Those who are with us

 

He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 2 Kings 6:16

That’s a key verse from the Old Testament lesson for the Day of St. Michael’s and All Angels (September 29 on the historic church calendar, but we will observe it Sunday, October 3). The entire lesson (2 Kings 6:8-17), the Syrian army surrounds the city of Dothan with the intention of capturing Elisha the prophet. Elisha’s servant is terrified until the Lord opens his eyes to the even greater army of angels protecting them.

We as missionaries at times feel that we are surrounded by forces beyond our control and that could completely overwhelm us. And that is an accurate evaluation of the situation. But God sends His holy angels to protect us (as Psalm 91, properly understood, assures us). And the casting of Satan and his rebellious angels out of heaven (referenced in Luke 10:17-20 and Revelation 12:7-12) assure us that we share is Christ’s victory over Satan now and forever. Because the entire life of Jesus, from His birth to His death on the cross, was a victory over Satan, the 70 disciples find that they are able to cast out devils in His name.

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:10-11).

Although Michael and the heavenly host of angels played their part in Satan’s defeat, the victory belongs to Christ and through Him, to the church triumphant. We remember that, even in the midst of the persecution of which the rest of Revelation 12 warns.

Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Ninth shipment of medicines

On September 19, 2021, Epiphany Lutheran Mission distributed the ninth shipment of medicines from the Venezuela Relief Project begun by Global Lutheran Outreach and the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. The Venezuela Relief Project began in 2017. Two people on our list died, but we distributed the medicines requested for them to three other persons. One particularly grateful recipient is Luz Marina Medina, a 45-year-old widow who lives with her elderly father. She has suffered from epilepsy since childhood and, due to the scarcity of medication, was experiencing more and more frequent seizures. However, now she has the medication that she needs.

As is our custom, the bulk of the medicines were distributed after the Sunday service, along with our homegrown fruits and vegetable. Thanks to abundant rain this years, we have bumper crops of avocados, passion fruit, tomatoes, cassava, bananas and plantains, papaya and eggplant. We also have a bountiful harvest of berries from our coffee tree. Coffee is a social necessity, here, if not a biological necessity, and it keeps getting more and more expensive.

Reopening the preschool

We began the new school year on Tuesday, September 28, by meeting with families who have enrolled their children in our preschool. After an opening devotion and distribution of medications sent to us by the Lutheran Women's Missionary League of Canada by way of the Dominican Republic (the LWML Canada sent the funds and the medications were purchased in the Dominican Republic under the supervision of Rebecca Pollex Krey, wife of the Rev. Theodore Krey, regional director for Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Missions in Latin America and the Caribbean).

The meeting was conducted according to strict biosecurity measures required by the Ministry of Education. Everyone wore masks and maintained a distance of at least six feet. Classes begin October 11, with two shifts of children per day, no more than five in each shift. Some of the parents were concerned about small children being required to wear facemasks, but a representative of Ministry of Education emphasized that this is the rule for now.

More generally, some parents question the Venezuelan government’s decision to require the vaccination of all children between the ages of three and 17. The argument is that as long as Covid-19 vaccinations are not ruled to be completely safe for children the government should prioritize making further strides in immunizing the at-risk population and personnel in the health care and education sectors.

Venezuela received 693,600 vaccines against COVID-19, September 7, as part of the first shipment made to the country by the World Health Organization’s COVAX Mechanism, of the total of 12,068,000 vaccine doses acquired. This first delivery of doses consists of vaccines against COVID-19 produced by the laboratory Sinovac Biotech and included in the emergency use list of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Sinovac vaccine, known as CoronaVac, was the one that I received on September 13. The two-dose vaccine is recommended for individuals aged 18 years and above. It has an efficacy rate of 50.4% for preventing symptomatic infection, according to data from a Brazilian trial, and an effectiveness of 67%, according to a real-world study in Chile. Some people we know experienced adverse reactions to CoronaVac, similar to those reported elsewhere, but I have had no problems.

Luz Maria earlier received the Sputnik V vaccine. On September 27, Venezuela’s Minister of Health, affirmed that “more than 8.8 million first doses” had been given, while 5.25 million received the second Sputnik V dose. Luz Maria and I are both waiting for second doses.

Let us remember that Psalm 91 not only promises that “He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”, but also under His protection we need not fear “the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday”, nor any physical or spiritual danger, for whether we live or die, He will show us His salvation. Amen.

