Andean Aid

January 2019 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:13:50 +0000

JANUARY 2019 NEWS

TEACHER CARMEN ALICIA ROZO, TOP, LEADS CHILDREN AT THE VILLA BAHARAQUE HELP & HOPE CENTER SHE ATTENDED AT THEIR AGE. PHOTO BY DANIEL CUANDO

TO VILLA BAHARAQUE
With Love

The tiny mountainside village of Villa Bahareque, tucked into the Andes just outside Rubio, Venezuela, holds a special place in our hearts as the community where Andean Aid’s ministry to impoverished children began 15 years ago.

At the time, Villa Baharaque was inhabited by Colombians who’d left their home country in the wake of economic hardship, political unrest and the presence of paramilitary and guerrilla forces. People told us it was too dangerous to try to help, there were too many drugs being trafficked in this place.

As we began meeting children and their families – the Velascos, the Calderons, the Rozos – we built our center. Today, we enough students to require the help of 7 after-school teachers instructing students from primary through high school in math, biology, natural sciences, Spanish, English, reading, and writing.

Andean Aid has been the heart and soul of a community whose children are finding a way out – through education. And just outside the village, vacant land has been donated to Andean Aid to build a new school.

In the very near future, we’ll have working internet in Villa Baharaque, allowing us to implement into our program the software gifted to us by a generous Silicon Valley entrepreneur last fall.

Last week, we had increased number of students registered for the new school year. Our teachers are excited, and we’re ready for whatever 2019 brings the children and families not only in Villa Baharaque, but at our 10 other centers, too.

Rosa and Olinto Rozo, top, were one of the first families to welcome Andean Aid into the Villa Baharaque community. They supported us by letting us use space next to their home for the children to meet.The Rozo’s daughter Carmen Alicia, lower right, attended the center, eventually graduating from the UPEL University in Rubio and becoming a teacher at our Juan Christiansen Academy and at the Help & Hope Center.

MEMBERS OF THE CHAIN OF LAKES COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH VISITED CUCUTA IN 2016.SELFIE BY YOSHUA OROZCO, BOTTOM RIGHT.

UPCOMING DONOR TRIP TO CUCUTA

In March, a small team of donors to Andean Aid will accompany founder Wayne Cramer to Cucuta, Colombia, to observe and participate in the work being done in our Centers and the churches that partner with us.

Your prayers are appreciated as we undertake our journey as ambassadors of your good will and to show them our interest in their lives.

A staff appreciation night is being planned to show the leaders our gratitude for the work they do. Some of them are volunteers and gladly serve the organization without pay. At this event, we plan to show the Spanish subtitled version of the new pilot for “The Chosen,” a groundbreaking new series on the life of Christ that premieres this Fall. You can watch the pilot of this wonderful program now.

PHOTO FOR ANDEAN AID BY YOSHUA OROZCO, REINO ART

VISITING OUR CENTERS IN COLOMBIA CHANGED A COLLEGE STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON CHRISTIANITY

Rachel Beckman is a junior at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She was part of the team from Chain O’Lakes Community Bible Church in Lake Villa, IL, that took a trip to our Cucuta Help & Hope Centers in 2016 and saw firsthand our work with the children. Rachel recalls the trip’s impact:

“While growing up in church, I heard about the various cross-cultural ministries it supported and found myself volunteering during banquets and fundraising events. I was not originally intending to go on a trip with Andean Aid, but after praying about it, I thought it would be a unique and enriching experience for me and those I would be serving.

While in Cucuta, I was able to meet the bridge-building members of the organization who work to connect Andean Aid’s provisions with the Colombian and Venezuelan people. Through meeting these missionaries, tutoring children, helping run Awana programs, and visiting local churches, God opened my eyes to the universal church that extends around the world.

There is always something special about meeting a distant brother or sister for the first time. But when Christians have the opportunity to meet, live, listen, and comfort each other through their sorrows and joys, they go from strangers to family in an instant.

God took my experience with Andean Aid and used it to broaden my view of faith. Instead of being a life calling limited to the boundaries of rural America, I now saw Christianity as a far-reaching community of beautiful believers I’ll continually love and support as a sister in Christ.”

Rachel Beckman, January 2019

DID YOU PAY $1,160 FOR YOUR HOLIDAY HAM?

Depending on the size of your gathering and where you shop, your Christmas ham or prime rib may have set you back a pretty penny. That’s nothing compared with what Venezuelans paid – or would have paid if they could have, for a traditional Christmas “pan de jamon” or ham bread. That pork, raisin, and olive roll of yumminess that’s the centerpiece of Venezuelan holiday dinner tables would’ve set back the average minimum wage earner a full month’s pay. In the U.S., that’d be about $1,200.

Here are some other shocking facts about Venezuela’s economy:

The IMF forecasts inflation of 10,000,000% in 2019;
The UN says 90% of Venezuelans now live in poverty;
Last August, the government raised the minimum wage 60-fold, leaving employers struggling to pay workers.

There’s much more on the situation in this article by BBC NEWS.

STILL, THERE IS GOOD NEWS. God has certainly not forgotten about His children. Those we serve at our Help & Hope Centers in Venezuela, along with their families, are still receiving several nutritious meals per week, thanks to you, our generous donors.

AND, THEY’RE LEARNING SKILLS that allow them to sell their goods in Colombia and farm the land near our school.

OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS carry on fully staffed and helping students stay ahead in school. OUR PRIVATE SCHOOL continues to employ 27 people who help 200+ local students get an education that shows they are excelling compared to their public school peers.

¡Gracias a todos los que han donado a Andean Aid! Thank you all for your support!

WUILLIAM AND DEXY, LEFT; WUILLIAM (STRIPED SHIRT) AND A FRIEND WITH WAYNE CRAMER AND GABY ANDRADE OUTSIDE OUR VILLA BAHARAQUE CENTER. PHOTO BY JULIE ANDERSON.

WE JUST LOVE A HAPPY ENDING

Wuilliam Rojas was a young boy studying at our very first Help & Hope Center in San Martin, Rubio, Venezuela. Dexy Velasco attended our Villa Baharaque Help & Hope Center. Dexy’s family was living in a new house built by Andean Aid after their original house (made of wood, zinc and carpet walls) washed down the mountainside during heavy rain.Wuilliam went on to secondary school, then graduated and attended the local Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (UPEL), where he studied education.

While there, he Dexy Velasco, who was studying agriculture. After both graduated from the University, they married and had two children.

Today, Wuilliam and Dexy are teachers in Colombia, where they moved to weather Venezuela’s economic storm. Thanks to their dual income, they’re able to help their families in Venezuela. “We thank God for watching over us, and Andean Aid for planting in us many values and the importance of getting a good education.”

2018 WAS A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR
DONATIONS TO ANDEAN AID.BECAUSE OF THIS, WE’RE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR WORK INTO THE MARACAIBO REGION OF VENEZUELA, WHERE HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.

THANK YOU!

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:3-6

OUR HERO(INE) OF THE MONTHThe first in a series featuring the teachers and leaders that
dedicate themselves to the lives of the children Andean Aid serves.

Isleyda Flores, 38, is one of our 4^th grade teachers at Juan Christiansen School. She also teaches at the Camilo Daza and Villa Bahareque Help & Hope Centers. With a PhD in Education, Isleyda works at UPEL university as well.

Isleyda holds dual citizenship in Venezuela and Colombia. She and her husband Irwin Contreras have an 8-year-old boy, Maykel.

Having studied information systems, Isleyda is helping build the new school website.

Last Tuesday, Isleyda visited the homes of children in Villa Bahareque to invite them to attend the Help & Hope Center.

Isleyda, we appreciate YOU and your love for the children of Andean Aid!

WHEN RETURNING TO VENEZUELA IS A
REFUGEE’S BEST OPTION

By Gaby Andrade, Field Director

The difficult situation in Venezuela over the past year has forced our Juan Christiansen School to endure many challenges. Among them, many families have left the country for the US, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Italy and elsewhere. Fewer students mean less tuition to pay teacher salaries.

So we decided to pray and let God perform miracles.15 students left, and immediately nine new ones enrolled, leaving us down by six. Then we received calls from four of the families who’d moved saying they want to return. We wondered: “Why return to Venezuela, a place of such hardship?”

Their answers revealed some of the challenges refugees to other countries face:

In the place we went, we can find food, but no job.
We are illegal in our new place
The education the children received at Juan Christiansen was outstanding
Xenophobia is very strong; people in other countries “hate Venezuelans”
If we have health issues, there’s no family to help and we don’t have legal status.

Gaby Andrade says, “PRAISE GOD, we are ready to receive our kids back again. We love them.”

THIS IS MY STORY
The first in a new series of student testimonies

KEREN JIMENEZ

Student Keren Eliana Jimenez of our Camilo Daza Help & Hope Center was born in Cucuta, Colombia.

“When my mom Liliana was pregnant with me, my dad abandoned her. She is very strong, and works hard for me and my sisters. When I was 6, I met Andean Aid and started learning many things. Not just how to do my homework, but many values that are changing my life, like choosing appropriate clothes, speaking correctly.

In Colombia there are estratos (division in social classes), and the high class look down on the lower class. Andean Aid teaches me how I can have better behavior and not look different from others.

Sometimes I feel bad because my dad leaves us alone, and I wonder what can I do? It’s my life, and I must make good choices.

Many things are going well since I found Andean Aid. I’m so proud that I have one of the best grades in my class – 4.5 out of 5!

My wish is to be a good doctor. I know I can do it if I study a lot.

Thanks, Andean Aid, for being part of my life and making me feel like you are my father.”

Keren Jimenez

BE THE HAND OF GOD IN CHILDREN’S LIVES

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December 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 20:07:44 +0000

NEWS FROM OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS
AND OUR SCHOOLSEE HOW YOU’RE CHANGING LIVES EVERY DAY

www.andeanaid.org

ENMANUEL AND YULLIE CONTRERAS AT THEIR HOME IN RUBIO.

ENMANUEL AND YULLIE CONTRERAS

Recently, Andean Aid teachers visited three children who attend our Florida 2000 Center in Rubio.Jose Enmanuel Contreras, 5, and his sister Yullie, 10, are excited because their mother is expecting a baby soon. We were joined by their grandparents and great-grandparents. It’s a kind and noble family.

