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| New Year's Eve with two of my roommates, Lisa and Karen |
Monday, January 24, 2011
Prospero Año y Felicidad
New Year's Eve in Venezuela was really fun. Our team spent the day relaxing and calling family. We cooked dinner and spent the evening playing games, talking and dancing. When it turned five minutes before midnight we took part in the Venezuelan tradition of eating 1 grape for every chime of the clock at midnight. We didn't quite understand the tradition and struggled through it because the grapes here are so huge! You are supposed to make a wish with every grape, but after about the 6th grape my only wish was to make it through the grape itself. We rang in the new year with bottle rockets and noisemakers in our apartment. Soon after the city erupted in fireworks and celebration. As we walked to the top of our parking garage we ran into neighbors celebrating in the hallways and outdoor plaza. I took in the sights and sounds of New Year's in Venezuela and thanked God for such a wonderfully different experience.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
¡Feliz Navidad!
Before our STINT Briefing in August it never occurred to me that I would be spending Christmas in Venezuela..away from my family. I knew I wouldn't be home for a year, but somehow I never put the two together. After the initial shock I decided to set the thought aside and not dwell on it until the holidays arrived. This did not take long. We got to Venezuela at the end of September and before Halloween had even arrived there were Christmas decorations in most of the stores. If it wasn't clear then, it definitely is now: Venezuelans love Christmas. They love celebrating, decorating, eating and dancing. There is an energy that builds from the beginning of October all the way up to New Year's Eve!
Here are some of the highlights of Christmas in Venezuela:
"Gaitas"-popular type of Venezuelan Christmas music . Anytime I was with a student and some gaitas came on they would tell me and get so excited. They are played everywhere from church to the buses to choir concerts. They are very lively and enjoyable.
Fireworks-every night in December. Fireworks are a big part of celebrating the holidays here. Anyone can buy them and set them off so they can be heard at all hours all over the city. It should also be noted that fireworks are usually accompanied by car alarms going off. It was a noisy month in Venezuela.
Christmas Eve-the major night for celebrating Christmas. For many Venezuelans, Christmas Eve is the big day. The whole family stays up until midnight and they celebrate the birth of Jesus with lots of food, music and fireworks late into the night. My team spent Christmas Eve at our Campus Director's house with his family.
"Pan de jamón"- ham bread. This is a popular Venezuelan Christmas dish made by rolling ham, raisins and olives in bread and baking it. It is usually ordered from the local bakery and picked up the day you need it.
"Hallacas"- a mix of cornmeal, meat, olives, raisins and capers, wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed or boiled. These are another very popular Venezuelan Christmas dish. They take a long time to make and can either be bought or made at home.
It was really fun to be able to celebrate Christmas in Venezuela. I did miss my family but I was blessed with a family here to celebrate with. My team and I were able to take part in Venezuelan traditions as well as share our own traditions from home.
Here are some of the highlights of Christmas in Venezuela:
"Gaitas"-popular type of Venezuelan Christmas music . Anytime I was with a student and some gaitas came on they would tell me and get so excited. They are played everywhere from church to the buses to choir concerts. They are very lively and enjoyable.
Fireworks-every night in December. Fireworks are a big part of celebrating the holidays here. Anyone can buy them and set them off so they can be heard at all hours all over the city. It should also be noted that fireworks are usually accompanied by car alarms going off. It was a noisy month in Venezuela.
Christmas Eve-the major night for celebrating Christmas. For many Venezuelans, Christmas Eve is the big day. The whole family stays up until midnight and they celebrate the birth of Jesus with lots of food, music and fireworks late into the night. My team spent Christmas Eve at our Campus Director's house with his family.
"Pan de jamón"- ham bread. This is a popular Venezuelan Christmas dish made by rolling ham, raisins and olives in bread and baking it. It is usually ordered from the local bakery and picked up the day you need it.
"Hallacas"- a mix of cornmeal, meat, olives, raisins and capers, wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed or boiled. These are another very popular Venezuelan Christmas dish. They take a long time to make and can either be bought or made at home.
It was really fun to be able to celebrate Christmas in Venezuela. I did miss my family but I was blessed with a family here to celebrate with. My team and I were able to take part in Venezuelan traditions as well as share our own traditions from home.
First Weekly Meeting
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| Students and staff at the first weekly meeting |
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| Students leading worship at the first weekly meeting |
The first weekly meeting at the University of Carabobo campus took place Friday, December 10. We had begun dreaming about what it would look like early in the semester, and it was so encouraging to plan with the students! It seemed evident that God had begun preparing hearts for this before our team had arrived. God provided an auditorium, a worship team and instruments. Students made a video, Facebook groups, and fliers. Word began to spread and we grew more excited to see it happen. Much time and planning went into planning the meeting, which was something I had never realized because when I was involved in Campus Crusade at U of I I would show up every Monday and everything was already planned!
