tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2160552010-02-12T11:28:34.000-06:00ArgenTextOur life served up in readable bite-size chunksArgenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.comBlogger297125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-13844368595672586862009-12-30T20:02:00.000-06:002010-02-12T11:28:34.010-06:00"Summer" "Vacation"<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/2010_01_21-741541.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/2010_01_21-741029.jpg" style="display: block; height: 250px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />click photo to view larger<br /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We’ve been in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Argentina</st1:place></st1:country-region> long enough to adapt to some of the cultural rhythms, including arriving at the end of the calendar year exhausted. The average </span><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">porteño</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (person from Buenos Aires) burns the candle of life at both ends, prioritizing work, study and relationships over sleep. For example, it’s not unusual for students at the EJ Institute to leave their house before 8 A.M., get home after 11 P.M., and then eat dinner. Caffeine and internal drive go a long way to keep them going day after day, but their secret weapon against complete depletion is summer vacation. The city powers down around Christmas and feels almost deserted until March, when kids go back to school.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Come December, we decided to embrace the cultural rhythm by getting out of town too. Even though we were neither in summer, nor really on vacation, we have been recharged by the time spent with family, friends and churches who collaborate with us in the work we do providing resources and training for youth leaders in the Spanish-speaking world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-1384436859567258686?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-72781278788911286742009-11-10T12:31:00.002-06:002009-11-10T12:54:49.430-06:00Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder... We Hope<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/gulick-collage-medium-728531.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/gulick-collage-medium-728517.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Courses, clases, students, professors...<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/gulick-collage-students-728567.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/gulick-collage-students-728558.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">These are the students (all active youth leaders) for just one of twelve courses we've offered so far. Each course lasts ten weeks and requires them to plan and execute a course-related project within their youth ministry context.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG6177-728612.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG6177-728604.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Yes, it HAS been WAY too long since we posted something on this blog. Months, and months. The images above give you a clue as to what has kept us occupied - really, really occupied - since August 3rd.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-7278127878891128674?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-37879924184588893222009-08-04T11:37:00.002-05:002009-11-04T12:33:02.406-06:00No Crying or Detention<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG5157-8-705448.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG5157-8-705443.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">First day of classes at the Youth Specialties Institute (Buenos Aires campus)<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG5168-705481.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG5168-705471.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>We returned home after the first day of classes with no detention, no crying, and I even want to go back again today <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">:-)</span> (If you don't know what I'm talking about read our <a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/2009/08/please-oh-please-dont-make-me-cry.htm">previous post</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-3787992418458889322?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-88716310536170161112009-08-02T22:05:00.005-05:002009-08-02T22:29:16.184-05:00Please, Oh Please, Don't Make Me Cry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/IEJ_logo-blanco-711173.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/IEJ_logo-blanco-711169.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When my mom asked me how my first day of elementary school was, I replied:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">It was okay but... I don't think I'll go back.</blockquote>Then there was my first day of junior high school when my mom didn't even have to ask. I returned home crying, drenched and with blue stains on my khakis from where my 3-ring binder had bled onto them in the rain and a detention notice because I missed athletics due to the fact I couldn't open the silly combination lock on my gym locker.<br /><br />Tomorrow is another first day of classes... the youth ministry institute is finally starting. I sure hope it goes better this time :-)<br /><br />Thanks to so many of you who have supported us over the last 18 months of preparation. Your prayers, encouragement and financial support have kept us going.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-8871631053617016111?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-16896898315485041302009-07-21T22:02:00.004-05:002009-07-21T22:28:14.879-05:00First Journal Entry Upon Arriving Home<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/grey-day-BA-758121.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/grey-day-BA-758117.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">click image to biggie size</span> </div>We drove through the empty streets of Buenos Aires under a bright grey sky along street lined with grey-brown tree trunks with grey light coming down through brown leaves onto the pavement. There is a paleness to the city in winter. It's not unpleasant o unattractive, just somehow muted and reminding me of bones (structure without life).