Enmanuel is intelligent and loving; Yullie, likes to draw. She told us the best birthday gift she’s ever had was hearing the news that she will have a little brother or sister.We also visited Juda, whose mother died recently. Juda lives with his father, sister and grandfather. His father told us he’s been without consistent income these days, getting by on occasional help from a relative who lives out of the country.

LUNA SANGUINOIn a Class All Her Own

Luna Sanguino, 10, is a Venezuelan refugee living in Cucuta with her parents and sisters Orianna and Hanna. At our Aeropuerto Help & Hope Center, Luna works hard at her homework. Without the educational resources provided by Andean Aid, Luna wouldn’t be able to keep up with her peers.

Luna says, “At the Help & Hope Center, we can find many lovely teachers. I would like these teacher work at my school.” In the future, Luna wants to be a veterinarian because she loves animals and wants to help her family.

Luna studies at Virgilio Barco school, where she is the only student in the school who receives the highest score a student can achieve: 5 grade points out of 5 possible in all 14 of her subjects. Luna’s high grades exempted her from finals, making her very happy. Luna thanks Andean Aid and supporters for helping her reach great heights in her education.

BUENOS AIRESA Bright Future For Herself and Her Family

Danyi Lazo, was only four months old when her parents made a wrenching decision to uproot her and her brothers and sister from Tibu, where guerilla forces were wreaking havoc, to Cucuta giving up their land and their jobs to start over in a new place.

Danyi and her siblings attended school in Buenos Aires, the neighborhood where they lived, and found our Help & Hope Center and partner church, Getsemani. At the Center, Danyi received help every day with her schoolwork, eventually graduating high school. She enrolled in SENA, a training center less expensive than a university, and studied to become an infant care specialist.

It wasn’t easy, juggling a job and school, but Danyi did well and has advanced to the next level of her education. All the while, her family’s faith grew as they attended Getsemani. Danyi has dropped into the Help & Hope Center from time to time, telling us how grateful she is because of the love, support and homework assistance she received. “My time in SENA will go fast, and I will be ready for work in my new career. That makes me so happy. Thank God and Andean Aid, because the guerrilla once tried to break my family dreams, but Andean Aid saved me and my family”.

JUAN CHRISTIANSEN SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR

Boiling water in paper; detecting an earthquake; creating wind power. These are just a few of the fascinating projects on display at the Juan Christiansen School Science Fair.In an impressive showing, students demonstrated the projects they had researched, tested and assembled for review by a panel of judges that included an inventor (who is also a pastor) and an air force pilot, among others.

Other projects included a bubble making machine; handcrafted soap; homemade plasticine; artisan air conditioning; a popcorn making machine; an electroscope; lineas de campo magnetico, anti-gravity; salt water and life; an electro image projector; an electric sharpener; magnetics gloves; scanimation; a soda dispenser; a thermometer for bottles; free energy; and magnetic levitation.

Our thanks go to the judges – Pastor Juan Carlos Tobon, Ing. Milagros Monterrey, Prof. Air Force Pilot Tirso Lara, and Licda Ludy Camargo – and to the parents and students who blew us away with such a diverse array of outstanding projects.

DANIELA SOLANO

From Bullied to Blessed

You may wonder how a girl so lovely can be the victim of bullying, but it’s true. Daniela Solano, who is in 7^th grade and attends our Help & Hope Center in Buenos Aires, Cucuta, participated in the spelling bee a few weeks ago, coming in 3^rd place. Her outstanding finish sparked something in some of her classmates, who began bullying her at school.

It came to a point where Daniela was exhausted from the stress. She began leaving early to avoid the girls waiting in the school bathroom to fight her and taunt her with aggressive language.

“Everybody laughed at me for participating in the spelling bee, but that didn’t stop me. I did my best with the help of teachers, and I was proud of my results,” Daniela told us.

Daniela also loves to sing. When she asked her teacher Rosmary if she could perform for the other children, Rosmary was supportive and said she’d get up there and sing right along with Daniela to make her more comfortable.

After the performance, something wonderful happened. The students who were bullying Daniela had a change of heart. They even began asking her about Andean Aid, about her teacher, Rosmary, and wondered if they could study with her.

Daniela says she is confident about herself now, and happy her life is an example to others.

OSMAR GUTIERREZ AND JEAN CARLOS ARENILLATwo of our Teachers Have Additional Degrees

We are so proud that two of our staff, Osmar Gutierrez, a 5th grade teacher at Juan Christiansen School, and Jean Carlos Arenilla, a football teacher in Colombia.Osmar Gutierrez received his Mathematics degree from the Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador (UPEL) in Rubio, Táchira, Venezuela. It is so wonderful to have people on our staff who want to improve day by day.

In the same way, we have Jean Carlos Arenilla, who earned his Masters degree in Innovaciones Educativas at UPEL. We are so grateful to Jean Carlos because he is always concerned for the children who have few opportunities.

Congratulations to both of you!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE A GIFT TO SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN TODAY

PASTOR JUAN CARLOS TOBONThis Little Light of Mine

Pastor Juan Carlos Tobon, who leads our newest Help & Hope Center in Aeropuerto, Cucuta, Colombia, also has a scientific mind and a heart for the children. Lately, he’s expressed concern for our Venezuela-based Andean Aid staff, because many days go by without electricity there.

Pastor Juan had an innovative solution he wanted to bring his brothers and sisters across the border, so he recently made the trek to teach children, parents, school teachers, and some of our Help & Hope leaders to make lamps using old batteries at our Help and Hope Centers.

Thank you, Pastor Juan, for teaching the parents and their children how to make these lamps at the Familia de Dios Church. Thanks, too, to the many who helped – Albur Rodriguez, Carlos Moncada, Tirso Lara, Antonio Daza, Irwin Contreras and Pastor Alexander Penaloza.

ALPHA AND OMEGA CHURCH ANNIVERSARY35th Years of God’s Faithfulness

Our Help & Hope Center at the Alfa y Omega Church joined together in celebration of the church’s 35 year anniversary last month. There were weekend-long festivities to mark the occasion as families thanked God for the blessing of the church’s presence in the community for so many years. A recent renovation to the church stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness to the life of this church and community.

CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY DONOR SO THE CHILDREN CAN COUNT ON YOUR HELP.

IGLESIA LUZ DEL MUNDO

A Beacon of Light and Hope in a Dangerous Community

Luz del Mundo is the Rubio-based partner church to our La Palmita Help & Hope Center. This neighborhood is a hard place to live. Many years before we opened our Center here, this was the home of the worst “pandillas” (gangs) in Rubio, a place where many people were afraid to live.

Pastor Marcos Guedez and his wife Judith de Guedez do a wonderful job taking care not only of the normal activities of the church, but thinking about the concerns of each person and their situation. Judith Guedez has an especially tender heart and happy disposition to work with kids, especially teens.

The Help & Hope Center is in an ideal place, one step beyond the walls of the church, which has set an example for the community in how to better care for the children, be patient with them, and help them understand they are not alone because God is taking care of them through the people.

A mother named Bonilla’s kids began attending our Center ten years ago when they were just four years old. Other children have come only since we began offering our nutritious meals. The church is growing with the people of the community, an example of how Andean Aid builds the child, the church and the community.

In addition, at least 30 kids come to a separate Bible study, and their families are starting to attend as well, as our leaders wait to see what the Holy Spirit brings for so many others in the community.

Luz del Mundo church is deeply grateful for Andean Aid. They realize that among many churches, they have received a special blessing.

SPREAD EVEN MORE JOY TO THE CHILDREN BY SUPPORTING OUR WORK.

BE THE HAND OF GOD IN CHILDREN’S LIVES

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November 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:20:35 +0000

NOVEMBER 2018 NEWS

As we share this month’s news, our cup overflows with gratitude. In the last year, your financial support for our mission has increased nearly 100%. Thank you!

As a result, we’re helping more than 1,000 at-risk children in Venezuela and Colombia improve their grades, enrich their lives through skills courses, eat healthy meals, and experience the love of Christ – a milestone number of students. You’ll read their stories below.

And we have plans to do more, reach more children, in the coming year.

In the days ahead, we’ll share end-of-year messages with you. As you read them, please prayerfully consider how you may support the work God has called us to do. We remain ever-committed to faithful stewardship and ever-grateful for God’s provision through you for the work of His kingdom.

GIVE A GIFT TO HELP REACH MORE CHILDREN

When you shop, use our Amazon Smile link for purchases. Amazon will donate a portion of what you spend to Andean Aid!

STORIES FROM OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS

WE WELCOME REFUGEES

In Colombia, students at our Help and Hope Centers are working hard to finish the school year well, while Venezuelan students are beginning a new school year. Ten new Venezuelan refugees are attending our new Aeropuerto Help & Hope Center, bringing the total number of refugees being served at our Cucuta locations to 90.

PASTOR TOBON WITH 5 OF THE 14 NEW COMPUTERSPURCHASED FOR THE AEROPUERTO HELP & HOPE CENTER.

FROM SUGAR LAND TO CUCUTA:
CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN

This past summer, we learned that our good friends and supporters at the First Colony Church of Christ had a surprise for us: the children who attended Vacation Bible School there raised $1,200 for our Aeropuerto Help & Hope Center, which was itself established with a generous gift from First Colony! Staff used the money to purchase two keyboards, a guitar and 14 computers. There was much joy as the children began using the instruments right away in the worship band (see above photo).

THANK YOU, FIRST COLONY CHURCH OF CHRIST AND CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED YOUR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! As you have learned about giving to others a portion of what God has given you, you’ve brought happiness to many children who can’t wait to put these gifts to use for the God who loves them and toward a better future for themselves.

PASTOR TOBON MAKING A NON-ELECTRIC LAMP

LIGHTING THE WAY SO OTHERS MAY SEE

AEROPUERTO

Pastor Tobon is the leader of our new Aeropuerto Help & Hope Center in Cucuta, Colombia. He’s also a gifted innovator who’s implemented energy-saving solar lighting at his church.

Pastor Tobon’s ongoing concern for Andean Aid staff and students in Venezuela, where lengthy electricity outages have become routine, gave him an idea: he would teach others to make lamps to light their homes without electricity using recycled materials. Specifically, old batteries.

