choreographed dramas set to music, and rehearsing the worship songs for tomorrow. 

As Uruguayan dinner is traditionally eaten at 9:00 or 10:00 PM, in the late afternoon we were served a hearty snack of tuna and crackers with orange and chocolate cake to tide us over until then. 

In the evening, we had a lot of fun getting to know more about the TeachBeyond team and playing different card games. Nothing brings people together, no matter the native tongue, like Dutch Blitz and Spot It! After grabbing pictures of the sunset, we also enjoyed a spontaneous worship session, led by our students, before eating the Uruguayan version of shepherd’s pie,  carrots, and rice. Our day ended with team devotions and a quick debrief. 

We are excited for tomorrow as in the afternoon we will have the chance to host a local youth group in a time of games, worship, and testimonies, and then lead another church’s evening adult and children’s services. Some of us are feeling extra ambitious and will be headed out for a morning run as well! 

Please pray for good rest, and for continued intentionality and courage in our interactions with those we meet. Pray for the different groups of students that will be leading worship in Spanish, sharing their testimonies, presenting their drime, and leading Sunday school, that God will speak through them and that the different moving parts all come together well. Pray that we may build on the relationship base that was formed today so that we may be a blessing to our brothers and sisters serving here in Ecilda Paullier.

Glad to be here,
Team Uruguay

Boa noite de Uruguay!

Though the boys slept through their alarm and didn’t join the running crew, Mr. Chung, Mrs. Bennett, and several of the girls began the day with a run through the beautiful countryside. We are happy to report that we have had several cow sightings by now, and we are more inclined to believe that Uruguay is indeed home to more cows than people! We dedicated time to morning reflections before eating breakfast together with the TeachBeyond group. Following that, we began a time of communal devotions which will continue the rest of this week. We played a few songs in Spanish and one of the staff members shared insights into Colossians 4. After co-existing with them for a few days, we feel as though the TeachBeyond students and staff are an extension of our team as they have been so welcoming, engaged, and inviting to us all. We are learning from them, and we hope that we are being an encouragement to them and their ministry. 

Starting at 11:00, we hosted a local youth group for several hours. Some of our students led us in fun icebreakers before we all went outside to play soccer, volleyball, and football. Yes, it was about 30° and full sun, but it was also a lot of fun to bond and sweat together. We broke for a lunch of chorizo sausages and hamburgers, and enjoyed the fellowship that came with sharing a meal. Our students have been incredibly brave in stepping out of their comfort zones to connect with the locals, and they have found that a little intentionality mixed with a little bit of Spanish goes a long way. With bellies full, we moved to a time of worshipping and sharing some testimonies. You would be so proud to see the team in action, singing and speaking with open hearts and a desire to share how great God has been to them. We ended our time with the youth by engaging in a group discussion about the similarities and differences between Canada and Uruguay. We were shocked to learn that the students go to school from 7:00-1:00, and that university is free for everyone here, while they were very intrigued by the concept of -30°. Upon reflecting on this session later in the day, we realized that yes, there are differences, but at the core we really aren’t that different, especially when united in Christ. 

When the youth left, we spent a few hours preparing for the evening programming and organizing the VBS and ESL supplies. While we are doing many things here, we are growing more confident each day, and we are working well as a team as each member chips in without complaining or hesitation. Our late afternoon snack consisted of cake and tuna again, as well as sweet, sweet dulce de leche, which we are enjoying slathering on everything. Our day culminated in attending and helping to lead a local church service. Uruguay is a very irreligious country, and strong church communities are hard to come by. We were so blessed to be a part of an incredible ministry this evening. The church had prepared worship, and we were impacted by how vigorously and loudly the congregation sang. They were few, but they were mighty! Several of our students shared their testimonies with the church and one of our prepared Drimes was performed. Though there were some technical difficulties, the students stayed professional and focused, performing very well. Mr. Chung gave a sermon for the adults and teens, and part of the team led Sunday school for the children. We later learned that this was the first time that the children had a dedicated lesson just for them, and we were so glad to have shared the experience together. A real highlight of the day was when our team led worship after the teaching. PCA family and friends, we wish that you all could have joined us, too, and experienced God’s presence through this time of praise. It was impactful to participate in such earnest and pure worship, to have our microphoned voices drowned out by the passion of the people, and to sing together in different languages with one purpose. We ended the service by sharing a meal of finger foods before heading back to our base. In debrief, we reflected on the unity that we felt today and the connections that were made. We all have so many stories to tell and so many moments to remember. Finally, before heading to bed, our students joined the seminary students in an impromptu worship session outside under the stars.

