We ran into the host of the event, Les Dlabay in the parking lot.  Les is a professor of Economics and Business at Lake Forest College.  He greeted my farther immediately and then turned and greeted me by name, though we had never met.  He handed me two text books he had just written- one on personal finance and the other on international business.  He also handed me two little gifts.  Les personally escorted us to the room the conference was being held in and introduced us like we were old friends.  Les was energetic, warm, and welcoming.  I liked him immediately.

Our table wasn’t set up for more than a minute before students began to come up to us asking questions about Andean Aid.  We spoke with several students before the group was asked to begin the round table discussions.  Each round table discussion went very well.  The students were very interested and asked great questions.  I was surprised how much we were able to tell them about Andean Aid in only twenty minutes.  We also asked them about who they were, what they were studying, and what their goals were.  We met so many bright young people with amazing ambition all focused on helping those struggling with the effects of poverty in some way.  We met students from Venezuela, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Pakistan, just to name a few.

After the round table discussions we all took a seat as the keynote speaker spoke about extreme poverty.  The organization he represented focused on microloans as a solution.  As the keynote speaker transitioned into the panel made up of representatives of each organization present, it became apparent that the vast majority of the organizations present also focused on micro loans as a solution.  As a matter of fact, only one organization other than Andean Aid had an objective other than microloans.  It just so happens that the person representing that organization is my father’s cousin.   I didn’t know a thing about microloans before this conference, so I learned a lot.  While I value their efforts to eradicate poverty, I am proud of the way we do things at Andean Aid.   We are small, which has major advantages.  If you asked my Dad to name as many people as he could that were being served by Andean Aid, you’d hear him rattle off quite the list of names.  For each person he could tell you about their family, their history with Andean Aid, and their talents.  I’m not sure many people involved with bigger organizations could do that.  I’m fairly certain many directors could not.  I am proud that we don’t go in to Venezuela or Colombia and tell them how to do things.  Instead, we work with nationals to equip them to help each other.  Who better knows how to reach out into a Venezuelan community than a Venezuelan?  Venezuela has an amazingly rich culture.  I am proud that Andean Aid doesn’t do a thing to change that.  I am proud of my Dad who, having no related experience, decided that he needed to do something to help the poverty he witnessed during our year in Venezuela.  If only we could all be so bold as to forget our limitations and focus instead on our convictions.  I left that conference excited about what Andean Aid is doing to make a difference.

Someone asked why we went to this business conference.  I would like to answer that question.  When we are given an opportunity to share about what God is doing, we will go.  I believe God has a great work yet to be done through Andean Aid.  I am excited to see what He has in store.

At birth neither Miguel’s arms nor legs would stay in a normal posture.  His mother Carmen began the grueling schedule of daily two hour round trip bus rides to San Cristobal for physical therapy.  That is until she was diagnosed with cancer.  Then her eighteen year old sister in law Josmay stepped in to take over while Carmen recovered from surgery and radiation therapy.

Today Miguel has use of his arms due to therapy.  He must see the doctors in Caracas every twenty days for evaluation and adjustment for his therapy.  The twelve hour overnight bus ride is intolerable for him so he and his mom fly to Caracas.  So far they have made sixty four such trips.  Expensive surgery on his pelvis, knees and ankles is in his future but there is hope that he may someday walk.

Their tiny home is set up to accommodate Miguel.  Furniture is sparse and nothing is kept on the floor so he can crawl and scoot about as he pleases.  Josmay continues to live in the home and Miguel calls both women mama.

His father, Miguel also, has made him a board for scooting about the floor and a bicycle which he can propel by hand.  He works as a school teacher making minimum wage and all income goes towards food and Miguel’s medical expenses.

Due to the families financial circumstance and Miguel’s need to be in a loving and accepting environment Andean Aid has enrolled him in our school Colégio Privado Juan Christiansen tuition free.  I had the opportunity to witness Miguel giving a presentation at school.  He was determined to stand for this and fell four times until he could brace himself against the wall standing.  With a huge smile on his face.  We are pleased to serve this incredible little boy and this inspiring family.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mariana is an adorable five year old.  She is friendly, outgoing and trusting.  Great traits – except when you are roaming the streets of the city.  Then such traits can prove disastrous.

Her mom is a single working mother with two older children.  Children with problems that consume her time, energy and money.  She works as a hairdresser and having no place to leave Mariana would bring her along to work.  Invariably Mariana would get bored at the salon and wander into the streets to play.

Concerned citizens contacted the administrator of our school Colégio Privado Juan Christiansen to see if there was anything we could do.  Evaluating the situation we decided to bring Mariana into our school tuition free.  This frees her mom to earn an income stress free and gives her time to address the other family concerns.  Mariana loves her school and is flourishing there.

Though Colégio Privado Juan Christiansen is a private school we are reaching into the community, and the community is reaching out to us, to serve those with special needs.

It wasn’t long into my drive that we arrived at the pueblo La Victoria.  I drove around a bit as Tomas asked directions to our next destination El Nula.  Finally after weaving among the streets we came to the alcalbala (security checkpoint) leaving town.  The soldiers asked the normal questions about where we had been and where we were going.  Quite foreign to a North American who comes and goes where he pleases without question.  The soldier then had an interchange with Tomas and finally pointed us in the direction of El Nula.

