Consecrate a fast (Joel 2:15)

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:16-18).

At first glance, this might seem an odd Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday. Making the sign of the cross on one’s forehead with ashes is what this verse forbids. Or, is it? In Matthew 6:5-15, our Lord gives similar instructions on prayer: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” This is followed by Matthew’s account of Jesus teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which Christians all over the world and for hundreds of years have prayed in public as well as in private. There are other verses in Scripture to meet regularly to pray and worship God regularly and as openly as possible (Hebrews 10:23-25: 1 Timothy 2:1-7).

In fact, St. Matthew begins the entire section by saying, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). “Charitable deeds” is a translation of δικαιοσύνην (dikaiosynēn: righteousness, justice) which refers to good works in general. Yet in 1 Peter 2:12 we are told, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Then Matthew 6:2 reads, “Thus, when you give to the needy (ἐλεημοσύνην, eleēmosynēn) sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Yet 2 Corinthians 9:13 describes the gathering of offerings for the poor and for the work of the kingdom as “proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and with all men.” From the earliest days of the church, offerings have been brought forward and placed on the altar as sacrifices of thanksgiving during public worship.

Our Lord is addressing what we would today call “virtue signaling”, ostentatious displays of piety without genuine faith in God. “Sees in secret (κρυπτῷ; kryptō)” implies seeing that which is hidden, or within the heart.

The outward acts, even giving away all one’s possessions to the poor avail nothing if not done in sincere faith and love (1 Corinthians 13:3). They do not gain for us salvation, nor blessing from the Lord. But if done in faith and love, and in common confession with others, not drawing attention to ourselves as individuals, they testify to God’s love and mercy.

One suggested Old Testament lesson for Ash Wednesday, Jonah 3:1-10, illustrates the ancient association of sackcloth and ashes with a fast, or time of repentance, and the other, Joel 2:12-19, speaks of the entire people of God declaring a season of fasting.

We began our observance of Lent on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a vespers service of public confession and absolution with the imposition of ashes. Our catechism teaches that we may confess our sins before the congregation as part of the liturgy, or to the pastor in private. Either way we have the assurance that the word of absolution are as sure as if we heard them directly from the Lord Himself.

The imposition of ashes is a more elaborate form of making the sign of the cross, which Lutherans have done since the 16th Century. Martin Luther strongly encouraged Christians to make the sign of the cross as a daily devotional practice. He also retained the practice at the beginning of the service as Trinitarin invocation, during baptism, confession and absolution, during the Lord’s Supper and the closing benediction. Luther viewed the sign not as superstition but as a spiritual weapon against the devil and a proclamation of faith in Christ’s victory on the cross. He believed it strengthened the conscience and reminded believers of God’s promises. Ashes remind us of our sinful nature that will not pass away until we die physically. “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Third cycle of deaconess program

Luz Maria has again been asked to mentor deaconess students in the third cycle of the diaconal program offered by Concordia Seminary "El Reformador" in the Dominican Republic. On Tuesday, March 3, we partipicated in an online orientation meeting for "Practical Diaconal Guidance I". Exis Freites and Mineida García, ladies of "Prince of Peace" Lutheran Church, Sierra Caroní, represented Venezuela among the more than 50 women from other Latin American countries.  Concordia Seminary "El Reformador", established in 2017 by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, serves Spanish -speaking Lutherans from all over Central and South America by training pastors and deaconesses . 

Pray for victims of tragedy in Chile
We received word from our fellow Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) missionary, Pastor Adrian Ventura, that on Thursday, February 19, a truck carrying liquefied gas overturned, spilling its entire cargo onto an avenue in the Renca district of Santiago, Chile. Following the spill, a raging fire engulfed several cars, including their occupants; four people died at the scene, and several others suffered burns over 90 percent of their bodies. One of the young men caught in the flames was Luis Miguel Gómez, a Venezuelan and son of Belkis Mendoza, a member of “Cristo es Amor” (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto. Luis passed away on Wednesday, February 25, at the Workers' Hospital. Belkis was able to obtain a humanitarian visa and spend her son Luis's final days with him. We ask for your prayers for the Gómez Mendoza family, who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

