One of our “rocks” this year (or one part of our mandate) is to learn more about the culture in which we are living. Music is a huge part of life here. The more we learn, the more we are impressed with the value that is placed in the music program here for the youth of this country as well as the diversity of music that Venezuelans love.
This afternoon we went with another Venezuelan family to the symphony of the youth orchestra. It was the boys’ first experience and it had been a long time since I had had the pleasure of listening live to such a high quality orchestra. I’m not sure of how frequent but at least a couple of times a month, they have free concerts and by the diversity of people I saw tonight, people love to come out to support the youth of Venezuela.
During one piece, they had a special guest violinist who has played all over the world and the composer of the piece was actually in the audience!
While we there, we met another family that we know! In a city this huge, it is always a surprise for us to actually run into people we know! We are so thankful for these opportunities to learn, experience and enjoy more of life with people. (and of course keeping working on our spanish!)
I am reading Deep Church by Jim Belcher. I found this tremendously encouraging today:
Finally, being postfoundational does not mean we are timid. Our confidence is not in ourselves and our wonderful ability to grasp and see reality, but in knowing that God knows all things and has chosen us to be part if his story. He has revealed the beginning and the end, and asked us to be his loyal representatives in his world. This good news takes the focus off of ourselves and our existential search for meaning-because we know the source of meaning and our identity is secure-and allows us to spend our efforts in boldly serving others for the common good.
On December 1, the boys had their school Christmas Concert! They had been preparing for weeks in their music class and were singing the songs as they played at home.
Christmas Concert
Lukas' Kindergarten Class with Miss Alli
Mackenzie was a shepherd and while it was a challenge to find him a costume, it turned out great! (Thanks to a friend for lending us her robe! and the use of pillow cases!)
Mackenzie
The boys’ favorite song was Holly Jolly Christmas! Here’s a link to the video on YouTube: Holly Jolly Christmas
The sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas can be found here in Caracas. It is different to associate some of the things I always associated with the shorter, colder days and snow.
Lights are up and the ever popular inflatable lawn decorations are sold on the hot concrete – including one with snow blowing in a snow globe. There are snowmen and santas everywhere. Christmas carols are played in all the malls and stores – some in spanish and some in english.
snow globe
There are Christmas bazar type shops (we call them ferias) set up on almost every corner some with elaborate tents filled to the brim and others with a simple tarp set up all selling “Canadian Pine Trees” and other random decorations. There is one set up in the parking lot that our church shares with another business and the smell of those pine trees is distracting – it’s amazing how smells can transport you to another time and place.
Christmas Bazaar with Canadian Trees for Sale
another one set up along the highway
We bought a fake tree but only brought 2 ornaments for each person in our family with us from Canada so we have been making ornaments to decorate our tree as we talk through the story of Christmas for advent. The boys are really into it and while we have been very creative in what we have come up with, we have been having a lot of fun! The other night we were talking about the story of Zechariah and Mackenzie got so excited and said “I get it, I really get it!” and proceeded to share what he learned from Zechariah – that we can believe and trust what God says is true.
We are anticipating trying traditional Venezuela Christmas food called Hallacas,which are similar to tamales; however, we have been told they are distinctly Venezuelan! We have already had some Pan de Jamón, a long bread filled with cooked ham and Dulce de Lechoza, a typical dessert served on Christmas. Dulce de Lechoza is made of green papaya and brown sugar which is slowly cooked for hours and is served cold.
While I miss family and tradition and, yes, even snow. I think this has been my favorite year for anticipating, enjoying, and truly meditating on Christmas. Change has been a good catalyst for digging deep and the boys are at such good ages for fun and good chats about what really matters.
I’m curious, for people who have spent time away from your “home culture” during the Christmas season, what part of your traditions did you keep and what part of your new culture and experience did you embrace?