Pastor Tobon will travel to Venezuela to instruct communities and our Juan Christiansen School in how to make these. Thank you, Pastor Tobon, for sharing your ingenuity with our loved ones across the border. And thank you for teaching the children about the love of Christ and the hope He brings to their futures.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:105

ALVARO RODRIGUEZ

AEROPUERTO

4th Grade student Alvaro Rodriguez lives with his stepfather and two other families in his grandmother’s home. Alvaro’s mother, who moved to Bogota five years ago to work, calls twice weekly to catch up with him. It’s been a difficult journey for Alvaro, who struggles to study in a house where so many people live, and it’s even more challenging because there‘s no place to do homework.

Since attending our new Aeropuerto Center, Alvaro has found the proper place tostudy, and is motivated by the other students. Pastor Tobon, the leader of our Center at Aeropuerto, mentors and helps Alvaro with his math.

LUNA SANGUINO

AEROPUERTO

Luna Sanguino, 10, is a Venezuelan refugee living in Colombia. Her mother has been looking for work, and her father does his best to find temporary jobs. Living expenses are high, and there isn’t money for books or other homework materials.

Since coming to our Aeropuerto Help & Hope Center, Luna is receiving the materials she needs and doing well in school. One day, Luna wants to be a veterinarian because she loves animals. She believes that realizing her dream will help her family have a better life.

JOHAN GARCIA

Nine-year-old Johan Garcia lives with his parents in a small rental house in Cucuta. His father hasn’t worked in two months, and the family gets by on borrowed money and promises of repayment. Paying for food, electricity, gas, and water has not been easy.

When Johan goes to the Help & Hope Center, he forgets about all these problems,instead finding a respite where he can do his homework and be inspired by other students. “I would like go to the university, but of course I know that is almost impossible in this country,” says Johan. Still, Johan prays that one day he will attend the university and become a pediatrician.

CRISTHIAN BONILLA

PALMITA

Cristhian Bonilla, a student at our Palmita Help & Hope Center in Rubio, Venezuela, has faced an uphill climb at school ever since he can remember. The 15-year-old is only in 6^th grade, a result of being born with a learning disability. In addition to his struggles in school, Cristhian’s father passed away when Christhian was only ten, and he went to live with his grandmother. His mother has searched hard for work without success.

At Palmita, the pastor and his family have become Cristhian’s second family, and the Help & Hope Center has become his second home.Christhian loves to serve in the church and help teachers distribute educational materials to the other students. Christhian also likes to serve food on meal days, a task that earns him a reward of plenty of nutritious, hot food. The pastor’s wife says, “We are so glad we can help make Christhian happy, and now he is a son to us, too.”

DAYANA MICELL RINCON GALVIZ

CAMILO DAZA

Dayana Michell Rincon Galviz, 9, lives with her mother, sisters and five brothers in a tiny house without comforts. Her mother works selling chickens, and does not have time to take care of the children. Dayana’s father, who left the family, helps financially from time to time.

Dayana and her sisters have to make food, wash clothes and organize the house; they are always alone, After school, once they have tidied their house, they come to the Camilo Daza Help & Hope Center in Cucuta to do their homework. At night, they wait for their mother to arrive.

Dayana dreams of being a normal girl like others who can go out to play with friends and always have the company of their mothers. She wants to study to be a teacher.

ANGELA PENARANDA

CAMILO DAZA

Angela Michell Picon Peñaranda is a Colombian girl, 11, who lives with her grandparents and younger sister. Angela’s mother left nine years ago and began another family; her father has also abandoned the home.

Angela attends our Camilo Daza Help & Hope Center, and is very happy with everything she learns there and with the love she is shown.

YASNEY DE MAR QUINTERO

CAMILO DAZA

Yasney del Mar Quintero, 10, Yasney lives with her mother, who is single, two brothers and a nephew in a small wooden house with a dirt floor. At the moment, Yasney’s mother does not have a job and her uncle brings them food. Yasney, who is studying 5th grade, dreams of meeting her father one day and studying to become a teacher.

COMMUNITY SKILLS TRAINING

At a sewing class, young girls are learning to make clothing. Your donations have enabled us to hire teachers for a variety of courses that help members of at-risk communities enrich and equip themselves for a better future.

SUPPORT THE WORK OF ANDEAN AID WITH YOUR GIFT

PHOTO FOR ANDEAN AID BY YOSHUA OROZCO/REINO ART

IN RUBIO, THERE IS DARKNESS

Rubio, Venezuela, where we operate three Help & Hope Centers, is suffering very lengthy power outages, sometimes lasting 32 or more hours. Cooking gas is unavailable and people, including our own staff, the children and their families, are making fires to cook their food. We are asking God to free the people of Venezuela.

NEWS FROM THE JUAN CHRISTIANSEN SCHOOL

SNAPCHAT SELFIE BY INGRID ZAMBRANO

A TEACHER WITH A PASSION FOR CHILDREN
IS EXPANDING HER OWN FAMILY

Our senior teacher at Juan Christiansen School, Ingrid Zambrano, is in her 23^rd week of pregnancy. “So far everything is normal,” says Ingrid, who’s expecting a girl she says she’ll name Lucia Isabella. “I keep eating healthy and taking all the vitamins the doctor sends me, and taking all the necessary care.”

Ingrid continues, “We have a 5-year-old boy named Tomás Andrés, who is super happy about his new little sister. At this time, I ask God for a lot of patience, since my husband works in Cucuta and we do not have much time to share. But we know that in this time of crisis, the sacrifice we are making is a blessing.

We would appreciate your prayers for the good health of baby Lucia, that she would be born healthy and without any complications or health conditions. May God continue to pour out his blessings and mercy on my family and my loved ones, that we do not lack His provision. I am very grateful to you. God bless you!”

JORGE CONTRERAS WITH ANDEAN AID TEACHER ROSMARY AND FIELD DIRECTOR GABY ANDRADE.

HELP & HOPE CENTER STUDENT WINS SCHOOL SPELLING BEE

Andean Aid teacher Rosmary Godoy and Field Director Gaby Andrade were invited to join a panel of judges at a spelling bee held at a public school in Buenos Aires, Cucuta. The winner was Jorge Contreras, who attends Andean Aid’s Help & Hope Center in Buenos Aires and also takes community skills training classes.

CONGRATULATIONS, JORGE!

PARENTS AT THE JUAN CHRISTIANSEN ACADEMY

A SHOW OF STRENGTH AND SACRIFICE

Last month, Andean Aid, along with staff and teachers at our private Christian school, the Juan Christiansen Academy, were faced with a difficult decision. They were to vote on a government proposal that would allow parents to pay lower tuition fees as long as the government could take over the school.

As seen in this photo, the parents voted overwhelmingly to maintain the current tuition level so that the school can continue to operate independently, an outcome that stunned officials given these are exceedingly difficult times for Venezuelan families.

Join us in continuing to pray for these brave parents, as well as our staff and school. We await an ending to this story that only God can write.

GROWING POWER:
ORGANIC CILANTRO AND WATERMELON

Farming instruction continues at Juan Christiansen School, where the soil is very rich. Students till the dirt, plant organic crops, maintain the beds, then take the bounty home to their families and communities. Another way Andean Aid is helping build the child, the church and the community!

COFFEE FARM OWNER WILSA CACERES

“GOD IS WALKING BEFORE US.”

By Gaby Andrade, Director of Field Operations

I want to share with you how great is our God. After months of fervent prayer and many legal filings, the 62 invaders who had taken up residence on my mother’s coffee farm, effectively driving her off her own land, have abandoned the property! Even amid the precarious political situation in Venezuela, God handled this dangerous problem.

After the Fiscal del Tribunal authority told the invaders that if they continued on my mom’s property, they would go to jail, all 62 people who had built dwellings on her land went away. Unfortunately, the land is now without trees and coffee plants, but we will start again. Thank God doing this will be easy since He is walking in front of us.

Thank you for your prayers!

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. A land in rebellion has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.”

Proverbs 28:1-2

THANK YOU, ANA CARILLO and MISION ALIANZA EVANGELICA!

DELIVERING BAGS OF FOOD

Ana Carrillo, who serves on the board of the Civil Association for Andean Aid, also works with the Mision Alianza Evangélica to deliver bags of food to those in need. Ana and the organization decided to allocate 60 bags of food to our Help & Hope Centers at La Palmita, Florida 2000, Villa Bahareque, and to the Juan Christiansen school.

Despite this gesture, our people didn’t know how to reach Villa del Rosario in Cúcuta where the bags of food were to be picked up. So Andean Aid provided the transportation through one of our students’ parents who has a truck.

Staff from our Centers rode in the pick-up truck, and when we reached Cúcuta and crossed the bridge, we took a bus (provided by Andean Aid, too), and at last, got to the church where we would find the food.

Inside, Pastor Dagoberto prayed for us and read the Bible as he passed out the food. It is just for the present, but to eat even a bit is still a mighty blessing! Thank God for it. And thanks to Andean Aid for providing the transportation to pick up the food.

TO DONATE TO ANDEAN AID, VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR TEXT GIVEAA TO 91999

Andean Aid
c/o Todd Kearney
6718 14th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53143

WE NEED YOUR HELP. CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY DONOR
Visit www.AndeanAid.org/donate
Text GIVEAA to 91999

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October 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:18:54 +0000

ANDEAN AID CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF MINISTRY TO IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES

by Wayne Cramer – Founder, Andean Aid

It seems incredible to me that this month, we celebrate 15 years of service to the child, the church and the community in Venezuela and Colombia. We began with three board members and a vague idea of what we would do to help the poor, cheered on by a network of friends and co-workers Susan and I met during our year of working in Rubio, Venezuela.

My, how we have grown. Today we operate 11 Help and Hope Centers serving over 1,000 children. We offer skills training to the community at large. Our Christian school enrolls over 200 children in grades pre-K through 8th grade. In response to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, we serve hundreds of meals to the hungry each month.

Our board is a diverse blend of nine highly capable directors. Our selection process for opening new Help and Hope Centers is based on business principles that ensure they stay open for the long term. Our network of colleagues in Venezuela has grown measurably, and we operate through a Civil Association in Venezuela and an NGO in Colombia.

The Lord has continually provided the people and the circumstances for this ministry to grow. I can’t wait to see what the next 15 years bring.

Thank you, donors!

September 2018 gifts increased 237%
over September 2017

“For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you,
for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God.”

I Thessalonians 3:9

WHY I SUPPORT ANDEAN AID
Donor Perspectives

“AS A FORMER long-term resident of the Andean region of Venezuela and frequent visitor to eastern Colombia, I appreciate all that Andean Aid is doing for the kids of this region. The people of the Andean area of Venezuela are such gracious, friendly people who do not deserve the traumas associated with living there now. I am sure that some of the children and grandchildren of my Rubio friends are the beneficiaries of these programs. They deserve a good education and adequate food and medicine. I appreciate all that Andean Aid is accomplishing through their schools and their nutrition programs. It is so desperately needed!!! Muchas Gracias!” Dave Schlonecker, Emaus, PA

“WE HAVE FELT our Lord’s leading to assist in support for the beginning, sustaining and growth of Andean Aid. This ministry does so much to help the material and spiritual needs of the present and future generations of young people in Venezuela and Colombia, as well as the loyal and hardworking teachers and administrators on the scene. We are truly thankful for this privilege.” Dietrich and Nancy Kiemle, Richmond, IL.

“I LOVE THE MERCY of the short-term goals of taking care of the children and vision of the long-term goals to see future Christian leaders transforming communities.” Grant Wright, Outreach Minister, First Colony Church of Christ, Sugar Lane, TX

“I GREW UP IN RUBIO, VENEZUELA at Christiansen Academy. My family moved back to the U.S. when I was in high school. The transition was hard and Venezuela has always been close to my heart. It was my home. I cherish the time I got to spend there and have wanted to help give back to the country that means so much to me. I love the people there and wish there was more I could do to help. Andean Aid fills a great need in Colombia and Venezuela by reaching the communities and educating their children. Andean Aid facilitates spreading the love and hope we have in Christ.

I hope that the children being served are able to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” (II Peter 3:18) KATELYN SMITH, NASHVILLE, TN

GOD LOVES POOR AND RICH, and we need one another to grow in grace. Without the needy around us we would become very self centered and our affluence could lead to our spiritual destruction but the Lord in his grace allows us to have the opportunity to minister to the needy in the international body of Christ and we learn about our spiritual poverty in and thru this process. It humbles us to think how God might use a simple gift to bless someone else, provide basic provision and in the process communicate how much he truly loves them and at the same time teach the giver something of his grace to them in that we can never repay the Lord for anything he gives us. It is a Beautiful picture of Grace.” JON ESKOLA, KNOXVILLE, TN

A BEACON OF HOPE
by Les Dlabay, Board of Directors

IN OVER 40 YEARS of teaching, I’ve encountered many organizations serving around the world. As a supporter, what draws me to Andean Aid is the efficiency of impact it achieves through three key strategies:

Partnering with the local church and its members, and with community volunteers, who lead the Help & Centers;
Guiding young people in their spiritual, social, and academic development through the Help & Hope Center programs; and
Teaching marketable skills to members of the community.

As a member of Andean Aid’s board of directors, I support the organization’s bold new vision for the years ahead:

Andean Aid will be a beacon of hope and progress by
educating at-risk children, empowering leadership,
and elevating communities out of poverty.

Our recent strategy session also yielded goals for enhanced donor communication, improved staff structure, and increased fundraising to guide and expand the programs we provide to our children and the skills classes we offer the community.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) will be used to evaluate the spiritual, social, and economic impact we’re having on the children and the community as we continue to impart God’s love and the message of salvation to the people of Venezuela and Colombia.

NEWS FROM OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS

A DANGEROUS RIVER CROSSING, THEN HOPE

11-year-old Jhandres Troya’s grandmother was already in Colombia when he, his mom and siblings, 7 and 2, boarded a bus to cross the bridge in San Antonio, border town between Venezuela and Colombia. Life had become too hard for the family, who typically ate just once a day, usually a meal without protein. As Jhandre’s family tried to enter into Colombia, officials told his mother their migration card was invalid. His worried grandmother waiting anxiously, Jhandre’s mother decided to circumvent the guards by braving the swift-moving river and gang members laying in wait beneath the bridge.

Jhandre’s worry shook him to the core as gang members screamed at his family to get in line and keep their heads down. He listened as his 2-year-old sister cried, upsetting the thugs even more. As he navigated the river, Jhandres dragged along a large suitcase. “I thought it was impossible,” he told us. “I am really strong, but the tears came without effort. Still, I walked.”

When Jhandre’s grandmother received word the family was crossing through the “troche,” or trough, she worried. But God was with the family, who made it across and past the gangs. “It felt like my arms were still in the river with the suitcase when I made it across to the other side,” he said. When he saw his grandma from afar, the tears came flooding down as he found himself in his grandmother’s arms, the broken suitcase and everything in it thoroughly soaked.

Today, just weeks later, the family is living near the Buenos Aires church, where other Venezuelan refugees are staying, and Jhandre and his brother attend Andean Aid’s Help & Hope Center. His mother is enrolled in our Community Skills classes. “Thank God we are now here with you that help us with love. I don’t know why you did it, but thank you!” Jhandres says.

DREAMS OF OWNING A RED DRESS AND BECOMING A NURSE

Mayra Fuentes Mora, of Cucuta, Colombia, is the eighth of nine siblings. When she was three, her father left her mother to raise them all in a tiny wood house with a dirt floor and zinc roof. Things became still more crowded when Mayra’s older sisters had babies of their own, and Mayra and her younger sister helped her mother take care of the young ones so their own mothers could work.

Growing up, Mayra had always dreamed of wearing a red dress when she turned 15. And she clung to hope that she’d one day become a nurse.

Our team at the Camilo Daza Help & Hope Center has been working behind the scenes to help make these dreams a reality for Mayra, who studies hard and gets counseling at the Center, too.

Last month, we celebrated Mayra’s 15th birthday, surprising her with the gift of a red dress. There were happy tears and much laughter as Mayra opened the package. It was a beautiful day for the future nurse, thanks to Andean Aid supporters and our wonderful team of teachers and volunteers at Camilo Daza.

IN SEARCH OF STABILITY IN A NEW COUNTRY

For much of her life, Luzbeidy Lizcano,11, lived alone with her father in Monagas state, Venezuela, after her mother abandoned the family and moved to Cucuta, Colombia. Later, her father remarried, giving Luzbeidy a new stepmother and three sisters.

But times in Venezuela were tough; the family often went an entire day without eating. Food was scarce, and her father, a machine operator, couldn’t find enough work to pay for it anyway.

The family fled Monagas for Cucuta, settling in Camilo Daza, where Luzbeidy now visits with her mother. But Luzbeidy’s father has not found a stable job, and sometimes the family borrows money to pay the rent. Weeks go by without public services. Luzbeidy says she doesn’t want to return to Venezuela any time soon because, despite the many needs they have in Colombia, they are eating.

Luzbeidy wishes to become a doctor and give her dad the stability he deserves, a home of his own and a comfortable life in a quiet place. For the past three months, she and her sisters have been going to our Help & Hope Center, learning to read and write better. The sisters have also been given supplies to support personal hygiene. The family is grateful to Andean Aid for these gifts and for helping them keep in step with their peers at school in their new country.

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE CHILDREN WITH YOUR GIFT TODAY!

Andean Aid
c/o Todd Kearney
6718 14th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53143

WE NEED YOUR HELP. CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY DONOR
Visit www.AndeanAid.org/donate
Text GIVEAA to 91999

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September 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 17:21:54 +0000

SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWS

www.andeanaid.org

NATIVE WAYUU GIRL AT OUR MARA HELP & HOPE CENTER CLUTCHES HER NEW BIBLE.
PHOTO BY NIXON RODRIGUEZ FOR ANDEAN AID

DONORS, YOU ARE AMAZING!

For calendar year 2018, donations through August are up 73% over last year.

You’ve made it possible to enrich the lives of more than 1,000 at-risk children in Venezuela and Colombia.

By staffing our Help & Hope Centers with indigenous adults and partnering with nearby churches, we’re able to maximize the impact of your donation.

Thank you to everyone supporting our mission to build the child, the church and the community. Your gifts enrich young lives every day.

“Knowledge and education are the basics of economic opportunity. Giving children access to basic education from a young age is critical for the success of any country.”

Dr. Aleksey Sinyagin
Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning

ABOVE: STUDENTS AT CAMILO DAZA IN CUCUTA MEET DR. ALEKSEY; GABY ANDRADE RECEIVES GIFT OF HP PROJECTOR.

A GIFT OF TECHNOLOGY

NONE of us envisioned our Help & Hope Centers going high-tech any time soon, but a gift from Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning (DTML) has made it a reality.

DTML partners with schools and organizations in developing countries to leverage existing facilities and equipment to provide students with an e-Learning platform.

DR. ALEKSEY Sinyagin, President and Co-Founder of DTML, visited Cucuta to learn how Andean Aid works with poor children at our Centers, and thought of some ways DTML can supplement our educational work using internet-based, custom e-Learning courses his company developed. While there, Dr. Sinyagin held “teach the teacher” sessions on how to create learning sessions using the technology. The free, internet-based lessons will be used at 8 of our Help & Hope Centers.

DR. SINYAGIN also gave Andean Aid a new HP projector and school supplies.

TO LEARN more about Dr. Sinygan’s impressions of the situation in Colombia, read this article. Thank you, Dr. Sinygan and DTML, for helping our students build a solid foundation for their future.

The Bellevue, Washington teens who, with a grant from Microsoft, created DTML’s e-learning game our students will be using at the Help & Hope Centers.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

This month, Andean Aid’s Board of Directors will meet to establish goals and a timeline for execution of a five-year plan. Please pray for the Board as it deliberates on these issues and more:

Which communities should have a new Help & Hope Center;
How to deal with government-imposed salary increases for our school teachers at Juan Christiansen;
Plans for end-of-year and long-term fundraising initiatives;
A potential addition to staff to serve our indigenous communities near Maracaibo;
Short- and long-range vision for emergency relief.

Thank you for keeping the Board and our staff, teachers and volunteers in your prayers.

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE CHILDREN LEAD ABUNDANT LIVES WITH YOUR GIFT TODAY!

TOP STUDENT: JEAN ORTEGA

On the last day of school before summer break, it’s tradition for teachers at our Help & Hope Centers to collect report cards from the schools our children attend. We do this to ensure our work with them is having an impact on their grades.

We are pleased when we learn, as we did this year, that our students are doing very well in their respective schools.

We also single out one student who has the highest grades of all our charges. This year, that student is JEAN ORTEGA.

Andean Aid is happy work to improve the opportunities the children will have in life. This fall, we’re adding new courses in English and computing (software design) taught by Iselyda Flores, one of our teachers at the Camilo Daza Help & Hope Center. We already know that some of our students plan to make software design their career one day.

FEEDING VENEZUELAN REFUGEES IN CUCUTA

Last weekend, we had a big opportunity to serve food to refugees gathered at the First Baptist Church in Cucuta, Colombia. This church has been cooking for 130 Venezuelans who are now living there (of course there are more), or passing through as they make their way to other countries. Our dear friend Dolly Zaraza, who is a member of First Baptist, invited us to serve.

We served rice, plantains, beans and other good food, providing a protein-rich meal that is usually the only food they eat that day.

It’s difficult for us to see our Venezuelans brothers and sisters in this situation, but still an honor to serve them. Please be praying for this church and be praying for kids, woman, men, and especially the elderly who are in this horrible situation.

Grupo de Creación

STUDENTS GROWING FOOD FOR THEIR FAMILIES

Talking about growing power! At Juan Christiansen Academy in Rubio, Venezuela, teacher Roxana Ferreira is leading a popular initiative with students to grow organic vegetables, allowing the school to motivate students in these days when food is very expensive and scarce.

And because the farm is organic, they know they are eating vegetables that are clean and free of fungicides.

Students have enjoyed reaping the harvest they sowed months ago, bringing in cilantro, perejil (parsley) and long onion. Each student takes a portion home, saving their families money and time searching stores for food, where they’re more likley to find empty shelves.

Your donation to Andean Aid helps us provide seeds and garden equipment to help students continue a fun and beneficial project.

NATIVE YARURO CHILDREN WOULD LOVE A HELP & HOPE CENTER IN THEIR VILLAGE

TWO COMMUNITIES SEEKING HELP & HOPE CENTERS

Andean Aid is prayerfully considering opening two new Help & Hope Centers in northern Venezuela, where we have churches and leaders ready to lead the effort. One is in Zulia state, where about 120 children would be served; the other would serve about 30 Yaruro children.

THE YARURO PEOPLE

Living in the Alto Apure region, the Yaruro are Indian people inhabiting the tributaries of the Orinoco, a major river that flows south in a giant arc of some 1,700 miles from northern to southern Venezuela along the border with Colombia.

Yaruro differ from the typical agriculturists and hunter/gatherers of the savannas (or “Llanos”) region, in that their life centers on the river. Crocodiles, manatees, turtles, and the eggs of these animals provide their basic foods. Fish are hunted in canoes and killed with bow and arrow. They make pottery, basketry, and netting..

The Yaruro children don’t go to school, but they would learn to read and write at the Help & Hope Center.

CHILDREN IN THE CITY OF OJEDA, ZULIA STATE

On our recent journey to Maracaibo, our hospitable brothers and sisters at Rompiendo Fortelazas provided lodging while we visited our Centers, and invited us to visit a neighborhood where they help 130 children with homework and meals their ministry known as Centro Cristiano de Restauracion.

Apostol Enry Vasquez and his wife Yvonne Vasquez, along with Community Pastor Freddy Ruiz and his wife Maria Cera, showed us their work.

Since 2000, the church has been ministering to the people of Ojeda, understanding that to manifest God’s love, they must show love to their neighbors. Their focus is on improving quality of life for the children, most of whom do poorly in school due to lack of resources, and emphasizing the family nucleus as the institution for transforming society. Many programs and projects are in place.

Above, the Rompiendo Fortelazas Church, which provided lodging and hospitality for our team in Maracaibo, ministers to children and families in the City of Ojeda.
Photo for Andean Aid by Nixon Rodriguez.

COMMUNITY SKILLS PROGRAM
Fall Kick-Off

Our Fall Community Skills classes for community members continue to grow in popularity, as more than 150 children and adults registered at our Getsemani Church in the Buenos Aires community to acquire skill in the following areas:

Thank you to our teachers: Angelica Perez, Gaby Andrade, Osmar Gutierrez, Anny Villamizar, Isleyda Flores, Juan Carlos Tobon, Laura Chacon, Dayra Perez, Jean Carlos Jaimes, Irwin Contreras, Caro Canas.

“It’s nice to see how the community loves the work of Andean Aid. The public solicited these classes, and waited patiently for them to start. The relationship between the Andean Aid team and the community is amazing, because the people can see how we work hard for them.”
Executive Director Gaby Andrade

STUDENTS WAITING TO REGISTER FOR COMMUNITY SKILLS CLASSES

FALL SESSION HAS BEGUN AT JUAN CHRISTIANSEN ACADEMY

“We are aware of the difficulties and the challenges that we will be facing with new government mandates regarding salaries, but greater and more powerful is our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”

by Ingrid Zambrano, Professor at Juan Christiansen

On September 1, activities began at Juan Christiansen Academy, with a staff willing to continue in the battle, confident in the Word and works of God.

In Venezuela, the crisis has intensified after economic measures announced by the government; the school’s educational council also had to take steps to increase the monthly payment to teachers.

On September 17th, we will have an evening of thanks in the church, to which the entire student community and representatives are cordially invited. On September 18th, we will have an “Open House” for parents and students to learn about the facilities and talk with their teachers. Finally, on September 19th, we begin academic activities progressively according to the grades.

We are aware of the difficulties and the challenges that we will be facing with new government mandates, but greater and more powerful is our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

MEET SUPERSTAR DANYI LASSO ABRIL

This is Danyi, 18, a former student at Getsemani Help & Hope Center in Buenos Aires, Cucuta, Colombia. Danyi graduated high school and is now studying to be an early childhood assistant. Her grade point average is 4.5 out of 5!

We’re proud of Danyi, who has a brother and sister, and have enjoyed watching her grow into a young woman.

Danyi’s is a family of hard workers. Her father Jhon works at a farm, and her mother Saida sells empanadas in the street. Over the years, we have seen how this family has improved their circumstances.

Danyi’s aunt is Disney Abril, who started a Help & Hope Center on her own after attending one herself. You can hear Disney tell her own story here.

Danyi is very happy to have the support of Andean Aid through the resources available at our Help & Hope Center, including the new DTML English course via iPads that have been provided free of charge. Because English classes in Cucuta are expensive, Danyi wouldn’t have been able to keep up with her peers. Now she envisions a bright future for herself and her family.

Andean Aid
c/o Todd Kearney
6718 14th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53143

WE NEED YOUR HELP. CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY DONOR
Visit www.AndeanAid.org/donate
Text GIVEAA to 91999

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August 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 15:36:02 +0000

AUGUST 2018 NEWS

www.andeanaid.org

ANTONIO AND CIRA DE PALMAR ARE NATIVE WAYUU WHO STILL OVERSEE THE CHURCH AND HELP & HOPE CENTER IN MARA. PHOTO BY NIXON RODRIGUEZ FOR ANDEAN AID.

JOURNEY TO MARACAIBO

He’s 122, and has papers he says prove it. His eyesight is failing, and his legs can’t take him far from home. But the church and Help & Hope Center we’ve built are visible from the window of his home, the same one he grew up in, and he can name every one of the 30 or so children who attend.

Last week, 12 Andean Aid staff and teachers, along with a doctor, made the arduous 14-hour drive (pot-hole dodging adventure) to Maracaibo to check on our Help and Hope Centers at Mara and La Lechuga. Gaby Andrade describes the mission.

A team of 12 Andean Aid teachers, a doctor, and some of our children made the arduous 14-hour journey to see our sisters and brothers in Mara and Lechuga near the city of Maracaibo, nervous because of the situation in our country. We traveled over roads destroyed by potholes, stopping, as required, at guard stations. Along the way, we passed groups of people protesting the lack of water and cooking gas over the past year.

In Maracaibo, we were hosted by a wonderful local church, Rompiendo Fortalezas, took us to stay at house left empty by a family that left the country. The house had been without water for a year, making it hard for our team, but still we had a wonderful time, and everyone (even the kids) understood that, ”I know to live humbly, and I know how to have abundance; In everything and for everything I am taught, so that I may have plenty as well as to suffer need.” Philippians 4:12.

ANDEAN AID STAFF WITH DR. MARISOL AND PASTOR ANTONIO PALMAR NEAR MARACAIBO ON THE DAY OF THEIR VISIT TO OUR MARA HELP & HOPE CENTER.

ANNOUNCING A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE CHAPEL, MUNDELEIN CAMPUSAndean Aid is excited to partner with The Chapel to increase the reach of our work in the Cucuta, Colombia, Help & Hope Centers where we serve hundreds of children. Support from The Chapel makes it possible for Andean Aid to serve even more children with better educational resources and additional dedicated staff. Praise God!

Pastor Thomas McArthur

One amazing aspect of being a church in the northern suburbs of Chicago is our proximity. There are so many people we come into contact with who are searching for something in life. They’re looking for financial stability, success, direction. Our proximity allows us the opportunity to connect, interact, and minister to many as they search for the one true hope, Jesus Christ.

One of the primary reasons we want to serve with Andean Aid is to open our eyes to places and spaces where we lack proximity. Andean Aid has helped open a window into a part of the world that isn’t often thought about. We get to see how the Help and Hope Centers directly impact children and families in Columbia and Venezuela. And together, we participate in the advancement of the Kingdom as we support the good news of Jesus being shared through the local churches.

We are so grateful to serve with Andean Aid to help impact the children and families in Cucuta, Colombia.

Pastor Thomas McArthur
The Chapel, Mundelein Campus
Mundelein, Illinois

First Colony Church of Christ in Sugar Land, Texas

VISIT TO AEROPUERTO HELP & HOPE CENTER IN CUCUTA, COLOMBIA

By Troy Matthys, Team Leader
First Colony Church of Christ, Sugar Land, Texas

I brought a team of 7 down to Cucuta last month for a week to visit a church we planted in 2017. But our first stop after getting off the plane was Pastor Juan Carlos’ Aeropuerto Help and Hope Center.

