Many Things Going On, So Pray

The McEachern UMC Mission Team arrives tomorrow in Punto Fijo, Venezuela. Seventeen people will be working with Bishop Juvenal and Pastora Nohely Perez doing Vacation Bible School, evangelism and other projects. Venezuela Now's Ministry Assistant, Samuel Rojas, arrived there yesterday to make sure all was ready for their arrival. When he got to the hotel, he was informed that a prominent politician was coming and they had taken their reservations. He spent the night with Bishop Perez and prayed all night for a solution. This morning he returned to the hotel and met with the manager and was told he would guarantee the rooms, "no problem." Those of you reading this who have been to Venezuela know the imperative of praying for the work there, even every detail such as hotel reservations. Nothing is easy, but God is faithful!

Meantime, our ministry partners in Venezuela are preparing to receive us next Wednesday as five of us travel to Cabudare. We will be spending a month there. They are also overseeing renovation on a a house, preparing for Seminary August 11-15 and our First Graduation. They are also working to close on a house and the seminary property, something that is incredibility complicated in Venezuela.

They are also preparing to receive and host the Tucker First UMC Mission Team arriving in Cabudare on July19. Venezuela Now rents a mission house that will accommodate their housing needs; So our partners have to get the house and linens cleaned, and will provide breakfast and dinner meals for them while they are there working on the Ondas de Paz United Methodist Church.

Then they will repeat this for the Mount Pisgah UMC mission team arriving August 6 and staying through seminary graduation. Again, cleaning, meals, transportation, and logistics fall on them. All of this while seminary is in progress.

The seminary class cannot be held on the LaPiedad property, but we are praying we can have it ready for Graduation. Add this to their list of obligations. Fortunately, our Dean of the Seminary is not having to teach as Dan Dunn and I will be teaching a course, Church Growth. However, he does have to see that books are available, arrangements made with the seminary's landlord, sound system set up, projector set up and working and a dozen other details.

All of this is to say, PRAY! We covet your prayers for all of this and more which I cannot mention here. Just know it takes twice as long and cost three times as much to do whatever we try to accomplish in Venezuela. But God has been faithful. Lives are being changed. That fulfills our mission of reaching the lost of Venezuela. The best way we can do that is to equip and empower Venezuelan pastors. Hence, we provide the seminary. Again, Pray!!!