So, as you probably guessed, we had been praying and checking into details regarding buying *M & *G’s vehicle while their story was unfolding. When *G first approached Chris we were sure we would have plenty of time to raise the additional funds needed once we found out the details. However, because of things happening so fast, we had a meeting with our CRD. We wanted to know if we could make this work. We found out that we had $12 500 in our vehicle fund and through researching the value of their vehicle we knew we could be up to $10 000 short. However, we found out that because money had been donated to pay of the entire amount owing on Kelly’s vehicle, we had access to money to be used until we could raise the full amount of the vehicle. *M & *G asked a very fair price and because of the value of the vehicle, the final decision was made to purchase the vehicle from them, paying a deposit of the money that had already been raised and the remaining amount to be paid off by the end of December! I have to admit, I was nervous. Fundraising is a difficult thing to do personally and yet through this whole journey, God has always supplied all of our needs, why I continue to focus on what “we can do” rather than trusting what “God can do” is beyond me!
Not only had God been working on *M & *G’s behalf, He had and continues to be working on our behalf. The day after we committed to purchasing the vehicle, we received two emails from churches telling us that money was on it’s way or had been committed to our vehicle fund. The day after that another group emailed us saying that a cheque was in the mail to head office. And a few days after that, we were told of another large sum given. Money had been committed and had been given without people knowing all the details about had been going on! To this day, we are SO very close to paying off the vehicle… We have no doubt that this has all been in His timing and through His provision and trust that the final amount will come in. We are excited for the day we can say “Stop giving to the vehicle fund” but we are not quite there yet. We need a fresh set of tires, replace a cooling fan and add a few security features that increase our safety as we drive in Venezuela.
I mentioned in the other post that the van for *M & *G had been two years in the making and we know we are also experiencing God’s provision and plan years in the making.
When we began to talk with the boys about leaving Summerland and learning spanish and living in another country as international workers, they asked questions on their mind. The basics: What car would we drive? Where will we live? We told them that we didn’t know the answers to those questions but that we would go together and that we could trust that as God was making it possible for us to GO, He would also provide what we need when we get there. When we would wonder how everything would work out – it was the boys that reminded us “God knows what kind of vehicle we are going to have” or “God knows where we are going to live.” And here we are. Living in the home that God provided with a vehicle sitting outside that God has provided. There is so much that is challenging on a personal, emotional, spiritual level in being here but this provision of our physical needs has been a huge reminder and lesson to me personally that God has brought us here – it is only through Him that it has even been possible that we are here. While some things are difficult and crazy as we navigate our way through these days, He is here. He is providing everything we need as we cling to Him and keep Him our focus.
Last weekend as we were able to share this story with two couples over skype (our first 3-way video call!), one of our friends shared some verses from Psalm 33 and 37 about how God’s plans stand firm and it is that TRUTH that we are standing in and clinging to as we PRAISE and THANK God for who He is and everything He has done.
And without further ado…..
2006 Nissan X-Trail
One of the things I love at our church here in Caracas is that every week, they give space for people to share stories. They give the opportunity for people to share stories that they would love prayer for and they share stories about what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of those around them. This is challenging on a spanish level as when people share with emotion or very personal stories, there is often something I don’t understand but it is a time of refreshing even with the missing pieces as we are all reminded that we are connected and needed and that God is moving in a very personal way in our lives.
Last week one of the stories was an incredible testimony to God meeting a need and not only meeting the need but in an extravagant way! This story also became connected to one of our stories and we asked permission to share it.
While we were out of the country earlier this month renewing our visas our new friends *M & *G had a particularly rough time. *M has Multiple Sclerosis. *G takes care of her and his body gave out. For two weeks, they were unable to leave the house as it was too difficult for *G to be lifting and caring for *M. During this time, they were crying out to God. They knew that there wasn’t anything they could do for themselves but were trusting that God heard them and would help. They just had no idea how. As you can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult time. Background on this wonderful couple is that when you first meet them, they have a light that just shines out of them. Chris calls them a “light-house” couple in the church. They are two years old in their relationship with God and their love for Him and gratefulness for the work that He has done in their lives pours out of them as they share life with people. For them to be “missing and out of action” for two weeks left an obvious hole. Because we had been away, we weren’t aware of all these details but when we returned, God was impressing in them on my heart and I felt compelled to pray for them. In a strong way.