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">[Note: I think I want more <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">color</span> on our apartment walls]</span><br /><br />I was still zoned when we got off the plane. I had my eyes half-closed on the ride from the airport. I walked into the house, crawled under the covers and slept for 5 hours. Now I'm here in the stillness before life gets going again - the place in between the trip and the start of the institutes in 13 days. And life here is good - peaceful knowing that God has been so faithful to Raíces - doing more than we could ask or imagine through it - and confident that the institutes don't depend on us.<br /><br />Thank you, Father, for all that and please help me live in this knowledge.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-1689689831548504130?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-47220457778249417532009-07-20T10:27:00.000-05:002009-07-20T16:51:28.846-05:00How to Invest in Latin America<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Raices-Costa-Rica-730249.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Raices-Costa-Rica-729944.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ></span><br />We just got back from Costa Rica where we spent 9 days helping lead Raíces III training program for Spanish speaking youth leaders. Level one is basic principles for youth work; level two is how to train others in those principles and level three combines a look at "new challenges in youth work" with personalized mentoring for people who have proven faithful with the first two levels.<br /><br />The invited leaders were from 11 countries and amazed us with the creativity and faithfulness with which they have applied, disseminated and improved on what we taught them.<br /><br />For example, Raul and his wife Elcy have trained 800+ people in their home country of Colombia. His life is a tremendous return on the investment made by a couple who sponsored him through Compassion International during his childhood.<br /><br />The event was a rich time for us to re-connect with old friends and make new ones with people who work with youth in the Spanish-speaking world but more importantly it allowed us to give fresh insight and encouragment to help them keep going. One of our friends who grew up in rural Mexico in a house with a dirt floor and a cardboard-roof and is now a professor and administrator at a seminary, a church planter, a youth director in both California and Mexico and a youth ministry trainer, said, “Sometimes I wonder about my call to this work. I ask myself if this is really what I’m supposed to be doing or if I’m just filling a spot someone else should be in, but through [my time here] I see that God has been guiding me to this work my whole life. I think I came to Raíces III so I could see that.”<br /><br />When life get's tough, that's the kind of clarity that keeps you going and we're grateful to have been able to be a part of that process.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-4722045777824941753?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-24006213903219601622009-06-03T23:52:00.000-05:002009-06-03T21:57:00.800-05:00Quick Update on...<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Aviso_IEJA-760937.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Aviso_IEJA-760927.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">a note from Annette about what's happening work-wise)</span><br /><br /></div>Life here is good...the pace keeps picking up as we have 60 days before classes start and the amount of work to do before then is... <em>yikes</em>.<br /><br />The school finally has an administrative assistant, which helps a TON. We're finishing up the first round of interviews of prospective students and are moving on to meeting with their supervisors, which is a logistical nightmare, because they are all crazy-busy. But we're determined to have them in the loop, so we appreciate your prayers for that step of the process.<br /><br />I'm in the thick of trying to help the professors produce their course materials which will break out of the talk, talk talk mold. And we're trying to get logistics of <em>project based education</em> hammered out and communicated. But the feedback from prospective students and other leaders we've been able to contact so far has been very encouraging. I think we are all sensing that the institutes are the right thing at the right time.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-2400621390321960162?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-83096880387278568382009-06-03T21:28:00.001-05:002009-06-03T21:30:09.189-05:00One More Beautiful Year<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/04b---Jacques-and-Nat-704730.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/04b---Jacques-and-Nat-704721.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>On June 4th, 19?? Annette was born. Today many people are happier and wiser because of that auspicious occasion. I know I am! Happy birthday, <span style="font-style: italic;">Beautiful</span>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-8309688038727856838?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-84615418976358218312009-05-30T18:58:00.002-05:002009-05-30T19:07:12.546-05:00Wool in June<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG4426-706000.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG4426-705993.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>I've coined a new term: seasonal dissonance--the uncomfortable feeling caused by the lack of agreement between the season I'm experiencing and the season I associate with this month.<br /><br />June was always one of my favorite times of year. The school year was over and the long, sunny, days of summer stretched out in front of me.<br /><br />Today it's drizzling and in the 40's. The sun rose at 8 am and set before 6 pm. Not too bad for the end of November, but odd for the end of May.<br /><br />Yesterday we listened to Vince Guaraldi's music from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Charlie Brown Christmas</span>. Perfect for the weather but Christmas isn't just around the corner. In fact C.S. Lewis might have had Argentina in mind when he wrote about a land where it was "always winter and never Christmas."<br /><br />It's going to be disconcerting to wear wool in June, but I look forward to pulling out my flip-flops in November.