This and That

Our computers are still dead. One needs a video card. In the mean time, I use it twice a day set up with the video projector as a screen. The internet service will be cut next week. That means I will not be blogging much. I will post short updates but will not be visiting and commenting on your blogs too much...please, don't leave !!! Keep reading and when we get to the states and have the computer again, I will continue to blog. I have a lot of friends here in Venezuela who keep me up on the happenings here, so Venezuelan news will still be a part of my blog.

I was saddened to find out that some other missionary friends who have been here for 13 years are also relocating to Ecuador. Their entire denomination of missionaries are pulling out of Venezuela due to the changes and new laws. Also due to the high cost of legal "fees" . Some new laws could effect the children with dual citizenship. Venezuela only recognizes them as Venezuelans after all. It is a misconception of many Americans that their American citizenship "trumps" the other or protects them in some way. In reality, while here, the children are 100% Venezuelan held to every law any other citizen is.
The same is true while in the USA, they do not recognize the Venezuelan citizenship but the person is expected to comply with all the laws required of an American citizen. This was shown in the recent detention and beating of a dual citizenship student. Last year three school age brothers with Canadian citizenship were also kidnapped and tortured, then killed. The Canadian government could do nothing about it either.

One of the rumors on the street right now is that the military has been told to back off a bit in regards to violence in the student protest because of the upcoming America's Cup Soccer tournament. There are several international games to be played here in Venezuela and the bad PR would mean poor turn out if not cancellation of the games. That would be a BIG embarrassment to the regime. So, they wait their time. After the games, things will most likely heat up once again.


We are leaving Venezuela in a matter of weeks. We will be stateside for a year as we travel through out the USA and report to our many supporting churches who have been involved in our ministries these last 20 years.

We have not spent a full year in the states in over 20 years. We have not been stateside for Christmas in 14 years. We are looking forward to that as well as having Josh able to live at home rather than in the dorms next year. HE is very excited to be out of the dorms!!

After the year furlough, we will be relocating to Paraguay. The best part of that is that our daughter and her family are already there. It takes some of the "sting" out of having to leave Venezuela, knowing we will be near them.

I have not written much about Paraguay. It is hard to say much while still here. As we are stateside I will be able to share more of what we will be doing there.

The next few weeks are very busy ones as we finish up things here. There is still a lot of unfinished legal matters, the container is still in la Guaira, we still have a house to paint, and we are both still involved in ministries.