The week of the first weekly meeting arrived and Murphy's Law seemed to take over. More things went wrong that week, from no water to sickness, than I can even remember. At the beginning of the week I was frustrated and discouraged as things kept getting in the way of us doing what we needed to do. I felt helpless as we heard news of floods throughout the country and classes being cancelled. In God's own gracious way, He gently reminded my that He is in control. It was okay that I felt helpless because He is not. He has plans for our ministry here and they cannot be stopped by cancelled classes, protests, or no water. When we arrived on campus that Friday I was encouraged to see what the Lord would do and I knew that whether the weekly meeting happened that day or a week later, God would receive the glory. We found out that the electricity had gone out and that classes were cancelled. We prayed and decided to reserve the auditorium again for the next week.
The following Friday we arrived at campus to find out that the auditorium was locked and the guy with the key would not be in that day. We agreed to hold the meeting in a classroom upstairs and quickly spread the news to students around campus. As we were setting up the electricity went out. It never came back but we went ahead with the meeting and held it on the balcony. We had a student testimony, music, a game, and a gospel message by our team leader. About 30 students attended the weekly meeting, many of whom had never been to a Vida Estudiantil event!
It was so exciting to see how God worked through all the challenges we faced and brought many students there that day to hear about the love He showed us through sending His Son Jesus!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Life in pictures
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| With members of the student Servant Team, Anthony and Gustavo |
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| Valencia Campus Directors: Christian and Julieta Vivas with their son, Lucas |
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| With members of the Servant Team: Ela, Douglas, Gustavo and Anthony |
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| View of the street from our window |
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| At Spanish language class |
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| Students at English Club |
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| Weekly large-group Bible study |
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| Children at the orphanage in Valencia |
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| At the orphanage |
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| At the orphanage |
Saturday, December 4, 2010
the B-I-B-L-E..yes, that's the book for me
One of my roles on our STINT team is to co-plan the weekly campus Bible study with a teammate named Lisa. I am so thankful for this job. I love studying the Bible. It is so rich, live-giving and challenging. I love getting to help others study the Bible and fall in love with God's word! My teammate and I have this in common and it has been so exciting seeing the Lord work in both our lives as we prepare the study each week. We've been studying the gospels with the students and looking at who Jesus is, what he did and how we should live in light of that.
One of the challenges with leading a large-group Bible study is that we encounter students at varying parts of their spiritual journeys. Some have never heard the gospel before, others are just beginning their relationship with Christ and still others are leading their own Bible studies on various parts of campus. Another challenge has been the language barrier. There is a huge range of Spanish and English ability among students and STINT team members, so Bible study is always in both languages.
Even with these challenges, God has been doing really awesome things through the weekly Bible study. The range in spiritual backgrounds has actually been beneficial because it allows the students to be able to learn from one another. Everyone has something to offer and something to learn. It's awesome listening to students share what they're learning and explain concepts like grace and forgiveness! There is also a lot of teamwork in translating Bible study, both before and during. Lisa and I write the Bible study in English and then have a our Venezuelan campus director translate it. During study, we read the question in English and then have it repeated in Spanish. People respond in either language and then someone will translate as needed. It takes extra time, but it is so worth it because God 's desire is for every nation, tongue and tribe to know Him. (Revelation 7:9)
Throughout all the other activities we have during the week, such as English Club and evangelism, we try to invite students to our weekly Bible study because we want them to get connected to a community of believers who study God's word and seek to live it out. A few weeks ago, a student named Antonio whom we met through English Club and who did not know Christ, came to Bible study for the first time. He joined one of the smaller groups and sat next to a Christian student, Kevin. During study, Kevin began to talk one-on-one with Kevin about Jesus and shared the gospel with Antonio. At the end of Bible study we found out that Antonio had prayed to receive Christ right there!! Praise God! It's so amazing to work with students who love Jesus and want to see others come to know Him.
Please pray that Antonio would continue to get connected with other believers and begin growing in his faith. He has been coming regularly to Vida Estudiantil events and meeting other students. He has also introduced us to friends whom we have been able to share the gospel with. One of them, Rafael, also prayed to receive Christ a week later!
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
One of the challenges with leading a large-group Bible study is that we encounter students at varying parts of their spiritual journeys. Some have never heard the gospel before, others are just beginning their relationship with Christ and still others are leading their own Bible studies on various parts of campus. Another challenge has been the language barrier. There is a huge range of Spanish and English ability among students and STINT team members, so Bible study is always in both languages.