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-8461541897635821831?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-46891652176699380362009-05-13T11:32:00.003-05:002009-05-13T11:36:48.120-05:00Stampede<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/meeting-and-interviews-773165.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/meeting-and-interviews-773159.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >meetings and more meetings... fortunately<br />we enjoy the team were working with</span><br /><br /></div>In the first 3 weeks since we opened registration, 352 youth leaders have already applied to attend the <a href="http://www.institutoej.com/">youth workers institute</a>, and we receive more each day. Classes begin in August.<br /><br />After more than 2 years of working with the team that will be opening campuses in Argentina and Guatemala, it feels good to receive such a enthusiastic response from Latin American youth leaders. Classes don't begin until August and every day we receive new applications. Each campus only has space for 50 to 80 students, so as part of the selection process every potential student must be interviewed personally.<br /><br />Annette and I have 100 people to interview over the next 30 days... and if the 6 people we interviewed on Thursday are representative, it will be tough to select only 1 out of every 2.5 of them.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-4689165217669938036?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-67332870509942345082009-05-09T19:03:00.009-05:002009-05-09T22:17:24.786-05:00Time Lapse<div align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/annettegulick/2009AprilJune"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 225px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/trip-collage-711948.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >click image above for photos from trip</span></div><br />Earlier this week we returned from a trip to the US which included our twice annual meeting with our OC team, the IMT (International Ministries Team), time with family and visits with individuals and a church who give to our work here in Argentina.<br /><br />The trip was <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/annettegulick/2009AprilJune#slideshow">chock full of great things</a>* but the most helpful was being with so many people who see our life in terms of years, not days. Each morning I have my list of things I want to accomplish and throughout the day I am frequently frustrated by how slowly I can check them off. For example, email feel like Hydra’s head: I finish off one and three more arrive in its place.<br /><br />However when we gave our ministry report to our team, who hold us accountable for our goals and objectives, I saw that a lot has happened since we saw them last. Besides the web site, which continues to go strong, and personal mentoring, the <a href="http://www.institutoej.com/">EJ Institute for youth leaders</a> has a director, a location, professors, a web site, on-line registration and we’re deep in the process of selecting our first group of students.<br /><br />And over lunch at Bonita Springs Presbyterian Church, Paul Fahenstock reminded us that a few short years ago we didn’t know what we should do after finishing our project in Mexico.<br /><br />It does feel like we’ve come a long way.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-6733287050994234508?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-20083581376788400362009-04-01T17:54:00.003-05:002009-04-01T18:02:15.600-05:00Global Work... Zero Commute Time<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG3433-714387.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG3433-714379.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Sometimes i stand back and marvel at this odd life where we are in constant - sometimes frantic - contact with so many people, in so many places, working on so many different projects nearly simultaneously.<br /><br />A camera in our 10 ft x 10 ft office would just show the two of us sitting in silence, eyes glued on the screen, typing furiously (and me occasionally getting up to make tea, or go to the bathroom or look something up in a book).<br /><br />But I'm working on an article with a text editor in Chile, a managing editor in Guatemala, an artist in Mexico and a magazine designer in Argentina while Tim talks with a Mexican about an upcoming event in Costa Rica, works with a web designer in Uruguay and a programmer in Argentina for the online registration process for the school for youth workers here in Buenos Aires and Guatemala. And those are just the major projects during part of one day. It's a good thing we don't have to pay for our internet by the minute :-)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-2008358137678840036?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-75546618905578337932009-03-14T19:46:00.003-05:002009-03-14T19:54:14.252-05:00Faty!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/faty-750578.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/faty-750569.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>First we found <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/2008/11/i-couldnt-resist.htm">Barfy hamburger patties</a>. Now we've encountered <a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/faty-750578.JPG"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Faty: edible bovine cooking fat</span></a>. You can't say there's not truth in advertising here in Argentina :-)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-7554661890557833793?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-18215240542159154582009-03-08T19:35:00.010-05:002009-03-08T20:41:47.996-05:00For everything you lose, there is something you gain<div align="center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/annette-reading-787783.JPG"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 236px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/annette-reading-787775.