3 Years Ago Today…

Disclaimer: This article was written yesterday but I was unable to publish it. Please indulge me & pretend you are reading this yesterday! 



Life is filled with ups & downs, twists & turns, & occasionally moments of complete & total shock.

Our life has been no exception to that rule.

There are those moments in life where your world simply stands still.

For our family of 5 Nelsons, that day was March 9, 2011.

Chris is wearing the yellow shirt.

Our moment of shock came at the realization that Chris had been in an accident that nearly took his life.

The moments, days, weeks, & months that followed were filled with a variety of miracles, trials, fears,

pain, tears, & joy.

Today, we stopped as a family to remember all of those moments.

3 years ago today, our life was forever changed.

3 years ago today, our family faced a challenge that we never had planned for.

And 3 years ago today, God did the miraculous & showed that He is always present & faithful.

We all remember the events of that day differently.

Each of our boys sees it from their own unique perspective as they were only 6,8, & almost 10.

Each friend that helped us along the way has their memories as well as each family member.

Chris remembers absolutely nothing! 

But we are grateful for that as well.  It is best.

This is our fabulous team, Henry, Yanethssy, Miryect, Us, & Yubisay.  Notice the girls with neck braces who were also in the accident. This picture is about 2 days before I flew Chris back to the states for further treatment.

But out of all of the memories & accounts of that day….

Mine will forever be the most vivid. 

I am blessed to have these memories permanently burnt into my brain & locked inside of my heart.

Every detail,  every tear, every second….

forever they will be a part of me.

I was there when God miraculously provided the money so doctors would begin treatment.

I was there when the surgeon entered & the peace of God filled my heart because I knew that that man

was sent by God to treat my husband.

I was there when the doctor called me into the operating room to have me calm Chris & to tell me that 

he could possibly lose his left hand if they didn't work aggresively.

I was there when the head injury began to manifest & show how serious his head had been hit.

I remember the desperation & the fear.

But I am also filled with the memories of miracles that filled each day for several weeks.

So many miracles happened, that it would take me a small book to include them all. 

Our children were blessed to be with missionary friends who loved them & prayed over them & to 

this day are still very much a special part of our family.

We could not have made it through that day without the prayers of so many faithful friends all over the 

world, touching heaven on our behalf.

Those kinds of prayers bring a peace that only comes from the Spirit of God.

The accident left many scars.

Obviously, there are physical scars like the ones you can see on Chris's body.

There are also many emotional scars that are deep inside of us all.

Chris's recovery was nothing short of a miracle, but his body is still not whole.

Hands don't cooperate, arms aren't as strong, & the brain still needs a touch from God.

But through it all, God has continued to open doors & use our family to bless others.

So today, on this highly momentous occasion,

we thank God for giving us more time with Chris.

We remember the past so that it rejuvenates our faith in the present.

And we continue forward towards the plans that God has for our family.

This tragic moment in history is part of our story.

It is part of the testimony that God has blessed our family to have.

And on this special day, Chris is playing soccer with our 2 oldest boys, our neighbor who has become 

like our son, & about 10 orphaned kids who simply want to know a father's love.

3 years ago today, our life was turned upside down.

And today, 3 years later, I can't think of a better way for him to celebrate the life that God has blessed 

him to keep living!

The Hiatus is Over...

I am pleased to announce that the hiatus is over!

According to dictionary.com, a hiatus is a break or interruption in the continuity of work.

Where I do not feel that the continuity of our work has been on hiatus,

I know that my blogs have...

Venezuela sort of shuts down from mid December til the end of January for the holidays.

I guess they take a sort of hiatus of their own!

Our life has been very full none the less since I last posted.

Our Ian, or Sweet Beefy as we affectionately refer to him, turned 11 years old!

Chris welcomed another birthday... actually, I don't know how welcomed it was, 

but for those of us who have come close to losing him on several occasions, another birthday is 

always a welcomed & cherished event.

I too celebrated another year in December.

Our holidays came with much enthusiasm. Traditional hallacas were made along with some of our 

family favorites. Lots of people passed through our house to both love on us & be loved back in 

return.

