Evangelistic Rally Day 3 - "God is looking for a witness"
Today was the last day of the evangelistic rallies and the stadium was filled with people, far more than on previous days. For the staff and outreach team members, it was the culmination of months of planning and prayer. Pastor Carter preached a message directed to the nation of Argentina. He challenged the people of this nation to stand up and be a mouthpiece for Jesus Christ, adding that "God is looking for a witness." The message was also directed to the church, compelling the body of Christ to minister to the poor and the oppressed. It seemed as if hundreds responded to his call, especially the young people. Pastor Carter asked them to be a witness with their lives.

The Humble Shall be Exalted
Seated at the platform with Pastor Carter was a humble and gentle man who pastors the local church in the poorest barrio the teams visited in Rosario, the Toba barrio. He was wearing a brand new suit that pastor Carter has bought for him, as he had never owned a suit in his life. As we saw this humble man honored on the platform, we could not help but remember the scripture in Luke14:10-11:

... when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Festival de Niños
The morning was stunning. Sunny, warm and beautiful. It seemed as if God had ordered it expressly for the children's rally. One hour before it began, children began to stream into the stadium that is the site of the larger evangelistic rally. Times Square Church arranged for parents and their children who could not afford or did not have transportation to be bused in from several barrios. By the time the event started over 5,000 children and adults had come. The Children's Ministry of Times Square Church and outreach team members presented the Gospel through mimes and testimonies. A Children's Ministry worker gave a message on salvation, and large groups of children and adults responded to the altar call. At the end the children joined the praise and worship team in songs and everyone left filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

A Labor of Love
Before the Argentina evangelistic rallies, a Rosario Children's Drive was organized to to collect clothing, shoes, toiletries and school supplies for the poor children in the barrios of Rosario. The Times Square Church congregation responded with its usual exuberance and boxes and upon boxes of new items were received from target.com where a wish list had been set up, and directly in bins located throughout the church. Hundreds of shoes, stuffed animals, toys and piles, upon piles of clothing were packed into 73 large duffel bags for the teams to take down with them to Argentina. Once in Argentina, the items had to be sorted by type, size and category, a job that took many hours and much love. On the last Friday and Saturday, staff and team members went to the different barrios to distribute the items to the local churches who would give it to the neediest families in their community. This was indeed a labor of love and the love of Christ was powerfully conveyed in the willingness and desire to give that was so evident in our congregation back home. The children of Rosario thank God for all those who so joyfully gave as unto the Lord.

A Day of Rest
Today was a day of rest for the outreach teams who have been out every day since they came doing street and door-to-door evangelism in the barrios of Rosario. One team decided to go back to the 7th of September barrio where they had ministered earlier in the week because they loved the pastor and the local church they visited. The pastor had organized a feast for the team and they were able to fellowship with them before leaving Argentina.