We spent our days at Kelly's place. This was our last day together - excitement is building! This picture is funny to me as it shows the intensity of Chris and the humor of Kelly and the energy of Murray.

Please continue to pray for us as we continue to work through many of the details!

Joel Comiskey has been involved with cell churches as an international worker with the C&MA in Ecuador as well as in the US.  He has also extensively studied cell movements around the world in his doctoral studies. He was engaging and people listened intently.   My favorite times throughout the weekend were the question and answer periods with Comiskey and the small group breakout times where people were given the opportunity to interact more with the material.   People were open and learning….Exciting stuff!

A view of the Cell Conference before the Friday evening session.

Joel Comiskey

On a side note, we were encouraged with our spanish.   We were able to understand the conference and engage with the people around us.   My spanish speaking wasn’t  always fluid but being able to interact with people and listen without having to translate it in my head was so encouraging.

As a team, we had time to talk together about what we were hearing and this was also helpful as we went into our week of meetings with our regional director.

An added blessing and joy was being billeted!  Chris and I stayed in the home of Rosa and Carlos.   They are new believers and shared with us how God not only saved them but saved their marriage.   They are both retired physical education university professors and very active.  They host small groups in their home, Carlos spends his mornings reading his Bible and talking with friends at the local bakery and Rosa owns several properties where she rents to female university students who are studying away from home.   She is strict with the girls but desires for them to have a safe, clean, and healthy environment to live.   Rosa decided that we needed to have traditional Venezuelan breakfasts so made Arepas with eggs and cheese Friday, took us to a road-side stand to have fresh off the corn cob made Cachapas Saturday and Sunday took us for fresh Empanadas and freshly blended fruit juice.  The family’s hospitality and service to us was an incredible gift.

Cachapas with Rosa

The first days were spent introducing them to life here – our home, our church, our friends, the boys’ school, and our city.

The boys had a day off school before we left for the conference so we took Megan and Erin up the teleferico to the top of Avila which overlooks the city of Caracas and enjoyed my favorite Chocolate Caliente

By the time Thursday came along, we were ready to leave for the conference – the boys were excited that we were leaving and Chris and I were so thankful that Megan and Erin were willing to take them on!

While I know that being full on with two active boys is not easy, the boys were not just cared for, they had adventures and had opportunities to be creative.

Mackenzie, Megan, Lukas, & Erin

Chris and I are so thankful that we could leave the boys confidently.  It was our first time away from them overnight since moving to Venezuela and we felt peace and calm knowing they were in good hands!

Thank you soooo much for walking this (bumpy yet exciting) road with us.

Here are some photo highlights:

(*all photos taken with our phones)

Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Cartanal

The Church is able to use this space without charge as they provide a guard for the pharmacy below. Another story of God's provision for his people!

Chris sharing

The boys met Franco when we first arrived and were fast friends. Every person has a story and this boy has his own special story. The only one in his family to go to church, heart for Jesus, craving relationship... Such a precious boy.

Going into these kind of days are not easy so we are thankful knowing that many of you were praying for us today.

A personal highlight for me was the children.   Our boys stand out wherever we go and sometimes they get tired of all of the attention so we never know what we are going to experience with them when we go into a new situation.  The children were so welcoming to the boys that they were literally pulled into playing with the other kids.  Lukas told us after that they were SO fun! Mackenzie name is hard for them to remember so I think Mackenzie had to tell them his name to one of the girls about 50 times throughout the day – “Como te llamas?” “Mac-ken-ZIE!”   I had a group of girls push me onto a stool and crowd their chairs all around me, braiding my hair and asking me to translate all of their names in to English.   One boy – about Mackenzie’s age – quietly took me aside later and asked me “what is a missionary?”   It was such a gift that the pastor and his family would welcome us into their community and share a bit of their lives with us today.   They are in a difficult place and often feel isolated but they are there because they know that God has called them there.

The meeting area of the church is on the top of the building and so rather than seeing the dusty streets, you see the mountain range surrounding the city. And as we listened to them share their heart and their passion for their city and country, these verses came to mind…. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Ps 121)

As we look back and process all that we have been able to be apart of over the two weeks, we are so grateful to God who is rich in mercy and generous in His good gifts.   We had Canadian C&MA colleagues here in Venezuela.   They were able to visit many of the Alliance churches and share with the people hope and a call to pray.  We are praying that out of these days of time together and teaching that the momentum will grow as the believers grow in unity, not only amongst their churches but with other believers in other denominations.

Sharing time with the Klassens and Pensons

Personally, it was a time of refreshing for us. There are times where we feel very isolated here as the we along with Kelly have been navigating our way through period of transition, learning the language, learning the culture, learning the city, learning everything it seems some days.  Time with people where we can share stories and learn and pray together does so much for our hearts.  So thankful.

Dear friends, family, and supporters,

We have a unique opportunity to share with you and we would love for you consider how you can partner with us.

On April 18 – 22, a conference on cell ministry is taking place for the leaders, pastors and members of all the Alliance churches in Venezuela.   We are sensing prayerfully that much will come out of this special time together with them and others from various denominations in the country.  Our team here in Venezuela, us and Kelly Dyer, along with our leaders, Murray and Michelle Derksen, feel it is vital that all of us are able to be apart of this time of learning and listening and exploring, dreaming and moving forward.

However, we need help: In order for all of us to attend, we need our boys to be taken care of during these days and we are asking if you can give towards the flights needed to bring caregivers from Canada to stay with our boys.  Why bring people from Canada?  We do not yet have the type of relationships with people here that we can leave our kids with for extended periods of time.  We have two people who know our boys, are available to come and can come care for them, and who know spanish and are familiar with the latin culture (essentials in Caracas) .  The tickets cost $1100 each.  Could you help us with this?

If you have any questions, please email us and we will respond as quickly as we can.  If you are able to give towards this, our leaders have suggested that people send money DIRECTLY to our National Office in Toronto because this is a time-sensitive need.   Donations are considered tax deductible and you will be issued a tax receipt.

Please designate in a note or letter:    For Chris & Angela Hiebert’s Work Special

Donations can be made by mailing a cheque to:

The Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada
30 Carrier Dr, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M9W 5T7

OR

You can give online at: Canada Helps

This method takes more time for the funds to go to the designated account and there is an additional 3% deducted off your gift for administration fees but it is simple.

If you choose to donate online through Canada Helps:

Choose Fund Designation: “OTHER – Provide Instruction in the space provided below”

Type in the “Message/Instruction” box:

For Chris & Angela Hiebert’s Work Special

Please pray for this conference - for the participants, for the speaker – Joel Comiskey, for movement of the Holy Spirit, and for clarity and momentum before, during, and after. We are so thankful for the ways in which we are seeing God bringing together details for this conference and we are praying with anticipation!  Thank you for continuing to partner with us here in Caracas.

Under His rich mercy,

Chris & Angela

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always,
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

Well, not really, but we have some really great news contained within so you should check it out!