We are very excited that another team from Northpoint is going down to Proyecto Jonas. Originally they were scheduled to do work at the Church, but circumstances have now landed them at Jonas. The boys are very excited about another team coming down.
Please check out the team's blogsite at http://missionvenezuela.blogspot.com.
Please support them financially and in prayer. We look forward to seeing pictures from their trip and hearing about the great experiences they had!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Follow-up
Thank you for your support and following our adventures on the trip of a lifetime. We were all so blessed by the experience. If you haven't been on a short term missions trip, please please please step outside your comfort zone and sign up to go. You won't regret it! You will be blessed more than you think.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day Seven, Eight & Nine
Sorry for the delay in posting. The past few days have been a blur. This post is being constructed as we sit in the Caracas airport for almost six hours waiting on our flight to Miami. We arrive back in Atlanta just before midnight. Many of us have to work on Monday and are dreading getting up tomorrow! NOTE: We'll post the pictures later today. Ran out of time and need to get on our flight!
Day Seven:
Day seven was one filled with laughter and tears. We started off the morning eating breakfast, preparing for the day and playing games with the boys before lunch. We had a great time teaching the boys some new games as well as playing some familiar ones. We learned the evening before that Cezar (one of the boys) had decided that he was going to leave Proyecto Jonas. We were all very sad at this decision. Laurel and Shane spoke with Cezar the eveing before about our desire to see him stay and finish the program. Lunch was delicious as usual. The volunteers that cooked for us did a fantastic job at every meal. We all (Americans and Venezuelans) gathered downstairs to watch the World Cup futbol (soccer) match between South Africa and Mexico. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The love of futbol surpasses cultures and language.
After the World Cup match, the day took a more serious turn. Today was the day that the boys received their monthly evaluation of their progress. We were invited to view the evaluations first hand. What an experience it was. The counselor, psychologist & director (Jhonny, Claudia & Flohr), who are normally very jovial with the boys got down to the serious business of telling the boys where they had improved and where they had weakened in their recovery. The boys listened intently to their praises and their criticism. There were a lot of tears. During the evalations Cezar reiterated his desire to leave Proyecto Jonas.
Following the evaluations, we headed to the local soccer field (a modified basketball court) to play a little grudge match. However, when we arrived there was a local group of boys who were playing. We split up into two teams and had to challenge the locals to several 2 point games where winner stayed on the field. Needless to say, they wiped the field with us several times. We were defeated, yet still proud.
In the evening we were split up into two groups to have dinner at the homes of some of the church members. The meals were absolutely delicious. We got to hear directly from the church members about Proyecto Jonas started and how it has become what it is today. We spoke on things such as politics, religion and life. It was such a pleasure getting to know some of the members of such a foward thinking church.
Day Eight:
Day eight was an exciting day. We were going SHOPPING! We started out with a quick breakfast and then loaded up in the van with several Jonas staff. They took us to a local market where we could buy some of the local arts and crafts. We had such a wonderful time shopping that no one took pictures! Can you believe it?! So that you have an idea of what it was like close your eyes and imagine an outdoor market full of local arts and crafts. Throw in several television sets playing the world cup and only speak Spanish. Now you've got it. No pictures needed!
After a few hours of shopping we returned to watch the most important match of the world cup this week. The USA vs. England. It was a great match. Although we didn't win, we tied England 1-1.
We had a wondful lunch of pasta and meat. We ate outside on the covered porch with all the boys and Jonas staff. After lunch it was time for a short siesta. In the afternoon, the boys made us friendship bracelets out of string.
In the late afternoon the team and the boys gathered to talk about our lives and testimonies. It was a time of openess and sharing. There were many comparisions drawn between the lives of our team members and the boys. David was the last to share his testimony. He felt led to ask the boys if they knew that they would be in God's presence if their lives were over. Four boys said they did not know if they would be with God. David asked if they wanted that assurance. Three boys replied yes and were led in a prayer of salvation! Praise God! Three boys who are now children of God! It was a happy time for all.
In the evening Francisco brought out a few minute to win it games that we hadn't played yet. It's amazing what you can do with empty coke cans and cardboard and rubber bands!