From deadly pestilence deliver us

Distribution of food.

“Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, the Most High, who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. for He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:9-11

Psalm 91 is the basis for the Introit on the first Sunday of Lent. Although the psalm promises the Lord’s protection and care for the faithful in every trial, sickness and danger, this passage from the psalm seems particularly pertinent now. The Old Testament lesson appointed for the second Sunday in Lent, Exodus 8:16-24, dealt with the 10 plagues of Egypt, and I preached on that text. Although the purpose of the 10 plagues of Egypt has been revealed to us, tooday we may not sure of the purpose of this plague. However, we trust that everything is under God's control.

Since our last newsletter, the coronavirus arrived in Venezuela. There have been 77 confirmed cases in 14 states. However, no cases have been documented in Barinas, the state where we live. So far, the only Venezuelan to die from COVID-19 was a 90-year-old man who had been living in Madrid, Spain.

Distribution of food.

The Venezuelan government has declared a “national quarantine”. No one is supposed to leave home without a respiratory mask and only to perform essential tasks. International flights have been suspended and the borders with neighboring countries closed. Traffic in and out of the areas where the virus has appeared, including the capital city of Caracas, is being monitored and restricted. Teams of government workers are fumigating public spaces in the urban centers (these spaces are nearly empty, anyway). Nationwide testing for COVID-19 has been promised.

It remains to be seen how effective this program will be. One problem is many, if not most, Venezuelan households are not like middle-class homes in the USA where there are many comforts like wide-screen television, continuous high-speed Internet service and well-stocked freezers and refrigerators. Many Venezuelan homes now have no running water, fuel for cooking and are without electricity for several hours per day. The people have to get up before sunrise to fill up jugs of water for daily use, purchase firewood or LP gas if available and stand in line for food distribution. Actually, all of these things require standing in line for hours. In addition, gasoline sales have been all but halted in petroleum-rich Venezuela.

Homework.

No doubt all of you have seen the infographic which shows the two bell curves. One, in which no preventive measures are taken, predicts COVID-19 infections taking off like a rocket and overwhelming the capacity of healthcare facilities. The other curve indicates that, with preventive measures, the spread of the virus may be kept within the capacity of exisitng healthcare facilities, although extended over a longer period of time. Of course, this graph does not calculate the social and economic costs of maintaining strict “social distancing” measures across entire countries. The world already is feeling the impact of these costs, which will only increase exponentially over time. There also are not completely satisfactory explanations as to why the virus is spreading more rapidly and with greater impact in some regions of the globe compared to others.

Again, the situation is particularly critical in Venezuela, which, with the crippling of its once-proud agricultural sector, has become heavily dependent on imported food. Medicine and medical supplies also are in short supply. We will have to wait and see to what extent “humanitarian aid” will be allowed to pass the imposed barriers.

Preparing food.

Our preschool classes have been suspended, but last week our teachers distributed food and homework plans for the children and their families. Up to now, at least, Luz Maria has continued her afterschool tutoring and we have kept the doors of the church open on Sundays.

I think that this is a decision that every pastor and congregation must make based on the circumstances in which God has placed them. We interact with our neighbors in the surrounding community on a daily basis, as they come to the mission in search of food, water or other assistance. Indeed, “social distancing” is not very practical for us, because we cannot avoid contact even if we wanted to. Our Sunday morning attendance is small, usually not more than 20 people, and we do not expect many visitors for at least a month or two. But every one of these people are in need of Word and sacrament ministry, which really is what we are about.

The public preaching of the Word is proclamation, or quite literally a broadcast of the Gospel for all who have ears to hear. It make sense, then, to make this proclamation over radio, televison and theInternet. But the sacraments cannot be received through electronic media, because in the visible elements the grace of God is made real for each one of us personally and in a way we can perceive with all of our senses. For that reason, as the Apology of the Augsburg Confession says, “For among us masses are celebrated every Lord's Day and on the other festivals, in which the Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved.”

Faced with the threat of death, it is important that the consolation of personal confession and absolution, and the body and blood of the Lord be available to every believer. God forbid that any of our flock might look to receive the sacrament on their very deathbed, but God willing, I would be availble to offer it to them under such circumstances, as I have in the past.

O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that we turn from our wickedness and live. Graciously behold Your people who plead to You and spare us. Withdraw the scourge of Your wrath and be moved in mercy to turn away this pestilence from us; for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.