At home with the Advent wreath

The lighting of an Advent wreath as a countdown to Christmas has become so globally popular that Venezuelan newspapers run articles explaining it as a “Catholic custom.” This is a matter of some debate, as many sources trace it back to the Lutheran Reformation. Roman Catholic apologists agree that it began in Germany, but claim it originated earlier in the Middle Ages. The mystery arises from the fact that the Advent wreath originated as a form of family devotion, not as a rite of public worship. Lighting the wreath as we know it today did not become a widespread practice outside of Germany until the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the tide of Germans fleeing political conflicts and economic difficulties in their homeland. Only then was it incorporated into Advent services in churches of nearly every denomination. That is how I explained it to our afterschool students and youth of our congregation, drawing a comparison of how the migration of Venezuelans is dispersing Venezuelan customs throughout the world. Also, I emphasized the importance of Bible reading and prayer in the home, not just in the building designated as a house of worship. 

 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is a classic verse that illustrates the importance of family devotions in the Christian life. So is Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Although the parental duty is set forth in terms of the father’s obligation, yet the mother’s rule and responsibility, being included in that of the husband, is just as strongly enjoined. St. Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:5, commends Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, for raising Timothy in the faith despite the lack of a faithful father. In Timothy 2:15, the apostle says again that Timothy is fortunate in “that from childhood  known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

With the assistance of Luz Maria’s sister, Rosaura, we presented a special workshop for all the young people in making Advent wreaths for the home. 

A tradition of Christian education

Luz Maria and I are grateful for the opportunity to speak via Zoom on December 4, 2025, to the students of Deshler Lutheran School, Deshler, Nebraska. Our special thanks to principal Todd Voss; Brian Francik, pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Deshler; and José Flores, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Friedensau, Nebraska. Deshler Lutheran School is one part of the ministry conducted by St. Peter-Deshler and TrinityFriedensau. Both congregations have a rich tradition of providing Christ-centered education. Trinity Lutheran at Freidensau called the first teacher to the Nebraska District in 1879. St. Peter's Lutheran School was established in 1889. In 1966, Trinity-Friedensau and Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Kiowa joined with St. Peter's-Deshler to form the Deshler Lutheran School Association using the 1953 building and grounds in Deshler for its campus. Trinity-Friedensau celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. I attended the centennial anniversary in 1974 which featured my father’s older brother, the Rev. Alfred Ernst, as guest speaker. My great-grandfather, Henry Schabacker, so far holds the longest tenure as pastor of Trinity-Friedensau, having served for more than 30 years. His daughter, Theodora Amanda, married my grandfather, David Julius Ernst, who was the sole teacher in the parochial school and also church organist.

Like grandmother, like granddaughter

While we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent in La Caramuca on November 30, 2025, Oriana Montoya, Luz Maria's granddaughter, was consecrated as a deaconess at Jesus of Los Olivos Lutheran Church in Lima, Peru. Oriana was baptized February 15, 2003, at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, Barinas, and took first communion October 28, 2012, at Epiphany Lutheran Church of La Caramuca. She graduated from our preschool and was active in the Epiphany youth group. She represented our mission at the national youth gathering of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela in 2016. After moving to Peru in 2017, Oriana enrolled in and graduated from the deaconess program offered by Concordia El Reformador in the Dominican Republic.

Caught up in the clouds

 The celebration of the Ascension brings to a close our annual reprise of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He walked among his disciples for forty days to testify to His resurrection. But it was necessary for Him to return to the Father so that His exaltation was complete (John 16: 5-15) . As we confess in the creed, Jesus "ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead." We have no difficulty seeing in the ascension and enthronement of Jesus to the right hand of God the fulfillment of the prophetic words of Psalm 110. That Jesus is to the right of the Father, as a mediator and lawyer, means that forgiveness and sanctification are possible (Acts 5:30-31).

 resurrection of Our Lord was not simply the miraculous revival of a single man. The Scriptures contain other similar stories: the resurrection of mothers’ sons by Elijah and Elisha; the son of Nain's widow; the daughter of Jairus; Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha; and more. God, in His mercy, restored these people to their families, but in the end they were taken from this world. There are also stories in the Old Testament of men who did not die physically, but were taken to heaven. In particular, Enoch, descendant of Adam (Genesis 5: 21-24), and Elijah, in the Old Testament lesson appointed for the Ascension (2 Kings 2:5-15).