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;color:#666666;">(On day 34 of her conjunctivitus, Annette happily reads the<br />largest font sized book in our house, Calvin and Hobbes)</span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">People who can hear commonly assume that they listen but, although related, hearing and listening are two different activities. As so often happens, something had to be taken away from me before I seriously contemplated what I have and what I lack. I’m a visual learner—spoken words slip off my mind while written words have a greater chance of sinking in—but I didn’t realize just how much I favor my eyes over my ears until I had a long bout of viral conjuctivitus. I thought the swollen, itchy, oozy stage was the worst part, until my vision became clouded. Now that I can barely read or write and it’s tiresome to observe the world around me or to look at anything on a screen, I realize that these make up the vast majority of my daily activities. <span style="font-size:85%;">(<a href="http://4loves.com/annette/2009/03/im-visual-learnerspoken-words-slip-off.html">Click here for more of what I learned</a>)</span><br /><br />If you're curious about this malady, scroll down.<br /><br /><br />If you're more on the squeamish side, scroll up, now, quickly.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 102px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Collages3-795641.jpg" border="0" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-1821524054215915458?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-15354085750756618542009-03-08T16:44:00.006-05:002009-03-08T20:17:56.018-05:00Images from the Last Few Days<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/02c---in-BA-after-Canadians-left1-721525.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/02c---in-BA-after-Canadians-left1-721506.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We carry a camera to remember interesting or beautiful </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">sights when we're walking around town. </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">I'm undecided as to whether my favorite one is </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">"16-dogs on a leash" or the "plastic-bag-hat lady" </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102);font-size:85%;" >(click on photos to enlarge)</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/03a---BA-life-721581.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/03a---BA-life-721562.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Annette ran a 5K this weekend along with </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">our Scottish friend, Karen Tigar,<br />and 3000 other women. </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">If you're wondering what they're all doing in the<br />top pics, it's the pre-race aerobic warm-up.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-1535408575075661854?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-60236208360287066852009-02-11T08:03:00.007-06:002009-02-11T17:38:44.618-06:00I Can't Imagine Doing That<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/annette_esteban-ely02-1-790029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 147px;" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/annette_esteban-ely02-1-790026.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Esteban asked us what it’s like to <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"</span>raise support<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">”</span> for our salary and work-related expenses.<br /><div><blockquote>“I just can’t imagine going up to people and asking them for money,” he said.</blockquote><blockquote>“Look at it this way,” I replied. “Someone pays you and us for work we do, but here is the difference: the people who pay your salary are the people who directly benefit from your work as a psychologist and consultant; they pay for the service they receive, whereas in our case, the people who pay us are not the ones who receive the service. So the main difference between your income and ours is the motivation of person who gives it. In our case, their defining characteristics are generosity and altruism. We love being connected to them and serving others on their behalf.”<br /></blockquote></div>If you're interested how those funds were invested in 2008 <a href="http://www.sepal.org/gulick/annual-report_2008.html">click here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-6023620836028706685?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-53803111216060061892009-01-29T07:03:00.000-06:002009-02-11T16:36:55.135-06:00Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/01c---in-BA2-714957.jpg"><img src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/01c---in-BA2-714944.jpg" alt="click here to biggie size image" border="0" /></a> </div>Recently I realized that I haven’t enjoyed summer since the mid ‘90’s because the temperature in the highlands of Mexico where we were for ten years changed from dry and cool to wet and colder and while Orlando had summer weather most of the time but it lacked the carefree, wear-flip-flops-while-you-can-because-winter-is-right-around-the-corner feeling.<br /><br />But January in Buenos Aires is Summer. The city empties out as people flock to the beaches further south, or over in Uruguay or Brazil and those of us who stay weather the heat and humidity with shorts, sundresses and ice cream. We’ve begun to really appreciate the “good airs’ the city is named after and our youth ministry institute meetings are so much more enjoyable when they take place in the shade of a big tree and are accompanied by a cookout.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-5380311121606006189?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-9792578125425974082008-12-29T13:45:00.008-06:002008-12-29T14:59:49.715-06:00Our Sorta Christmas Tree<p align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/veMKRq2t9AeWb3T8xZWmpA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/christmas-tree-video-786882.jpg" /></a><br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos?feat=embedwebsite">Videos</a> </p><p>Annette thought you would like seeing this 50-second video about our <em>kinda' sorta'</em> Christmas tree. <span style="font-size:85%;">(</span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5285296592377271682"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click here</span> </a><span style="font-size:85%;">or the image above to view video)</span></p><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Christmas2008#slideshow"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/christmas2008-795005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>We spent Christmas day celebrating Christ's birth with my parents. It was fun, and we appreciated them making the effort to come all the way down to visit. The four of us couldn't shake the novelty of how odd it was to celebrate Christmas in shorts, with the windows and doors open and the ceiling fans going strong in the 90-degree weather. <span style="font-size:85%;">(</span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Christmas2008#slideshow"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> the photo above for a short slideshow)</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-979257812542597408?