ON OUR WAY

We will begin the first leg of our trip in just a few more days, the last of the goodbyes have been shared, but I am certain that the tears will linger for a while longer.





The finishing touches are being put on our house over the weekend; a bit of painting and maintenance, and a good wiping down of things once again before we close the doors of this home forever.



The sun is brightly shining this morning, bringing in a cheerfulness that is much needed just now. Summer is fast approaching though, and quite honestly, I don´t anticipate that we will miss that part of our lives here in Maracaibo, but today it shines without the uncomfortable heat and humidity that is typical of this region and is really quite nice, reminding me of those first Southern California summer days that beckons one to the beach, bliss.


As we share our last days here I look around me, taking it all in, tucking away the many wonderful memories of the past seven and a half years here. Somehow, good memories far outweigh those that have not been so pleasant, how thankful I am to God...Looking out across the city to the Lake of Maracaibo, a beautiful view that I have appreciated having through these years; yes, that I will miss also...

SAYING GOODBYE...

We are getting closer to our departure date, the house is quite empty now, reminding me so much of when we first arrived here in Maracaibo and our new home seven and a half years ago. It seems half a lifetime ago that we first set our feet on Venezuelan soil, yet in thinking all that has transpired in these years it seems like just yesterday.

God has been so good to us through these years and we are truely thankful for His great and many blessings: for keeping us in the times when we felt like we just couldn´t go any further, for showing us that we could, for all the wonderful friendships we´ve made along the way, for the progress made in this developing country so that we could live more comfortably, and for the church that He built and allowed us to Pastor. There are no words to express the joy of seeing a church assembled from nothing into a wonderfully thriving group of people whose lives God has touched, changed and shaped by His loving hands.

We are overwhelmed at what we have been able to accompish because of our loving and merciful Lord. Ever thankful are we for all the support through prayers and finances in these years, for all the times that care packages were sent our way, and for the many words of encouragment given from the hearts of those that love us most and best...we are truely blessed.

In just a short while longer we will be bidding farewell to many that we have come to love, it will be difficult, goodbyes always are, but we are thankful for these precious years of blazing the trail for others to continue on in our path with a wonderful vision and salvation message. We pray that God´s word will continue to bring change to this nation and that His spirit will fill it with hope and peace.

THE MOVE IS ON

Just popping in to say hello. As you all know by now, we are on our way back to the U.S. *Yipee*

Our belongings have been packed and placed onto the truck, everything went extremely smooth, for which we are grateful. Sometime in the coming week our things will be transferred to the crate and readied for travel to the Port of Maracaibo, then inspection by the National Guard. Once everything is approved it will be crane lifted onto the boat and readied to set sail.

(This company did a fabulous job, very professional. We were extremely pleased with their team of workers)

(There´s my dining table)

There was one bit of complication in getting a large piece of furniture down from our 15th floor apartment, it took a couple of days to figure out and we ended up having to remove one of the legs, which was no easy task since it was permanently assembled. It is in the moving companies workshop for repair and should be ready sometime around the first of next week, then crated with our other belongings.

All is well as we wait for our departure at the end of the month. In the meantime, there are a few things to keep us busy. I am keeping up with laundry and trying to be creative with meals, though we are doing one meal a day out. Everything that we are not taking back with us has been either sold or gifted to someone, except an amoire that we still need to sell. Other than that it is life as usual around here. Of course there is sadness at leaving the many loved ones behind, but we are thrilled to see what new things God has for us.

I will update when I can.....

Thoughtful Thursday

(Sorry, I am unable to give credit to this picture, but I love it)

Painted by the Hand of God

No Artist holds perfection the way God creates with His own hand;

The clouds moving with precision, the vivid colors of His plan.

The majestic splendor of the mountains, the roaring power of the sea;

The color of the rainbow, the sunset, and the glory that can be.

The eagles graceful flight, up in the blue sky, so free.

No human hand or chance could create such a variety.

The texture of the leafy trees, the perfect shade of green,

The canvas God created stretches as far as can be seen.

The brilliance of the sunshine, the sparkle of the rain

The shimmer of the flowing river, no human could explain.

The rich brown farmer's field, filled with fresh turned sod,

The awesome brush strokes of nature, painted by the Hand of God.

Written By: Danette Kittwich

TUESDAY

Another Tuesday is passing by, the natural world is always moving forward. I so much enjoy the gentle rhythm of our days here at home, even when it is filled with many occupations. Home is where we find rest and strength for each new day and it´s tasks.

The temperature is rising and the weather getting warmer as we´ve entered into tbe Spring months, soon the unbareable heat and humidity that envelopes this part of the world will be upon us and the need of refreshment will be ever calling.

Freshly squeezed lemonade, watermelon and plently of garden salads will be on the menu. Blackberries are coming into season and will make for another delicious and refreshing drink. Strawberries, oh how I look forward to them, soon, very soon now they will be at their best. Smoothies, shortcakes, cremes...yum!

Our rains have finally arrived, they´ve been so needed. Late in coming, we almost missed the entire season. Thankful for those days that brought us grey skys and rain clouds, the earth was refreshed, the trees and plants are smiling, raising their faces to the warmth of the sun. They look so pretty dressed in their fine, colorful clothing.

Today I busyed myself with primping and organizing parts of our home that have been in need of attention. The kitchen cabinets have been thoroughly cleaned, inside and out. The storage room was completely emptied and purged of the collection of things that inevitably find their way there, fresh and clean once again. The bathroom was scoured and smells freshly of lavender. Home, a pleasant place to be.....

Dinner was a good batch of homemade tamales filled with cheese and vegetables, a nice salsa and pico de gallo. A fresh juice of Passion Fruit, delicious!

A little herbal essential oil rubbed on my stiff neck has brought comfort. It has been a fine Tuesday...

PLACES IN VENEZUELA (WORK AND PLAY)

Thank you, dear friends, for your patience while I´ve been away from my blogging. We´ve had lots of Spring cleaning going on at our home, so we´ve been quite busy, but we did get away for the day on Thursday, with a group of people from the church for a little trip to a small village Southwest of Zulia, our state, to Perija, home to the Yukpa Indians. We have done this trip a few times, as we´ve made friends with a group of Chirstian Yukpas and have made a tradition of bringing them food and clothing, about once a year.

Perija, is a beautiful place in the foothills of the Andes and borders the jungles of Colombia. The lovely river of Kunana runs along through the village and attracts lots of visitors, and Yukpa locals.

This indigenous group is very poor and has great needs, but they are a gentle people, kind and generous with what they have. Whenever we have visited we have been greeted warmly, and with handcrafted gifts that they make with the natural resources from their land. They weave baskets to sell from the grasses that grow there, and necklaces and braclets from the seeds of trees and plants. Their way of saying "welcome", is by placing necklaces about each of our necks, men and women alike. They also gift the women in our group with handcrafted baskets and avocados, which grow naturally on their land. It is a wonderful custom they have and we enjoy it each time as if it were the first.

After the welcoming, they will gather everyone together into a group to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God for His provisions, as we pull down the many boxes we have brought for gifting to them.

It is a sweet little cermony that happens each time we go, just exactly the same.

We spend a good deal of time on the road there and back, about three and a half hours one way, so we always pack a lunch and stop along the river, find a nice, large flat rock and spread out our picnic to enjoy, before we head further up the road to meet with the village people.

This is a tradition we have come to enjoy!