Praying for Politicians in Argentina

Praying for politicians

by Maria Elena Baseler on January 30, 2012

Miguel Angel Parisi takes seriously the biblical mandate to pray for authorities                           (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Parisi, an Argentine Baptist, works in logistics at the Argentine National Congress building in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In that role, he has contact with Argentina’s 72 senators and their staffs as well as the country’s vice president. Parisi also has access to senate offices and the senate chamber, where the senate’s official business is conducted.

When the senate isn’t in session, Parisi sometimes enters the empty senate chamber and sits down to pray at each senator’s desk. He prays specifically for that senator’s needs and his or her future decisions.

“The most important thing a Christian can do is pray,” says Parisi. “By being here in this building, we [who are Christians] can actually put our hands on the walls and pray [for what goes on inside] this building.”

Besides praying for politicians, Parisi participates in a weekly Bible study for senate employees, held in a lounge that opens into the senate chamber. The study is led by Luciano Bongarra, president of “Parlamento y Fe” (“Parliament and Faith”), an evangelical ministry to politicians in Latin America. Manuel Sosa, a soon-to-retire missionary with the International Mission Board, has helped Bongarra teach the study and minister to senators and their staffs.

This ministry “is very important because it makes an impact on the senators and other politicians who come by here all the time,” says Parisi. “We are ‘inside the kitchen’ of the whole political process here.”

For more stories check out http://americanpeoples.imb.org/.

24

Okay, so the last month has (and continues to be) kind of insane with travels and activities and birthdays. Consequently, I haven't blogged. I know, I know, you've really been agonizing over not having anything new from me to read! Haha okay, maybe not, but at least this time it wasn't from lack of effort that I haven't written, I just literally haven't had time to do anything extra. And since a lot has happened I now have a lot to catch up on. Fortunately for you, I'm still busy (on assignment in Venezuela right now) so I'll have to just hit the highlights. To quote Inigo Montoya, "Let me es'plain...no, there is too much. Let me sum up."

A few weeks ago we headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina for work. We tagged along with the main team from Santiago as we covered the work of a really sweet couple who are about to retire. It was a blessing to get to know them and see the work that they have been doing and the MANY lives touched. Their ministries are diverse and have impacted people in a variety of walks of life. It was so encouraging to see the way God has used them to reach so many for Christ in Argentina! They help a church plant for Brazilian medical students, teach cooking classes and saxophone lessons, work with revitalizing a local church that had been closed, lead Bible studies with Representatives and employees of the Argentine senate, and disciple and encourage many nationals who are reaching their friends, employees, and neighbors with the Gospel. And they pray. A lot. I loved hearing the stories of the way God is working in the lives of people in B.A. And I loved even more being there to capture part of that story in images! 

However, since I took about 4000 pics in the week we were there, I haven't really had a chance to go through them. But here are a few of my personal pics from Argentina: 

In the Evita room of the Senate. We covered a Bible study here and then were able to go inside the senate chamber!

Argentine Senate building

The obelisk on a bright SUNNY morning. 

Taking aim at this historic ship in the harbor. 

Argentina was country #24 for me. Buenos Aires supposedly wanted to be the Paris of South America. Having lived in Paris for a while I can confirm... that they indeed failed. There are some Parisian/Haussmanian influences in the architecture in places, and it's certainly a more aesthetically attractive city than many in South America, but it felt more like New York than Paris. You'd be surprised how many cities wanted to be the "Paris" of whichever part of the world where they are located, like Bucharest in Romania. All of the ones I have seen have failed. Perhaps they should stop trying to copy one of the most amazing cities on the planet and just try to be a really good original? But then, I'm biased to the original.

Anyway, B.A. has lots of tango and Che Guevara and beef, and their "White House" is pink. It's an interesting city, but not on my "must see" list. The people we interacted with were great, however. I was a little bitter because we kept hearing about how it rains a couple times a week and we didn't get a single rain shower while we were there! But I did discover that one of the missionaries has a love of rain equal to mine. He even has a "Songs about Rain" CD just like my iTunes playlist! He gave me a copy to listen to in rain-less Lima.

Alright, I have a few hundred photos to edit so I better make this all for now. More later!

*Please continue to pray for safety and smooth travels as we finish up a project here in Caracas and head back to Lima in a couple of days. Also pray for health! We've been running pretty hard for a while and we'll have plenty of work once we get back to Peru. Thank you for your faithfulness in interceding for me and the team!