Ahh, national friends are such a blessing! Last week we had a visit with our dear friend Mercy and her family. Mercy has been a friend of missionaries for a long time and we are blessed to be a part of her circle. A couple of years ago, Mercy met and married Aldo, a Chilean and so now we only get to see her occasionally. I can't tell you what a blessing and encouragement it was to visit with her and not only encourage but be encouraged!

We're still waiting to hear adoption news for Nico. Almost three weeks ago, the judge in charge published that she has all of the information she needs in order to sign the permanent guardianship papers. Our attorney tells us it'll take about three weeks before we get an official date to meet with the judge and sign the papers. Please pray with us for a date that come sooner rather than later. We are praying to have the adoption finalized before our next Stateside Assignment in July, 2011. This will definitely take a work of God as the wheels of Argentine bureaucracy turn very slowly.

Last week we enjoyed watching Eli's elementary school present a celebration of Argentina's Bicentennial. Eli played the part of one of San Martin's liberation soldiers. He had a great time and looked adorable! Eli's having a tough time adjusting to the changes in our lives. Up until this year, we've been a team of missionary units. In March, Lisa moved to the province of Santiago Del Estero (about 8 hours away) and this weekend, the Peterson's are moving to Miami, Florida to pursue and exciting opportunity to plant a bilingual church targeting the Latin professionals there. Eli and Isaiah Peterson have been the best of friends since the Peterson family moved here in 2007. Please pray with us for new Argentine friends for all of us - especially Eli to fill this void.

We're facing some changes in our ministry focus. We'd appreciate your prayers as we seek God's face concerning the new directions He is leading us to take. We are excited about reaching out to people in more cities throughout the province of Corrientes. We are deep in planning the details for our 2nd "Shotguns & Fishin Poles" volunteer team in July. This one will be in the far southern city of Esquina, Corrientes and there is only one church in the whole town which focuses on the professionals of the city. We'll be reaching out to the people who live on the outskirts of the city and especially the hunting and fishing guides in this tourist town. Pray for us as we seek some sort of partnership with the believers of Esquina. Pray for good contacts and divine appointments as we work to bring the Good News.

Please pray also for my (Alisha) health. I've been dealing with two injuries - to my foot and sciatic nerve. I'm undergoing treatment and seeing progress, but it is slow and frustrating.

Thank you for continuing to pray with and for us as we serve to push back the darkness here in northern Argentina.

There's a first time for everything, and tonight I enter the world of blogs. I guess it isn't too different from things I've done in other media. Here's hoping this will bring news of our work and our lives to folk who are interested in praying for the Criollo of Northern Argentina.

For anyone who doesn't know, we are the Holt family: Alisha, David, Elijah (7) and Nicholas (1). We live in Corrientes, Argentina and serve through the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board as church planters. We've been here since 2002 and while living cross-culturally is challenging, we really enjoy it and especially doing what God has called us to in teaching people of God's great love for them.

Right now, we are working with several families in a neighborhood here in Corrientes Capital where we live starting a Baptist church there. We've been meeting in the Cardosa family's front yard for about a year and a half. The work is slow as we have to spend a lot of time earning trust and building friendships. Lately, we have seen interest from others in the neighborhood and that is encouraging.

We are also putting together the details for a volunteer trip in July. We'll be going to the southern tip of the province to a town called Esquina and will be focusing on creating contacts among the hunting and fishing guides who make their living in the eco-turism industry that fuels much of the Corrientes province.

In the meantime, we are also building relationships with local pastors in an effort to find like-minded congregations interested in reaching out to the non believers all around us. We're working to begin partnerships which will take us to the nearby towns of Lorreto, Bella Vista, Derqui and deepen our presence in Paso de la Patria. We appreciate your prayer support in each of these opportunities.

On the personal front, we are waiting on adoption paperwork to go through for our second son, Nicholas. Please pray with us for favor from the family court judge and a quick resolution to the process. This is a pretty big request as all legal paperwork moves very slowly here.