Day Nine -
We got up very early to leave for our 9:10am flight from Barquisimeto to Caracas. We made it on time thanks to KJ and Dave pushing Francisco to be on time and packing the van in advance. We arrived safely in Caracas and have a five hour wait until our flight to Miami. All on the team have been so good about immersing ourselves in the Venezuelan culture, including eating the local foods. However, as we are preparing to return to the United States we felt that it was a good idea to start to acclimate ourselves back into our own culture. How did we do that? By eating at TGI Fridays in the Caracas airport, of course. Fried Macaroni and Cheese, Potato Skins, Chicken Fingers, etc.
Summary -
It has been a great trip. We have learned and loved more than we thought was possible. As it usually happens with mission trips, you get so much more out of the trip than you expect! We will be glad to get home and visit with friends and family.
Adios!
Follow on note:
We barely made our connection flight in Miami! David was the last one on the plane (which they held for him) and sprinted to the gate. Everyone on board applauded as he arrived, sweating profusely. We all arrived in Atlanta around midnight - tired, yet glad to be home. Our bags were not so lucky. Due to our late arrival into Miami, they did not make it to the connecting flight to Atlanta. I don't believe anyone was that worried about them though....
We are all glad to be home (thank the Lord for hot showers!).
Day Seven:
Day seven was one filled with laughter and tears. We started off the morning eating breakfast, preparing for the day and playing games with the boys before lunch. We had a great time teaching the boys some new games as well as playing some familiar ones. We learned the evening before that Cezar (one of the boys) had decided that he was going to leave Proyecto Jonas. We were all very sad at this decision. Laurel and Shane spoke with Cezar the eveing before about our desire to see him stay and finish the program. Lunch was delicious as usual. The volunteers that cooked for us did a fantastic job at every meal. We all (Americans and Venezuelans) gathered downstairs to watch the World Cup futbol (soccer) match between South Africa and Mexico. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The love of futbol surpasses cultures and language.
After the World Cup match, the day took a more serious turn. Today was the day that the boys received their monthly evaluation of their progress. We were invited to view the evaluations first hand. What an experience it was. The counselor, psychologist & director (Jhonny, Claudia & Flohr), who are normally very jovial with the boys got down to the serious business of telling the boys where they had improved and where they had weakened in their recovery. The boys listened intently to their praises and their criticism. There were a lot of tears. During the evalations Cezar reiterated his desire to leave Proyecto Jonas.
Following the evaluations, we headed to the local soccer field (a modified basketball court) to play a little grudge match. However, when we arrived there was a local group of boys who were playing. We split up into two teams and had to challenge the locals to several 2 point games where winner stayed on the field. Needless to say, they wiped the field with us several times. We were defeated, yet still proud.
In the evening we were split up into two groups to have dinner at the homes of some of the church members. The meals were absolutely delicious. We got to hear directly from the church members about Proyecto Jonas started and how it has become what it is today. We spoke on things such as politics, religion and life. It was such a pleasure getting to know some of the members of such a foward thinking church.
Day Eight:
Day eight was an exciting day. We were going SHOPPING! We started out with a quick breakfast and then loaded up in the van with several Jonas staff. They took us to a local market where we could buy some of the local arts and crafts. We had such a wonderful time shopping that no one took pictures! Can you believe it?! So that you have an idea of what it was like close your eyes and imagine an outdoor market full of local arts and crafts. Throw in several television sets playing the world cup and only speak Spanish. Now you've got it. No pictures needed!
After a few hours of shopping we returned to watch the most important match of the world cup this week. The USA vs. England. It was a great match. Although we didn't win, we tied England 1-1.
We had a wondful lunch of pasta and meat. We ate outside on the covered porch with all the boys and Jonas staff. After lunch it was time for a short siesta. In the afternoon, the boys made us friendship bracelets out of string.
In the late afternoon the team and the boys gathered to talk about our lives and testimonies. It was a time of openess and sharing. There were many comparisions drawn between the lives of our team members and the boys. David was the last to share his testimony. He felt led to ask the boys if they knew that they would be in God's presence if their lives were over. Four boys said they did not know if they would be with God. David asked if they wanted that assurance. Three boys replied yes and were led in a prayer of salvation! Praise God! Three boys who are now children of God! It was a happy time for all.
In the evening Francisco brought out a few minute to win it games that we hadn't played yet. It's amazing what you can do with empty coke cans and cardboard and rubber bands!
Day Nine -
We got up very early to leave for our 9:10am flight from Barquisimeto to Caracas. We made it on time thanks to KJ and Dave pushing Francisco to be on time and packing the van in advance. We arrived safely in Caracas and have a five hour wait until our flight to Miami. All on the team have been so good about immersing ourselves in the Venezuelan culture, including eating the local foods. However, as we are preparing to return to the United States we felt that it was a good idea to start to acclimate ourselves back into our own culture. How did we do that? By eating at TGI Fridays in the Caracas airport, of course. Fried Macaroni and Cheese, Potato Skins, Chicken Fingers, etc.
Summary -
It has been a great trip. We have learned and loved more than we thought was possible. As it usually happens with mission trips, you get so much more out of the trip than you expect! We will be glad to get home and visit with friends and family.
Adios!
Follow on note:
We barely made our connection flight in Miami! David was the last one on the plane (which they held for him) and sprinted to the gate. Everyone on board applauded as he arrived, sweating profusely. We all arrived in Atlanta around midnight - tired, yet glad to be home. Our bags were not so lucky. Due to our late arrival into Miami, they did not make it to the connecting flight to Atlanta. I don't believe anyone was that worried about them though....
We are all glad to be home (thank the Lord for hot showers!).
 |
| Venezuela - Day 7, 8 and 9 |
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Venezuela - Day 5 & Day 6
Day five:
We have planned to take the boys to the beach today. We wake up very early with a plan to leave by four, but of course, it is more like five. We got to the docks at about eight and parked the vans in a private family-owned lot. The Proyecto has already settled our boat contract and got a great offer from the captains. They will take us for a 45 minute boat tour to a couple of neat spots, a spot where we can dive for sea stars and a natural pool to swim in, for the same price as a trip straight to the beach. The sea stars are illegal to remove so we let the boys take pictures with them and then put them back. We find sea urchins and little shrimps and crabs. The salinity is very high here and we can float much more easily. Two boys can’t swim so they have to sit in the middle but it’s hard to keep them there because they are so excited.
We arrive at the beach after much excitement over hitting swells and feeling the spray of water. We all unload and bring breakfast (ham and cheese sandwiches) and our lunches (arroz con pollo and a fruit salad/drink) The boys are flying a kite and playing badminton and water baseball from the toys we donated before long. The sun is strong this close to the equator and the americanos douse themselves in sunscreen, and follow up with bug spray as we are soon attacked by a fleet of chiggers. We decide to rent chairs and umbrellas because the only shade is the home of the chiggers. These cause us all to gather in between bouts of play in the water.
We have fun, fishing and horseplay and a game of football (soccer) in which the americanos get trounced despite their big words. We are exhausted and the Americans are very sunburned by three when the boats come back to pick us up. We ride back to the docks, load up and then make our way back home. This journey takes twice as long since one car filed with the girls, Flor and Francisco are stopped not once but twice by the policia to inspect our paperwork.
Both times, we must talk our way into them allowing us to continue onward since Flor cannot drive the stick-shift we are in but Francisco doesn’t have the medical card needed for driving. The process would have been much simpler if we paid them off, but as Christians, they have decided there is no more bribing of the police to ensure more justice. The first stop they also review the two vans paperwork, and Jhonny’s paperwork is proved to have recently expired. Fortunately, he is simply given the citation and allowed to continue on. We all race to showers (cold water never felt so good) when we get home and then join for an amazing dinner that consisted of cornmeal cakes with strong cheese in between the layers and a cheese, lemon and butter drizzle on top with seasoned shredded pollo and carne. The boys have begun to ask when we will come back and if we can stay. Santiago (9) asks Shane and Laurel to come and be his teachers. Davey (16) asks if we can stay or if we can come back next year. We ask him if he will be here when we come. Some of the boys are struggling with whether or not they will stay in the program. It is an early to bed night for us all sunburned and exhausted from the amazing day.
Day six: Promotion Day for our muchachos!
Day six started off with an early morning breakfast and some cleaning up. We had planned to work around the yard of the house and assist in the yardwork, but alas...it rained. We were all disappointed including the boys (OK, not really...). We spent the day playing games with the boys. In the evening we took the boys to a movie in Spanish. We saw Marmaduke in Spanish. This was in spoken Spanish, not subtitles, as many of the boys do not read. We are cooking dinner tonight for the staff and boys. On the menu is hamberguesas (hamburgers) and other delights! Our "official" soccer match has yet to be played. Despite the earlier description of a "trouncing" by Laurel, the beach game was merely a warm-up! We are confident of our victory over the Venezuelan team....(gulp)
More posts to come on Saturday! See you then! Check out the slide show of our pictures from day 5 & day 6 below. Enjoy!
We have planned to take the boys to the beach today. We wake up very early with a plan to leave by four, but of course, it is more like five. We got to the docks at about eight and parked the vans in a private family-owned lot. The Proyecto has already settled our boat contract and got a great offer from the captains. They will take us for a 45 minute boat tour to a couple of neat spots, a spot where we can dive for sea stars and a natural pool to swim in, for the same price as a trip straight to the beach. The sea stars are illegal to remove so we let the boys take pictures with them and then put them back. We find sea urchins and little shrimps and crabs. The salinity is very high here and we can float much more easily. Two boys can’t swim so they have to sit in the middle but it’s hard to keep them there because they are so excited.
We arrive at the beach after much excitement over hitting swells and feeling the spray of water. We all unload and bring breakfast (ham and cheese sandwiches) and our lunches (arroz con pollo and a fruit salad/drink) The boys are flying a kite and playing badminton and water baseball from the toys we donated before long. The sun is strong this close to the equator and the americanos douse themselves in sunscreen, and follow up with bug spray as we are soon attacked by a fleet of chiggers. We decide to rent chairs and umbrellas because the only shade is the home of the chiggers. These cause us all to gather in between bouts of play in the water.
We have fun, fishing and horseplay and a game of football (soccer) in which the americanos get trounced despite their big words. We are exhausted and the Americans are very sunburned by three when the boats come back to pick us up. We ride back to the docks, load up and then make our way back home. This journey takes twice as long since one car filed with the girls, Flor and Francisco are stopped not once but twice by the policia to inspect our paperwork.
Both times, we must talk our way into them allowing us to continue onward since Flor cannot drive the stick-shift we are in but Francisco doesn’t have the medical card needed for driving. The process would have been much simpler if we paid them off, but as Christians, they have decided there is no more bribing of the police to ensure more justice. The first stop they also review the two vans paperwork, and Jhonny’s paperwork is proved to have recently expired. Fortunately, he is simply given the citation and allowed to continue on. We all race to showers (cold water never felt so good) when we get home and then join for an amazing dinner that consisted of cornmeal cakes with strong cheese in between the layers and a cheese, lemon and butter drizzle on top with seasoned shredded pollo and carne. The boys have begun to ask when we will come back and if we can stay. Santiago (9) asks Shane and Laurel to come and be his teachers. Davey (16) asks if we can stay or if we can come back next year. We ask him if he will be here when we come. Some of the boys are struggling with whether or not they will stay in the program. It is an early to bed night for us all sunburned and exhausted from the amazing day.
Day six: Promotion Day for our muchachos!
Day six started off with an early morning breakfast and some cleaning up. We had planned to work around the yard of the house and assist in the yardwork, but alas...it rained. We were all disappointed including the boys (OK, not really...). We spent the day playing games with the boys. In the evening we took the boys to a movie in Spanish. We saw Marmaduke in Spanish. This was in spoken Spanish, not subtitles, as many of the boys do not read. We are cooking dinner tonight for the staff and boys. On the menu is hamberguesas (hamburgers) and other delights! Our "official" soccer match has yet to be played. Despite the earlier description of a "trouncing" by Laurel, the beach game was merely a warm-up! We are confident of our victory over the Venezuelan team....(gulp)
More posts to come on Saturday! See you then! Check out the slide show of our pictures from day 5 & day 6 below. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Venezuela - Day 3 & 4
Day Three: We awake to a beautiful morning filled with excitement for what may come today. As we all emerge from our rooms, we see the boys sitting in a circle for their morning devotional. We first creep around trying not to distract them, and finally decide to join them. The children (ages 9-18) start their day with chores (around 7 AM), then they gather in the courtyard to have devotional time. They read from a book titled Tiempo con Dios (Time with God), discuss some thoughts and then close with prayer. A few of our “virtual travelers” sent written prayers that they would like the boys and our team to pray for them. We hope to let the boys know that when they pray, we in Estodos Unidos (United States) feel them. The prayers in English followed by Spanish for today were; “Por Favor oren por