But even these miracles of God did not change the common fate of human beings, which is the eternal separation of God because of original sin. Both the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus changed everything for all. They were signs and stamps of His victory, a victory that He won when He died on the cross. It was a victory over sin, the power of the devil and death itself. Those who believe in Jesus Christ may die physically, like everyone else. But for those who believe in Jesus Christ, there is the promise that we also will be raised to life on the last day, not only to see Him return in the clouds as He was taken up (Acts 1:9-11), but also to be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Education program continues

On Sunday, May 11, 2025, we presented seven students and three assistant teachers with scholarships from LeadaChild. The assistant teachers who help Luz Maria with afterschool tutoring are all confirmed members of the mission: Anyi Garrido, Yusmelvis Salas and Diana Torres. The students who brought their mothers for Mother's Day also received packages of school supplies. God's providence, the Gospel reading for the fourth Sunday after Easter is John 16:16-22 and the sermon was based on verses 16 to 21:  "A woman when she is in labor has sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man will take from you."

Luz Maria's students are advancing in their studies and have shown distinct improvement in their grades. We have reopened what had been our preschool classroom before its forced closure for afterschool tutoring. We plan to remodel the preschool so that it is more of library and study center for older students.

We were pleased to learn of the high school graduation of Frenyerlin Naleska, a former recipient of LeadaChild scholarships. She was one of Luz Maria´s afterschool tutoring students, attended Sunday afternoon Bible class, and took first communion at our mission on January 8, 2017. Frenyerlin now lives in the city of Coro, Falcon state.

Frenyerlin Naleska, Escarleth Ruíz and Elias Montoya with LeadaChild scholarships.

Ready to serve as deaconesses

From May 1 to 3, 2025, Luz María served as an instructor at the final in-person seminar of the second cycle of the deaconess program sponsored by Concordia El Reformador Seminary and the Juan de Frías Theological Institute in Barquisimeto, Lara state. Other instructors were Deaconess Ginnatriz Vera de Mendoza, and Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Institute. On Sunday, May 5, eight women graduated from the program and are ready to serve as deaconesses.

The women who graduated from the deaconess program are: Matilde Castillo, Cristo es el Camino Lutheran Church, Barcelona, ​​Anzoátegui state; Cinthia Moreno and Ysaela Cedeño de Lozano of Fuente de Vida Lutheran Church, Puerto Ordaz, Bolívar state; Migdalia Veliz, Cristo el Vencedor Lutheran Church, La Pica, Monagas state;  María Ramírez de Coronado, La Fortaleza Lutheran Church, Maracay, Aragua state; Ana Gómez, Belkys Castellanos and Graciela Peraza de Coronado of Fuente de Vida Lutheran Church.

 

Trabajad, luchad y orad, No. 1037 in Himnario Luterano, is a hymn written by Stephen Starke and translated by Antonio Schimpf.

Three pastors reunited before the altar

On Sunday, May 4, five pastors celebrated the divine service together. Eduardo Flores, Sergio Maita, and I were ordained together at El Salvador Lutheran Church in Caracas on December 8, 2008. The three of us were together once more before the altar. Sergio is now missionary pastor of Cordero de Dios Lutheran Church in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and professor at Concordia El Reformador Seminary, while Eduardo is the pastor of La Santa Trinidad Lutheran Church in Caracas and president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela.

Pastor Maita preached the sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter on the Gospel (John 10:11-16) and the Introit (Psalm 33:5-6; 33:1; 33:18-20). The Hebrew word translated "mercy" in Psalm 33:5 is חֵסֵד (hesed). It can also be translated as steadfast love, loyalty, faithfulness, or kindness. But in the same verse, the psalmist says that the Lord loves justice and judgment. This blend of attributes is seen in the figure of the Good Shepherd, who does what is right for his sheep because he loves them.

The other pastors present were Eliézer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto and director of the “Juan de Frías” Institute; and Juan Carlos Silva, assistant pastor of Cristo es Amor Lutheran Church.

Luz Maria's granddaughter graduates

On the same Sunday in Lima, Peru, Oriana Montoya, the granddaughter of Luz María, graduated from the same diaconal program. Oriana was born February 7, 2003, baptized that same month at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas; and took first communion October 28, 2012, at our mission. On May 7, 2021 we said goodbye to Oriana; her mother, Yepci; and Aaron and Elias, her brothers. Like many Venezuelans, they sought a brighter future in another country. We give thanks that they were found by the LCMS Mission in Peru.