Our sweet love, Imanuel turned 9. (insert tears!)

We welcomed 2014 with much enthusiasm & expectancy.

Each year since Chris' accident has been filled with its own challenges & struggles.

Our family is looking at 2014 to be a year of favor & open doors.

We have many teams wanting to work along side of our family & we will also be welcoming Tech 

Carpenter in May. Tech will serve with us for the next 2 years as a Missionary Associate just as the

 Smith family is doing now.

We are in the process of transitioning the ministry of Global University over to the National Church.

We are very excited about this decision as it is time for the Venezuelan church to assume this 

responsibility & ministry.

God is opening the doors for us to purchase a property in Cabudare (a suburb to Barquisimeto).

With this new land we will be able to build a ministry base that will house Latin America Child Care

as well as a plethora of other ministries. We want to use this property to launch a church focused on

families. If you are interested in helping us purchase this property, please contact us by the emails in

 our blog info or comment on this blog.

As we were praying about this property, our neighbor, who is like a son to us, told us of an orphanage

close by that he had visited.

We too visited this home to find 42 children along with 2 single sisters who are caring for them.

They receive next to no support from the government. They care for the children because they know

 that no one else will.

The "God part" of all of this is that the orphanage is literally 2 blocks from the property we are

 purchasing.  We are excited to see just exactly what plans God has in store for our family & this 

house full of very needy children.

We are also excited that God has given the church in Pavia great favor with many of the local 

schools.

The schools are giving them incredible amounts of time to teach the children & disciple them.

We look forward to seeing how God is going to put all of the pieces together for this amazing

opportunity to reach hundreds of children in Pavia. We are also overjoyed that the building & land

for the Pavia Project have all been 100% paid for! What a blessing!

I was thinking about the word "hiatus." 

I remember being a kid & being so frustrated during the summer because all of the best T.V shows 

were showing re-runs! The good stuff wouldn't begin until September!

I think life is sometimes the same.

Sometimes, we feel that we are living in re-runs. The same things happening every day or week.

Those moments can be frustrating, especially when we are hoping for something new!

I have decided that God uses those times of being in a hiatus to teach us & even stretch us a bit.

You see, the longer the hiatus, the more excited we are when the new season begins.

I have great anticipation for our family & ministry in 2014.

I am pleased to announce to myself.... The Hiatus is Over & a New Season has Begun!

The Art of Unpredictability.....

I have not blogged since January!

Why you might ask???

Well, it all goes back to the simple truth that we live & work in VENEZUELA!

Unpredictability has become the new word that describes everything that we do.

When we travel.... what we do each day.... when we make calls.... when we check & respond to emails.... when we turn in reports.....ALL ARE UNPREDICTABLE!

The thought of, "I'll do those reports tomorrow!" or "I'll email that friend back in the morning" becomes a joke when we awake to no electricity due to power rationing or no internet because a cable was fried in the night.

I would be lying if I said that this new word did not bother me.

I am really one of the most predictable people out there!

I like order.... I Love lists.... and sticking to the plan makes me quite happy.

However, living where we do.... all of that order & plan stuff.... yeah.... no longer exist!

As I am sure many of you have read or seen on the news.... 

Venezuela is not the most stable place to live (shhh...don't tell!)

After rocky elections in October, we have been dealing with shortages, violence, & fear as the people sit back & wait to see what will happen next.

In February, the whole country was experiencing fires due to lack of rain.

Our town was no different...

A park across the street caught on fire which led to burnt cable lines.

So, our internet was FRIED!

It has taken 2 months to get it fixed & restore internet.

(We actually had to go through another company.)

And in the midst of no internet, the president died! You can imagine how lovely that might have been. It felt like living in a cave with no contact with the outside world as it was unsafe to leave our homes for several days. Dependency on technology becomes terribly obvious.

And in the midst of all of this craziness, there have been food shortages.

Grocery shopping is like going to a garage sale hoping to stumble upon a treasure.

We end up doing much of our shopping at the meat & bread store & my personal favorite...the pharmacy. With those 3 stops you can survive.

Needless to say... unpredictability has won again!

