Venezuela 2002
Ministering in the Harvest Field
By Mark Ogle
 

It was great to be back in Venezuela . This was my second trip and second time as a team leader to this beautiful Caribbean country. It felt like a homecoming seeing old friends and meeting new ones. There were ten members of this team. Three were from Virginia, one from Texas and six from Kansas . We were blessed to have two doctors, three nurses, a retired school teacher and an elementary child who helped with the children's Ministry.

After arriving at the airport in Caracas , the capital city, we boarded a bus for the four and one- half hour ride through the mountains to the city of Calabozo .

Dr. John Powell of Evangelism Task Force and his wife Elsa, pastor the Torre Fuerte church in Calabozo. Calabozo is in north central Venezuela in an area known as the flatlands. Calabozo has a population of 300,000, and is a major city in the central part of the country. We stayed in a hotel in Calabozo.

In 2001 we conducted clinics in Calabozo. However, this year we took a 40 minute bus ride through the country side to a rice farming village called Uverito. Population 1,000. Four years ago, Dr. Powell and some of his church members from Calabozo started evangelizing this village and started a front yard Bible study with four people. Today, there is a church house built, and in November of 2001 a local pastor was trained in the word and now ministers to the village of Uverito. This is the church where we held clinic and children's ministry each day.


Forty two percent of the rice consumed in Venezuela is produced in the north central region and farming is the main economy. However, there has been a serious drought for the past four years and most of the fields were dry and barren. The irrigation ditches have been dry for so long there were weeds and trees growing in the middle of the ditches that normally would be flowing with water. This has caused many of the farmers to seek work in the cities and many of the women have taken jobs doing laundry and selling handmade crafts on the side of the highways. Many villages have become abandoned as more people are coming to the cities to seek work without much success.

Prayer for rain during the wet season is a key request for the farmers who depend on it for their livelihood.

There were over 400 people who passed through the clinics. Most were treated for typical problems, such as colds, parasites and body aches, along with arthritis among the elderly.

The Uverito church welcomed the team warmly by making a giant welcome sign with balloons and artwork. Approximately 20 children from the church sang songs and danced for our team on the first day to welcome us to their village.

During the  week, we had a Wednesday evening service at the Calabozo church where the team had been introduced. Testimonials were shared along with special music from both the American team and Venezuelan team.

On our last day in Uverito, a farewell service was given by pastor Johnny of the Uverito church. The children and young people sang specials, and the dance team from Calabozo  presented a special number. The American team members were asked to share what the week meant to them and how God blessed their lives and made them richer by being of service to the Uverito people. After hand shakes, hugs, and kisses with lots of teary eyes, it was goodbye to everyone, even though most of the team was willing to stay another week.

There was one salvation during the week, the prayer counselors reported that a spirit of encouragement and hope was made in the the lives of the Uverito people.

Please continue to pray for the Torre Fuerte ministry as it continues to grow beyond the city of Calabozo and into the countryside. Pray that God will continue to send young people into the ministry as Venezuelan Nationals grow in the word and evangelize their own country.  To God be the glory in South America