The group consensus was that this was the best part of our trip. We were eagerly greeted by both staff and students, who led us in worship and prayer time. We also enjoyed playing some games and eating lunch with the children and staff.

Having just partnered with Andean Aid to found the Help and Hope Center in May, we were amazed at the progress Juan Carlos had made. He is reaching the community by being the hands and feet of Jesus to these under-privileged children. We were able to see the new classrooms that were built since our visit in May. Juan Carlos also showed us the second floor and shared his vision of more classrooms for the growth he expects.

Juan Carlos is a humble man with great vision, and his family is delightful. We invited him to an evening evangelistic meeting at our church plant later in the week, and he and his entire family joined us and participated.

The next time our church takes a group to Cucuta, a visit to the Aeropuerto Help and Hope Center will definitely be part of our trip.

GRADUATING STUDENTS LEARNED NEW SKILLS AT OUR POPULAR COMMUNITY COURSES

On July 17, 2018, students enrolled in our community training courses celebrated the completion of their areas of learning over 12 weeks. Students ranging from children to adults became proficient in some of the following skills: Bisuteria, English, Drawing, Guitar, Sewing, Textiles and Soccer.

An exhibition was made with items made during these months, along with musical activities and soccer games. A day full of joy and time of thanksgiving to God.

GRADUATION DAY AT JUAN CHRISTIANSEN ACADEMY

By Ingrid Salazar Zambrano, TeacherOn July 12, 2018, the graduation of preschool students belonging to the 8th Promotion of the Juan Christiansen School was carried out. From the hand of their teachers, Anny Villamizar and Joselin Rodriguez, and from her graduation godmother, Professor Ingrid Zambrano, a group of 29 students who with joy finished preschool and will soon begin primary school.

In the same way, the graduation of the 2nd promotion of 6th grade was carried out by the teacher Glendy Manrique and the godmother by the teacher Rosmarie Godoy. A moment of great satisfaction for the goals achieved by these dear students.

On this occasion, we had the pleasant company of Juan de Carlos, Pastor of the Getsemani Church of the city of Cucuta. We thank God for the time shared and the joy of seeing our dear students happy and full of joy.

DANCE CELEBRATION AT JUAN CHRISTIANSEN ACADEMYOUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ARE SO TALENTED. THESE CHILDREN ARE LEADING ABUNDANT LIVES IN A COUNTRY THAT’S IN CRISIS.
THANK YOU, ANDEAN AID DONORS, FOR ENRICHING THEIR LIVES.

As Christians who want to fulfill the Great Commission by “going into all the world and preaching the Gospel,” and want to support those who do, we must educate ourselves about what’s going on in the world around us.To learn about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening now in Venezuela, impacting millions of people, this month’s WORLD magazine article provides excellent insight.

Learn about the crisis at the Colombia/Venezuela border so that you may pray with greater knowledge of what our brothers and sisters are living through in the parts of the world Andean Aid serves.

DONATE NOW TO HELP ENRICH THE LIVES OF GOD’S CHILDREN LIVING IN VENEZUELA AND COLOMBIA

SOME OF THE CHILDREN AT THE LA LECHUGA HELP & HOPE CENTER, WITH ANDEAN AID STAFF, JULY 2018. PHOTO BY NIXON RODRIGUEZ FOR ANDEAN AID.

SPECIAL REQUEST

THANK YOU TO ALL THE DONORS WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR OUR TEAM TO SERVE OVER 120 CHILDREN IN OUR LA LECHUGA HELP & HOPE CENTER!

With your continued support and prayers, we will be able to visit this remote location more frequently, bringing supplies, food and medicine.

Thank you!

www.AndeanAid.org

Copyright © 2018 Andean Aid, All rights reserved.
Andean Aid
c/o Todd Kearney
6718 14th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53143WE NEED YOUR HELP. CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY DONOR
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July 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 15:30:31 +0000

JULY 2018 NEWS

www.andeanaid.org

ANDEAN AID VOLUNTEER YENNY KARINA LOPEZ ORTIZ RECEIVES THE SHIPMENT OF BIBLES FROM MARTIN STENDAL, SHOWN BELOW WITH FARC GUERRILLAS.

DISTRIBUTING AN EXTRAORDINARY GIFT

Recently, a jungle-pilot and missionary named Martin Stendal donated 700 Bibles to Andean Aid, which have been given to each of our 11 Help and Hope Centers. His generous gift is a privilege and blessing because it gives us the opportunity to bring the Word of God to more people. (In the current disastrous economic climate, Venezuelans would need a year’s salary to buy a Bible.) We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Stendal, and wish him a long and blessed life for his noble work. May God continue to move people and hearts so that they know Him and know His love and mercy.

WHO IS MARTIN STENDAL? A young boy from Minnesota when his parents became missionaries, working with indigenous Kogi Indians in Colombia, Martin later became a jungle pilot, then began his own ministry bringing the Gospel to the FARC guerillas (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). He traveled by car, foot, and on horseback promoting peace approaches between the FARC and the government.

In 1983, Martin experienced his first of five stints in captivity. After his release, he founded Colombia for Christ, with an audacious vision: that all of the FARC can learn about Christianity, and that, if embraced, it will change guerrillas’ hearts and minds.” Read more about Martin’s fascinating 32-year ministry in World Watch Monitor and in World magazine.

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THE PLIGHT OF VENEZUELANS

AN EXCERPT: ” We are amazed at how many Venezuelans are exiting the country into Colombia, which is now flooded with over 8 million displaced persons, making this the greatest humanitarian crises on the planet. All of the towns and cities of Colombia are saturated with Venezuelan workers and refugees who are flowing into Ecuador, Peru, and all the way down to Chile. We witnessed thousands of people per day crossing the bridge at Cúcuta.

Most of them have been starving for months and are strewn out all along the highways with virtually no food or shelter. These people are fairly strong, but lean individuals in their teens, twenties, thirties, and forties who likely used to be fervent supporters of the socialist agenda. We can only imagine the fate of weak children and elderly remaining in Venezuela.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”Proverbs 31:8,9

A GIRL IN HER RUBIO, VENEZUEZLA, HOME. PHOTO BY YOSHUA OROZCO

YOUR DONATIONS TO FEED THE CHILDREN
AND OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE CRITICAL.
PLEASE DONATE TODAY

WWW.ANDEANAID.ORG/DONATE

ANDEAN AID BY THE NUMBERS: JULY

11 Help & Hope Centers
400 Children Fed Each Week
200 Medical/Dental Check-Ups
700 New Bibles Distributed
3 New Organizations Supporting Our Work

Exciting news!

We’re very pleased to announce that The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) and Andean Aid have agreed to a relationship that will see TEAM providing additional resources to help further our work in Venezuela and Colombia.

TEAM will begin raising funds in response to the Venezuelan crisis, bolstering the work that is an integral part of TEAM’s own response to the need there. TEAM is particularly attracted to Andean Aid’s Help and Hope Centers, and will explore providing funding, fund development, marketing and personnel.

Andean Aid founders Wayne and Susan Cramer once served as TEAM missionaries in Venezuela.

Founded in 1890, TEAM partners with churches to send missionaries to work in evangelism, church planting, community development, healthcare, education, social justice, business as mission and many other areas of global missions. Today more than 575 TEAM missionaries and staff serve in over 35 countries.

We’re excited about our new relationship with TEAM, and look forward to expanding our reach so that more children may be reached. To learn more about TEAM, visit their website.

NEWS FROM OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS

PHOTO FOR ANDEAN AID BY YOSHUA OROZCO

NEW CLASSROOMS FOR AEROPUERTO

Our new Help & Hope Center in Cucuta, Aeropuerto, began this past Spring with 25 children, and now serves 50 every day. The First Colony Church of Christ in Sugar Land, Texas, who sponsor this Center, recently told us that children who attended Vacation Bible School this summer collected money to build two new classrooms for student classrooms at Aeropuerto. The church matched the VBS collection, totaling the amount needed to meet the construction budget. A huge “gracias!” to the children who donated, and to the congregation at First Colony who matched their donation.

DEIKER (LEFT) AND JAVIELVIES ESCALONA

GOOD GRADES RUN IN THE FAMILY

Way to go! Javielvies and Deiker Escalona are siblings who attend our Help & Hope Center in Buenos Aires, Cucuta. Javielvies has a grade point average of 4.8 out of 5, and Deiker has a grade point average of 4.5 out of 5. We’re proud of you, and all the children at our Help & Hope Centers who work each day after school to get better at reading and math.

DENTAL AND MEDICAL CHECK-UP DAY

JUNE 29 AND 30, 2018

Recently a team of doctors conducted medical and dental exams on children who attend three of our Help & Hope Centers in Cucuta, Colombia. Because they are poor, these young ones do not receive standard medical care. Relatives of these children, as well as some Venezuelan refugee children who have been rejected by Colombia healthcare facilities, also received attention.Three doctors and one dentist saw 182 children at our Centers in these neighborhoods: Getsemani in Buenos Aires; Alfa and Omega in Aeropuerto; and Oasis de Bendicion in Camilo Daza. Drs. Marisol Pineda, Carolina Garcia, Ernesto Orozco and Mireyo Orozco were joined by our Executive Director, Gaby Andrade, and volunteers Ruben Garcia, Monica Diaz, Nora Duarte, Osmar Gutierrez, Anny Villamizar, Carolina Canas, Isleyda Flores, Irwin Contreras, Yelitz Claros, and Daniel Canas.In their exams, doctors found delicate and complicated health situations, including scabies and parasitosis at very extreme levels. In one case, our doctor saw a child in his home because he could not walk. In some cases, medicines were administered, and dental cleanings and extractions were performed.

While doctors attended to physical condition, Gaby and her volunteers learned about the lives of the children, including those who haven’t been accepted into Colombia schools because they are Venezuelan refugees.

Andean Aid’s mission is to make it possible for children living in impoverished regions of the Andes mountains in Venezuela and Colombia to lead more abundant lives through holistic care administered by a team of caring, indigenous volunteers.

We are extremely grateful to the doctors and volunteers who donated their time and professional skill. If you’d like to make a gift to support this effort, please visit www.andeanaid.org/donate.

REIDEL JESUS, 8; KENDERBER DAVID , 2, AND THEIR NEWBORN SISTER, VALERY ANTONELA.

