tomorrow morning i’m off to argentina for the convencion internacional liderazgo juvenil (international youth leaders convention). this is a YS event, run by our spanish division, and is our 5th year in a row. the first four were in buenos aires (one of the most beautiful cities in the world, if you ask me). but this year we’re trying something new, and moving the event to mendoza. buenos aires is huge, and is on the eastern edge of the country. mendoza isn’t as big, but is on the western edge of the country, right up against the andes (think: Alive!). we’ve maxed the event out at 1800 the last few years, but really didn’t have a good place to move it in BA. but we have a great place to hold the event in mendoza that allows us to grow it to 2000.

one great advantage is that it’s very close to chile. as a result, we have 400-500 chilean youth workers coming this year, which is just so freakin’ cool. but — huge prayer request — there has been very cold weather and snow in the mountains over the past week; and the mountain pass from chile to argentina is closed. if it doesn’t warm up, and if they can’t re-open the pass, all those chilean youth workers will not be able to attend. please pray for a weather miracle on this one.

i’m speaking five times — three regular seminars, one “super-seminar” (longer), and one general session. karla yaconelli and mike’s father, ernie, will be with me. karla was there last year, but this will be a first for ernie — very cool that he’s coming! our good friends, tony and peggy campolo, will be there also. tony has been a friend of this event from the beginning, and this will be his third time speaking.

on my way home, i’ll stop in buenos aires to see our new (6 mos) office there. we have 2 employees there, and also rent out space to two or three other youth ministry organizations (the office is actually called the Buenos Aires Center for Youth Ministry).