How sad it was that I could not make Isaiah the cake he wanted for his birthday because there was literally NO butter to be found! 

But regardless of all of the craziness... God has been faithful & great things continue to happen.

We were pleased to throw a fabulous baby shower for our dear friends in Pavia, Camilo & Jeniffer.

Many of you remember that they prayed for 3 years to have a baby & this summer just as we arrived, Jeniffer found out she was expecting. 

God provided for them the whole way & on March 1, they welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world named Cadniel Jose.

March 9 brought with it many emotions. We celebrated the 2 year anniversary of Chris's near fatal bus accident in Maracaibo. The first anniversary wasn't very strange as we were in the states....but year 2 brought a flood of memories, at least for me... Chris still remembers nothing!

 (Unfair? I think so!) 

None the less, we are still in awe of God's provision during that time. He continues to prove Himself faithful even though Chris still faces daily challenges as the result of the accident.

On the day of this special anniversary, we sent our beloved Yubisay to the states to train with Kidz Ablaze International. Her goal is to learn as much as possible & return to help put a national children's ministry into place. It just goes to show that what the enemy meant to destroy 2 years ago, God turned around for his glory.

We have also been privileged to assist with the national Deaf Bible Institute for the Assemblies of God here in Venezuela. What started as a simple,"We'd love to help be your voice in a sea of hearing people" turned into Chris being the new Vice President of the Deaf Bible Institute.

(It's okay to laugh.... we are still processing this one!)

We were blessed to travel to Maracay where Chris preached for the 7th anniversary of one of the Deaf churches pastored by our friend Jose Ojeda who is also the President of the Deaf Bible Institute.

Along with this ministry, we have been blessed to assist a local deaf church in finding a location for their Sunday services. This church has had as many as 80 people over the past few years & with the new meeting place we hope they reach many more.

March 27th, Chris & I celebrated our 14th anniversary. We were so blessed to have a little time to celebrate as our dear friend Erica came & loved on our boys. It is always a treat when Chris & I get time alone! We never take those moments for granted.

As we approached the end of March, we were once again excited to celebrate the birth of our oldest boy... Isaiah.

It is hard to believe that our first baby boy is now 12! We are excited to see Isaiah developing into an amazing man of God. This photo is one of those "Mom Photos" that us moms just love to show off. Isaiah was 6 months old.

And now we are here in April...

This week, we prepare ourselves to face another election.

Sunday, April 14 will be an important date for this nation.

There are many scenarios that could play out.

Some are positive... some are negative... some are calm... & others are down right scary!

I have come to grips with the fact that life can simply be UNPREDICTABLE!

How we choose to handle these changes....

the mountains... the valleys... the good... & the bad...

that defines our character.

It is an art.

It is not easy.

We are being molded & shaped by the Master.

May we embrace this art of accepting the unpredictability of our lives with grace.

Please join us in prayer as we pray for peace & safety in the nation of Venezuela.

BEWARE of Falling Luggage....

It has been about 2 weeks since I blogged.

                                                              I know... SHAMEFUL!

I have been putting it off with the expectation of posting pictures from Imanuel's 8th birthday party.

But, a technology monster seems to have eaten my card reader for my camera.

So, here we are 2 weeks later & I am still without the card reader & no post!

Today I am changing that.

I might not have pictures just yet, but I will go to bed tonight knowing that I have written a post!

It obviously doesn't take much to please me....

actually, anything pink & chocolate usually works nicely! *smile*

Okay, on to more important things... (as if anything could be more important than pink & chocolate!)

                                                               

Our life has been a bit nuts the last week. Chris left Monday with 2 of our team members to attend a huge convention for the Venezuelan Assemblies of God.

We opted not to go with him since it was a minimum of an 8 hour trip & the boys would be bored to death! Fussy boys are no fun for Mom!

He left on Monday & from what I hear, had a successful time there.

He always enjoys meeting new people & reacquainting himself with old friends.

This time, however, was harder for him.

Since Chris's memory was affected in the accident almost 2 years ago, memories are harder to retrieve if they are still there at all. I think he missed having his wife around who pretty much never forgets anything! *smile*

He also can not go at the same speed he once could, so he has to pace himself now which is hard when left to his own devices.

Again, that's where his wife comes in handy.

Other than that... I think he had a great trip!

My boys on the other hand, dealt with Dad's trip very differently.

This was his first long trip here in Venezuela since we returned in June.

The boys were having constant memories of 2 years ago.

They wondered if he would arrive safely?

Would he have a great trip & then have another accident on the way home?

Should they pack their suitcases so they would be better prepared than they were the last time?

This question got me the most!

When Chris was hurt, everything happened so quickly.

I left, the next day our dear missionary friends came & got them, they spent the night & POOF!

They left our house & never returned again.

They packed a small rolling bag each with a few toys, clothes, & their favorite stuffed animals & off they went.

They assumed they would come back home... but they didn't!

They stayed in the home of another family for 2 weeks.

They were then flown back to the states with only the few things they had taken.

(With our friend... but no Mom & Dad)

When they arrived in NC, my mom went to buy them clothes & things like that.

That experience in & of itself would be hard for anyone to deal with...much less a child.

But it wasn't even that simple!

These 3 little boys were left with all of the worries & concerns for their Daddy.

Would he live? How bad was he hurt? Would he ever be the same again?

We all ended back up in North Carolina & spent well over a year in therapy, doctor appointments, & surgeries. Nothing like we had put on our 5 year plan!  They found out that YES, he would live... YES, he was hurt badly, & YES, he would never be the same as before. 

And after all of that, we returned to Venezuela.

We transitioned yet again... several times actually since being back & are finally in a place of feeling somewhat settled... minus furniture that is! (ha ha)

I will have living room furniture one day! For now we are living it up on hammocks & bean bags.

(a boy's dream!)

So, after all of these things... you might understand how it gripped my heart when the boys asked if they should pack... just in case!

It reminded me of how we hold onto fear.

No matter how much we think we have put bad things behind us, they still have a way of creeping back in at a moments notice.

I spent time explaining to my boys that God doesn't give us the spirit of fear!

We prayed & asked God for protection over their Daddy believing that He would do it.

So far, the boys have been calmer.... but I would be lying if I said that they weren't very anxious to see him walk through the door in a few hours.

Little pieces of baggage from all of the craziness we have been through the past 2 years keeps falling out of the sky. So we pick them up, address them, & give them back to God.

May you all be blessed in the days ahead... & should you be faced with any falling luggage of your own, may you have the strength to pick it up & give it back to God. 

And BEWARE:

Falling luggage can often be quite heavy! Don't be afraid to ask others to help you. It is often the kind & insightful words or compassion of others that God places in our lives that allows us to have the strength to give "it" back to him & move forward into a life without fear & worry.

A Christmasy Puff Ball Perspective....

"It's doesn't really feel like Christmas, Mom!"

These were the words spoken by all 3 of my boys at one time or another.

And they would be right... 

How does it "feel" like Christmas?

For them, it's when it is cold outside... not almost 90˚

(with that always hoped for chance of SNOW!)

It's being with your family & traveling to visit them... not staying home

It's eating all of the special foods that only special loved ones can make... not hallacas

So for them... this Christmas did NOT feel like Christmas at all!

However, the fact that nothing we planned actually happened as planned didn't help.

Sunday, we had planned to visit our friends in Pavia & help with their annual Christmas event.

But, Imanuel had a fever & hives & I didn't think exposure to 1000 people & their germs was in his best interest. So we stayed home to take care of him.

Then, we planned to spend Christmas Eve with our friends, the Rincon Family.

Christmas Eve is much bigger here than Christmas Day.

I did as all good Moms do & made lots of food!

About an hour before we were to leave, Imanuel began throwing up!

I guess the hives were our warning that there was more to come!

(Isaiah had the same virus about a week & a half ago without the hives.)

So, Chris & Isaiah went to the party to take the food & visit with friends while I stayed home with our little sicky & Ian.

Isaiah, always a ham in front of the camera, even managed to steal a few kisses!

It's amazing what happens when Mom is not there *smile*

He returned late that night in time to light fireworks! 