A BIG REASON TO SMILE

Kaudelis Carolina Cuéllar Nuñez, 25, her husband Enderson Aquas and their two sons left Maracaibo, Venezuela, for Cùcuta, Colombia, but had no means by which to eat. Their baby daughter was born shortly after they arrived. The children came to our Help & Hope Center and received academic help, but they needed medical attention. They were one of the families seen by our dentist.

Reidel Cuellar had 3 temporary molars with cavities and fractures from receiving a blow. Reidel’s mom took him back into Venezuela for treatment by Dr. Garcia, who fixed all the problems and the teeth that were destroyed from the injury. They returned to Cùcuta, but now mom had a big problem with a tooth that had many month damaged and even she used marijuana to calm the pain. The dentist extracted the damaged tooth, and mom was so happy she cried. She began sleeping well again.

Yesterday the boy came to the Help & Hope Center and said: “ Look at me, like never nothing happened to me,” with a big smile.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GISELL

Executive Director Gaby Andrade tells us she has “a special place in my heart for this girl. She is twelve years old and must cook, clean the house and care for her baby brothers. Amazingly, she does very well in school. Her father is an alcoholic and left the family. Her mom works very hard, but her stepdad may be abusive. Gisell cuts herself.”She says the Help and Hope Center is the only place that she is understood. Let’s keep Gisell in our prayers!

DANCE PERFORMANCE

Our staff in Cucuta reported that “On June 15, we were invited to an event at the Camilo Daza School in Buenos Aires, near the Getsemani church. An activity of contests where the boys presented to the public dances alluding to the soccer World Cup and other sports, such as, basketball, horse riding, sambas and cumbias.

Boys who regularly attend our Getsemani Help & Hope Center participated, and were very pleased to see us enjoying their presentation. The teachers of the school treated us with much cordiality and respect attending to us with much affection.”

A SPECIAL LUNCH FOR THE CHILDREN OF VILLA BAHARAQUE

Reported by Andean Aid Professor Ingrid Zambrano

Last Sunday, June 24, part of the group that participated in the medical day in Colombia arrived in the city of Rubio and went to Villa Bahareque to make a special lunch for the children of this community.

This group was made up of Gaby Andrade, Monica Diaz, Osmar Gutierrez, Isleyda Flores, Irwin Contreras, Marisol Pineda and the professors, Roxana Ferreira, Rosmary Godoy and Valentina Vallejos. The delicious lunch was cooked in the house of the young Carmen Alicia Rozo, while the teachers encouraged recreational games with the boys; enjoying a beautiful, happy and fun time in the court of Villa Bahareque.

Some children who are not from our Help & Hope Center approached and treated each other in the same way with a lot of affection. When the time came, they went to enjoy their rich and blessed food and the activity was closed, thanking God for a different and happy time for the children of this community.

JUAN CHRISTIANSEN SCHOOL

FATHER’S DAY AT JUAN CHRISTIANSEN ACADEMY

By Professor Ingrid Zambrano

Students in Professor Erike Galviz’s class celebrated Father’s Day doing what many of us do on that special day: enjoying homemade food prepared by their families.

Students and their parents chose a country anywhere in the world and prepared a homemade dessert typical of that region. Parents were welcomed to the school with a musical performance, followed by student presentations of how the food they helped prepare is enjoyed in its native country.

Then, there were games for parents and children, everyone laughing and having fun. It was a time of love and affection and we all parted very pleased.

STUDENTS ARE STARTS IN AN EMOTIONAL PORTRAYAL OF
THEIR COUNTRY IN TURMOIL

Amid overwhelming food shortages, lack of medicine, and unemployment, more than 8 million Venezuelans have left the country for Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and other countries. Last week, students at Juan Christiansen School portrayed the situation in a beautiful presentation that also sent a message of why Venezuela needs her citizens. Pastor Jose Perez from our Getsemani Help & Hope Center in Cucuta was with us for this exceptional event.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Andean Aid
6718 14th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53143

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June 2018 Newsletter

Wayne Cramer — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 15:27:11 +0000

JUNE 2018 NEWS

www.andeanaid.org

GABY ANDRADE WITH STUDENT AT LA PALMITA HELP & HOPE CENTER

THROUGH HIS MIGHT

“God always shows us that it’s not because of our own effort, but through His might that we climb mountains and walk through fire.”

By Gaby Andrade, Executive Director

When my husband Ruben and I started working with Andean Aid in 2000, I could not have known how big it would become. We began with one Help and Hope Center in Rubio, and now we serve hundreds of children in 11 villages after school every day.

When we began, helping others was simple and easy. But as time passed, people began to place their hope in us, asking for things that were more difficult. I think of Bladimir Gomez, who needed surgery for a facial deformity. Because securing passports and visas to the United States for treatment was proving very difficult, we thought surgery might never happen.

Yet God helped us overcome obstacles, and today, Bladimir is thriving and has a new life in Christ. You can watch his inspiring story here.

Over the years, Andean Aid has faced many challenging situations. Wildly fluctuating exchanges rates, closed border crossings, scores of Venezuelans leaving the country and new rules of migration in Colombia, the daily task of traversing the mountains, severe shortages of basic supplies and food… these are just a few of many hardships we endure, and we must always be thinking of ways to overcome these obstacles.

God always shows us that it’s not because of our own effort, but through His might, that we climb mountains and walk through fire.

My daily work overseeing our Centers and teams of volunteers and teachers has brought me great joy and countless blessings. I’m proud to be doing something God smiles upon, and I never get bored, to be sure!

Just as God has His hand on the work we do, He has also brought together wonderful people with big hearts to serve as Directors on our Civil Association in Rubio and our NGO in Cucuta.

I’m very grateful God has allowed me to be part of Andean Aid. We’re helping hundreds of children live more abundant lives. Thank you for your prayers – and may God bless you for your support.

L TO R: WAYNE CRAMER, WILLIAM AND A FRIEND, GABY ANDRADE
AND HER SON DAVID AT THE VILLA BAHAREQUE HELP & HOPE CENTERPREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

One of the students who grew up in our Help & Hope Center at Villa Bahareque in Rubio is William (wearing the red and white striped shirt). William was in the village when Wayne Cramer came to visit, and we stopped to talk with him and take this picture.

While a student at the Help & Hope Center, William worked hard with our teachers every day after school. He went on to graduate high school and then college.

At the Help & Hope Center, William met Dexy Velasco, the girl who would one day become his wife. Today, both Dexy and William are teachers. They live in Colombia with their two children.

By God’s hand, Andean Aid is preparing children to become the future leaders of Venezuela and Colombia.

NEWS FROM OUR HELP & HOPE CENTERS

By Ingrid Zambrano
Professor, Juan Christiansen School

BREINER VILLAMIZAR AND YIDUEL ROZO AT THE HELP & HOPE CENTER

BREINER AND YIDUEL

When Breiner Villamizar and Yiduel Rozo, both 11, began attending our Help & Hope Center in Villa Bahareque, they didn’t show any interest in carrying out the required activities or fulfilling their school duties. They didn’t like to read and had poor grades.

Little by little, they were integrated into the activities and began to enjoy their peers. Now, thanks to the requirements and encouragement of the teachers, they’ve changed their attitudes, and want to be the first to give the readings. They compete with one another to see who finishes assignments first. They’ve become outstanding, motivated, active participants in everything we do.These demonstrations also motivate teachers to continue doing their work with excellence, and they realize their sacrifice is worth the effort they put in. Thank God for this time, and for the people He uses to continue his work.

PICTURED L TO R: JESUS WITH PROFESSOR INGRID ZAMBRANO; DAMIAN

BLANCA CASTILLO

Blanca Castillo is a single mother of three children who regularly attend the La Palmita Help & Hope Center: Jesús Correa, 7; Damian Manrique, 5; and Alexa Flores, 4. Professors Anny Villamizar and Joselyn Rodriguez told us this moving story, where we see the Power of Christ over the lives of these children and their mother.

“Blanca was in a homosexual relationship, and her female partner lived with Blanca and the children. After the children began attending the Help & Hope Center and started learning about God, Blanca began attending church with them. Blanca accepted Christ in her heart and chose to leave her previous lifestyle. Now, the family lives under the shelter and support of God Almighty.”

WILKER AND FERNANDA WATCH A PROJECT BIBLE VIDEO
AT THE HELP & HOPE CENTER IN VILLA BAHAREQUEWILKER AND FERNANDA

9-year-old friends Wilker Uribe and Fernanda Rozo also attend the Help & Hope Center in Villa Bahareque. One afternoon, after having finished the activities, the teachers took time to minister to the children, as they always do. This time, they were surprised to realize that Wilker and Fernanda knew about God, but did not know or understand what “sin” meant.

Fernanda told us she attends a church near her village, where in Sunday School classes, they haven’t been taught anything about sin. So our professors Osmar Gutierrez, Siley Ferreira and Valentina Vallejos in Villa Bahareque lovingly explained to them about the origin of sin. With the help of videos called “Project Bible”, they showed students the root of sin in the book of Genesis.

Wilker and Fernanda expressed their desire to know more about the word of God and how important it is in their lives. To God be the glory!

DONOR TESTIMONY
Frank Swan and Family

FRANK, LEANN and SARAH SWAN VISITING SAN CRISTOBAL IN 1999
RIGHT, CHILDREN FROM A BARRIO IN RUBIO. FRANK SWAN PERSONAL PHOTOS

The Frank Swan family has a distinguished connection with Andean Aid: they were the first supporters of our work, and after 18 years, they continue their monthly donations.

Frank’s interest in Andean Aid began shortly after meeting founder Wayne Cramer at the Zion Nuclear Power Station, where Frank worked under Wayne as a Chemistry Technician instructor. “I greatly admired Wayne for his integrity. When I left Zion to work at the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, I chose six people to have lunch with. Wayne was one of them.”

Already involved in his church’s rescue mission ministry, Frank accepted a month-long teaching stint at the Juan Christiansen Academy – at the time, a boarding school for missionary children in Rubio, Venezuela. Having retired himself, Wayne was inspired to do likewise. After a while in Rubio, the Cramers saw the need to help impoverished children, and Andean Aid was born. Frank says, “I immediately jumped in to support the work; it was a no-brainer in that it would benefit the spiritual and physical needs of the at-risk children who lived in the region.”

