Argentina Update (What Happened?!)

Hola a todos!

This post is to update everyone on the very important trip that our team took to Argentina earlier this month. We apologize for the delay in letting everyone know how it went, but we needed the entire VT team to meet together and discuss what happened and what we needed to share with everyone.

I will start by thanking everyone for the prayers- one of the biggest things we heard from the team while they were gone was that everything went so smoothly that it could only be attributed to the many many prayers that they were covered in every day. You guys are so great!

Second, and probably one of the most common questions we are asked: We did not purchase property while we were in South America. We had prayed about and discussed a list of attributes that the property would need to have if we were to put down money on it immediately- and none of the properties we saw met all of those requirements. We did, however, find property that we are very interested in, and because it is a different approach than we had anticipated, we needed to meet with the elders of the church and our spiritual leaders about the decision. They have approved the decision to purchase, debt-free, a five-acre piece of property in exactly the area we had wanted to be. We are now praying about how to proceed- in moving money, in building the dormitories and housing that we need, and in finding the partners that we'll need to complete a beautiful and efficient space for survivors of human trafficking to heal.

You may be thinking, “Didn’t you go down there to purchase property? What happened, then? What did you accomplish if you still don't own property?” We assure you, we will always, ALWAYS be careful to make good use of the money God has provided through you, our incredible supporters. While the trip didn’t go exactly as planned, we know for a fact that God “hijacked” our trip and made it into exactly what He wanted. Our time was very efficiently spent.

We met with SO many incredible people who are actively fighting human trafficking in Argentina. We were able to attend the A21 Campaign’s Walk for Freedom (Caminando Por Libertad) in Buenos Aires- the very first Walk For Freedom in Argentina! We met the person who was in charge of the Walk (and the A21 Chapter in Argentina), we met with countless leaders and volunteers from Hillsong Church in Buenos Aires, we met with abolitionists from across the globe. We met pastors and church leaders from across the province. We were able to meet with and pray for an end to human trafficking with very important government officials who we will not name publicly. We were able to meet people who head up underground efforts to end human trafficking and cartel involvement (also not to be named). God opened doors that, in the natural, would never have been opened to us, regular folks from the States.

And here is the one thing we heard from every abolitionist we met:

We need a place to take these girls.

We need a safe house.

We need people we can trust to help house and rehabilitate victims of trafficking.

Y’all, I don’t want to preach too much, but GOD IS SO GOOD. When God calls you to do something, even if it sounds crazy, LISTEN! HE will open doors. HE will make a way where there is no way. HE will guide you, every step of the way. And HE will ALWAYS fulfill His great promises. We’ve been planning this for so long it almost felt surreal to hear that what God had put on our hearts was really what was needed.

So, while we don’t currently have property in our name (but check back next week!), God did SO MUCH MORE than we could have expected. We appreciate your prayers so much- keep it up! Currently, we’d love prayers for continued contact with the people we met in Argentina, for great Christ-centered relationships and mutual partnerships. We do need property, so prayers for God to bring us property in whatever way He wills is much appreciated. And as always, we’re praying for an end to human trafficking across the globe.

Thank you again- your involvement in our ministry means so much to us. Blessings!

The VT team

Isaiah 58: