More than a metaphor

When I describe Epiphany Lutheran Mission as a “light shining in darkness,” it’s not entirely a metaphor. This month, as we deal with an intensification of Venezuela’s electrical crisis, I would like thank our financial supporters for the funds to upgrade our solar auxiliary power system.

Power outages have been a problem in Venezuela for all of the 23 years that I have lived here. The root causes are lack of investment in an aging power grid and over-reliance on centralized energy production. Six hydroelectric plants supply over 60 percent of Venezuela’s electricity, with just one, the Guri Reservoir plant, accounting for over 60 percent of that production. Built from 1963 to 1969, the Guri Dam on the Caroni River stretches 7,426 meters in length and is 162 meters high. It creates a reservoir with a surface area of 4,250 square kilometers (1,641 square miles), one of the largest man-made reservoirs on earth. At one time, the Guri hydroelectric power station had the largest generating capacity in the world, but since has been surpassed by similar plants in other countries.

From 1980 to 2000, Venezuela's electricity consumption almost tripled. Years of drought lowered the water level in the reservoir, while only some of the Guri plant’s turbines could be kept in service. Poorly maintained transmission lines and substations also set the stage for a nationwide power outage, the worst so far, in March 2019. 

On March 7, 2019, nearly all of Venezuela’s 23 states were left without electrical power for seven days, causing serious problems in hospitals and clinics, industry, transport and in water service. Power was restored to parts of the country on March 12 and to most of the country on March 14, but local outages persisted for some days after March 14. Between 14 and 16 of Venezuela's 23 states were again without power from March 25 to March 28. Another blackout started in the evening of 29 March, followed by another 24 hours later. During the month of March, Venezuela was without power for at least 10 days overall. Another major national blackout occurred on July 22, 2019.

In August 2019, we had four solar panels installed on the roof of our house. We had relied on a portable gasoline-powered generator for brief periods before that. But given the periodic scarcity of gasoline and safety concerns, we decided that solar panels with storage batteries would be the best long-term choice. Time passed and our community adapted to the reality of daily power outages ranging from several minutes to an hour or two. Nearly all businesses in La Caramuca have some type of backup generator. The use of rechargeable flashlights and lamps is common.

But now we have had the hottest summer since 2019 and electrical demand has again peaked. In Barinas and seven other western states, we were put on a schedule of rolling blackouts: five hours a day without public power at different times within different sectors. In September, this plan was extended to two periods of four hours every day. 

It was at this point, that the batteries in our backup system began to fail. Fortunately, solar energy technology has advanced since 2019 and we were able to upgrade the system with better batteries and inverter. Originally, our system only allowed us to keep the lights and security cameras on. Now, with the same solar panels, we have backup power for a refrigerator and ventilation fans. We can also keep our lines of communication open. Cell phone signal is lost when the power goes down, but our fiber-optic cable provider also has auxiliary power, so we do not have to interrupt Zoom conferences and the like.

Again, God bless everyone for helping us maintain our ministry!

 

Get wisdom! Get understanding!

On Monday, September 21, 2026, we welcome students with their parents and representatives for the 2026/2027 session of "Mi Pequeña Lucecita" House of Study. Ten students have begun afterschool tutoring with Luz Maria and her granddaughter, Anyi Garrido, with four more expected to join us later on.

The verse for our opening devotion was Proverbs 4:5-13. The Book of Proverbs, along with Job and Ecclesiastes, belongs to a category of Old Testament texts called "wisdom literature" with focuses on the moral and ethical teachings necessary for living a life pleasing to God. But the Old Testament understanding of wisdom (often personified as a woman) is not simply practical knowledge and moral discipline, but a recognition of God as the true source of wisdom. The skills needed to build and furnish the tabernacle is called wisdom. This includes the craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, to make Aaron’s garments, to work with gold, silver, and bronze, to cut stones and carve wood (Exod 28:3; 31:3–5). These skills are said to come from the Spirit of God. They are also skills that would need to be developed through training and experience.The wise say­ings in Provers are directed to all men, but especially the believers, so to order their life and conduct as to please God and promote their welfare here on earth. 

Down to the river to pray

There were no power outages in Ciudad Guayana, which is very close to the Guri Reservoir. Luz Maria and I spent September 3 to 5 at a retreat center by the Caroni with more than 30 women who either graduated or are currently in the deaconess program sponsored by Concordian El Reformador Seminary and the Juan de Frías Theological Institute. The occasion was a workshop on reconciliation led by the Rev. Freddy Otuvo of the Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia (Iglesia Cristiana Evangélica Luterana de Bolivia – ICEL).

