Prayers for Venezuela

There has been a lot of heavy rains in Venezuela over the past couple of months.  Dozens of people have died and many thousands are now homeless.  When it rains here its just about the same as americans react to the snow.  People don't go out of their houses until the rain stops.  They're scared of the rain, they think that they will get really sick if they get rained on.  Now, if you go outside and play in the rain like I do, they think you're mentally insane.  But anyways, rain does do a lot of damage.  Usually it hardly rains...so to have such a long period with consistent rainfalls is really weird.  The cities here were not built to drain well, so water accumulates rather quickly.  In Maracaibo streets are flooded just after an hour of moderate rainfall.  So, there are several towns in Veneuzela that are completely flooded right now.  Areas that are really flooded are located near rivers.  One of those towns is called La Guajira and its in the northern part of the state of Zulia, the state where Maracaibo is located.  There's a large indigenous group called Guajiro that live there.  Our church went on a mission trip there in August.  Many people that live in this region are now homeless rain has damaged their homes and other possessions.  The governor of Zulia is wanting to declare a state of emergency.  There are many other states that are affected as well.  President Chavez has turned his presidential house into a shelter for flood victims.  He's invited I'm not sure, but a number of families, more than 15 families, to live in his own house.  I guess I should also add that there has not been a lot of damage in Maracaibo, we're located near the sea, but not any rivers.  So, Hebert and I are fine, but we ask that you all will be praying for the families affected by flooding and heavy rains. 

Pictures from Thanksgiving in Venezuela

Pumpkin Pie from scratch...was really good!

Funny pictures with the pie!  I can't remember the caption, but I think it has something to do with Saturday Night Live.

Our little homemade Christmas tree!

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun!  I enjoyed cooking.  But, my favorite part was Sunday night when we all got together for dinner at Hebert's parents house.  The food was great and it was really nice to all sit around the table, there was 14 of us I think, and share a meal (pictures coming soon).  It was my first thanksgiving meal where everyone sat around the same table.  Everyone loved it, so its now a tradition for Hebert's family as well.  On thanksgiving I also received some amazing news...I will not be needing a second surgery, and I am currently doing therapy to walk again.  Its kind of funny having to learn how to walk again.  Hopefully I'll learn how to walk better this time around...no more stairs for me...just kidding. 

Miracles do happen + Video+ Christmas Lights +Thanksgiving

Just a quick update on Chet, he is doing so much better.  This past weekend was really hard on my family, they took him off of the ventilator, and were expecting the worse; however, yesterday he started breathing on his own, he woke up and was asking for a strawberry milkshake.  So, I was really happy to hear that this morning, but please continue to be praying for him and for my family.

Also, Hebert made a video of our trips this summer with the church, check it out if you want.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqIYB3B3DK4


Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!  Please enjoy some cranberry sauce for me....and to my family enjoy the pumpkin roll!  I always miss my family on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Those are the hardest days to be away and I'm sure I will cry at least once if not more on those days.  However, I will be having a fun Thanksgiving this year.  Tomorrow, I will be cooking a small Thanksgiving dinner for Hebert and I.  I've already decided to make roasted chicken w/ gravy, creamed corn, a potato and broccoli casserole, and pumpkin pie. On Saturday, all of Hebert's family is getting together to celebrate Thanksgiving by having a potluck dinner. 

  
So, last night Hebert and I went to go see the Christmas lights in downtown Maracaibo.  There's a famous street that is lit up with lights and Christmas decorations all leading to the finale, which is a giant lighted statue of their patron saint, La Chinita, you can walk underneath and take pictures and there's a bridge beside it where you can go up and take more pictures.  My mom would love this; however, I could care less for the La Chinita lights.  My favorite part of the Christmas lights was called the north pole where they had the penguins from Madagascar, polar bears (my favorite), and snowmen.  They also had a part dedicated to Toy story 3, and to Gaita very popular music from Zulia, the state where Maracaibo is in.  It was a lot of fun to get out of the house, test out the crutches, and get into the Christmas spirit. 

Pictures speak louder than words

Since I have missed about three months on my blog...I thought pictures would be the best way to catch y'all up.

These pictures were taken by Hebert for Bread of Hope.  These pictures are from the communities near the city dump.  Communities where Bread of Hope donates bags of groceries.  This boy probably works to haul trash to the dump, or to bring goods from the dump back home to sell or use.

Hebert told me that this boy was so excited when he opened up his bag and found oatmeal.  He shouted and threw it up in the air.  

This little guy was so excited to have milk.  Milk is very precious here.  Some mothers use pasta water instead of formula or milk to feed their babies.  

Here the Bread of Hope team is praying for this household.  Prayer is a very important part of our donation.  We always ask family members for prayer requests and let them know that this a gift from the Lord above all.