Tomorrow we will be helping out in some gardening, painting, and decorating around the campus and in town, as well as inviting the youth group back for an evening together. Please pray for strength and flexibility as we get our hands dirty. Please pray that the final preparations for VBS and ESL go smoothly, and that the final result is not a reflection of our hard work, but rather of God’s perfect plan. Pray for the youth that we met today and for the connections that we would like to continue to build. Pray for continued unity, joy, and diligence in all that we say and do. 

Full of worship,
Team Uruguay

Our morning run group grew today to seven brave souls. Maybe we’ll all be runners by the time we get back to Canada! Breakfast was a traditional simple Uruguayan meal of bread, dulce de leche, jam, juice, and hot milk for making hot chocolate. Our morning devotions were led by Arthur, the vice president of TeachBeyond Latin America. He reminded us about the reality that in missions work, everything changes all of the time, yet God never changes. With that in mind, he raised the following questions and thoughts for us to reflect on: What does God want to do today? How can my presence be a part of His plan?

Next, we divided into four work groups to do various tasks. Group one went to a local elderly woman’s home to help prune her many trees, plants, and bushes, clean up the yard, and spend time with her. Though we were unpleasantly surprised by many, many, many snails and some strange, scary-looking critters, we learned her story and were glad to help her out both practically and emotionally. Group two did gardening at the TeachBeyond campus: pulling weeds in the greenhouse, planting seeds in planters, plowing the soil outside. It was a laborious task, especially in the heat, but it was made enjoyable by the companionship of good friends. Group three got their hands, arms, faces, and clothes dirty while painting inside a new building on the campus. They may not be ready to set up a summer painting service just yet, but it was a worthwhile experience, that also ended with finding and eating figs. Finally, group four was charged with preparing the decorations for the VBS program we will be leading starting tomorrow. They transformed the common area into a jungle, complete with animals of all shapes and sizes, towering trees, and welcoming signs. Our work projects were broken up by a well-earned lunch of rice, pork  in a rich sauce, and salad. We were all glad to come together again in the afternoon, especially since we had Uruguayan torta frita and dulce de leche ice cream waiting for us! 

Sugared up from the snack, we gathered our energy and focus to prepare the final elements for tomorrow. At 7:00, youth and parents from four surrounding churches joined us for a night of fun, games, and learning. We played soccer, volleyball, football, and frisbee for hours, meeting new faces and learning new names, all the while laughing, running, and bonding in the fresh air. As we gathered to worship, we realized that the group was bigger than we had ever anticipated – we were expecting maybe 15-20 people and there were easily 50 people in attendance. We were later told that TeachBeyond had never had such a large group, and never had they had all four churches together at once. It was truly God’s work. Some of our team presented another drime for the rapt audience before Mr. Chung shared a message of trusting God to lead us on a good path, whether he seems far away, or right beside us. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came in the form of a spontaneously joyful dance party with the seminary students after the youth had left. Unfortunately for us, these Brazilians and Uruguayans have serious dance moves! Fortunately for us, they are excellent teachers and encouragers! 

Tired but full of energy, we shared laughs and told stories of our day over a dinner of mac and cheese. In today’s debrief, we discussed what today would be if it were an ice cream flavour. We had a full ice cream shop day, with flavours such as chocolate chip (refreshing with little surprises), neapolitan (sun, paint, dirt), salted caramel truffle (oh so salty and sweaty but bursting with moments of joy), strawberry vanilla mushroom (delicious and comforting with some not-so-great bits), and superkid (incredibly sweet and long-lasting). 