(A MUST for any Venezuelan Christmas)

Christmas morning was anything but normal as Imanuel was still violently sick! He didn't even want to open his presents! 

(now that's SICK!)

Ian, being the good older brother & gift lover that he is, pitched in to help him! 

The boys enjoyed opening a few special surprises. They will use money from family in the states to buy the specific things they wanted like a hunting knife, legos, or memberships to play Club Penguin.

Those gifts will come in with teams or individuals in months to come.

Isaiah most liked his drawing supplies.

Imanuel was so sick that he didn't have too much interest. He was excited to see a pack of strawberry pop tarts & Hershey Bars (chocolate with words on it) in his stocking!

These are things that we almost NEVER find where we live. We are still looking for Dr. Pepper!

Ian enjoyed his gifts, but I think his favorite was the alien popsicle mold. He LOVES freezing things & making his own frozen treats. What could be better than frozen Coca Cola with an alien handle?

The Venezuelan Christmas foods consist of Hallacas (a mushy dough pocket filled with meat, olives, & raisins that has been wrapped in banana leaves & boiled) Ensalada Navideña (a sort of potato salad) and Pan de Jamon ( a bread loaf made with ham & raisins inside)

Isaiah LOVES this food as does Chris... Ian & Imanuel, on the other hand, just smile & say please pass the mac-n-cheese! 

To make it feel more normal, I made Christmas lunch with favorites from Great Gran's house.

(chicken pie, cinnamon apples, mac-n-cheese, deviled eggs, & Cherry Cream Cheese pie.

( I will soon make the pound cake! I wanted Imanuel to be better to enjoy it!)

We were thrilled to talk with family members through skype & our new phone device!

After 6 months back, we FINALLY got our new VOIP device so we can call the states like normal people. It was a nice Christmas surprise!

Then Chris decided to refill our good bean bags with beans from damaged ones. 

Ian & Isaiah opted to "help." 

My philosophy has always been... "It's not really helping if it makes a bigger mess for Mommie to clean up!" But they tried.

Ian started yelling, "IT'S SNOWING IN VENEZUELA!!!!"

I looked & he was throwing styrofoam beads in the air. *sigh*

Then he laid down & began to make snow angels in the beans as he smiled & said it was starting to feel a lot more like Christmas!

The rest of our evening consisted of hanging out together while caring for the very sick Imanuel.

So in the end, our boys decided that even though it was different & nothing had gone as planned...

It wasn't that bad of a Christmas after all!

I guess it's all in perspective....

Do you see the styrofoam puff balls as a mess or as an answered prayer for snow?

From our family to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Are you a Threat?...

As promised, I am following up with blog #2.

November, as I mentioned before, was truly packed with lots of people, baking, travels, & life....

but, it was also filled with a few more little things,

Trials...   Frustrations...  Worries...  Problems...

Often times we (meaning everyone) face trials & we try to ignore them or act like it is just "the hand we were dealt." We might even think we deserve it or we say, "oh well, that's just life!"

But living life overseas as missionaries has caused us to understand that indeed sometimes... problems are just part of life; However, we can never let our guard down... we must face the reality that we are fighting a spiritual battle.

Time is short...  The enemy is resorting to drastic measures... he is pulling out all of the stops!

We are the target... we must be prepared... we can not be spiritually lazy!

Some might argue that spiritual warfare is real or that God protects us through the process...

I am inclined to say that those who feel that way are often times not a threat.

But after the journey that our family has been down the past 2 years alone, I have no question in my mind that it is a REAL battle.

But I am even more convinced that God is REAL & that he has a divine plan & purpose for us all.

What a relief to know that we are not in this battle alone!

I mentioned in the last blog that Chris officiated a wedding about 2 weeks ago. As far as timing, it was not a preferred time for him to travel but when it's a wedding... what do you do?

A month filled with birthdays, Thanksgiving, a week of teaching, & stressful staff dynamics.

Our kids were sick, or homesick, or stressed (kids feel the struggles too!)

And now... it was time for another trip! Trips always effect our family in a different way now after the trip to Maracaibo in 2011 that changed our lives forever.

We don't walk in fear... but the memories are still there.