This is a picture from inside a "rancho", or small houses made out of scraps.  

This is the outside of their house.

The picture below was taken during a community concert where bread of hope also donated food to families.

This is Po, he rides on the top of his wheel, because he thinks he is a special hamster.  

 Hebert and I on our first year anniversary. August 8th

 We went to eat shawarmas, which is arabic fast food in Venezuela.  Its like a gyro wrapped in a large flour tortilla.  Its really good it has a mixture of shredded meat, vegetables, tabuoli, hummus, and falafel. 

Thanks to Sarah and David for the loan of the Jack Bauer poster while they are in Peru, we are able to take serious pictures with Jack Bauer.  

 Somebody's always on their phone in the show.

 There's Po!!!  Always getting into trouble.

 Hebert and I in rio frio, or cold river, Yes it was actually really cold. 

 The following are some pictures from our mission trips this summer.

 I helped to teach Sunday school one day at a church we were visiting and this kid was literally climbing the walls. 

 This was taken at a youth retreat our church had.  That weekend was one of my favorites from this summer.  God really touched a lot of hearts. 

 The Cold River, was a true blessing and a break from the Maracaibo heat!!!  YAY!!! 

 This is a picture with Allys, Wilmer's wife, Milagros, her daughter, and Dafre.  They were the cooks on the youth retreat, well they are the cooks at church and the most awesome women you will meet.  After my operation Allys would always visit me and make my favorite Venezuelan dessert, quesillo.  And Dafre speaks English, she is from Grenada and she is hilarious!

 So, at the youth retreat we found the cacao tree, the fruit/or nut or whatever it is that we get chocolate from.  Hebert was really excited about his discovery. 

 This is a picture of Hebert and I preaching at the youth retreat. 

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.

So its been awhile since my last blog, but there are good reasons why it has taken me so long to post.  Last time I posted I talked about our last trip for the summer to Guayana.  It was there that I had an accident.  I fell down some stairs and broke my ankle.  The first doctor I saw told me that I needed an operation, and that I had to go back to Maracaibo to get it done.  Guayana is about 24 hours driving from Maracaibo, so thank God that we were able to get plane tickets, and I had the surgery a couple of weeks later.  The surgery/hospital stay in Venezuela was an experience…I’ll just leave it at that.   This was my first stay ever at a hospital in my life, and of course it had to be in a foreign country.  If you ever want to hear some funny stories just ask me about it in person.  

The hardest part about this whole process has been recovery.  It takes so long to recover from a broken ankle.  I’m still unable to walk.  Its been three months.  Two of the three months I had to be on bed rest, because of an infection I acquired during the operation.  Now, that my ankle is healing well, I’m waiting another operation, possibly in December, to take out all of the metal, so that I will be able to walk.  I’ve learned so much through this experience, even though its not over yet.  I’ve learned that I have an amazing family in Venezuela.  Hebert and his family have treated me like a queen since the accident.  Our church family is always keeping in touch with us, dropping by to visit, sending prayers, and sending food.   They’ve really been a blessing.  

The most valuable lessons I have learned are the ones that God has taught me about my character.  Going through this hardship has clearly shown me my character flaws and the idols that I cling to.  That’s why we go through times of pain and suffering.  It teaches us about ourselves.  I found that even though I say that my goal in life is to be like Christ…I fight against it whenever its put into action.  I don’t like to humbled.  I’m a prideful person, and even though I’ve rejected a lot of my comforts I still expect them.  There’s a verse that helps remind me to not fight the humbling process, but to welcome it…to let go of seeking comfort and trust that God is enough…and to not focus on the past, but the present.  That verse is Philippians 2: 5-8:  Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.  Not at all.  When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!  Having become human, he stayed human.  It was an incredibly humbling process.  He didn’t claim special privileges.  Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death --- and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. (MES)  

This verse shows me what a stark contrast Christ’s values are compared with the world’s.  Our culture values power, independence, prestige, and wealth.  Humility is often not valued.  It is seen as a weakness.  But the world has got it wrong, and all that it offers is just a lie.  True love, power, and freedom are experienced through humility.  Through submitting oneself to Christ and allowing him to be Lord over their life.  You’ll find that He is enough and all of the world’s riches, its comfort, its security --- mean nothing compared to knowing Him.  

Please be praying for my family in the US.  A close family member of ours has cancer, his name is Chet, and in the past couple of days has not been doing well.  It looks like these are his final days.  Please be praying for his family, and especially for his wife, Kay. 

August Update

My husband just wrote an update e-mail and since it pretty much sums up our summer I am going to post it here.  Thanks to God we have had an awesome summer so far.  Its not over just yet, but we know that God has much left to show and do. 

Long Summer but not over yet…


God has mighty and mysterious ways to work in our lives and the purposes He has designed us for. Even when the situation is forecasting storms and cloudy skies we have this divine certainty that tells us “it’s going to be Ok”.