mi familiara para que vajan a la Ingelesia a aprender mas de Dios y Jesus. (Please pray for my family members to go to church to learn more about God and Jesus.)” and “Por favor oren para que todos los ninos en elo mundo aprendan a poner las cosas de Diod primero, y no se foquen en las cosas del mundo. (Please pray that all boys around the world learn to focus on Godly things, not earthly things.)” The nine boys living here now will pray these with us each day. We spent the morning after devotional time with them one-on-one until our meeting with Flor, the director of Jonas. Some boys demonstrated learning disabilities to us, knowing addition and subtraction using flashcards with Laurel but unable to write what they know for Dave. Many of the boys are far behind in school and they only have regular school lessons on Saturdays. Teachers will come and volunteer for an hour or two various times of the week, but many boys will not graduate from high school. Soon Flor comes and shoos them off to play football (soccer). Before the boys leave, they pick mangoes from the tree for Laurel since she loved sharing the fresh one Shane had picked at breakfast. Flor meets with us to give an overview of the rehab treatment program and details about how each boy came to be here. One thing they are careful of is gifts. Since boys in the beginning are apt to sell things for drugs, they make sure they do not get too much all at once. Instead, they “earn” gifts each month based on their participation in the treatment. After the meeting, we tour the farmhouse and grounds to gather information about the needs of the program for the mission groups following us. About halfway through the tour, the boys join us and KJ and Dave show off with chin-ups and dips on the gymnast’s bars. The boys join in as we all watch. We see their chicken coop, and the beginning of their vegetable garden and hear their plans to begin composting. We discuss the need for a trash incineration system so that they are not subject to the whims of the municipality that is responsible to pick it up (they have not come for a month). We are having a wonderful time with them. They love to have their pictures taken and to see them after. We join them for lunch and then we have some free time to pass off the donated clothing, toys, medicine, and toiletry items. Flor is very grateful to have this infusion of goods into the cash-strapped program. We have a welcome dinner planned that night at Julio’s house. Julio was the initial director and the impetus for the program. He has since stepped down but wanted to host us all to dinner. They prepare lasagna (with ham and bacon inside!) and garlic bread and a pumpkin torte and lemon meringue pie with a cookie crust. Unfortunately many of us are recovering from 24 hours of Venezuelan’s version of Montezuma’s Revenge. KJ and David got hit the worst but Dave, Denise, Francisco and Mallory as well as some muchachos, Jhonny (a therapist) and Julio’s wife, Hayde got vilely ill. Shane, Lucas and Laurel have escaped as of yet. We are delighted to meet our beds and awake with a plan to spend all the next day with the boys. Day Four: The plan for the day is PLAY! We feel like we haven’t spent enough interrupted time with our muchachos and now we want to focus on them. We set up games like Rummikub, Jenga, Uno Attack and their perennial favorite, dominoes. Francisco and David leave to go get the house some tools for yard work that they really need and David decides to buy them a weed whacker. The rest of us spend hours playing those games and then decide to get out the water balloons to do an egg toss game. This is so much fun with them!! Then the boys get in to the pool and we continue the playtime there while the dominoes game holds strong. We stop for lunch and siesta for the ancients . Teachers come for some children to study for exams, while other boys begin their work with the guides. Pedro has them using the new tools to care for the yard. He wants to teach them all about plants so they can grow food. Later, he allows them to stop early to come and be with us, so we get started on the games we prepared for them from “Minute to Win it”. We will play the tissue pull game, the ping pong balls in the tissue box, cotton balls on the nose, rubber bands and Coke cans, etc…Denise and Mallory were in charge of these and they did it well. The games are a hit and the boys LOVE them!!! We will soon have dinner and maybe no one will tell Shane where it came from…He was not happy to hear we met our chicken lunch yesterday. The mosquitoes and flies abound and we are living as most people in Venezuela do, sans AC and hot water. Tomorrow, we will leave at 4 am to head to the beach with the boys. We will be gone all day so our next post will not be until Thursday. To be continued…… Click on the pictures to see the album and run a slide show.
Video of games with the boys...
 |
| Venezuela - Day 3 & 4 |
Video of games with the boys...