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod at it 69th regular convention July 18-23, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, formally ratified its recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the ICEL. LCMS President Matthew Harrison had recognized fellowship with the Bolivian church in 2025, but the LCMS is required to ratify such declarations at its next convention.

Preaching at Prince of Peace

On September 6, 2026, the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, I had the privilege of preaching at la Iglesia Luterana "Príncipe de Paz" (Prince of Peace Lutheran Church) in Sierra Caroni. I helped Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Juan de Frías Theological Institute and pastor of Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquesimeto, administer the sacrament of the altar.

Príncipe de Paz is one of the oldest congregations in the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, established by LCMS missionaries in 1965. Some of the first national pastors came from Sierra Caroni, but in recent years, the congregation has not been able to find a full-time pastor. Nevertheless, there is an active group, with two women who have graduated from the deaconess program and four who are currently in the process. Because of the remote rural location, some of the ladies have had to walk 40 minutes to an hour to find Internet access. 

Peace to this house and all who dwell here

 

On August 29, I blessed the new house of Adonay and Ludy Tarazona, members of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, our sister congregation in the city of Barinas. Corpus Christi currently does not have a regular pastor and since I have known the Tarazonas for 21 years, they invited me to do it. Adonay and Ludy first met in Sunday school at Corpus Christi. They have three children who all still live with them.

The Rev. Ross Johnson, a former missionary to Venezuela, points out that the speaking of a blessing, or benediction, conveys the message of God's mercy and grace in private situations as well and the Divine Service. The blessing of a home as a Christian ritual has a long history. It is often done during the Epiphany season, with customs associate with Epiphany, because of Matthew 2:11. "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him." As the Gospel lesson for the blessing of Adonay and Ludy's new home, I read Matthew 7:24-29, which is the parable of the house built on rock versus that built on sand.

More medicines from GLO, Lutherans in Chile

On Sunday, August 11, 2024, we distributed the 12th shipment of over-the-counter medications sent as part of Global Lutheran Outreach’s Venezuela Relief Project. During the project’s initial years (2017-2020), many pharmaceutical companies ceased operations in Venezuela, and medicine had almost ceased to be available at local pharmacies. We still live in an inflationary economy with chronic shortages, but medicine is more readily available although at high prices. Many Venezuelans must decide on a monthly basis between medicine and food for the family.

Since 2017, the base of operations for the Venezuela Relief Project has been Divina Providencia (Divine Providence) Lutheran Church in Santiago, Chile. This congregation is affiliated with the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. Medicines are purchased in Chile with the cooperation of a local pharmacy. Then volunteers at the congregation, many of them Venezuelan immigrants to Chile, collate the orders and prepare them for shipment.We give thanks to God for this ministry and also pray that it might continue. As the Rev. James Tino, director of Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO), explained in a recent newsletter, the congregation rents its facilities for around US $2,000 per month, or about double the average monthly wage in Chile).

The congregation has been struggling to meet rent payments and their current rental contract will soon expire. At this point, a suitable property in Santiago will cost around US $450,000 for a basic building, or US $850,000 for one that can house the church and the pastor's family, while also having space for some income-producing activity.

The Rev. Adrian Ventura is the current pastor of Divina Providencia. I first met him in 2002 when he was the pastor of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Maturín, Venezuela. In 2004, he began a second term as president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. He commissioned Luz Maria as a deaconess on the national level in 2004; in 2008 he ordained me as a pastor of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. Since 2018, Pastor Adrian has served as a fellow GLO missionary in Chile.

The lights went out in Venezuela

For years we have to live with local and regional power outages. Typically, lights may go out at any moment of the day for perhaps 10 to 15 minutes, but sometimes for an hour or two. The country's power grid is in a poor state of maintenance and is more than 80 percent depended on a single power station. The Guri reservoir and hydroelectric facility was built on the Caroni River, near what had been the mouth of the Guri River and the village of Guri. The first stage of the facility was completed in 1969 and was designed to be enlarged in two additional stages, whose scheduling would be determined by national power needs. However, electrical demand in Venezuela grew so fast that stage two, begun in 1976, encompassed both later stages, and final work was completed in 1986. In its day the Guri power station was a marvel of engineering, but has had difficulty meeting the continually growing demand for electricity.