September 2020
MiKeilah & Facundo Puentes
Three hours after arriving at the hospital, I was wheelchaired to the NICU to hold our daughter in my arms for the first time. Kenya Victoria Puentes was born on July 16th, 2020 at 9:40pm, 19 in. and almost exactly 7 lb!
Argentina’s national & state borders have been closed for the past 6 months, so traveling here for the birth has been impossible for family members who were planning on coming. Please pray for the Embassy here to open back up and give us an appointment in Buenos Aires for Kenya’s US passport! We’ll be unable to return to my home country as a family before then.
Please also keep praying for my mental health. I was showing improvement toward the second half of this pregnancy, but I’ve relapsed during this postpartum period. For that reason, we’re prayerfully considering where to move so that ultimately both of us can thrive on the mission field. But since we can’t go anywhere until the borders open, we’re praying for God to show us His will & purpose while we wait.
Facu gets an MA!
For the past few years, Facu has been praying about where & when to continue his postsecondary education. And this Fall semester he’s officially started Piedmont Divinity School’s Master of Arts in Ministry at Carolina University Online!
In March, all of our church’s ministries & services had to abruptly shut down. So now we’re on YouTube! Iglesia25DeMayo is the YouTube channel where you can find all our Sunday services in Spanish. We also still have our WhatsApp group chat open where people share their prayer requests with everyone else. And all of our youth group meetings became WhatsApp group video calls!
Argentina has taken very strict measures to combat this virus. At first you could only be out from 8am-12pm and only if you were going to a supermarket or pharmacy. As the months have passed, we’ve been allowed a little more freedom, but that fluctuates as more cases get confirmed. Outside the home, masks are required literally everywhere. And the police enforce these regulations by detaining people or confiscating their vehicles.
This global pandemic has been really emotionally straining on some of our kids. Thankfully, this year we have enough Youth Group Leaders to be able to mentor each teen individually. Facu has been working with Seby (seen in photo) since we arrived here 2+ years ago. And once church gatherings are no longer illegal here, Seby, Ale, & Zoe are planning on getting baptised! I was also able to do a few Bible studies with the girls during a time when less than 10 people were allowed to socially distance together here. We can see how looking at the topic of spiritual gifts in The Bible is slowly making these girls feel more confident with their roles in the body of Christ.
Unemployment rates dropped dramatically and suddenly in our small town, leaving many families scraping by or living off of their savings. The Argentine government has only helped with a few $150 checks, and just to certain households who qualify. So Ferchu suggested that we start a Soup Kitchen and deliver hot meals to people here who have been financially affected by COVID-19 regulations. At first we focused on families from church that we knew were struggling, but then they mentioned neighbors and others who were also in need. Now we buy the ingredients, cook, and bring food to 40+ households, and it’s all made possible by volunteers from our church!
Thank you for your partnership, both to those of you who are praying and those who are giving support. We are extremely grateful!
Donate by phone at 1-800-872-5404
Secure online donations made at:
www.cten.org/facundopuentes
Mail support to:
CTEN PO Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029-1307
The Puentes Family & Their Boring Lives 