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!