Few years ago summers were like the rush-hour of our year. We would spend time with mission teams 24/7 we had little time for our families, friends, churches, and rest. But it was all worthy cause we knew it was all for the sake of the call and God’s kingdom. Little after ITAM Ministries (US) dropped the work we felt like the disciples going back to the nets. Trying to find a living out of what we used to do before finding our purpose in God’s call. I did a couple of jobs for an Airline and a Hotel. This past April I quit my job at the Hotel so I could work with a few mission teams that came and so I could work on starting the Mission Department at Pueblo Escogido. Kathleen and I have been blessed with a lot of opportunities to help and support different Ministries throughout the country. In May we worked with three Baptist Churches in Mene Grande (a small town east to Maracaibo). They hosted a team from Tennessee, US that came to help with Evangelism and teaching. Then in June we have the honor to work with First Baptist Alpharetta. They came and worked with Pueblo Escogido and Fuente de Amor helping with construction and carnivals. In early July we started the Bread of Hope ministry giving away 96 bags of groceries and over 300 meals served in a vigil organized by several Churches in La Concepcion. Mark Kreikemeier is leading this Ministry where we present the local church a way to touch their communities by providing for their physical needs. Later on this month we went out with a team from Fuente de Amor and passed out 140 bags of groceries in two communities. Soon after that Kathleen and I helped in an Evangelistic crusade for E3 Partner Ministries in Cabimas. They had several teams in different cities in Venezuela and they requested many translators. We helped with translation and some logistics. Coming back to Maracaibo, we got ready to go to the youth camp “Transformed Generation” where we served with some teachings and counseling. It was a great opportunity to get to know the youth at our church Pueblo Escogido and to share with them about the plans for the mission department.

This past August 7th Kathleen and I celebrated our first year anniversary. That same day we left to Guanare with a team of ten. We traveled to join many people that went to Portuguesa State to support the Baptist evangelistic effort that takes place every summer in different places around Venezuela. We were connected with Luminar del Este Baptist Church in Guanare. We did door to door evangelism, led children’s games, teachings, shared in a nursing home, and a drug rehabilitation center.

Right now we are getting ready for our trip to Bolivar state in September where have been invited to an evangelistic effort and we are putting together a team of 20. It will be a long trip, 22 to 24 hours by bus. We are still working on preparations such as training in evangelism, drama, fundraising and prayer.

We have had a very busy summer so far and God has blessed our lives with the privilege of serving him alongside our brothers and sisters. We are trusting that God takes care of everyone of our needs as we are ministering to others and taking His word to the lost world.



Please…

• Pray for us as we move forward with the Mission department at Pueblo Escogido

• Pray that the Bread of Hope ministry can be use to touch lives and that God would open doors for the water ministry in the community next to the dump.

• Pray for our trip to Bolivar as we raise funds for the costs and that we may show the love of Jesus to every person we come in contact with.

July Update

Its been over a year since I´ve been home now and its actually kind of hard to believe.  Sometimes it feels like it has been longer and other days it feels like it was yesterday.  It looks like that I will be coming back to US soil sometime late September for a visit and hopefully I will be able to send in Hebert´s paperwork so that he will be in the US to visit you all soon.

Hebert and I have been incredibly busy getting everything together for our upcoming mission trips this summer.  Please be praying for these trips, for the church members going with us, and for the people we will be working with.

Next week we leave for Cabimas to help interpret for a team of Americans coming from Dallas, TX.  Shortly after that we leave to the mountains of Venezuela with the youth from our church for youth camp.  Then we head to the state of Portuguesa in Venezuela for a week in early August.  In early September we will go to the state of Guayana to help in their efforts to plant ten new churches.  Please pray for safe travel and for God´s guidance as well!

Due to internet problems I have not been able to upload pictures on to the blog, but if you have my facebook account you will be able to see pictures from our week working with First Baptist Church of Alpharetta.  For any updates with Bread of Hope ministries please see their website. 

This Sunday is Children´s Day in Venezuela.  Its sort of like Christmas because its a day especially for the kids when they receive presents and do special activities.  Through Bread of Hope we will be able to provide a nice breakfast for all of the children who come to service on Sunday.  We will also have clowns, balloons, puppets, games, and crafts for the kids in the whole community in the afternoon.  Please be praying for Children´s Day as well!

Love yáll!

