"Lost" in Buenos Aires

How do you share Christ with an atheist?  This is the challenge we faced last weekend when our family went to a nearby "feria" (open-air weekend market).  After the lady commented on the number of children we had, she stated that she herself had nine kids.  We began to talk about how children are blessings from the Lord.  Immediately, her tone changed and she began to tell us how useless religion is, how prayer means nothing and how people who follow after "a god" are, well, foolish.  We began to ask her some questions and try to share about our faith in, and relationship with the Lord Jesus only to be interrupted, lectured, and laughed at.


Recoleta Cemetary - Buenos Aires (photo from Bing: 'travelingcanucks.com')

This isn't the first time this has happened since our arrival.  People simply seem to be...apathetic, un-interested in anything spiritual.  Well, except for the belief and faith in humanism, in self-actualization, in the environment, and in "causes" that worship mankind.  Does this sound familiar?

We still have a lot to learn about Argentina.   Is this a trend that has been in the making for many years?  Is this mainly characteristic of the larger urban settings?  The fact of the matter is we are here to help train and mobilize the local Argentine church to reach their people.  This task is like 'waking the spiritually dead.'  How will they do it?  What will it take?

Undoubtedly, this is a huge task!  However, we serve an awesome God.  In the coming weeks and months, as we meet and visit with local pastors and national believers, pray that we would have listening ears and learning hearts as we dialogue with them about the huge task before us.

As many of you know, we are coming from having been in a Muslim culture where every conversation was peppered with religious speech and where faith was at the center of their culture.  Somehow, since we've been here, it has reminded us of Europe where the general populous is totally indifferent to religion and faith.  We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how to more effectively share Christ with a post-modern, godless person.  Is your church planted among this kind of culture?  How is your church reaching the community?  Please share what God lays on your heart.