Bookending birthdays

On the evening before the deaconess seminar started, we celebrated Pastor Eliezer Mendoza's birthday with Pastor Eliezer, his wife, Ginnatriz, their two daughters and the deaconess students. The day after the graduation ceremony, we celebrated Luz Maria's birthday. 

Our time in Barquisimeto also included outiings to local attractions, including Tintorero, a village known as a center for folk art and crafts, especially colorfully dyed hammocks. Luz Maria purchased a traditional Venezuelan coffee maker (see below).

Our time in Barquisimeto also included outiings to local attractions, including Tintorero, a village known as a center for folk art and crafts, especially colorfully dyed hammocks. Luz Maria purchased a traditional Venezuelan coffee maker (see below).

Pray to the Lord of the harvest

On February 22, 2026, we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of our sister congregation, Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, at its current location in the city of Barinas. Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod missionaries began evangelistic work in Barinas began in 1983. The Lutheran Mission in Barinas, as it was known, congregated in various places, including the house of Luz María's mother, Carmen Rivero de Henríquez, and alternately at Luz María's house in La Caramuca, approximately 12.8 kilometers east of the center of the city of Barinas. With the help of missionary Pastor Rudolph Blank, the congregation obtained its own premises, inaugurated on February 19, 1995.

Three of Luz María's children, Pedro, Charli and Sarai, were baptized in the Corpus Christi sanctuary. Two of her grandchildren, Aaron and Oriana Montoya, children of Yepci, her eldest daughter, and Eliezer Montoya, were also baptized there. The Corpus Christi congregation supported my pastoral formation through my ordination in 2008. Regrettably, since Pastor Raimundo Brito left the country in 2024, Corpus Christi does not have a full-time pastor. That is why it was an honor for me to lead the Divine Service on this important occasion.

The leaders of Corpus Christi are waiting to meet with the pastoral counselor of our Western Zone to decide who they might call as pastor. The Lutheran Church of Venezuela as a whole does not have enough pastors to fill all existing pulpits, much less establish new missions in unreached parts of the country. Let us pray that the Lord of the harvest raises up a pastor for the Lutheran Church “Corpus Christi” and faithful pastors who will preach and teach the Gospel throughout Venezuela.

The Word gives life

I read and preached on the appointed Scripture readings for Sexagesima Sunday (that means “60 days before Easter”). The common theme is this: The Word of God is filled with His omnipotent power, and the Holy Spirit is active in it and through it. We must understand this to be true for the divinely inspired Scripture read privately or preached publicly. Hebrews 4:9-14 says that the word of God is living and active and also sharp, penetrating, and judging. To the believer these are comforting words, but to the unbeliever, terrifying words. The image in Isaiah 55:10-13 is the Word of God as life-giving rain that causes crops to grow and bear fruit. In the parable of Luke 8:4-15, a sower went out to sow his seed. In this case, the Word of God is the seed that gives life. The image is that of a farmer who scatters seed upon the earth every year with new diligence and hope, just as the patience and kindness of the heavenly sower does not tire despite much seemingly wasted labor.

Giving thanks for life and loved ones

On Sunday, February 23, we celebrated together with our youth group the birthday of one of the most faithful members of our mission, Sotera del Carmen Zapata. She is now 84 years old, the same age as my mother. Her sister, Rita, is the other grandmother to Aaron, Oriana and also Elias Montoya. Elias was the first child to be baptized at our mission on June 25, 2005. The other two siblings of Sotera and Rita were present for the birthday party, but Aaron, Oriana and Elias live with their mother in Lima, Peru. I told Luz Maria how in our family, not only the siblings of our parents, but also the siblings of our grandparents were known to us as “Aunt” or “Uncle”. Luz Maria replied that because of the exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans to other countries, many young Venezuelans may not have the blessing of being that familar with their extended families.

A window on the New Testament
Luz Maria continues to mentor Venezuelan women enrolled in the deaconess training program developed by Concordia El Reformador Seminary in the Dominican Republic and presented here by the Juan de Frias Theological Institute. The current online course, “Luke-Acts: A window on the New Testament”, looks at two central books that articulate the narrative of the redemptive work of Christ and the beginning of the Christian church. The study of these two books will help to understand the main doctrines of the New Testament. At the same time, the course provides the opportunity to practice fundamental principles of the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. About 50 women are enrolled in the course.