Two weeks ago on a Thursday, *G phoned Chris and shared what had been going on and said that our pastor had come to visit the day before and they had gone to an organzation for helping people with disabilities. This meeting was both discouraging as there were no resources available to help them but also encouraging as they had a sliver of hope that they could import a wheelchair van from the United States and that this organization would help them do that. *G knew that we still needed a vehicle and was wondering if we would be interested in buying their vehicle once they were able to get a new van. Chris and I were excited at the thought as their vehicle would fit us well as a family and work needs at this time. We knew we didn’t have enough money raised yet but also thought we had some time as they figured things out on their end. We told them we were interested and would continue to pray for them and help in any way that we could/can. The next day, Chris met with *G on another matter and he shared with Chris that at a minimum, it would take lots of time and lots and lots of money for them to import a van from the US. They were wondering if this was out of their grasp. However, completely unrelated, another person had phoned them that morning (this is Friday) and asked if they would be interested in a wheelchair van and if so, he would bring it over to their house that night to take a look. They were very interested.
Sunday when we saw them at church, *M was glowing with a huge smile and told us, we need to sell you our vehicle “pronto!” She proceeded to tell us the story…..the man who had phoned them has a son with disabilities. Two years ago he began the process of importing a van for their family. Unbeknownst to him, at exactly the same time, their extended family was also importing a wheelchair van for their family as a surprise! Earlier this month, TWO wheelchair vans showed up for this family at the same time!!!! They did not need two so they were wanting to sell this one. This van was perfect for *M and *G. In brand new condition. Beautiful! This man said he was willing to leave it for them that very day and they could pay him when they could, how they could. It was done!!!! This van does not only give them freedom and meet their needs, it is extravagantly more….it is new and beautiful with all the extras! God not only provided but provided in abundance!!!!
Later in the service, both of them shared their story with the church family and there was not a dry eye as we were all able to witness God actively working in their lives through the growing and stretching of their faith and through His obvious provision!
After the service, they showed us their new wheels….we praise and thank God for His good gifts!!!!
showing us the new van! (automatic doors and ramp!)
no lifting needed!
*M and *G in their new van!
a whole new freedom! (the boys were incredibly excited and fascinated by the special features of the van!)
This story two years in the making is also part of our story and we’ll share that part with you soon!
*While we have permission to share their story here on the blog, we used *M & *G for internet privacy!
Earlier this month, the boys’ school held their annual Fall Festival. It is a huge deal and the teachers, administration and families work together to put on this event. We are continually grateful for the school that the boys are attending. It is such a good fit for them. Their teachers are caring and creative. And the boys are coming home most days with things they must teach us as they are excited to share all that they are learning and are sure we must not know it yet. As we have been doing the work of settling our family here, something we have heard often is that if our boys are content and happy, our work and ministry and lives will be that much more healthy and fruitful. So this joy they have and love of learning is not something we take for granted – we are grateful every day.
Here are some of the highlights from our Fall Festival day!
Kelly came to Fall Festival, too!
Chris served pop and juice. Parent volunteers made and served food from their own countries, Korea, Italy, Venezuela, & China. It is truly an international school with Mackenzie and Lukas being in the minority as students from North America.
After everyone was well-fed, the games began! The boys played some games several times!
Each grade was in charge of running a game. The Lollipop Tree was run by the Kindergarten and first grade teachers, as students were older, they ran the games for the younger kids.
All the kids loved fishing for real live fish! Amazingly all the fish seemed to survive the ordeal!
We got our family portrait above on the blog header drawn by one of the girls from 12th grade. She was amazing!
The boys with two of Lukas' friends from Kindergarten
It was so good to have an opportunity to meet some more of the parents of the boys' friends and see the boys interact with their friends and teachers.
Waiting for the prizes to be announced!
At the end of the afternoon, they drew names for different gift baskets and prizes and Kelly won a huge basket of candy!!!!
Since the Fall Festival, the boys have been getting ready for their Christmas concert! They have been singing Christmas carols for weeks and last week after breakfast one morning the boys began a song and dance routine that immediately after we were told to “forget” as they want us to be surprised on the night of the concert – I’ll just say there were “jazz hands” involved! Thankful for the smiles and joy they bring us every day.
