Thank you all keeping Mindy and me in your prayers. We arrived in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina on the last day of 2017. Immediately, we went to work.  The new hospitality house was finished as far as construction goes, but we were still without hot water and all those little details that help make an empty building into a welcoming guesthouse. The first week that we were here, the house was technically closed, and no Israeli backpackers were expected to arrive until January 8th. That meant we had one week to turn an empty domicile into a place of rest for Israeli travelers. By God's grace we did so and were able to complete needful orientation and training in Jewish evangelism.

On January 8th, Bariloche hospitality house officially opened for the 2018 season in its new home, and Israelis started arriving throughout the day. That week, others came, and the Gospel was clearly communicated to all. And praise God, five of our Israeli guests took Hebrew New Testaments.

One encounter Mindy and I had was especially memorable. Tal, fresh out of the IDF (i.e. Israeli Defense Forces), had been traveling from southern Patagonia and is planning to follow the Shavil Hummus (i.e. the Hummus Trail, the route Israelis typically travel in South America, there is also a South Asia Hummus Trail that includes Ladakh and Nepal) all the way up to Colombia before heading back to Israel. While in Bariloche, he wanted to hike up Cerro Campanario. Mindy and I had not been on a hike since arriving, and the weather has been incredible, so we took the opportunity to tag along with Tal. We all hiked up to the top of the viewpoint and enjoyed the cool breeze and awesome views. On our way down the mountain, I asked Tal if he was “religious." He said no and that he did not believe in God's existence . We simply responded with some questions: How can you deny that the God of Abraham exists when the people of Israel have survived all of these years? If God were not sheltering Israel under His wing, why is Israel still here? Where are the Amorites? Where are the Perizzites? Why, after all of these years, are the Israelites still alive and a thriving nation today? The answer is simple. There is a Creator God, and He has kept and will continue to keep His promise to Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2). Tal was very humble and listened to the things that Mindy and I had to say. We communicated that it was through Israel that all families throughout the earth would be blessed. This blessing came from Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. I explained that Yeshua had come to set us free from the bondage of manmade religion, and that through Him and only Him can our sins be forgiven. I challenged Tal to read the Brit Chadasha (i.e. Hebrew for "New Testament") and see for himself what has been recorded concerning Yeshua by Jewish eyewitnesses. "You will find," I affirmed, "that the New Testament from which you have been told to flee is actually a very Jewish book. All of its authors were Jewish. The first churches were Jewish. And, its very first page shows Yeshua to be a direct descendant of Abraham and King David. Moreover, you will not find any popes, rosy beads, Catholics, or antisemitism within its covers." When we arrived back at The Shelter,  Tal was gratefully received a Hebrew-English New Testament, and he told me that he would read it. Please pray this young man as he searches the Scriptures for himself, that he would come to know his Messiah, "a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:32).

This past Friday night, we hosted our first Shabbat for Israeli travelers.  The evening consisted of a large meal for all of our guests followed by a Bible study. After the teaching, Kara (one of the Shelter volunteers) and I sat down and had a conversation with Shai. He had a humble attitude, and a few questions about the Bible study. His questions were common questions asked by many: How can we trust the Bible if it was just written by men? AND If you put your faith in Yeshua, does that mean you can just keep sinning? We responded with simple and direct biblical answers to these inquiries. We talked about how the authors of the Bible were inspired by God to write the Scriptures, how all 66 books of the Bible agree with and interpret one another. I then introduced Shai to the Apostle Paul and explained what he, a former Pharisee and rabbi, had to say about followers of Messiah continuing (Romans 6). After our talk Shai was willing to take a Hebrew-English New Testament and read it for himself. Pray that he too can come to know his Messiah. 

My wife and I give God all the glory for how fruitful these first couple weeks down in Argentina have been. It is such a joy to be able to give a copy of the written Word to the Jewish guests that come to the hospitality house. And, it's an even greater joy knowing that they are hearing the Gospel. We are grateful for the prayers and support that we have received from everyone back home. Continue to pray, not only for Mindy and I, but also for the other three volunteers who are serving with us in this hospitality house.

All of this is such good training for what we will be doing later this year in South Asia. Pray that the Lord makes provision for our needs.

Eric Trent, Colporter