Name: David and Shelley Stokes

Location: Ingeniero Juárez, Argentina

Our role: David visits and encourages church leaders and helps develop sustainable training while Shelley works with Wichí women, encouraging them to love the Lord and their neighbours.

Our call: To serve Christ by accompanying the mainly Wichí-speaking congregations at a time of massive transition.

Continued over the page

The call in action

Dear friends,

Thank you for your ongoing interest at a time when many of you are facing greater difficulties!

We thank God that we are still here, alive and well in lockdown in Ingeniero Juarez. There are no COVID cases locally, though there are cases in Formosa city, our provincial capital. We are now allowed out for exercise! We are required to wear facemasks in public places and to observe social distancing, though most people make no effort to comply except when there is a risk of being fined. Having said that, the statue in the local plaza — sculpted by a Wichi man we know well — has recently been fitted with a facemask made from a Wichi string bag! Food supplies are normal, and there has been no panic buying. Here everyone is used to gaps in deliveries meaning that shops regularly run out of various items, so everyone plans menus around what there is.

Government response

The diagram comparing death rates across the Americas was used by President Fernandez recently. EEUU refers to the USA: the other country names are clear. Argentina comes out very well, but the infection rates in Buenos Aires and its province are rising quite rapidly now. Travel restrictions are still in place generally – especially for crossing provincial borders as well as national borders. Last month six young Tobas, who before the lockdown had gone to visit Tartagal (in Salta province), tried to get home by crossing the provincial border up near the Pilcomayo River without the required documents. They were caught by the police in Santa Teresa, taken off and kept in quarantine for two weeks before being allowed to go home. They were found while visiting the Wichí bishop, Crisanto, so he and all his extended family were kept in quarantine under guard at their home for two weeks.

Effects on the churches

All the urban churches continue to function virtually. The Spanish-speaking church in Juarez has a WhatsApp group, with services through an organised series of audios, as videos are too heavy for the local internet. Even audios can take a long time to load!

In the indigenous churches, many people do not have access to phones or internet, so the official line is that they should meet at home for services with their extended families. This can lead to spiritual growth for some, but many find it too much of a challenge. In some communities, the church

David and Shelley Stokes Link Letter no. 33 | July 2020

churchmissionsociety.org/stokes

Late June COVID statistics

leaders continue to hold services, as the risk of infection seems lower than the risk of people feeling spiritually abandoned. This will be a delicate pastoral issue for the indigenous churches to work through once this is all over.

Faithful servants called home

There have been significant losses among the older leaders here in Juarez. First, Feliciano “Kiche” Tenaiquín, the pastor of the Toba church in Barrio Toba, died on 23 March, just after lockdown began. Then Isabel Vilte, the honorary president of AMARE, died a few days later on 28 March. She was a remarkable woman who served the Lord for many decades in the Wichí churches throughout the diocese. She was also a close personal friend of Shelley’s and is much missed. More recently, on 25 June, Antonio Segundo died. He was the lay leader of the Wichí church in Barrio Pilcomayo. All three went to be with the Lord after many years of faithful service. May the Lord raise up equally faithful successors.

Lessons to be learned?

What has the Lord been teaching us through the present crisis? We are all learning to use new technologies for services and meetings. Some are facing the challenges of holding services and praying together as families. It has raised questions about our attitude to authority within the church and what it means to obey God. There has been both good and wacky teaching circulating on social media. I was struck by one preacher who looked at examples of “quarantine” in the Scriptures — Noah in the Ark, Moses in the desert, Elijah at Mount Horeb, Jesus in the desert — and argued that in each case the Lord used the time to prepare the individuals for something quite new that he had in mind for his people. May we be willing to listen carefully to the Lord for new instructions!

Ourselves finally

The programme of visits and training conferences is still on hold. Once things do open up again, we need to discern how to use the months that remain for completing our work here and saying goodbyes. We wonder whether our departure date should be delayed until early in 2021. This year has been an unexpected way to end our time here, but we trust the Lord has his purposes both for us and the churches here.

Points for praise and prayer:

Give thanks for the work of the Argentine government and the medical services here.

Give thanks for the lives and ministries of Kiche, Isabel and Antonio, and pray for the process of finding the Lord’s choice of successors.

Pray for wisdom for local partners Mateo and Crisanto and all church leaders and members in hearing what the Lord is saying through this time.

Pray for wisdom for ourselves in knowing how to end our time here faithfully and what the timings should be.

With our love and prayers,

David and Shelley Photos from top to bottom: Statue with facemask!; Isabel (right) caring for a friend; producing fruit at our home

Church Mission Society is a mission community acknowledged by the Church of England Registered Company No. 6985330 and Registered Charity No. 1131655 (England and Wales) and SC047163 (Scotland).

You can give to David and Shelley at: churchmissionsociety.org/stokes

Contact details: davidshelley.stokes@gmail.com

If you would like to discuss your mailings with us or to receive this link letter on a regular basis, please email supporter.care@churchmissionsociety.org or call 01865 787400

Mission Unscripted: How are CMS people in mission responding to COVID-19? Some are working harder than ever at what they were already doing, others are turning their hand to something different! Go to churchmissionsociety.org/mission-unscripted

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