Chris, Isaiah, & Frank Yu (one of our team members) headed off friday after Chris finished teaching his last class.

I stayed home with the other 2... I was sick... & ended up cooking all weekend for a house full of people.

(never a dull moment around here!)

The trip went well... The wedding was successful

This is Jose & his lovely bride, Dina as Chris officiates the ceremony.

I am told everything was quite lovely... that is, at the wedding!

The following picture is to give you a little "taste" of the culture! *smile*

Ok, bad joke!

Actually, this meat was strung up to be prepared for the wedding & was in the kitchen of the family of the newly weds.

As you can see... Isaiah was dying to take a bite!






After doing the wedding, Chris was asked by the local pastor to preach for the sunday morning service. And for those of you that know my husband... you know he said "YES!"

Sunday afternoon they began the trip back.

All was going well until it started to rain. Chris noticed the van sounding a bit funny.

He told Frank to pull over & get some fuel because not all gas stations sell Diesel.

They were only there for a couple of moments & then got back on the road.

They noticed the traffic was standing still.

Frank & Isaiah ( against his father's advice that it could be scary) walked down the road to see what had happened???

A double decker bus had mis-turned & flipped over onto the car next to it completely crushing the driver & his passenger. People were trapped in the bus & Isaiah actually saw severed body parts lying in the road.

Both guys were overcome with grief... memories of Chris's accident flooded their minds...

But the thing that nearly brought them to tears, was the reality that had they not pulled off for gas, they would have been the flattened vehicle. They pulled off from behind the bus just moments before the bus flipped onto the car that pulled up after they turned off!

What a surreal moment... In the blink of an eye... how quickly life can change!

They drove about 100 miles further with the van having more problems until finally they were forced to pull off of the road.

Again, they were at a gas station... this time, it was literally at the base of the most evil mountain in Venezuela.

They couldn't figure out how to make the van start so they finally called home so I could find a wrecker. We called a local pastor friend to go to their aid since they were about an hour away.

The pastor arrived around 11 pm. with his son.

A wrecker passed by & Chris, the pastor, & his son took off running to catch it.

Frank & Isaiah stayed with the van.

In the couple of moments that they were gone, the gas station manager called a friend to come & rob Frank & Isaiah.

An armed man came up to them making threats & demanding money or they would be killed.

Frank literally had nothing to give them & even had no phone since he had forgotten his in our office. They were both trying to convince the man that they had nothing knowing that it is often said here, if you don't give them something... they will kill you!

Isaiah suddenly remembered that he had 50 BsF. in his back pack (the equivalent of less than $4) that he had received in tooth fairy money.

He quickly grabbed it & told the guy that he had what he wanted & to leave them alone!

The guy ran into the shadows just as Chris & the others returned.

Never have I ever been so thankful for tooth fairy money!

Chris & Frank stayed with the van since no wreckers were available late on a sunday night.

Isaiah went home with the pastor since he was pretty shaken up.

The next day they returned safely.

And so that brings us to today.

Our family has spent the last 2 weeks in a state of numbness.

We have been prayerful... stressed... confused... overwhelmed

yet we know that God is in control of it all.

God has placed us in front of quite a few ministries here in Venezuela.

But for those of you in leadership, you know that being in charge comes with a price.

Right now we are dealing with both the good & the not so good that accompany leadership.

The enemy knows our buttons...

Is it money???     Is it safety???    Is it lack of control???    Is it disunity???

For us, I can say that it is definitely all 4 of the above mentioned things.

Satan has tried to hit us where it hurts... But we are determined that he will NOT win.

It is indeed a spiritual battle... but we serve a God that will forever be victorious.

We will overcome because Christ has already overcome.

We will walk in authority because we are children of God.

May you be encouraged that the battle is not yours... it's God's!

Walk in victory my friends... God has a plan & purpose for your life & no one or nothing can change that! Even when buses fall from the sky & crush your body or robbers threaten your life & try to bring you fear... God will use those experiences to make you stronger.

Satan only uses his time investing in those that are a threat to his plans because they are fulfilling the will of God.

My question for you: Are you a threat?