Widening our circles of mission

Since 2003 we have relied on a small circle of individuals and congregations who have supported Epiphany Lutheran Mission through prayer and donations. Most of our partners continue with us to this day and we thank God for them. As we face a future filled with opportunities as well as challenges, we would like to include more people in our circle. We would love to answer questions about our mission in person, but it is uncertain when we might be able to travel outside Venezuela (the last time was in 2019). However, there are many videoconferencing options (well, except for Skype, as of the end of May).

You can partner with us in a variety of ways. Either one-time or regular donations are welcome. One approach that works for many Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries is the formation of local groups who meet regularly to combine prayer, Bible study on cross-cultural missions and fundraising. GLO has developed a guide to forming such a group that I would be happy to send by e-mail upon request.

You also may help us widen our circle of mission by sharing information about our work. Anyone may subscribe to this newsletter. We also have a Spanish-language Web site and Facebook page, as well as an English-language blog. My sermons (in Spanish) are published weekly on Spotify and YouTube. Anyone may donate to our mission online at Global Lutheran Outreach.

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.

Death is swallowed up in victory

Carmen Henriquez de Rivero, celebrating her 92nd birthday with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54

Carmen Henriquez de Rivero, Luz Maria’s mother, passed to eternal life on June 2, 2024, the second Sunday after Trinity, in Barrio El Cambio, Barinas, Venezuela. She was born on September 21, 1930, in Las Bonitas, Ciudad Bolívar, a city located in southeastern Venezuela on the banks of the Orinoco River. She would later live in the Venezuelan states of Apure and Guarico (Luz Maria was born in Valle de Pascua, Guarico), but lived nearly the latter half of her life in the city of Barinas. She had eight children, of whom seven survive, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In the 1980s, she became part of the nucleus of the original Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) mission in Barinas. She joined the Lutheran Church along with four of her children: Luz Maria, Rosaura, Moisés and Robert. Eventually she and Rosaura joined a Baptist congregation, although Roamird Castillo, Rosaura’s son, remains a member of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) Lutheran Church in Barrio El Cambio, and now serves as secretary and legal adviser to the national Lutheran Church of Venezuela. Señora Carmen continued to welcome LCMS missionaries in her home and always supported our mission in La Caramuca. When, in her last years, we would look after her at the mission for a few days at a time, she would insist on attending our Sunday morning service, even though she had to be carried up the stairway to our sanctuary. (Our sanctuary is on the second floor, because the civil law requires the preschool to be on ground level.) She would teach the young people and their parents some of her sewing skills, which included making dolls from whatever scraps of fabric, buttons and other household materials might be available. 

As her health began to deteriorate more rapidly, the family often would call me to pray with her and anoint her with oil, according to James 5:14-16. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We would pray with her and sing her favorite hymns, then I would hear her confession and apply olive oil to her forehead in the sign of the cross to recall the promise of eternal life in baptism. This was always done as if it might be the last time, but she nevertheless feel much better afterward. The most dramatic occasion was on June 1, when she refused to eat or drink, or move from her bed, seeming barely conscious. After our period of prayer, she immediatel sat up and, with assistance, walked to the table to eat and drink. However, this would be the last time, as she died peacefully the following morning. 

Following Venezuelan custom, the body was prepared for a wake (velorio) that lasted through the night until burial the next morning. I conducted a funeral service in the home for the Lutheran members of the family, including members of our mission in La Caramuca. 

How to give shelter from the storm 

With the deaconesses of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. 

On June 25, Luz Maria and I traveled to another city on the Orinoco River, Puerto Ordaz, 67 miles (108 kilometers) east of Ciudad Bolívar. In 1961, Puerto Ordaz united with San Félix de Guayana, an older port on the Caroni River, to form the metropolitan complex of Ciudad Guayana, or Guayana City. The name is derived from the Guiana Highlands, a region of forested plateau and low mountains that covers the southern half of Venezuela, nearly all of the Guianas (three nations to the east of Venezuela), the northern part of Brazil, and a portion of southeastern Colombia. Ciudad Guayana is located at the confluence of the Orinoco and Caroni, the most economically important rivers in Venezuela. Ciudad Guayana also is home to the Guri Reservoir and Power Station, a hydroelectric facility that provides electricity for the major part of Venezuela’s public power grid. 