Even with these challenges, God has been doing really awesome things through the weekly Bible study. The range in spiritual backgrounds has actually been beneficial because it allows the students to be able to learn from one another. Everyone has something to offer and something to learn. It's awesome listening to students share what they're learning and explain concepts like grace and forgiveness! There is also a lot of teamwork in translating Bible study, both before and during. Lisa and I write the Bible study in English and then have a our Venezuelan campus director translate it. During study, we read the question in English and then have it repeated in Spanish. People respond in either language and then someone will translate as needed. It takes extra time, but it is so worth it because God 's desire is for every nation, tongue and tribe to know Him. (Revelation 7:9)
Throughout all the other activities we have during the week, such as English Club and evangelism, we try to invite students to our weekly Bible study because we want them to get connected to a community of believers who study God's word and seek to live it out. A few weeks ago, a student named Antonio whom we met through English Club and who did not know Christ, came to Bible study for the first time. He joined one of the smaller groups and sat next to a Christian student, Kevin. During study, Kevin began to talk one-on-one with Kevin about Jesus and shared the gospel with Antonio. At the end of Bible study we found out that Antonio had prayed to receive Christ right there!! Praise God! It's so amazing to work with students who love Jesus and want to see others come to know Him.
Please pray that Antonio would continue to get connected with other believers and begin growing in his faith. He has been coming regularly to Vida Estudiantil events and meeting other students. He has also introduced us to friends whom we have been able to share the gospel with. One of them, Rafael, also prayed to receive Christ a week later!
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
Saturday, November 6, 2010
God's gonna make me stand (Part 2)
Then there were the things I wasn't expecting: everything taking twice as long to do, common foods such as cheese tasting completely different, the huge adjustment to living in Venezuelan culture, and the feeling of being dependent on others and, more importantly, on God.
It's true, everything takes way more time to get done than you ever anticipate. We now tell each other to overestimate how long something is going to take. Venezuelans aren't as concerned about the time as they are about the events taking place. Because of that things will start when people get there and end whenever they leave. There aren't always definite times for plans and if there are they aren't stressed. It was very hard for me to adjust to this because I've realized that I have a time orientation; I value promptness and schedules. I've had to learn that this culture is different in that way: time isn't the most important thing and if things get done they get done, and if not that's okay too. I admire this about them because they seem to enjoy where they are when they are there, whereas I often think about how long the present event is going to take and what time I need to get to the next thing. A team motto is "flexibility".
I wasn't expecting the food to taste so different. A common misconception that I also held before coming here is that Venezuelan food is just like Mexican food. It is not. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find tortillas, tortilla chips, salsa or tacos! Some popular foods include "arepas", which are like sandwiches but the bread is made of cornmeal and can be stuffed with anything and everything, including PB&J. Rice and beans, and ham and cheese are also very popular. Another common food is "platanos", which are plantains and can be cooked any number of ways: fried, boiled, and baked. Empanadas are a popular breakfast food that are a fried cornmeal shell stuffed with meats and vegetables. These are by far my favorite Venezuelan food. American fast food restaurants and food items can be found all over the city. We live just a few blocks from McDonalds and our language school is across the street from Wendys. It is fun to go to these places but it can be disappointing because they aren't quite the same since they use local ingredients, such as the strong tasting cheese.
Adjusting to the culture was initially really hard for me because I spent so much time trying to find all the similarities between Venezuela and America and trying to make Venezuela fit into my picture of home. That didn't work because the reality is that Venezuela is very different from home and it will never be like home no matter how many American things I try to surround myself with. I've had to see that the differences aren't all bad and that there are so many things I can learn from the Venezuelan people, such as the value they put on simply being together without rushing off to the next thing as well as their affection for each other. They are such a warm and expressive people in a way that makes you feel welcome and cared for even if it's only the first time you've met. They make me want to love more openly and experience life more deeply. I wouldn't be able to see these things if I was still trying to make Venezuela into what I wanted it to be. I think the Lord is definitely using Venezuela and its people to make me into the person that He wants me to be.
Another challenge has been feeling so much more dependent on others than I expected. I just came off 4 years away from home living "on my own" and even this summer I spent a lot of time doing "my own thing" and I enjoyed that. Since coming to Venezuela, I've lived with, worked with, and hung out with the same 6 people every day. It's both good and hard. They are amazing and I know it's good for me to have this experience of sharing my life with them but it's hard because I've never had to do anything like this before. For most of my life people have been in defined parts of my life: I've had family, coworkers, classmates, friends, etc..and there was rarely overlap. But now the lines are blurred because everyone is in every part of my life. I'm seeing more clearly my need for community and how God doesn't intend for me to do life alone. I thank Him everyday for them.