Frank goes on to say, “The month we were in Rubio, I hardly knew 100 Spanish words, but could communicate in actions, so we did outreach activities with a local evangelical church. Most Venezuelans are Catholic, but those churches focus on middle and upper-income parishoners, mostly ignoring the barrios. So when Andean Aid was birthed, it filled a great need.

I used to support two missionaries I met while teaching at Juan Christiansen Academy. When it closed, they left the area. I continued support for the one organization that has kept going full steam ahead in the region: Andean Aid, which was partnering with local churches.

“The command to Christians is to reach our ‘Jerusalem, our Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth’”, says Frank. “By including Andean Aid in my giving, I’m helping meet Christ’s commission.”

Frank’s wish for the children? “Always spiritual change. A relationship with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It does no good to meet people’s physical needs if they leave this life for eternity in hell. That said, it’s hard to share spiritual truth with somebody whose only focus is meeting their sustenance. So, reach out to them to meet physical needs with the ultimate goal of sharing the Gospel.”

PHOTO FOR ANDEAN AID BY JULIE ANDERSON

REACHING THE HARD TO REACH

Several years ago, Gaby and I hiked about 2,000 steps up the mountain from our Help & Hope Center in the tiny barrio of Villa Bahareque outside Rubio, Venezuela, to check on the welfare of Maria, who had been absent from the Center for several days and wasn’t doing well in school.

On the way up, an elderly woman, quite frail, beckoned us into her home. We stopped for a short visit; something told me we should. Gaby and I shared the love of God with her and listened as her family told us she was very ill. We left feeling blessed, but wondering how she’d get down the mountain if she needed medical help.

More steps up the hill, and another quick stop to greet a young mother of three. Two of her children ran over to greet us (“Hola, Senor and Senora!”), while the third lay in her mother’s lap. She was a 2-year-old, but developmentally delayed so that she resembled an infant in size. Mom was shy, but wore a wide smile as we greeted her in the name of Christ.

Finally at the top, we reached Maria’s home – a patchwork of tin, sticks and cardboard with a family of 9 living inside. As Gaby and I spoke with Maria outside the home, we learned the underlying reason for her recent change in behavior: Mom had just had a baby, and as the oldest, 11-year-old Maria was expected to do the chores and care for her siblings. We visited awhile and fussed over the baby.

Villa Bahareque is not a place to be after dark, so we trekked down the mountain as the sun began to set. A couple weeks after our visit, we learned the frail woman, the sick 2-year-old, and Maria’s baby sister had all died.

The poor endure hardships many of us can’t begin to comprehend. Sharing Christ is essential. Showing them you care is showing them God’s love. The teachers and volunteers at our Centers share the gratitude Gaby and I have for the chance to share God’s love with those living in the Andean regions of Venezuela and Colombia.

SEE VIDEO FROM THIS VISIT IN OUR FILM, “ROAD TO HOPE.”

Wayne Cramer meets with Lake Forest College students Ariana Rincon (from Venezuela) and Akua Agyei (from Ghana) to discuss their research related to youth enterprise programs
for Help & Hope Centers.

LAKE FOREST COLLEGE STUDENTS
HELP PROVIDE FUTURE VISION FOR ANDEAN AID

By Les Dlabay, Professor, Lake Forest College
Director, Andean Aid Board of Directors

For several summers, students at Lake Forest College have conducted research for Andean Aid. The projects have included:

Conducting a comprehensive survey of Andean Aid’s Help & Hope Centers to determine current activities, procedures, and program size;
Creating an Andean Aid Operations Manual with details for planning, implementing, and operating the Help and Hope Centers;
Translating the Andean Aid Operations Manual into Spanish;
Proposing a youth enterprise model for Andean Aid to develop academic, career, technical, and entrepreneurial skills among Help & Hope Center participants;
Identifying metrics (key performance indicators) to assess the success of Andean Aid programs among students, communities, and churches;
Assessing funding alternatives to finance sustainable Andean Aid programs; and
Proposing a sustainable communication and marketing model to engage strategic partners.

If you’d like to learn more about or add input to these activities, or if you’d like a copy of the Andean Aid Operations Manual in English or Spanish, contact Les Dlabay (dlabay@lakeforest.edu).

WORLD CUP FEVER
at Juan Christiansen School

PHOTOS FOR ANDEAN BY YOSHUA OROZCO

As we all know, soccer, or “football” as it’s known around the world, is wildly popular in Latin America.

But did you know that Andean Aid sponsors a soccer club in Cucuta, Colombia, called the MID (Maestro Intrucion)? The coach, Jean Carlos, approached us in 2013 about sponsorship. Jean is a professor passionate about keeping young people away from drugs and gangs through soccer.

The team is similar to a semi-pro league. Several of the boys have been invited to try out for Colombia’s pro team.

When CLCBC folks visited Cucuta in 2016, we brought along two suitcases full of deflated soccer balls, surprising the coach and players. Many tears were shed in light of the fact that the team had been using a single soccer ball for many months.

SPEAKING OF SOCCER…the soccer World Cup Russia 2018 takes place between June 14-July 15, and a sense of excitement is gripping students and teachers at John Christiansen School. “Football,” as it’s known in many parts of the world, including Venezuela, is wildly popular with our students. In fact, they play regularly at school and our Help & Hope Centers.

Students and teachers have been preparing by decorating classrooms with flags of participating countries and posters of the Zabivaka wolf mascot.

We’re holding competitions in the classroom and on the soccer field, with a tournament between grade levels. The boys have been wearing their football uniforms to class, commenting on the names of their favorite players. Everyone here is infected with the fever of the World Cup!

SUPPORT ANDEAN AID WITH YOUR GIFT
WWW.ANDEANAID.ORG/DONATE

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JOURNEY TO MARACAIBO

Wayne Cramer — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 17:24:57 +0000

July 31, 2018

By Gaby Andrade

On the journey to Mara, our tire exploded and we were delayed many hours, but our driver located an old car and all 12 of us squeezed in and made it to Mara, which serves about 30 indigenous Wayuu native children.

Our mission was to greet our brothers and sisters leading the Center, hear from the children, bring them happiness, and find out if they need anything. We passed out Bibles given to us by Martin Stendal, which made everyone joyous. Pastor Orangel and his wife Omaira of our partner church, Luz del Mundo, with teachers Fatima Gonzalez and Lady Suarez, led the children in song and Bible verses.

Our visit with 122-year-old former pastor Antonio Palmar and his family was a joy. He, too, was happy in the extreme, remembering the visit by Wayne Cramer and Julie Anderson 4 years ago. He told us, “please say hello to the man that is like the sun.”

We prayed there, and something curious happened. In Cucuta, I had contracted scabbies when we were treating the children, and happened to have an ample supply of the medicine with me. Some of the ladies were so relieved to hear this, crying, “We and our children have scabbies too, and no doctors, no medicines!” I felt so good to help with the medicines, and the pediatrician with us took care of them, giving medicine for amebas, diarrea, fever, cough, and more. Pastor Palmar had a large Hongo in his right hand, which the doctor looked at.

Our brothers and sisters shared that they said they need more visits from us. We had our hearts broken with them over the hardships they endure. God willing, our team would like to visit them in December and bring medicines and doctors and food and have a nice Christmas Program.

LA LECHUGA

We arrived at 6:00 p.m. at the Jesus es el Ray church and Help & Hope Center in La Lechuga, where teachers and 70 children had been waiting for us since 10:00 in the morning (originally there were 120!). We all sang with joy, delivered candy and Bibles. The children gave us drawings they had made.

The needs in La Lechuga are many: food, medicine, doctors, clothes, shoes. But the same as always, they have an excellent attitude in everything. Former teacher Janet Toscano is the new pastor, replacing one who moved to Colombia. She has two teachers: Tibisay Bracho and Maria Alejandra Gutierrez.

And there are severe hardships in La Lechuga.as well. We found children who live alone because their parents left to work in another country. And the six-month-old brother of one of our students passed away from starvation.

Our hosts at the Rompiendo Fortalezas church invited us to visit their neighborhood, where they’re serving 130 kids with food and homework help. They are requesting that Andean Aid open a Help & Hope Center there.

Well, we finisheded this visit with our hearts broken more. This team wants us to come in December to make something special for this community, too.

While we were driving in the city of Ojeda, it rained. There was enough rain water for two of our team to take a shower with rainwater.

On August 1^st, we went to Barquisimeto to visit Anacarib Martinez Alarcon, who has cancer, and is the mother of one of our students at Juan Christiansen school. Here in this city she receives chemotherapy and radiation. She was happy to see us, and our children enjoyed seeing her family again. In Barquisimeto we stay in my cousin’s house – he went to another country for to work. Another cousin in this city, Alirio Rodriguez, invited us to the beach, and imagine our answer….. YES!

Through His Might

Wayne Cramer — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:52:09 +0000

By Gaby Andrade

When my husband Ruben and I started working with Andean Aid in 2000, I could not have known how big it would become. We began with one Help and Hope Center in Rubio, and now we serve 11 villages and hundreds of children after school every day.

When we began, helping others was simple and easy. But as time passed, people began to place their hope in us, asking for things that were more difficult. I think of Bladimir Gomez, whose story is shown in this video. He needed surgery for a facial deformity. We thought surgery would be impossible, because securing passports and visas to the United States for treatment was proving very difficult. Yet God helped us overcome obstacles, and today, Bladimir is thriving, with new life in Christ.

Over the years, our organization has faced many more challenging situations. Exchanges rates, closed border crossings, government decisions, new rules of migration in Colombia, scores of Venezuelans leaving the country, the daily task of traversing the mountains, severe shortages of basic supplies and food… these are just a few of many hardships we endure daily. We must think of ways to overcome what’s put before us.

But God always shows us that it’s not with our own effort, but through His might, that we climb mountains and walk through fire.

My daily work overseeing our 11 Help and Hope Centers and teams of volunteers and teachers has brought great joy and countless blessings, too. I’m proud to be doing something God smiles upon, and I never get bored, to be sure!

Just as God has His hand on the work we do, He has also brought together a Board of Directors in the United States comprised of wonderful people with big hearts.

I’m very grateful God has allowed me to be part of Andean Aid. We are helping hundreds of children live more abundant lives. Thank you for your prayers – and may God bless you for your support.