Samuel, Our Beloved Ministry Assistant

Samuel Rojas, our Ministry Assistant in Venezuela, is here for his first ever visit to the United States. He arrived last week and is staying with us in Ball Ground, Georgia. The Cosby's are also here for some medical treatment and staying in our home. They are hosting Samuel and took him to the Varsity for his first American meal! They then took him to see the Nutcracker Suite at the Fox Theater, an historic Atlanta landmark.

However, Sam's visit is not all fun and games. He will also visit with many of the ministry friends he has made as they traveled from their United Methodist Churches to Venezuela.

Those visits will have to take second place to the primary reason he is here. Tomorrow he will have knee surgery to repair damage done a couple of years ago when a taxi hit him in Venezuela. A couple of weeks later he will have his Rotator Cuff repaired. This damage was done when a transmission fell on him as he was making repairs to a friend's vehicle. All of this surgery is being done as outpatient surgery and is being done gratis by the Orthopedic Surgeon and his team. The surgeon met Samuel in Venezuela (see previous post). He is a member of the Alpharetta First UMC and was a member of our church in the distant past. We are most thankful to him and his team for this generous ministry to our trusted assistant, Samuel.

Please keep Samuel in your prayers as he has both of these surgeries and the busy schedule he will have while here in the US. Since his visa is only for 2 months, this will be a very busy time sandwiched between the surgeries and the recovery periods.

Year End

This has been a great year for the work of Venezuela Now, Inc. in Venezuela! We have supported the work of two families who assist the United Methodist Church of Venezuela and lead in the Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela in partnership with the Mount Pisgah UMC. We have supported 6 weeks of seminary classes with an average enrollment of 50 in each class. We have supported the work of the Institute of Church Planting as David Cosby has instructed church planters in Barquisimeto and Puerto Ordaz on numerous occasions. We have supported the International Leadership Institute in partnership with the McEachern UMC. We have supported the work of several US church mission teams as they have partnered with the churches in Venezuela. We have employed Samuel Rojas as our ministry assistant to give support to all of the above. The greatest highlight of the year was the official organizing conference of the United Methodist Church of Venezuela, the adoption of a Book of Discipline of the UMC of Venezuela and the election of their first bishop: Bishop Juvenal Perez. (See previous posts for more details.)

As we reflect over the last year we are amazed at all God has done. The academic program of the Seminary is excellent even though except for the dean all the faculty are volunteers. The UMC continues to grow and multiply as an indigenous church bringing the Gospel to hundreds and thousands of Venezuelans. The number of US churches desiring to partner with the church in Venezuela is growing. It has been a blessed year.

When we look at 2008 we wonder what God will do. Whatever it is we will give glory and honor to our Lord Jesus and praise his name. We are praying for our first Seminary site. The Seminary needs its own location and facilities. The UMC of Venezula needs the ministry this facility will make possible in the weeks seminary is not in session.

Please join us in prayer about the site for the seminary. We need at least $150,000 as soon as possible to acquire the proper site and create some usable facilities. We trust God for this provision.

May God bless you as you pray and give for the work in Venezuela. Just send a check to the address in the masthead of this blog and we will be faithful in using it for th cause of Christ in Venezuela.