Getting Paid In Cheese!?

 Hiking. That’s what we were supposed to do when we woke up early, jumped in the car, and drove 2 hours toward the mountains at Sierra De La Ventanna. Some of us had been itching to go hiking for quite some time while others were simply along for the ride. 

In Argentina, we had been living with Marcos and his family. They were our hosts for the month, but we also had Estaban living with us as well. He was a friend of Marcos, speaks great English, and wanted to be a part of our ministry in Argentina. The day before we drove with Estaban, Marcos, and all 9 of Marcos’ kids to the beach about 5 hours away. We had a fun day playing in the ocean, eating chicken on the sand, and running back to the car once the rain started pouring on us. Personally, I was excited for the hike. The beach is awesome but for me, mountains are better. So there we were. Five of us crammed into Estaban’s tiny red car full of anticipation for the full day of hiking that awaited us. 

Only, the hike never happened. 

We arrived at the entrance a little after 10am and learned that no guides are available after 8am to take hikers up the mountain. We also learned that no hikers can climb the mountain without a guide. Apparently, it’s a rule in Sierra De La Vantanna. Disappointed, we looked at Estaban for other options. He told us of another hike we could do that was shorter and therefore unguided. We decided to settle for that and chose to keep our spirits high despite the setback. 

We decided that we might as well search for breakfast and coffee so we visited Estaban’s uncle and explored a bit of the town. As usual, I had my camera out taking pictures and videos which Estaban was quite enthusiastic about. So much so, he told me I needed to check out this cool shop filled with meats, cheeses, olive oil, jams, wines, and a ton of other local products. Without hesitation we walked into the little shop and I began taking some pictures of it’s cool aesthetic. Pretty soon the owner of the shop asked who we were and what we were doing. It was a pretty small shop and we were the only ones in there so yeah, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in conversation with the sweetest shop-owners I’ve ever met. 

Martin and his wife are probably in their 70’s but haven’t lost a step when it comes to running their business. Martin asked me if I’d be willing to share my photos and videos with him so he could use them for promotional purposes. I of course couldn’t say no to this sweet couple, so I began firing away thankful for the permission to photograph whatever caught my eye. The part we didn’t expect, was to be treated like kings and queens while the photo session happened. 

Martin and his wife began cutting up expensive, cured meats and cheeses and served them to us… for free! Well, not for free, I was providing my services and he was offering his goods as payment. It was actually a super cool experience. One of my favorites of the race. Thankfully Estaban was there so we could communicate with Martin and thank him over and over as he continued giving us samples. We learned that one of his deepest values is sharing because after all, what is life if you don’t have friends or make friends to enjoy it with. 

I don’t actually know who enjoyed the visit more, but in the end, we were all smiling the biggest smiles as we bought some meat and cheese from El Rey del Jamon. To our surprise (but not really because Martin is obviously super generous) Martin gave us each a chunk of cheese for free along with the sweetest smile. By this time the little shop was full of people and it was time for us to go. I wanted to share more of our story with him but knew we were pressed for time as well. I asked if I could pray for Martin, his family, and his shop. He agreed. We shared another precious moment as I asked Holy Spirit to bless Martin for the kindness he showed us and that Martin’s eyes would open to the truth of how much the Father loves him and his family. Just like that, we were walking out the door promising that if life ever brought us to the little town of Sierra de la Vantanna again we would certainly pop in for another round of the finest meats in Argentina. 

 I walked away grinning ear to ear, flabbergasted at how different Holy Spirit’s plans were for us that day. We thought hiking was on the agenda while in reality, Holy Spirit had meat and cheese penciled into the schedule. I learned a lot from Martin. I learned that joy isn’t a result of hoarding but of sharing. I learned that when you love what you do it results in excellence which positively impacts everyone around you. I learned that life isn’t about money but about experiences, people, and not separating the two. And I learned that life isn’t about my plans or agenda, but about rolling with the punches remaining expectant because the Holy Spirit usually has something better in mind. 

 We eventually went on a little hike later that day. It was honestly more like a 10-minute walk up a little hill, but we were still greeted with a stunning view. As I sat with my friends, drank Estaban’s mate (a kind of tea in Argentina that you share with others), and reminisced on the day I couldn’t help but thank God for interrupting our day in the most delicious was possible.