We were met at the airport in Valencia (four hours drive northeast of Barinas) by women from the cities of Barquisimeto and Maracay, and Eliezer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church, Barquisimeto, and director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute, and his wife and deaconess, Ginnatriz. Our group flew from Valencia to Puerto Ordaz, where we were hosted for the night by members of Fuente de Vida (Fountain of Life) Lutheran Church. On the morning of June 26, we boarded a bus to a secluded campground for three days of intensive coursework for both graduates and currently enrolled students of the three-year deaconess program sponsored by the Juan de Frias Institute and Concordia El Reformador Seminary in the Dominican Republic. In addition to Barinas, Barquisimeto and Maracay, there were women who represented our congregations in Caracas, Barcelona, Maturín, and other congregations in Ciudad Guayana. 

The 15 women currently enrolled in the deaconess program received instruction in the theological fundamentals of the diaconal ministry. This course was taught by Sergio Maita, who serves as the pastor “Pan de Vida” Lutheran Church in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, and who also is a faculty member at Concordia El Reformador Seminary. In Acts 6 we find the first example of the apostles delegating mercy work to responsible laymen. While the primary ministry of the church is preaching of the Word and administration of the sacraments, the fruit of this ministry is good works that demonstrate God’s grace and mercy to the world (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10; James 1:27). While the pastoral office was instituted by the Lord Himself and neither its requirements nor its responsibilities may change, the auxiliary offices instituted by the church and their responsibilities may change to fit the circumstances of a particular place and time. 

Sergio was born in Maturín, Venezuela, and was raised as a member of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church there. Sergio and I were ordained together with Eduardo Flores, pastor of La Santa Trinidad (Holy Trinity) Lutheran Church in Caracas, and president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, December 13, 2008, at El Salvador (Savior) Lutheran Church in Caracas. Yoxandris, Sergio’s wife, designed and made the liturgical stoles that I wear.

Gustavo Arturo Maita, Sergio’s brother, taught the 26 deaconess program graduates in a more advanced study of responding to natural disasters. Arturo currently the pastor of Príncipe de Paz (Prince of Peace) Lutheran Church in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and is director of disaster response for the Puerto Rican Lutheran mission. Since he took the call to Puerto Rico, the island has been hammered by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017; earthquakes in late 2019 and early 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21; Hurricane Fiona in 2022; and in May 2024 Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency following heavy rains, widespread flooding and landslides. 

Arturo had a little trouble getting his PowerPoint presentation projector up and running, but received some unexpected help in illustrating the desperation of people caught in natural disasters. On the afternoon of June 29, a thunderstorm brought strong winds and torrential rain, resulting in a loss of electricity to the campground. There was no backup generator and the campground’s electric water pumps were no longer able to replenish the water supply. Thanks be to God, power was restored later that evening. 

Arturo brought a wealth of printed material about organized disaster response. It was translated into Spanish from material developed by LCMS Disaster Response. After the seminar, many of the women who returned to their homes near Venezuela's northeastern coast expressed their gratitude for all of the information, as Hurricane Beryl, the first storm of the 2024 hurricane season, brushed Venezuela, causing heavy rain and wind, flooding and power outages. Two deaths were reported in northern Venezuela’s Sucre state, where authorities said another five people are unaccounted for and a total of 25,000 have been affected by heavy rains, winds and river flooding from the outer bands of the storm. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was injured after being hit by a falling tree while visiting one of the affected towns. 

Good fences make good neighbors

 In our case, we built a stout fence as a gesture of good will toward the civil authorities. There is the possibility that we may be allowed to expand our preschool program to allow more children to attend (there is a waiting list). But we were told fencing the steeper section of our property was a prerequisite. The property is in the shape of the letter L. The short leg of the L, parallel to the street, is where we now have our house, church/school, playground and outbuildings. The long leg slopes down toward the river, and is where we have our well and plantings of fruits and vegetables. If it was cleared off and if there was ever snow, it would be a terrific sledding hill. But not in 20 years has anyone fallen down and hurt themselves on it. But we built it, and now we have the advantage of keeping our growing chicken flock out of everyone’s way. They have a back door to their chicken house by which they come and go.