Last night we had a fun opportunity to learn how to make Arepas. Arepas are a Venezuelan staple. They are corn cakes stuffed with a variety of fillings such as “queso blanco” or shredded beef or chicken, eggs, beans and in our case last night, goat cheese and ham. Many Venezuelans including Janeth and Julian eat them every day, often for breakfast, lunch, and supper.
It was interesting to watch Janeth and Julian make them because we soon learned that making and eating Arepas are a very personal thing. Janeth made some Arepas for the boys to eat so they could head to bed. She prefers to use the Arepa maker (similar to a waffle iron) as the cooking time is a bit faster.
Janeth mixing up the first batch of Arepas
tostiarepa or electric arepa maker
Yay! Mackenzie likes Arepas!
Julian prefers to make his using a special griddle. This takes longer but it is no more difficult.
Julian making Arepas
My turn!
Chris learning how to make the Arepas - there is a technique for making the patties - similar to the Mexican Tortilla but it doesn't get as thin. Julian is super fast and Chris tried to keep up with him!
Arepas are made with a special flour made of corn and sometimes rice. While in the past, the way in which to get the flour ready for Arepas was quite laborous, it is easily found in different brand names in all the grocery stores here. This flour is precooked so it mixes easily. Basically the flour is mixed with water and and a bit of salt and mixed together to form patties but Julian prefers to add oatmeal or other cereals or seeds as well as olive oil. Sometimes they add carrot juice or spinach. How the Arepas are made are as individual as to what people put inside.
We had a great time and learned lots of new spanish vocabulary for cooking.
Enjoying the end result!
We also learned to make what Julian called “Venezuelan Gatorade” -Papelón con limón. This drink is made from papelón (raw hardened sugar cane pulp – it looks like a dark rock), water, and limes or lemons. Simple and refreshing. Also a very personal thing as we found out as some people prefer it sweet and others more sour. (I like it more sour!) The boys really like this drink and they call it” iced tea” because to them it has a similar flavor and colour.
A side note is that while all this was all going on, Kelly had a hair treatment as Janeth loves to do hair! (I had my turn their last visit.) What a fun evening and a blessing to have people in our lives here willing to take the time to teach us new things!
Little things (read: not so little) that bring tremendous encouragement to me this day:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
How good it is to know that God is not depending on me to declare his glory in spanish, to proclaim the work of his hands in spanish, to display his knowledge in spanish! With or without me, His voice goes out into all the earth, to the ends of the world, in every speech and language.
God, You’re already here. How can I help?
Here’s a good little post from Kevin Deyoung’s blog at www.thegospelcoalition.org.
If you haven’t heard of David Sitton or the work of To Every Tribe Ministries, do yourself a favor and pick up David’s new book, Reckless Abandon: A Modern-Day Gospel Pioneer’s Exploits Among the Most Difficult to Reach Peoples.There are a lot of amazing stories in the book, but the chapter from David’s wife on the mundane aspects of missionary life was one of my favorite. After talking about the trials of learning a language, adapting to a new culture, finding the right balance between compassion and creating dependency, setting boundaries with our personal life and still caring for people, and handling the “fish bowl” experience of being rich white people in a strange land, Tommi Sitton offers this advice on how to pray for missionaries:
When people ask me how to pray for missionaries, I tell them they need to be remembered daily, because these kinds of stresses are everyday realities. Pray for the big things: that the gospel will advance through their efforts; that they will be sustained through loneliness; that the Lord will provide financial partnerships; and that He will protect them from illness and those who would do them harm. But also remember to pray for the everyday things: transportation to the market, strength to do tasks such as washing clothes and making meals, finding correct boundaries in relation to possessions and privacy, and enduring the stress of long periods of separation. Pray for the Lord to sustain their relationship with Him and with one another. And, particularly, pray for their children. (64-65)
Read the whole book. And pray for your missionaries.
We would love it very much if you would pray for us! If you are want to know how to pray specificaly, check the “Prayer” tab at the top of our website for those specifics. You can signup to receive our prayer updates automatically in your email inbox. Just fill out the form on the bottom of this post or near the top on the right hand side of our website.
Thanks for joining with us in prayer. To God be the glory!