Please pray that this is a superkid day – one whose sweetness lasts for a long time and spills over into other days and moments. Please pray for the English classes tomorrow with the seminary students, that the base we have built may be helpful for us to teach, encourage, and connect with them further. Pray for the VBS, for the team members who will lead it, the children who will participate, and the families to whom they belong. Please also pray for the health of our team, that the bug bites, sore legs, strained voices, and tired bodies would not hinder us from our mission here.  

Dreaming of ice cream,
Team Uruguay

Hi This morning began with devotions from Psalm 46, and a reminder to be still and know that He is God. We are busy scurrying from activity to activity, preparation to preparation, meal to meal, so it was a pertinent prompt. After taking time to be still, we got started on our day with breakfast. For this morning’s collective group devotional, the TeachBeyond team led worship, and Mr. Chung shared some reflections from Matthew 18 and 19, challenging us to have a heart like a child, sure of God’s love, totally dependent on Him, finding something new every morning, and letting go of hurts. Following that, we were privileged to hear about missions from Bruno, one of the missionaries here. He helped refocus our mindset to remember that missions does not begin with what we do, but with what God is already doing in Uruguay and around the world. He encouraged us to get involved in missions past this experience, be it praying, supporting, going, mobilizing, or a combination. We are excited to hear more from him tomorrow. 

Our formal English classes started today as half of the group spearheaded 90 minute conversation workshops for the seminary students. Split into lower and higher levels, we tried to teach them more about Canada – the famous icons, the food, the money, the places, the animals. We had a lot of fun racing to make correct Canadian dollar and cents amounts, playing guessing games, battling it out in mini air hockey, and role playing both customer and worker at Tim Hortons (where else?). Our students were patient and caring, going the extra mile to be compassionate, creative, and inclusive with the differing levels of ability. The seminary students were very happy to receive Tim Hortons coffee and Coffee Crisp chocolate bars at the end of the time.

We broke for a lunch of chicken milanesa, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw, after which we prepared the final details for VBS. Before the children arrived, we spent time praying over the room for the kids we would meet, that the time would be rewarding and engaging, and that the lessons learned would be impactful and lasting. When the children came, we had a blast playing animal guessing games with them before learning their names and playing red light, green light – jungle style! Our students led worship like seasoned experts and presented the story of Creation in a creative and interactive way. The VBS boys and girls competed enthusiastically in the bible verse hangman before designing a butterfly craft. We ended off eating worms in dirt, something which many had never seen before. We were exhausted by the time everyone left, but content at a job well done. 

Our daily afternoon snack of cake preceded some prep and relax time. The team gathered for debrief to go over the events of the day so far before heading out to a local park. There, we reunited with the youth group and met some new friends as well. Everyone was connected and intentional, trying their best to communicate in Spanish and enjoying a time of sports, dancing, and just being together. One of the drime groups presented again, this time without a hitch! Then, one of the students led the group in an object lesson and reflection of God’s love for us. We pray that the experience be a lasting impact in the lives of the youth, both those who there to learn more about Jesus, as well as those who were there just for the fun of it.

Upon returning to the campus, we dined on pizza and prepared our materials for tomorrow’s classes and VBS. To close off the day, our students made phone calls home. Witnessing them speak with their families and seeing the joy on their faces was such a blessing, as some paced to no end, some huddled away in a corner, and some casually gave updates about the veggie situation here in Uruguay. It was a precious time to connect, and even though we were plunged into darkness for a few minutes as the power went out right on cue, everyone enjoyed checking in and sharing their experience. 

Please continue to pray for the health of our team, as many are feeling tired and some are experiencing discomfort in their feet and legs. Pray for the English classes tomorrow as we share the 5-finger gospel, and for the VBS program as we move into the theme of corruption and sin. Pray that we would find moments to be still and moments to be as a child, and that we would seek to further the work that God began in Uruguay far before we ever arrived. 

Happy to connect, 
Team Uruguay