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-21127337623048072782008-11-30T16:55:00.001-06:002008-12-01T06:57:45.486-06:00I couldn't resistYou know it's time to look for a new marketing firm when... <div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Buenos_Aires-11-2008_024-776688.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Buenos_Aires-11-2008_024-776497.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>When we saw this in the freezer section of one of our neighborhood mini-marts, I couldn't resist the temptation to buy it simply for the photo op and blogging potential. But since we both grew up in waste-not-want-not families, we didn't feel right about throwing away perfectly good food. After eating one of the patties, however; we decided it was, in fact, perfectly aweful food and therefore a good thing to throw away <em><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>:-</strong>)</span></em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-2112733762304807278?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-8867461365868303882008-11-30T15:40:00.010-06:002008-11-30T19:20:57.387-06:00Salta de Alegria?<a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/YM-curso-SITB-738136.JPG"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/YM-curso-SITB-738124.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Saturday's intensive course lasted 7-hours but in classic youth ministry style we tried to keep it fun and varied.<br /><br />One of the highlights was Flavio & Andrea Calvo's presentation about <a href="http://www.saltadealegria.com/"><em>Salta de Alegria</em></a>, an incredibly creative program they founded that has helped hundreds of kids and spawned a growing church, the <em>Gospel according to the Simpsons</em>, a public school sex and sexuality series and a grassroots guerrilla marketing campaign.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.saltadealegria.com/"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/flavio-andrea_salta-778214.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Andrea & Flavio <span style="color:#666666;">(left side)</span></div><br />We had invited them to talk about <em>Youth and Culture</em> because they are masters at using the language of popular culture to communicate the gospel and other eternal truths. Flavio and Andrea's part was even better than we expected because their stories - besides being inspiring - reinforced the principals we'd been teaching earlier in the day.<br /><br />After 40 years of seeing God coordinate things like that it continues to amazes me.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-886746136586830388?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-27367950207544065112008-11-23T16:08:00.007-06:002008-11-24T08:23:18.186-06:00Now THAT's Different<div align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/InAndAroundBuenosAires#slideshow/5266837897837273858"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/bosques-de-palermo_spring-nov-738878.JPG" border="0" /></a> "What is Buenos Aires like?"</div><br />That was the question, but I didn't have a good answer. So now I'm trying to see life here through that lens and it's fun. Here are a few of the different things I've noticed (in no particular order):<br /><ul><li>Jacaranda trees <span style="font-size:85%;">(in photo with purple flowers)</span> are all over the city</li><li>sidewalks are dog poop and loose sidewalk tile mine fields <span style="font-size:85%;">(it's dangerous to look up)</span></li><li>women wear more skirts and dresses <span style="font-size:85%;">(but only a bit more)</span></li><li>more beards and long hair on men and lots of loafer shoes</li><li>only kids and tourists wear baseball caps</li><li>there is nearly always a breeze; at times it carries the smell of flowers</li><li>orange and tangerine trees line the streets in parts of the city</li><li>tons of sidewalk cafés with people reading or chatting <span style="font-size:85%;">(like Paris in the movies)</span></li><li>delivery guys are sometimes on rollerblades <span style="font-size:85%;">(usually on scooters or bikes)</span></li><li>something is often dripping on you...<a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipuana_tipu">certain trees</a> "cry" a light rain, A/C units drip onto the sidewalks, pigeons drop</li><li>men, women and children who recycle trash as a job pull large carts thru the streets</li><li>it's common to see dog-walkers with 10+ dogs walking down the street <span style="font-size:85%;">(see </span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/InAndAroundBuenosAires#slideshow/"><span style="font-size:85%;">slideshow</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">)</span></li></ul>If you'd like to see a short slideshow <span style="font-size:85%;">(14 photos and a 24 second video</span>) that show some of the things mentioned above... just <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/InAndAroundBuenosAires#slideshow">click here </a>or the image above.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-2736795020754406511?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-41130338347837601402008-11-14T12:06:00.001-06:002008-11-14T12:41:10.066-06:00PLAF?<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5266817003613021266"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Buenos_Aires-11-2008_029-733081.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>LAGrAm. is one of the reasons Buenos Aires is a good place for a youth ministry institute. Still true to its name over 25 years after it was founded, this “Group of friends and Leaders of Adolescents” (acronym) organizes interdenominational camps and activites throughout the year for all ages from pre-teens to young adults.<br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5266817003613021266"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Buenos_Aires-11-2008_033-733114.