News > Latin America

I have been in Venezuela for about one and a half years. These days Venezuelans are spending the most difficult and troublesome time every day, unprecedented historically. Last year, the news was filled with demonstrations and deaths every day and a dead rise in prices and a shortage of goods almost drove the country to a breakdown. A lack of necessities of life, reducing day by day, caused people to have quarrels and complaints, and to be full of anxiety, anger, and cold manners, standing in a line, in tens of meters or hundreds of meters, wherever they went.

Now it was not easy to get even the basic necessities of life, which we could get before in super-markets during that time. Furthermore, the government began to limit the sale of almost all primary necessities of life, such as rice, bread crumbs, sugar, salt, soap, detergent, toilet paper, bottled water and coffee, etc. according to the latter part of an identification card number. During the last one month, as things got even more serious, some people were giving up even their own job to stand in a line to get necessities of life.  

  Last week, a woman cried out and uttered, "Lord, please save us from nothing to eat!” during a Sunday worship service. Shepherds who have even one baby among us are too sad for words, for they cannot get diapers, and baby’s clothes are almost equivalent to one month’s pay. Whenever I went to Panama, I brought them diapers; then they were so grateful to me. The day before yesterday, shepherd Hugo had been to Maracaibo, and he found diapers there but said to us that it grieved him to see diaper prices five times than that of Panama’s.

Our house’s feed pump was out of order, but I was able to get the components; so during six months having no water made me carry water upstairs through barrels. I had even combed here and there for a car battery for one week. I also was not able to find even one new tire, and so in the end, I sought out good used ones. Each car without components is broken, but people give it up, and leave it as it is; I am so sorry for them and that my circumstances are better.

The problem of this country is not political nor the economic crisis, but it is, I am convinced, if people are dependent on God or not. So he trains them to be humble people through the crisis. May the Lord help this people to be changed from groaning with the present desperation and suffering to a faith holding to Jesus Christ, the True Hope, and to be the Holy Spirit’s work, born again as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We pray that the Word, "Have faith in God”, the title of the International Bible Conference in August, may work in sheeps' hearts greatly.

Personally, I held to a new direction as a missionary in Venezuela, straightening out my heart inwardly and outwardly. I convinced myself that God guided me here, but I was only at a loss what to do or how to do it; then, Satan accused me of coming here to abandon Panama, my former mission field .My heart was only empty and tight.

At this time, God helped me and my wife Susana to see being persons of shallow faith, fettered by title or public recognition, and to deeply repent of not having a pure faith. Furthermore, I saw the Church deeply, the more I saw many shepherds or shepherdesses and sheep stop growing and be arduous, that a co-ordinator or leaders may not bear all the problems.

So, God gave us a direction to invite shepherds or shepherdesses of each family and brothers or sisters of each groups to our house, that we might share food and prayer topics with them, and pray unitedly with them. Thank the Lord for giving us a grace to serve sheep in secret, whom hands of prayer and love are necessary for.

In accordance with M. John Seo’s persuasion, we pioneered Simón Bolívar University newly. So, we visited this university every Thursday, and we shared Daily Bread testimony, prayed and went fishing. We opened our house, studied the Bible with the fellowship’s sheep every Saturday, allowed them to sleep at our home, and then next day we attended Sunday Worship Service together. God helped us to get four one to one sheep and our fellowship grew to consist of 20.

Though my co-worker’s bodily strength grew weaker and I still suffered from a chronic headache, God protected my co-worker’s health and my eyes constantly. I also had to go on a business trip every week, but God always protected me from all possible dangers.

Praying for 2015 new year’s key verse, God let me consider my place. At that time, God reminded me of the word of God in 1 Peter: "To the elders among you,… Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them- not because you must, but because you are willing…not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock"(1Pe 5:1-3).

In a word, it is to be examples to the flock humbly. Jesus tells us to follow the example of his servant’s life, to humble ourselves and serve, even to death on a cross. So I have held to Matthew 20:28 as 2015 key verse, and taken my direction in the new year, based on this word: "…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I pray to always serve silently, and to personally learn Jesus deeply through this and then to be a good influence on the church.

Thank God for blessing the work of God in Panama. During the last one year, Sh. Josue has grown greatly, delivering the message alone; he not only kept on raising Jean Carlos, Alexander, but also he himself struggled with an awareness of the problems to be a shepherd to love Panama.. I was able to visit Panama almost once every three months. Through this, I received such grace to pray together, to serve, and to be served.

This year, during the first ten days, our family visited Panama. I delivered the new year’s message, entitled, "a treasure in jars of clay”(2 Cor 4). This year, first, Sh. Josue is going to deliver Daniel. God helped us to open our hearts toward one another and to pray together, that he might work in one shepherdess to repentance with tears and to unit their hearts by loving each other We thank that Josue repented of self-centeredness and decided to offer their bodies to God wholeheartedly.

I personally have helped Jean Carlos in Panama. He is perhaps the only sheep to keep on offering in Sunday Worship Service steadfastly for the last five years. All these days, he learned how servants of faith were used, and then he accepted a marriage of faith with his heart. May the Lord establish the first house of faith among brothers and sisters in Panama. Amen!