The blessing of marriage and family

“My family: A blessing from God” was the theme of our vacation Bible school from August 16 to 18. The content was developed by Félix Zamora, the pastor of “Cristo Vencedor” (“Christus Victor”) Lutheran Church, La Pica, in the eastern state of Monagas, Venezuela. Seventy children and adults attended the first day, and 40 on each of the two following days.

The first day: God instituted marriage in principle between a man and a woman for life with the goals of companionship and mutual help between parents and the formation of the best environment to raise children (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:21-24). Our Lord reaffirmed that God “made them in the beginning, male and female He made them” and “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother, and be united to his wife, and the two will be one flesh. ” This design does not include divorce: "Therefore what God joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:4-6). God instituted marriage in the beginning as a blessing, but divorce is always the result of sin. Also regarding sin, Saint Paul says that marriage is not necessary for salvation, but marriage should be desired as a means to avoid the temptation of sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:2-4).

The second day: We are children of God by the order of creation, but we share the sinful nature of our human parents. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, the first parents in sin, we lost the primordial harmony between God and humans, and between humans, especially between men and women, and nature. However, God promised them a Savior who would defeat the devil. Jesus Christ, as the second Adam (Romans 5:12-21), restored right relationship with God in fulfillment of God's promise (Matthew 1:18-25). We are now children of God by the new birth in baptism (1 Peter 1:22-25).

The third day: The family is the nucleus of human society, the Christian family is also the best environment for the formation of the faithful. In his profession of faith, Joshua spoke like a faithful father, saying that even though all others rejected God's justice and mercy, his family would continue to worship the true God (Joshua 24:14-15). In addition, Joshua called the people to leave behind the gods that their fathers worshiped in Egypt. However, although our identity as children of God is more important than family loyalty, we are still obligated to honor our earthly parents as the Son of God did (Luke 2:39-52).

We concluded the program after the Divine Office on the eleventh Sunday after Trinity with the presentation of prizes to those who brought the most family and friends to the vacation Bible school, those who gave of their time so that all the activities were a success, and notebooks for all children.

The appointed reading of the Old Testament (Genesis 4:1-15) showed how parental disobedience against God's commandments results in even greater rebellion in the next generation. Also, those who think they deserve God's blessing for false displays of piety often look down on others, which was also the point of today's Gospel (Luke 18:9-14). Saint Paul says in the epistle (Ephesians 2:1-10) "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved).” In his mercy, he put a mark on Cain, so that anyone who found him would not kill him, by grace the Lord has marked us through baptism for eternal life.

Some of the children who attended vacation Bible school have been coming to our Sunday afternoon Bible study. Currently we are reviewing the books of the Bible, their type of literature and chronological order.

Maintenance needs and future building plans

As preparation for the new school year that begins this month, Pedro Santana, Luz Maria’s son, doing the latest round of repair on the preschool playhouse. It was built in 2010, but requires periodic maintenance because of termite and weather damage. We had originally thought of installing a plastic playhouse like you see at McDonald’s, but were unable to obtain one. So we had one made of locally available lumber (forestry is part of our economy). Our problem with termites has been greatly reduced with the expansion of our free-range chicken flock. The chickens eat a large quantity of insects, not only termites, but also biting ants.

Power outages continue to be a challenge. Our electricity can go down at any time of day, with the blackout lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to 12 hours. This summer we have experienced both heavy rains (resulting in downed power lines) and intense heat (increasing electrical demand). So lately the outages have been lasting longer every day. Solar energy has been part of the solution for us, But solar energy requires storage capacity, especially when one rainy day follows another, so we would like to buy two more batteries to extend the period when we keep the lights and security cameras on at night.

Our 2012 Volkswagen Parati Crossover continues to serve us well, but the fuel tank float no longer works. So we cannot be sure how much gasoline we have in the tank, and this is important as there are long lines at the service stations. We are waiting for a replacement tank float to become available. There also is a part that we need for our printer that we have to wait to be shipped from Costa Rica.

But maintenance and repair is not our only practical concern. We are talking with Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute about the establishment of a regional library and study center. In the absence of a residential Lutheran seminary in Venezuela, the Juan de Frias Institute has, since the 1970s, provided theological education by extension. A new headquarters for Juan de Frias (possibly the beginning of a seminary) in Barquisimeto, a major city three hours drive north of Barinas. We would become a branch of that. There is space here for another outbuilding constructed for that purpose.

A prayer request for Doña Carmen

August 26 marked a full year since Luz Maria’s mother, Carmen Rivero de Henriquez, fell and fractured her hip. She turns 93 this month. It has been a long recovery and Luz Maria and her six siblings continue to work together to provide Doña Carmen with round-the-clock care. An assisted-living unit, like where my mother lives, is out of the question. But, thanks be to God, all of her children live in and around the city of Barinas, except for Moisés, who lives in Caracas. Despite her advanced age, Carmen has contributed her time and talents to our mission since the beginning. 

“The days of our life are seventy years, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:10-12)