The final aspect of life in Venezuela that I didn't anticipate but am so thankful for is seeing my need for God more and more everyday. I wake up each day knowing that I can't do what I need to do that day without seeking Him and relying wholly on His power. The days are long, I fumble through the language, I lose patience and don't understand so many things about life here but God is completely in control and so full of grace. This time has been great for breaking down my pride and showing me that what I do is only because of what God enables me to do. If I things weren't challenging and unexpected I wouldn't feel the need to seek the Lord; I would just power through and boast about my own abilities. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Thank you so much for reading these long posts!! Thank you also for your prayers and support!
Philippians 1:3-6
It's true, everything takes way more time to get done than you ever anticipate. We now tell each other to overestimate how long something is going to take. Venezuelans aren't as concerned about the time as they are about the events taking place. Because of that things will start when people get there and end whenever they leave. There aren't always definite times for plans and if there are they aren't stressed. It was very hard for me to adjust to this because I've realized that I have a time orientation; I value promptness and schedules. I've had to learn that this culture is different in that way: time isn't the most important thing and if things get done they get done, and if not that's okay too. I admire this about them because they seem to enjoy where they are when they are there, whereas I often think about how long the present event is going to take and what time I need to get to the next thing. A team motto is "flexibility".
I wasn't expecting the food to taste so different. A common misconception that I also held before coming here is that Venezuelan food is just like Mexican food. It is not. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find tortillas, tortilla chips, salsa or tacos! Some popular foods include "arepas", which are like sandwiches but the bread is made of cornmeal and can be stuffed with anything and everything, including PB&J. Rice and beans, and ham and cheese are also very popular. Another common food is "platanos", which are plantains and can be cooked any number of ways: fried, boiled, and baked. Empanadas are a popular breakfast food that are a fried cornmeal shell stuffed with meats and vegetables. These are by far my favorite Venezuelan food. American fast food restaurants and food items can be found all over the city. We live just a few blocks from McDonalds and our language school is across the street from Wendys. It is fun to go to these places but it can be disappointing because they aren't quite the same since they use local ingredients, such as the strong tasting cheese.
Adjusting to the culture was initially really hard for me because I spent so much time trying to find all the similarities between Venezuela and America and trying to make Venezuela fit into my picture of home. That didn't work because the reality is that Venezuela is very different from home and it will never be like home no matter how many American things I try to surround myself with. I've had to see that the differences aren't all bad and that there are so many things I can learn from the Venezuelan people, such as the value they put on simply being together without rushing off to the next thing as well as their affection for each other. They are such a warm and expressive people in a way that makes you feel welcome and cared for even if it's only the first time you've met. They make me want to love more openly and experience life more deeply. I wouldn't be able to see these things if I was still trying to make Venezuela into what I wanted it to be. I think the Lord is definitely using Venezuela and its people to make me into the person that He wants me to be.
Another challenge has been feeling so much more dependent on others than I expected. I just came off 4 years away from home living "on my own" and even this summer I spent a lot of time doing "my own thing" and I enjoyed that. Since coming to Venezuela, I've lived with, worked with, and hung out with the same 6 people every day. It's both good and hard. They are amazing and I know it's good for me to have this experience of sharing my life with them but it's hard because I've never had to do anything like this before. For most of my life people have been in defined parts of my life: I've had family, coworkers, classmates, friends, etc..and there was rarely overlap. But now the lines are blurred because everyone is in every part of my life. I'm seeing more clearly my need for community and how God doesn't intend for me to do life alone. I thank Him everyday for them.
The final aspect of life in Venezuela that I didn't anticipate but am so thankful for is seeing my need for God more and more everyday. I wake up each day knowing that I can't do what I need to do that day without seeking Him and relying wholly on His power. The days are long, I fumble through the language, I lose patience and don't understand so many things about life here but God is completely in control and so full of grace. This time has been great for breaking down my pride and showing me that what I do is only because of what God enables me to do. If I things weren't challenging and unexpected I wouldn't feel the need to seek the Lord; I would just power through and boast about my own abilities. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Thank you so much for reading these long posts!! Thank you also for your prayers and support!
Philippians 1:3-6
God's gonna make me stand (Part 1)
Before coming to Venezuela, there were certain things I anticipated: warmer weather, meeting lots of new people, figuring out my new job, growing in my relationship with the Lord and getting to know my team.
The weather has been so nice though at times uncomfortable; temperatures have averaged in the high 80s during the day.