Bread of Hope

Hebert and I have started working for a new ministry that was founded by a couple of guys who came to Maracaibo last summer from Georgia.  They were really impacted by the feeding ministry part of the trip where we make bags of groceries and hand them out in person to families that live near the landfill in Maracaibo.  They normally work at the landfill and scourge the trash for their main source of income, selling any scraps they can find, and their food source comes from whatever they can find to eat that day.  They hardly ever have food stored up to have for the next day.  A lot of older children sneak into garbage trucks, at their own risk, to get first dibs at whatever they can find before the trash gets dumped in the landfill.  Some have broken arms and legs in the process.  Instead of being available just a certain number of times a year, this ministry will be available year round and we are partnering with local churches to provide for these communities.  We would really appreciate your prayers and support as we kick off this ministry on July 4th.  We will be providing a homecooked meal as well as handing out several hundred bags of groceries.  Please pray for the people in these communities that their lives will receive more than just physical nourishment, but spiritual nourishment as well and that God will always be placed first and foremost.  For we know that things of this world cannot save us or satisfy us...these things are only found in Christ.  If you would like to find out more information about this organization or if you would like to donate please see http://breadofhope.com/ 

Thanks so much!  Love you all!

Pictures from the trip this June will be posted later.

You are the salt of the Earth!

We had an awesome week with First Baptist Church of Alpharetta (pics coming soon).  God really worked in the hearts and lives of the people in Venezuela, as well as the team.  The team came in on Saturday night and on Sunday we had a special mobilization service encouraging the church to particiapte in upcoming trips.  Thanks to God and your prayers, a lot of people from our church have signed up to go on those trips.  I was really touched by their faith, a lot of them signed up not knowing where the money was going to come from for these trips.  Some of them are unemployed, some are students, mothers, fathers, and children.  However, their faith is not in what they have, but in the One who provides.  I know that they were really inspired by the team that came from Georgia.  People in Venezuela are very much aware of the economic hardships in the US and it really meant a lot to them to see how much faith they had to come to Venezuela.

I will share more details about the trip, once I get the pictures up...but I would like to talk about one of the devotionals that Pastor Jason shared with us that week.

Matthew 5:13, says, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." Jesus used a lot of common, ordinary, everyday things to use as metaphors in his teaching.  In this passage he tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth.  To really truly understand the meaning behind this passage we have to look back to the cultural and historical significance of salt.  Salt was extremely valuable in biblical times.  Roman soldiers were paid with salarium, which is the latin root of the word we have today known as salary.  Salarium was used as an allowance for Roman soldiers to buy salt.   Salt is much more valuable in biblical times than it is today.  Salt is important and valuable because of its use and it has four main uses. 

1)  Salt is an antiseptic.  It heals and cleanses wounds.  We are to be salt, to be the agents of change, healing and cleansing that this broken world needs. 

2) Salt creates thirst.  As salt of the Earth, we create thirst for the living water of God.

3) Salt is a preservative and stops corruption.  Back in the days before refrigerators, meat was transported and kept fairly fresh through the use of salt.  Salt keeps things from rotting, from going bad.  In fact, four of Jesus' disciples who were in that crowd knew exactly what this metaphor meant.  They were fishermen, they knew that they were the salt of the Earth to keep it from decaying. 

4) Salt seasons food.  Without salt food is dull, there is a richness that is missing.  Our life with God should show a richness that attracts those who do not know him yet and in turn we should fill this world with the richness from God. 

So, how do we use salt now-a-days?  We put it in a salt shaker.  A salt shaker is the perfect metaphor for our churches.  A container that holds the salt, a container that also pours it out and distributes it.  The salt shaker is only useful if the salt is poured out.  Sometimes water or humidity gets inside the salt shaker and what happens?  The salt clumps together and is not able to leave.  You know one of the ways that salt loses its saltiness is to get diluted in water. A lot of our churches look like this.  Instead of going out of our churches and blessing the communities and the world around us, we clump together and stay comfortable in our Christian bubbles.  In other words, we lose our saltiness. 

So, what do we do to avoid this?  In the case of the salt shaker, we add in rice to keep the salt from clumping together.  Just like in our churches, we have some people who encourage and challenge others to leave their familiar surroundings and impact the world around them. 

Our church is more than just a building to meet on Sundays.  We are the salt of the earth, not just the church.  We were meant to be poured out, we were meant to take all that we learn from our time in church and pour it out into the people around us.  As the salt shaker gets used more and more, it will always be refilled.  But the important thing, is that it gets used.  So, where are you right now?  Are you salt being stored in the salt shaker?  or are you being poured out and used in the community and the world around you?