Then the rain began. Torrential rain.  And the road was one of the worst we had been on.  Gravel for the most part and studded with immense potholes.  The one saving grace was there was essentially no traffic.  Only once in a while did we pass a vehicle going in the other direction.

Tomas pointed out a river to my left and we followed it for most of the drive.  At one point the road narrowed and was right at the edge of the river.  What a time to finally run into traffic.  Buses and trucks were coming the opposite direction as I tried to negotiate the narrow road with the river forty feet below.  I swerved to the left to dodge a big pothole and Tomas told me to get back to the right.  The road had begin to cave in from all the rain so I got back to the right to deal with the potholes pronto.

We finally arrived in el Nula in one piece.  Tired from the trip we stopped to visit friends there.  Tomas was once the pastor in this pueblo.

Arriving home in Rubio I found out that the army in La Victoria was questioning Tomas about my presence in the region.  They were concerned about a North American being in the region.  The river I found out was the border between Venezuela and Colombia.  The stretch of road between La Victoria and El Nula is one of the biggest hotspots of guerilla activity in Venezuela.  In fact right about the same time that I was driving guerrilas killed a group of Colombian army officers across the river.

My nephew, a missionary in Peru, says that God is watching over me and that I keep him busy.  Well, I have no plans to return to that region again so He can relax for a spell we do plan to start a Help and Hope Center in El Nula and the neighboring pueblo of Naranjales in Tachira state.

The trip to San Fernando was fascinating.  I had never been to the great plains of Venezuela (Los Llanos) before.  It is a wonderland of exotic birds and animals.  I saw birds of every color and size.  And it is hot!

San Fernando gave me the opportunity to tell about Andean Aid to several influential Evangelical Christian leaders.  They were very interested in bringing our ministry there.  José Nieves was very supportive and was delighted that I had served at Christiansen academy.  We talked about his time of service at Tama-Tama in Amazonas state and the similarities in our observations at both schools.  He was astonished that I had visited Taama-Tama and it gave us an immediate bond.

Pastor Teodulo Araujo pastored in Venezuela for more than forty four years.  He was happy to hear that a North American loved his people and was providing such as service as Andean Aid does.  He told me of his time in San Cristobal and I found he was associated with OVICE there.  This man knew John Christiansen and knows my friend Norman Chugg.

On our return trip we stopped at a number of villages along the way.  We had the marvelous treat of a fried fish breakfast at a fishing village along the river.  The fish went from boat to frying pan in very short order and was delicious served with avocado and fried yucca.  I met the Jimenez family there.  It was great to talk to them about our Help and Hope Centers.

At our stop in Naranjales in the state of Tachira I met Pastor Henry Castro.  He is senior pastor of both the Cristo La Unica Esperanza in Naranjales and the church in El Nula in Apure state.  Pastor Castro would like a Help and Hope Center in both locations.  The facilities are excellent and he has a dedicated staff and congregation member to teach.  The Naranjales church feeds seventy poor children breakfast each day.  I’ve very excited about this new opportunity.

I hoofed it down the far end of a concourse and arrived at my gate as stated on my ticket.  After getting settled in all nice an cozy a gate change was announced.  My new gate was at the far end of a completely different concourse.  That gate was a madhouse.  There were far more people than available seats.  American Airlines was trying to motivate people to take a later flight with three hundred dollar travel vouchers per ticket.  Then it was announced that there was too much carry-on luggage and some of it would have to be checked-in.  People were given the opportunity for this but some were forced.  Luckily I avoided this.  Then when it came time to board the employees were completely exasperated in trying to board by boarding code.

As it turned out the boarding code boarded the plan front  to back.  As Group two were trying to board they had to climb over Group one trying to get their luggage in the racks.  Before we boarded I heard the American airlines ticket agent across the hall for a trip to Boston announce that she was boarding the plane rear to front.  I nominate her for president of American Airlines.

The flight to Miami was alright.  The only two things I remember about my long layover there is the fourteen dollars I spent on the most terrible lunch I’ve eaten (well half eaten) and that they charged five dollars for a half hour of internet access.  It gets my vote for worst airport of the trip.

I arrived right on time in Medellin last night.  Pastor Daniel and his wife were there to greet me as well as my friend Fabio and his wife Nora.  What a relief to see them.  I was prepared for the hour long drive to the city.  We stopped briefly for coffee at an outdoor eating spot near the airport.  As we continued Fabio turned off the road and started driving up the mountainside on a dirt road.  I found out that we were to spend the night at Fabio’s farm on the mountainside very near the airport.  This would allow me to get a couple more hours of sleep.  What a blessing this was!

The flight to Bogota was short and very good.  Copa Airlines are very nice and professional and the planes are spotless.  I had a four hour layover in Bogota and had no Colombian pesos.  My last meal was on the flight the night before and I wouldn’t arrive in Cucuta until one O’clock in the afternoon.  I ventures out of my concourse and found a money exchange place and exchanged twenty dollars.  For this I had to present my passport to be photocopied, sign a form and get fingerprinted!

On my final flight I sat next to Orlando who works for a foundation in Bogota that works through the church to provide aid to poor children.  We had a lot in common and talked throughout the trip.  Gave me good practice since he spoke no English.

My friends met me at the airport and there was no trouble with the border crossing.  We were in a terrible traffic jam in Cucuta.  The rest of the drive to Rubio was uneventful.  More tomorrow.  I’m getting tired just writing about this trip.