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Venezuela - Day 2
Day 2: We wake up to the sound of gentle rain outside our windows and a great appreciation for the beauty of the farmhouse and grounds. It is a grand place, but shows a lot of wear and tear that has not yet been repaired. (Two mission teams will visit them later this summer to help with the repairs they desperately need). The boys make us the most amazing café we have ever had and treat us like treasured guests, serving us our breakfast. They are so very sweet but we still have so many communication barriers that conversation is very awkward. We so want to bond with these wonderful boys.
We head to Buenas Nuevas del Este (the Good News Church) that sponsors the home. It is a mini- North Point Church, even down to the 10 Before!! It was such an amazing experience to hear “When Life Hurts” from a different speaker and sing “Mighty to Save” in English alongside our Spanish singers. The church seats 4000 each Sunday in 4 services. We were very impressed with our surroundings.
Next we head off to lunch and the vote is again for arepas (did I mention how good they were?) and experience papelon con limon, a drink that tastes like an Arnold Palmer. It is made with solid sugar from sugar cane and lemons. We love this and decide to make it at the farmhouse after we do the grocery shopping with the boys. The grocery store is in a mall (centro commercial) with an Auntie Anne´s and a movie theatre. The pharmacy is there too, and filled with American brand names like Nestle, Enfamil, Huggies, Dove, etc.
The grocery store is the breakthrough point with the boys. As we are choosing foods to bring to share with the boys, they begin to teach us the names of produce as we teach the English. An employee who speaks a little English comes and joins in when he hears us. It was a wonderful bonding moment and the awkwardness of stilted conversation is smoothed over. The boys are thrown by Laurel´s promise ring because wedding rings are right-handed here. After a long two hour shopping trip at the grocery store, we returned to Jonas to recover!
Please click on the pictures to see a larger version and slide show.
We head to Buenas Nuevas del Este (the Good News Church) that sponsors the home. It is a mini- North Point Church, even down to the 10 Before!! It was such an amazing experience to hear “When Life Hurts” from a different speaker and sing “Mighty to Save” in English alongside our Spanish singers. The church seats 4000 each Sunday in 4 services. We were very impressed with our surroundings.
Next we head off to lunch and the vote is again for arepas (did I mention how good they were?) and experience papelon con limon, a drink that tastes like an Arnold Palmer. It is made with solid sugar from sugar cane and lemons. We love this and decide to make it at the farmhouse after we do the grocery shopping with the boys. The grocery store is in a mall (centro commercial) with an Auntie Anne´s and a movie theatre. The pharmacy is there too, and filled with American brand names like Nestle, Enfamil, Huggies, Dove, etc.
The grocery store is the breakthrough point with the boys. As we are choosing foods to bring to share with the boys, they begin to teach us the names of produce as we teach the English. An employee who speaks a little English comes and joins in when he hears us. It was a wonderful bonding moment and the awkwardness of stilted conversation is smoothed over. The boys are thrown by Laurel´s promise ring because wedding rings are right-handed here. After a long two hour shopping trip at the grocery store, we returned to Jonas to recover!
Please click on the pictures to see a larger version and slide show.
 |
| Venezuela 2010 - Day 2 |
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Venezuela - Day 1
Hola!!
Hi y´all! We have settled in from the long journey and finally attained internet access. We wanted to update you on our adventures so far. KJ , practically a professional traveler, forgot his passport and made Brittany break land-speed barriers so he could make our plane. Laurel (our photographer) started the trip off right as she began documenting our journey. Who knew it was a federal offense to take a picture of our friends going through security? We do now!
Day 1: We flew to Miami first, doubling Shane´s flying experiences, then awaited our flight to Caracas for 3 hours playing UNO and running down our batteries with last minute phone calls and emails. Once in Caracas, we breezed through Immigration and Customs and waited 5 hours for our flight to Barquisimeto. Obviously, this was great bonding time for our little group. We have Laurel and Shane (both teachers), Denise and Mallory (mother and daughter), Francisco and Lucas (father and son) , newly engaged KJ, Dave and David (both fathers of grown children). Our team is quickly becoming close.
Once in Caracas, we spent much of our layover on a culinary experience of Venezuela. Arepas were top on our list. It is more or less a sandwich, made of cornmeal cakes and stuffed with cheese, meat, fish, etc. We tried a fresh juice made from parchita, a crazy gross looking fruit that makes a sour citrusy juice. This is a very common dish here and it is absolutely AMAZING!!! We even have requested to learn to make them, because they are so good! We followed up with gelato, freshly made and extremely good.