Arepas and Sweet tea

I've been cooking a lot of arepas lately, so I thought I would attach an article that does a lot better than I ever could at explaining what arepas are and how they are made.  I just discovered that the best arepas are arepas dulces.  Arepas with a little bit of sugar, a mix of savory with sweet.  Its very delicious!  Arepas are a staple at any Venezuelan home they are filling and very cheap to make. 

http://www.sweetbitesblog.com/journal/2010/2/10/arepas-dulces-sweet-venezuelan-filled-corn-cakes.html

I usually fill ours with ham and cheese or if I want to get a little fancier I'll shred chicken or beef.  There's a dish here that tastes just like chopped barbeque back home.  They are called arepas de pernil.  Pernil is spanish for pork and in these arepas it is shredded and cooked with vinegar and it tastes just like home.  However, all that is missing is sweet tea.  Which thanks to Sarah, who left us some tea bags, I am able to make sweet tea at home.  And you know what my Venezuelan husband makes the best sweet tea ever.  It could rival Chick-fil-A and Bojangles.  He also makes the best fresh pineapple juice...God knew what he was doing when he put us together...haha :)

Pictures from May

Hebert and I in "La Puerta", a little mountain town, outside of his aunt's house. 

This is Lori she is one of the missionaries that I became friends with during the week in Menegrande. 

This is the site of the first oil well they dug in Venezuela its called Zumaque and its in Menegrande the city that Hebert and I spent the first part of May in.  Its about 2 and a half hours outside of Maracaibo.  Venezuela is so blessed with oil that they pay to fill up their tanks with pocket change and use gasoline to wash their hands. 

I've been praying a long time for some good girl friends to share with and God has placed in my life two awesome girls from our church.  One of them Yesiree is here in this picture, With Charles her fiancee, Jennifer and her daughter Valeria, and Pastor Javier.  We were celebrating Yesiree's birthday and we bought ice cream at a local supermarket.  Some guy gave us a table in the middle of the supermarket and we were eating ice cream as the people around us were grocery shopping (see the lady in the back).  It was a funny experience.

We just got a new washer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The picture is kind of dark, but it still shows my super excitement!  I have a new appreciation for washing machines :) 

I live near John Deere.  A little bit of Hickory is always with me, even if I'm in Venezuela.  Also people in Maracaibo are obsessed with Bass Pro Shop merchandise.  Its on cars, hats, clothing.  I mean its a pretty awesome store my favorite is always watching the fish tank. 

This is my mother-in-law, Yoleida, and my sister-in-law, Yoilen.  We are celebrating Yoilen's 23rd birthday.  I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family here in Venezuela and of course for my family in the United States as well :)  I never forget you guys!

This is my hubby with his brother Eduardo.  We went to the movies with Eduardo and his girlfriend for his birthday.  We saw Iron Man 2.

FBCA is coming!!!

I know its been a while since I last posted, so I have a lot to catch up on.  It has been a busy month for Hebert and I.  Early May we spent about a week and a half in a town two hours outside of Maracaibo called, Menegrande.  It reminded me a lot of home, it had beautiful mountain views and it was a little bit cooler than Maracaibo most days.  We were asked to intrepret for a team coming from Tennessee to work with several churches there.  Overall, it was a great trip and I met some life-long friends.  I loved working with the team.  They were a lot of fun and it was amazing to be able to talk with other Americans.  I learned a lot about guns and hunting that week.  I mentioned to one of my best friends that after that trip I felt like I had learned even more about my Southern culture here in Latin America :)  No matter how far away I am, the South is always with me.   There were two boys on the trip Matthew and Michael, if I remember correctly they're 9 and 11 years old.  I was just speechless to see how enthusiastic and passionate these young boys were about missions, God's word, and loving on people.  Matthew, who is nine years old, is already writing and preaching sermons.  They are probably the most amazing gringo kids I have ever met, thanks to their awesome mom who I was always blessed to meet.  It was such an encouragement to spend time with her.  God knew that was what I needed, to spend time with a woman truly after His heart. 

After the trip to Menegrande we have been working on preparations for a mission team from First Baptist Church of Alpharetta.  They will be working in Venezuela from June 5th to the 12th.  Please be praying for this team and for the communities we will be working with.  We will be working on construction, finishing a community building near our church as well as a water plant.  We hope to finish our pastor's office.  As far as I know he has never had an office in all of his years as pastor and he is the most humble man I have ever met in my life, so he more than deserves this.  In the evenings we will be having carnivals and we will be distributing bags of groceries to families living around the city landfill. 

I hope that you are all doing well.  If you have the time send me an e-mail and let me know how you are doing or if there's anything that Hebert and I can be praying for.  Love you all and miss you too :)  Dios les bendiga! 

