A Tale of Two Electricians

Kelly was a man who was interested in doing the will of God.  He came on a work team to our city, Resistencia, in 2001.  The work was not out of the ordinary.  What they had come to do was not going to turn Argentina upside down, but part of what needed to be done was electrical and Kelly's trade as an electrician would fill an important spot in accomplishing the task at hand.

As we worked, children from the church stole Kelly's heart and God (with the help of a couple of missionaries), began to talk to him about possibly changing careers.  He investigated missions but it was apparent that the doors were closed.

A year or so later, we were in another building project in the city of Resistencia when Gustavo came looking for work.  He said he was an electrician.  I was a bit apprehensive, but asked if he would be willing to dig a ditch.  He obliged, pulled off his shoes and began digging.  Seeing his willing spirit, he was hired.  Some weeks later he asked if he could come to church with me, to which I was delighted.

Gustavo and his girlfriend, Maria, became Christians.  When I went to their home to begin discipleship I was surprised to find a humble abode made entirely of cardboard roofing material.  Soon I realized that Gustavo was "worth his salt."  He just needed someone to give him a chance.  When our project was finished, it was easy to recommend him to a neighbor as a worthy and honest worker.

While we were on furlough, missionaries David and Rachel Kerney took Gustavo and Maria under their wings and began encouraging them to further their studies.  Not only did they study some theology and Bible, but they also set out to finish their grade school and high school studies.  In 2006 Gustavo and Maria were married.

Before leaving Argentina in May 2010, we went to Villa Escolar, Formosa, where Gustavo is pastoring one of our WGM churches.  He is loved by the townspeople and the church is growing.  He and Maria not only received their high school diplomas, but Gustavo had become a certified electrician.  At the time of our visit he was head electrician in a school building project.  Now he is head superintendent on another school construction project.

Last month we were in Kelly's church in Michigan.  We participated in two great worship services, perhaps some of the best services I have been in.  God was certainly there.  Kelly gave up his electrical business, set out to study theology and is now the pastor of his home church.

While he interviewed us as missionaries during the service he shared with the congregation that it was because of one missions trip, ten years earlier to Resistencia, that he was their pastor today.