By the time we hit Barquisimeto, we are all exhausted and ready for cama (bed). The van picked us up at the airport and drove us to the farmhouse that is Projecto Jonas. The boys all had stayed up late to greet us and they all unloaded our bags for us. We were invited to come join them to greet and make introductions with the help of Francisco, our leader and native speaker. The boys were so sweet in their welcome to us. We were very touched by them. We also were delighted to head off to spend time with our pillows!
Please click on the pictures to see a larger version & slide show.
Hi y´all! We have settled in from the long journey and finally attained internet access. We wanted to update you on our adventures so far. KJ , practically a professional traveler, forgot his passport and made Brittany break land-speed barriers so he could make our plane. Laurel (our photographer) started the trip off right as she began documenting our journey. Who knew it was a federal offense to take a picture of our friends going through security? We do now!
Day 1: We flew to Miami first, doubling Shane´s flying experiences, then awaited our flight to Caracas for 3 hours playing UNO and running down our batteries with last minute phone calls and emails. Once in Caracas, we breezed through Immigration and Customs and waited 5 hours for our flight to Barquisimeto. Obviously, this was great bonding time for our little group. We have Laurel and Shane (both teachers), Denise and Mallory (mother and daughter), Francisco and Lucas (father and son) , newly engaged KJ, Dave and David (both fathers of grown children). Our team is quickly becoming close.
Once in Caracas, we spent much of our layover on a culinary experience of Venezuela. Arepas were top on our list. It is more or less a sandwich, made of cornmeal cakes and stuffed with cheese, meat, fish, etc. We tried a fresh juice made from parchita, a crazy gross looking fruit that makes a sour citrusy juice. This is a very common dish here and it is absolutely AMAZING!!! We even have requested to learn to make them, because they are so good! We followed up with gelato, freshly made and extremely good.
By the time we hit Barquisimeto, we are all exhausted and ready for cama (bed). The van picked us up at the airport and drove us to the farmhouse that is Projecto Jonas. The boys all had stayed up late to greet us and they all unloaded our bags for us. We were invited to come join them to greet and make introductions with the help of Francisco, our leader and native speaker. The boys were so sweet in their welcome to us. We were very touched by them. We also were delighted to head off to spend time with our pillows!
Please click on the pictures to see a larger version & slide show.
 |
| Venezuela 2010 - Day 1 |
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Proyecto Jonas! What You Need to Know...
Proyecto Jonas started with one man deciding to provide free meals to street children every day. This evolved to several people joining him to do the same. This evolved into some funding and housing (a foreclosure of a "farm" by government and subsequent "gift" of such to this project) and a large set of local volunteers. These young men/boys now have a structure (education, spiritual growth, chores, meals), safety (roof over head and 24/7 adult supervision and guidance) and an opportunity to develop a relationship with God. Proyecto Jonas is a ministry of Good News Church in Barquisimeto, which is affiliated with my church. You can see more about the Good News Church in Barquisimeto at http://www.lbne.org.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Venezuela 2010 Team Assembled
The team has been assembled! After starting out as a larger group, we have now compressed down to the dedicated individuals ready to serve the Lord on this mission trip.
We have met several times over the past few weeks and have already begun the important process of solidifying the team and our mission goals. Our trip dates are June 5, 2010 - June 13, 2010. Each member has completed their support letters and they are mailing them out to gain the financial support for the trip. We ask that in addition to your financial assistance that you keep our team in your prayers. Your prayer support is an equally important part of supporting our mission trip.
If you would like to financially support a team member, please click on the button below to be directed to the North Point Ministries website.
Thank you for your support! Check back to this blog often for updated information on our team and our trip!
God Bless
We have met several times over the past few weeks and have already begun the important process of solidifying the team and our mission goals. Our trip dates are June 5, 2010 - June 13, 2010. Each member has completed their support letters and they are mailing them out to gain the financial support for the trip. We ask that in addition to your financial assistance that you keep our team in your prayers. Your prayer support is an equally important part of supporting our mission trip.
If you would like to financially support a team member, please click on the button below to be directed to the North Point Ministries website.
Thank you for your support! Check back to this blog often for updated information on our team and our trip!
God Bless
Our Mission...
What are we doing? Where are we going? Click below to watch a short two minute video on our short term mission trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