Pueblo Escogido

This Sunday went very well, so thanks so much for your prayers and support.  I really felt God's peace and presence with me and instead of being self-conscious and preoccupied about whether or not I was pronouncing words right, I just let go and God did his thing.  It continues to amaze me how things go 100 times better whenever I rely on God instead of myself.  The message on Sunday focused on missions and disciple-making and how it should be the purpose of everybody and not just a select few.  It was really cool because I got to use the verse that inspired the name of my church.  "Pueblo Escogido" means chosen people and 1 Peter 2: 9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."   They are a chosen people to declare the praises of God to share what God has done in their lives with others.  To reproduce the life they have in Christ in someone else.  This chapter also talks about Jesus as the living stone and how we, his believers, are the stones used to build the temple.  There's also a verse in Ephesians 2:20 that describes us as being a temple of God as well as in 1 Corinthians 3:16.  I think its very important that churches remember that the people are the church, not the building.  I got to use somethng I learned at UNC in the sermon.  My favorite class of all time was New Testament Archaeology.   My professor for that class is amazing she is a Dead Sea Scrolls expert and has led and been a part of many excavations in Israel and Greece.  I remember she showed us in class one day a picture of one of the earliest sites of the early church.  And I was stunned to see that there was no building, and no indication that there was ever a building there.  It was just an open-air field, dirt and sky.  The early church was just a group of people.  It really saddens me to see how some people care more for the building of the church than for the people inside of it, because God doesn't live in a building, he lives inside of His believers.

Some Prayer Requests

So, this coming Sunday will be my first opportunity to preach at church and I'm pretty nervous to be preaching in my second language, but excited at the same time.  I would really appreciate all of your support! 

This Tuesday my mom leaves for the Philippines.  She hasn't been home in ten years so she is going to have the time of her life.  I REALLY want to go back to the Philippines...my heart is there!  Its kind of hard to sneak into someone's suitcase when you're in a another country...haha.  Pray for her safety and for her time with our family. Also, pray for her as she will be sharing some Bible studies with her family.  Our family lives in the least evangelized part of the Philippines - Less than 2% are evangelized.  Its awesome to see how God is going to use my mom during her visit :) 

Learning new recipes :)

Lately, I've been learning how to make a lot of Venezuelan meals and I'm really excited about it.  Ever since I was little I've always loved cooking.  In fact growing up, I was the main cook in our house, so I feel very comfortable in the kitchen.  My favorite thing to cook is ethnic food, basically anything other than traditional American/Southern cuisine.  So, right now I'm in my happy place.  I get to learn how to cook with a whole new set of ingredients and I love the food here in Venezuela.  Some of my favorite dishes are Arepas, Patacones, Empanadas, Lomito Negro.  My favorite dish is Pollo Guisado and there is a lot more, but I can't remember them all. 

Arepas are like the biscuits or the bread of Venezuela.  They're made out of corn flour and shaped into a circle.  They can be grilled, fried or baked.  You just cut them in half and stuff meat and cheese if you have them on hand.  I love to eat mine just simple with ham and cheese.  They're probably the cheapest meal to make and they're very filling. 

Patacones remind me a lot of tostones if you have eaten at a Cuban or Spanish restaurant.  Basically they are plaintains,either green or yellow, that are smashed to form patties, and are then fried.  Patacones is another bread subsitute for Venezuelans.  The most popular way to eat them here is on the street where they serve Patacon cheeseburgers or chicken burgers.  I prefer to make them at home.  I like green plaintains, instead of the yellow ones and they're great with just ham and cheese as well. 

I have learned how to make Empanadas and it reminds me a lot of making lumpia with my mom, so for that reason alone it is one of my favorites. 

Lomito Negro is probably my favorite dish here in Zulia.  Its like roast beef in a decadent sweet yet savory sauce.  My mother-in-law is a genius in the kitchen and this is her best dish.  It is delicious!

However, my favorite dish above all is Pollo Guisado, or stewed chicken.  It reminds me a lot of Chicken Adobo from the Philippines.  Its just chicken in a pot with vegetables.  Its healthy and you can just cut up a whole chicken, so its not too expensive.

I always say that Venezuelans put cheese and mayonnaise on everything.  And its true they use so much mayonnaise...it was such a shock to me at first, because its something that I never really use.  But, I've learned that a little bit is okay.  All in all I think that Venezuelan cuisine is healthier than American in some aspects.  There's a lot less processed food here and sweets are not a big deal.  Dinner is a very small meal, my husband and I usually just have a sandwich.  Lunch is the main meal.   My tastes have changed a lot.  I don't care for sweets anymore, and I'm starting to like seafood.  Hopefully this will continue, so I will be better prepared for when I return to SE Asia :)

Happy Easter!!!

I hope that all of you are well!  Please know that I love you all so much and miss you all dearly, especially on Easter.  In Venezuela, Easter is no big deal (with protestant churches), in fact there are no family meals or special services.  And yes no chocolate bunnies or Easter egg hunts!  I can do without the latter, but I was missing the celebratory Easter service we usually have on Sunday and of course our Easter lunch at my aunt's house. 

