Privileges

The first church we visited here in Barquisimeto was at the invitation of the outgoing Missions Director of Venezuela.  He wanted us to visit the church that he started several years ago.  Barquisimeto has many areas that are violent.  We would refer to them as "The Projects" back home, but here they are a Barrio.  Not all Barrios are rough, many are simply neighborhoods.  But this particular sector of town was known for violence & danger.  Over the past few years as this church has grown, the violence has diminished & the area has began to change.  It is still a very poor barrio, but the people are changing.  The building is huge & made of concrete with metal bars that form the windows.  One large room makes up the sanctuary with concrete floors, rows of plastic lawn chairs, & a platform for the musical instruments.  There is one other large room similar in description that houses the ministry for the many children of this barrio.  Most people walk to church so there is more available land for construction because there is no need for a large parking lot.  This was the first church we saw here.  We were humbled by the simplicity & amazed by the number of people that have been transformed by the presence of this church & its leadership.

     After leaving from our visit, Chris was praying & asking God how we could be used to help this church as it is exploding in number, particularly with babies, children, & teenagers!  A few days later we received an email from our director stating that there were funds available from Boys & Girls (BGMC) in the United States to be used to assist in ministry to children.  The money was ours to use if we wanted it, but solely to help with children.  We were excited because we knew exactly where we wanted to put these funds.  Yesterday, we were honored to be at this church again as Chris preached in their 2 morning services.  At the end of these services, we were humbled to be able to present the pastor with an equivalent of $1000 USD from the boys & girls of the United States for the purpose of constructing & resourcing an additional space in their church for babies, nursing mothers, & toddlers.  Thank you boys & girls that give money to BGMC all over the United States.  Because of you, churches all over the world are able to expand & provide effective ministry to children just like you!