Scribbles in the Sun

Merry Christmas! Just a little greeting to say thanks, as we remember how Love came down that day..... Personalize a picture collage

 Last Saturday we drove to Valencia (3hr drive to the west) for the annual Christmas luncheon for the pastors of the C&MA Venezuela.  It was a beautiful morning for a drive, not a cloud in the sky...which is amazing since we are still at the tail end of rainy season so it seems like it's cloudy every day!  Although we thought we were a little late, of course we ended up being early....and Chris was asked to help lead the worship (that's him at the front on the left practicing for a few brief moments).  I admire Chris' flexibility and willingness to jump in and help on a moment's notice, and when he leads worship, I think God uses him in wonderful ways.  Two of the pastor's wives chatting.  These women are integral parts of their churches as they lead their own ministries as well.  When mostly everyone had arrived, we started the program....worship, news and greetings from each of the churches represented, gifts for the kids in attend...

I found this little guy staring at me today.  Isn't he adorable???  Click the photo to enlarge it if you need convincing. Actually, he wasn't so small, I'd say he was a bit bigger than my palm. But seriously, I think he was giving me puppy dogs eyes or something.  We can be friends, but I prefer he doesn't come in my house, so I've been keeping a sharp eye on him.  He reminds me of some of the crazy huge bugs I saw in Costa Rica (Google images of the rhinocerous beetle and thank me later). And last week I had the pleasure of being underneath a tree as 6 or 7 brightly coloured wild parrots sat and squawked and flapped and gorged themselves on fruit, throwing whatever was not edible down onto the cars parked below and making a general mess.  But it really is a lovely sight to see  a group of parrots soaring around together.  Although I miss my bug-free days in Canada, I really love discovering all these sights....yes, even the ones that creep me out! ...

It's a few years old, but I might have had this song on repeat today :)

Some of you may know that I went to my first Venezuelan dentist last week. It was not too traumatizing an experience, actually it was fairly enjoyable. I'm thankful that my parents were so diligent with getting me to the dentist and orthodontist when I was young, because it makes me feel so guilty that I haven't been since I left Canada (did I just admit that?), and I do want to do better!! So of course, it took a toothache to get the wheels in motion. Last Thursday I went to my spanish lesson and had my tutor help me think of all the vocabulary I might need at the dentist. Then I went to a dental office in my neighbourhood to make an appointment. It was 2pm, and they weren't taking appointments til 3....sigh....so I decided to keep walking and found another dental office that looked so much more welcoming. I got my appointment for the next day, Friday, and had a pretty good appointment with the dentist (other than the fact that she had to inflict pain in order to fin...

About a week and a half ago, I got to go on a road trip and as with any adventure in Venezuela, it was quite the ordeal!  We started by heading out to the C&MA National Pastor's retreat...no wait, first we started with a prayer that our vehicles (ie: my car) would make the journey without incident.  After picking up some pastors and lay leaders in Cartanal, we managed to fit 10 adults, 2 kids, an infant, a stroller, and all our luggage into our two vehicles (my car held 6 adults and the baby so I'll let you use your imaginations).  We traveled through pouring rain and arrived in the town near the camp we were going to.  Our only instructions to arrive at the camp were to stop at the town square and ask for directions from there (!).  After asking 6 or 7 people, and a few wrong turns, we found our way to the country road and made it to the camp safe and sound.  I am convinced that if we didn't have any Venezuelans with us, we would have never found our...

Sometimes, living in South America makes me a little disoriented (to say the least!).   What I mean is that Canadians learn to live life through the seasons, and you look forward to each of the four seasons for different reasons.   I loved winter because it meant breaking out my cozy sweaters and my ice skates.   Spring brought fresh breezes, the joy of the snow melting and adventures awaiting as the days get longer.   Summer meant making the best use of warm days to hang out at the lake, go on road trips, and BBQs in the back yard; and fall meant a return to routine, and the smell of the falling leaves.   These are things that I admit I miss from Canada, and one reason is because they marked the passing of time and my movement through the year.   Now here I am in South America.   I am close enough to the equator that the sun basically rises and sets at the same time.   Every day.   There is a dry season and a rainy season, but they both...

I must have blocked it from my memory, but I just remembered that I had another traumatizing moment yesterday trying to buy broccoli.   This would be my third trauma, and so I think that means I am now giving up broccoli for good (while I’m here, anyway).   My first trauma came maybe 2.5 years ago when I was still living in Costa Rica.   I was having lunch in a restaurant and my soup, that contained broccoli, also contained a small worm.   I had already eaten half the soup, but all of a sudden, it didn’t taste that good to me…..Second trauma, about a year ago.   “Let’s buy some broccoli!” I thought when I went to the grocery story.   I had been avoiding it because it requires soaking and thorough cleaning before cooking, and let’s face it…when it comes to food prep, I’m just lazy.   As I was looking through all the beautiful green and fresh heads of broccoli, guess what popped up and gave me the stink eye (I presume)?   Yes, another little wo...

Over the past year, it is true that we have experienced shortages of various things....meat, milk, flour, sugar.  But imagine my surprise when yesterday at the local grocery store, I couldn't find toilet paper!  I also went to a drug store, but there was none there either.  Nobody seemed to be panicking over it, so I know that it must be available in other stores at the moment, so today I will continue my search for the elusive cottony goodness.  I don't want to blow out of proportion the things that we have given up to be here in Venezuela, because really, the things that I can't get here are truly things that I can live without.  Nor am I starving or desperate for a little pampering.  I have just had to learn to get creative and/or find things made here in Venezuela to fill the gaps of things I miss from home.  And I must admit, I have found some really great stuff!  My favourite treats as of late have been gelato, and Kindy (a lime drink concen...

Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for Venezuela.  My blog wouldn't load properly yesterday so I'm trying again today just to give an update.  God has been answering prayers and since Monday, when there was a little bit of violence from protesters, things have remained fairly peaceful.  Every night at 8pm supporters of the opposition continue to take up their pots and pans and bang them in protest (called a cacerolazo), continuing to ask for a recount of the votes.  I suspect that it will only go on for one more night, tonight, since tomorrow is the inauguration of President Maduro.  Please continue to pray that tomorrow things will remain calm as people take to the streets to celebrate.  And that both leaders (who are Catholic) would truly feel the peace of Christ in their hearts.  I plan on watching the festivities from the comfort of my home. Thank you for your prayers for me and my teammates. Although we have our opinions on the sit...

It was a loud evening tonight! Yesterday, Maduro won the presidential election by a narrow margin. Capriles, the candidate for the opposition has called for a recount of the votes, but this afternoon Maduro said the results are irreversible and there will be no recount. Capriles has countered this with a call to his supporters for peaceful protest. There had been protests earlier in the day, part of a freeway was blocked, and apparently tear gas was used. But this evening at 8pm his supporters went into the plazas, stood at their windows and took to the streets banging pots and pans, blowing whistles, honking horns and setting off fireworks in protest.  It was LOUD!! It sounds like there might be more protests organized for tomorrow, please pray that they stay peaceful, and that Venezuelans would have hope and peace in these days.

Thanks for checking in on my blog! As always, you can click on each photo to enlarge it. Have a wonderful day! Customize your own free newsletter