However, Hebert and I did have a wonderful Easter.  Its the first one that we have spent together.  After church, we headed to "La Vereda del Lago" which is a beautiful park next to lake Maracaibo.  It reminds me a lot of Charleston/Central Park.  Its huge they have paintball, go-carts, concerts, clinics, a climbing wall, a water park, a zoo, and various gyms all inside the park.  Its really beautiful to walk around because there are lots of palm trees and its the only area in Maracaibo where there is a continuous breeze...hehe :)  You can see why its probably my favorite place in the city!  Hebert and I went with the youth of our church.  We had a picnic, played kick ball and volleyball, and went on a scavenger hunt.  It was really great to have the opportunity to get to know some of the youth better since we will be traveling with them this summer to a camp in the mountains.  I'm really excited about it the place is gorgeous and it is a much needed break from 100 degree weather. 

Speaking of summer, Hebert and I are really amazed at the opportunities that God has opened up for us this summer.  We will be doing a lot of traveling and mission work around Venezuela.  Here in Maracaibo, in Caracas, and in other parts of the country.  We would love to have you guys support us in prayer.

Maracaibo:
1) Pray for First Baptist Church of Alpharetta they will be coming down in June to work with us on a short-term mission trip.  Pray for the team's spiritual growth before, during, and after the trip.  Also pray for the people and the churches here in Venezuela that God will use this time to bring them closer to Him.

2) Pray for support and guidance for a new, developing ministry to feed around 500 families a month in Paraguishon, the city dump in Maracaibo.  Pray that this ministry will be more than just alimentation, but that we can reach these communities with the gospel as well.  We are thankful for our brother Mark from Georgia for his obedience to start this ministry. 

3) Pray for wisdom and guidance as I will be preaching April 25th at our church.  Its my first time ever to preach, but I am very humbled and glad to have this opportunity to share with our church. 

Caracas:
1) Pray for the Cirillo family from Georgia and for International Christian Schools in Caracas as we will be working with them this summer in building apartments for teachers, encouraging them, and working on some landscape projects at the school. 

Other areas:
1) Our church is invited to go on several mission trips around the country.  Hebert and I may go on one of these...I'll keep you updated, but please pray for our church and that our members will understand and be passionate about their role in missions.  We already have one member, a mother with 5 children, who has committed to go to Guyana on a mission trip this summer. 

Thank you all for your support and love!  Dios les bendiga grandemente!

Walk Out On the Water

This week has truly been a struggle for me.  The emotional stress from my job and the underlying pressure of culture stress just really erupted this week.  Culture stress comes after one goes through culture shock.  Sometimes I think its worse than culture shock because its stress that lies below the surface and you don't even know its there until one day it just blows up in your face.  I know for a fact that I could not make it through this without my wonderful husband.  As I am going through a lot of changes, a lot of growing in just a short period of time, its so encouraging to have someone by my side who loves me unconditionally and has just incredible patience with me.  Someone waiting with me as I'm working everything out and its truly a picture of God's great love and patience. 

Hebert always encourages me during those difficult moments using a passage from Matthew 14: 22-34.  In this passage Jesus walks out on the water to his disciples who are sailing during a storm.  They see a man walking on the water and are scared at first because they think its a ghost.  Jesus replies,

"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."  Matthew 14: 27-33

When I was younger and much more naive I used to read the gospels and think to myself "Can you believe this Peter guy he has Jesus right there in front of him doing all of these miracles and yet he still has all these doubts."  The hard truth is that I and I'm sure many of us identify more with Peter than we like to admit.  For me this passage talks to me a lot about faith and trust in God.  Peter is commanded to walk out on the water to Jesus, but as soon as he saw the wind, he is filled with fear and doubt and begins to sink.  In a sense, Peter loses confidence in himself, but even more than that Peter loses confidence in his new identity as Christ's disciple.  He forgets the great and miraculous power that Jesus has.  Jesus feeds the 5,000 right before this story.  Even after witnessing that incredible, inexplicable event Peter's faith falters due to a trying situation. 

I see so much of my life right now in this story.  God has done some ridiculous things in my life over the past 5 years.  He has always been faithful and constant through every storm and every trial.  I'm now a new creation in Christ and I can do anything through him.  However, when times get rough and hope is something you have to fight for its so easy to be overwhelmed by human limitations.  Faith dwindles.  To me, faith is belief beyond human limitations.  Hebrews 11 is filled with heroes of faith who believed not in their humanity, but in the power of God working through them.  Lately I've been so focused on my limitations such as differences in culture and language.  I become so obssessed with it, that I begin to feel like such a complete fool and it affects everything around me.  Too much attention is paid on the negative on the humane, instead of having faith and believing that God is so much larger than anything, including different cultures and different languages.  There is so much that I want to do here.  So much that I want to share with the people of Venezuela.  My human limitation of fear, more specifically, my fear of failure is keeping me from moving forward.  I have to let it go and have faith that trusts no matter what.  The road before me is not going to be easy, and without constant faith its going to be impossible. 