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><p>The three other members of the staff on the EJ Institute launch team grew up in LAGrAm and still volunteer there, several of our faculty members have roots in LAGrAm, and I’m sure many of our students will come from the LAGrAm community as well.</p><p>Although we’ve been friends with the directors for years, we’d never participated in one of their events until last weekend when we given five hours to work with the fifty leaders who had brought their jr. high kids to PLAF. </p><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5266817003613021266"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/Buenos_Aires-11-2008_039-733156.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Click here for a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5266817003613021266">quick slideshow</a> and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/timgulick/Videos#5266797263859907490">24 second video </a>that'll give you a feel for the event. What you <em>cannot</em> see however is that the temperature was in the 90s, the humidity index in the 70s and the only thing to cool us all down was one fan and the gracious donation of ice cream bars for everyone.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-4113033834783760140?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-79779809493729528492008-11-01T04:54:00.012-05:002008-11-01T20:46:25.761-05:00French designers, curdled milk, and chronic ignorance<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs1-774389.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs1-774373.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><p>A French landscape architect named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Thays">Carlos Thays </a>helped design the parks and walkways of Buenos Aires. His botanical gardens as well as the 61 acre series of parks called "Palermo Woods" are within walking distance from the apartment we've been loaned. As you can see we're thoroughly enjoying Spring down here.<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs3-774437.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs3-774427.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>We didn't want to have a fridge sucking electricity while we were gone for weeks, but now that it's warm enough to curdle our long-shelf life milk, we broke down and got one. It's tiny but has enough room for leftovers and bags of milk. (One of the disciplines of urban living is letting the grocery stores -- there are at least seven in a two block radius -- store our food until we need it.)<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs4-774468.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/10d---BsAs4-774462.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Our nephew Logan was home sick one morning we decided to Skype. Here Annette is helping him do some math: if there are twenty students in your class and only fifteen of them came to school because the rest were sick, how many students were sick?<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG9922-774521.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/CIMG9922-774511.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Now that all the members of the youth workers institute team are actually in the country at the same time, things are moving forward. If you're interested in a vignette about this week's lesson to remember, <a href="http://www.sepal.org/gulick/who-is-driving.html">click here</a>. We also learned that the baked goods from our favorite <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/annettegulick/2008#5229358095310584418">french bakery </a>aren't called "bread" because here "bread" is what you use for sandwiches or toast. Maybe someday we won't feel chronically ignorant...maybe <em><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>:-</strong>)</span></em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-7977980949372952849?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-10199318324200314012008-10-20T10:29:00.006-05:002008-10-20T11:07:42.902-05:004 Months' Worth<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/08d---Peru-779831.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/08d---Peru-779820.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>It’s been a month since we've sent you a new dispatch and there is a reason: we were tired. Here’s why... since June we’ve traveled to <blockquote><strong>4</strong> Spanish-speaking youth ministry training events<br />in <strong>4</strong> countries (Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina)<br />with a total of <strong>6000</strong> youth leaders<br /><br /><strong>1500</strong> of whom we taught or trained<br />from at least <strong>14</strong> countries<br /><br />plus<br />a <strong>5</strong> week-long mentor training program<br />with <strong>25</strong> participants.<br /><br />To accomplish all of that<br />we traveled <strong>35,900</strong> miles<br />including <strong>5</strong> all night flights or bus trips</blockquote><center>with a<br />total of <strong>0</strong> flight missed<br />and <strong>0</strong> bags lost.</center><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-1019931832420031401?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Argenteenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06309973042383478524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216055.post-44816849502692190582008-09-03T22:01:00.009-05:002008-09-04T07:54:47.819-05:00Annette, the Apathetic Traveller<p align="justify"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4loves.com/mexitext/uploaded_images/luggage-galore-725415.jpg" border="0" /></p>At 10 p.m., exactly 12 hours before we'll walk out the door en route to Mendoza, Argentina for the <a href="http://www.convencionliderazgo.com/2008/">Youth Specialties International Convention</a>, Annette exasperated with having to pack yet again, walks into the office and says,<br /><br /><blockquote><em>For a while i thought I was getting better at this traveling thing, but now I realize that I'm just becoming apathetic. Maybe it's like having your fourth child, you're not really a better more experienced parent, you're just too tired to care any more.</em></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/216055-4481684950269219058?l=4loves.com%2Fmexitext%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>annettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806432518603511496noreply@blogger.com0