Bringing in the New Year

Venezuela Team Newsletter #5
Jeremy Spangler
January 4, 2008

The festivities in Charallave for welcoming in the New Year had long since started when ours began with some of the members of the church around 9:30 PM. There was a lot of noise being made throughout the city all afternoon, and even here at the church. We have come to be somewhat acquainted to the way they do things here, so we were not so concerned about the night starting any too quickly. So we were prepared for a late night and to say the least it was. We didn’t even start to think about starting the grill until after ten in the evening. Even making the food was a relational thing. We spent the evening getting to know some of the people here better and joking with them.
About eleven in the evening Kirsten was going to return to her home to spend the rest of the night with her family. Since it was dark, a small group of us walked with her back to her house. I was expecting to go there and return to the church right away, but her host mom, Carolina, met us at the door with other plans. She said to us, “Pase” as to pass through and enter her house. We were standing there and Kirsten’s host parents, Carolina and Julio, asked us if we wanted to eat with them. They already seemed determined that this was going to happen. The table was already set with traditional Venezuelan food, some of which was hallacas, a potato salad (sounds Mennonite), and pan de jamon or ham bread. We were all smiling and laughing and I was surprised by this turn of events. They finally did convince us though to sit down and eat with them. I was so amazed at their hospitality and how welcoming they were to these unexpected guests. One of Kirsten’s sisters, Kristian said ‘Buen Provecho,’ which means good appetite more or less, and we all dug into the delicious Venezuelan meal before us. We did not spend much time with them, but through the time we did I was blessed and humbled by their welcoming and servant hearts. We returned to the church to bring in the new year with a scripture and a passionate prayer in thanks for what God has done in the past year and will do in 2008.
Then the fireworks really started. Some were set of from our place at the church, and others set off all over the city. By 12:30 A.M. there was a cloud of smoke hanging over the city from all the noise making fireworks. We fell asleep on Tuesday morning to the sound of them continuing steady.

Prayer Requests

• patience with our current spanish abilities
• continued understanding of our purpose with the Shalom congregation
  

Praises

• The 3 day fast with the church and the way we saw God work through it.