Kendall Payne is one of my new favorite artists.  I highly recommend checking out the song "I will show you love."  The song is written as if God were singing to us.  There is a line that says, "Walk out on the water where you have no control.  So scared to death of failure you sacrifice your soul please let that go."  I think its finally time for me to walk out on that water and stop sacrificing my soul. 

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

Spring is almost here! Okay maybe not in Maracaibo, Venezuela where we live in endless summer...haha. But I know that back home in the states, the snow is leaving, the grass is growing, and flowers are blooming. Its probably my favorite season because I can see such great testimonies of God's great power, beauty, and love all around me. I miss Spring. I miss looking outside of my window and just thanking God for his beautiful creation. Lately, I've been having a hard time trying to find that here in Maracaibo. There's not a lot of grass, mainly concrete, usually broken. Lots of dirt and trash. More so than just the physical aspects, lately its been hard for me to find beauty here in Maracaibo. I just feel overwhelmed by the ugly things the growing problems of insecurity, their loco president, and all of the craziness that's involved with living in a city. After some much needed quiet time, I realized that I've been looking at these situations with my eyes, instead of God's. I've learned over the years that as we seek to become more like Christ, we lose a lot of ourselves in the process. Today God was really wanting me to change my perspective and to start seeing the world around me through his eyes. Though the world, might label my new surroundings as "third-world", and others might say "ugly", I have to choose to look beyond what's there at the surface and see the beauty that God has intended for it. Also known as: grace. The greatest image of grace that we have in our lives is Jesus Christ. I mean if we read the entire bible until the arrival of Christ we see that Israel has been largely unfaithful to God. They've mocked him, ridiculed him, replaced him, and forgotten him. If you look into the history of the Hasmonean kingdom before the time of Herod you learn how they sold, bought, killed, and tainted the office of High Priest in the temple. I even remember what my life was like before Christ. I chased after lesser gods and I thought that I could control the world around me and be successful independent from God. I might have well just slapped God in the face and told him that he wasn't needed, that he was nothing. Even after all of that, God chose to look past and forget all of the times that we rejected him, all of the times that we mocked him, and we belittled him. He looked past all of our sin-filled hearts, he saw us for who we truly are and sent his one and only son to earth to be a living sacrifice for our sins. So, that we can be with God again; even though we didn't deserve it. And that's what grace is making the ugly beautiful once more. My lesson for the day: How quickly we forget to share the grace that we have been shown.

What once was hurt, what once was friction
What left a mark no longer stains
Because grace makes beauty out of ugly things
Grace finds beauty in everything
Grace finds goodness in everything - U2

What's new!

Hebert and I started our new job a couple of Saturdays ago at a local English institute here in town. Hebert is teaching 9th-10th graders and I'm teaching 2nd graders all the way up to 5th graders all in one classroom. The differences in my age groups have been quite the challenge I must say. I've spent the past two Saturdays in tears. Let's just say I have a whole new respect for elementary school teachers, especially here in Venezuela. You know how in the US you have two or three kids that are constantly acting out...imagine a whole classroom of them and you have elementary school in Venezuela! But I can already tell that just from these past two Saturdays I have grown a lot from this experience.

Last week I also started up my other job teaching private English classes. I really, really enjoy teaching these classes. Its so much more fun and relaxing to only have to teach one or two students. Currently I am teaching Angeles and Jennifer they are sisters and are both in high school. They are incredibly smart and very motivated to learn English. I've really enjoyed just getting to know them and using class materials from their favorite movies, books, etc. We're reading Harry Potter in English to work on their reading skills and watching clips from Twilight to work on their listening. Later on, once they have a good foundation I want to teach them how to share the gospel in English, so that when the team from the US comes this summer they have an opportunity to use them as translators.

Another great joy for me this week has been an addition to our family. Yes Hebert and I have made the decision to be foster parents...don't worry its just a hamster! Our good friends Sarah and David are currently in Peru studying linguistics for bible translation, so they asked us to care for their hamster while they are away! Her name is Honey and she is very sweet, like her name implies. Our hamster Po, is currently going crazy knowing that there is a female in the house...I'm sure we can all use our imaginations to know what he's thinking. However, we are keeping them separate because I refuse to raise 48 hamsters!

Other updates...let's see...Maracaibo has been so INCREDIBLY hot lately. Yesterday, according to the weathermen it felt like 120 degrees outside. So, I guess the temperature in Maracaibo does change some...it goes from Hot to Hotter! Hebert and I will be getting a break from the over 100 degree weather this summer when we travel with our youth to their summer camp in the mountains. Hebert and I are going to be camp counselors. It will be exciting to explore a new part of Venezuela and I'm really looking forward to getting to know more people from church. Hope you are all doing well! Love you and Miss you!