| La Rinconada |
La Rinconada is a rural community located 300 km north of the provincial capital Córdoba, Argentina. Traveling to La Rinconada involves a 200 km trip on paved highway and the remaining 100 km on a sometimes untravelable dirt road. The village has an estimated population of 150 people, but nearly 1,00 more people live in the surrounding area. The principal source of income in this poor community comes from raising and selling sheep and goats, but the area is marked by periods of extended drought which make it difficult to ranch. During the summer months, rains flood the land separating the community from the surrounding areas. If you need to get around, it's done in a boat. La Rinconada does not have access to running water. The community suffices with one public water tank, although a few individuals own private water tanks. In August 2009, the town finally was given access to electricity, but there is still no natural gas available. As for education, there is one elementary school with approximately 30 students. If a student wishes to pursue a high school education, he or she must travel 100 km and remaining at the boarding school during the week. The illiteracy rate is very high, especially among the adults, which makes up most of the population since younger adults must immigrate to larger cities to find jobs. There is one catholic building in the community, but has no priest. The church Centro Crecer has been visiting La Rinconada for the past four years providing spiritual guidance and social support in the form of clothing, medical assistance, and educational materials. La Rinconada has one health center that is staffed by a full-time nurse and a doctor that is available only once a week. There are few communication resources and those that are available are uncertain. There is one public telephone for the entire community and no access to cell phone towers and there is one public bus that arrives weekly to travel to the capital of Córdoba. Leadership In 1998, Fabián Abregu was studying for his Civil Engineer degree at the National Technical University in Córdoba, Argentina when a friend introduced him to Jesus. The following year, Fabián became involved in Campus Crusade for Christ. He has participated in a variety of evangelistic activities throughout Argentina. After he began to attend Centro Crecer Church, he became involved with the children's ministry. During the same period he participated in the church's jail ministry. Fabián and his wife, Marcela, whom he married in 2004, began visiting La Rinconada, a town in the northern part of Cordoba Province, where Marcela's relatives live. Fabián and Marcela lead groups to do evangelistic and social work in the area on a regular basis and hope to move to the town in the near future. Needs
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