It has been so exciting meeting new people everyday. We've made friends with neighbors, people at churches and even employees at bakeries we frequent. We've also met so many students: those already involved in the student organization, Vida Estudiantil, and those who have never even heard about Christ. Venezuelans are very friendly and curious and initiating conversation is very natural. They welcome you to sit down with them no matter what they're doing and they'll readily introduce you to all their friends! A few weeks ago some of my teammates and I were on the engineering campus with an information and survey table. We are hoping to start a Bible study on the engineering campus and we wanted to start connecting with students that might be interested. I sat down on a bench to finish writing some things for our table when Alexis, a student I had met on the bus a week earlier, sat down next to me. We chatted for a little before he asked me what we were doing. I told him and he was so excited because he had just become a Christian over the weekend. He then introduced me to his friends, some of whom were Christians and some of whom were not. He introduced me to Maria Antonieta who was interested in knowing more about having a personal relationship with Christ! She had some time so right there and then we did a survey and I was able to share the gospel with her in Spanish! It's was so incredible to see Alexis's enthusiasm for connecting with other believers and then to see the Lord open doors to another student being able to hear the good news!!
Figuring out my new job has been a week to week adventure but I'm so thankful for each new experience. Doing full-time ministry is very different from being involved with campus ministry back home. I have so much to learn and I'm thankful that the Lord is so patient with me. It is evident that the Lord didn't bring me here because I'm really good at ministry..but because He is mighty and sovereign! Each day I learn something new about God, about myself, and about others. The national director for Vida Estudiantil in Venezuela, Deivi, told us on our third day here that God's purposes in bringing us here were not about what we could do in Venezuela but about what He wanted to do in our hearts. God has things He wants to teach me and Venezuela is where He has chosen to do that this year. Deivi also added that my effectiveness in ministry will flow from my growth in the Lord.
I have had a great time getting to know my team. I am so thankful for each one of them and the ways that they reflect Christ's character. All of us girls, 5 in total live together and we have had wonderful times sharing our lives with each other. They challenge me to go deeper in my relationship with the Lord and to love others more. I'm learning to be more honest about what I'm struggling with and God has shown me so much grace through each of these women. I admire their faith and perseverance. I'm looking forward to growing even closer and learning more from them.
The weather has been so nice though at times uncomfortable; temperatures have averaged in the high 80s during the day.
It has been so exciting meeting new people everyday. We've made friends with neighbors, people at churches and even employees at bakeries we frequent. We've also met so many students: those already involved in the student organization, Vida Estudiantil, and those who have never even heard about Christ. Venezuelans are very friendly and curious and initiating conversation is very natural. They welcome you to sit down with them no matter what they're doing and they'll readily introduce you to all their friends! A few weeks ago some of my teammates and I were on the engineering campus with an information and survey table. We are hoping to start a Bible study on the engineering campus and we wanted to start connecting with students that might be interested. I sat down on a bench to finish writing some things for our table when Alexis, a student I had met on the bus a week earlier, sat down next to me. We chatted for a little before he asked me what we were doing. I told him and he was so excited because he had just become a Christian over the weekend. He then introduced me to his friends, some of whom were Christians and some of whom were not. He introduced me to Maria Antonieta who was interested in knowing more about having a personal relationship with Christ! She had some time so right there and then we did a survey and I was able to share the gospel with her in Spanish! It's was so incredible to see Alexis's enthusiasm for connecting with other believers and then to see the Lord open doors to another student being able to hear the good news!!
Figuring out my new job has been a week to week adventure but I'm so thankful for each new experience. Doing full-time ministry is very different from being involved with campus ministry back home. I have so much to learn and I'm thankful that the Lord is so patient with me. It is evident that the Lord didn't bring me here because I'm really good at ministry..but because He is mighty and sovereign! Each day I learn something new about God, about myself, and about others. The national director for Vida Estudiantil in Venezuela, Deivi, told us on our third day here that God's purposes in bringing us here were not about what we could do in Venezuela but about what He wanted to do in our hearts. God has things He wants to teach me and Venezuela is where He has chosen to do that this year. Deivi also added that my effectiveness in ministry will flow from my growth in the Lord.
I have had a great time getting to know my team. I am so thankful for each one of them and the ways that they reflect Christ's character. All of us girls, 5 in total live together and we have had wonderful times sharing our lives with each other. They challenge me to go deeper in my relationship with the Lord and to love others more. I'm learning to be more honest about what I'm struggling with and God has shown me so much grace through each of these women. I admire their faith and perseverance. I'm looking forward to growing even closer and learning more from them.
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