¿Por qué no te callas?

This is big news around here right now, the Spanish King tells Chavez to shut up....wow.

So long, farewell.....

Alright friends and loved ones....news: tomorrow my team and I leave our beloved Merida to spend 2 weeks away. Our first week we will be spending in Maracaibo - one of the biggest cities in Venezuela. Maracaibo is home to a majority of our national staff and also home to the national director and his family. The staff from various cities in Venezuela are all coming together in Maracaibo this next week to begin planning for the Congreso Nacional (National Congress, similar to the Northwest Winter Conference) which will be held in March 2008. The name of the conference is Prueba del Fuego (Test of Fire). Maracaibo is supposed to be one of the hottest cities in Venezuela, so it's going to painful for those of us who aren't used to heat and humidity (me!!!). However, after a long week of meetings and planning in the heat and humidity, we are going on vacation! (well, kind of....) Because we aren't studying at the actual university here in Merida, we cannot get students VISAS to stay in the country. Therefore, we are issued a traveler's VISA (only good for three months...) Soooo, that means that every three months, we must travel out of Venezuela, and then return (so as to receive a new VISA). God's providence has allowed our first trip out of the country to be to Aruba!! Wow, I never in my life thought I would end up in Aruba......We will be also traveling with all the American staff (the Venezuelan staff don't need to renew any visas, obviously....) We will be spending a few days in Aruba, mostly relaxing, but also working with the staff and learning new ways of doing ministry.

Anyway, personally I am rather sad to be leaving Merida, as I almost feel as if we've just arrived. I'm sad to be leaving friends, however I know that we will be doing some important work elsewhere and that it's God's will that we leave right now.....One exciting thing (other than going to Aruba, of course) is that we will be spending Thanksgiving (a holiday they don't have here....of course!) with the other American staffers who all desire to hold onto the tradition as we do. Hooray!

We leave tomorrow night at 10:30 (the bus runs all night to get us into Maracaibo early the next day). Please pray for safe travel and simply a blessed and relaxing time in Maracaibo. Due to all this, my internet access will be limited and sparse over the next 2 weeks.....but hopefully I'll have some good pictures for all of you when I get back!

I sent out a November prayer letter a couple days ago, read and enjoy it. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you....Thanks for all your love and prayers :)

cont'd....

Gonzalo (affectionately nicknamed by me, Gus) is one of our strongest students on the sciences (Hechicera) campus. He's very dedicated to the movement, and helped a ton with the outreach a while back. I recently discovered that he can play the guitar! He also helped teach me to do the finger-snapping thing (pictured here) that is really popular in Venezuela, and is pretty fun to do.



Keren is our worship leader. She studies music and she sings beautifully, whether it be worship or the national anthem :) She is a member of our servant team and is also a valuable part of this movement.









Angel, Angelito and I have been fast friends from the start. This guy, while being super involved with his church, also makes time for activities at Vida Estudiantil (especially if there's dancing involved!) Angel is a very confident young man, who knows what he believes and isn't afraid of sharing it. It's a blessing to hang him involved in Vida Estudiantil.














Neuro Sanchez is the man. This guy comes to anything and everything Vida Estudiantil related. We love his dedication and his desire to learn more about God and learn more English. He already speaks great English (albeit sometimes with a British accent) and is also trying to get me to speak to him in Spanish consistently. He loves Mexican cinema and the Commedore (the school cafeteria...) for this, we tease him on a regular basis. He's a good sport and an amazing dancer!


Elvia (she is soooooo cute!) is the tiniest girl I've ever seen, but she is tough! She has studied in a military school and now studies physics at Hechicera. She is an important part of the ministry, especially being one of the only girls and few students up at Hechicera. She will be leading a bible study with Claudia this year. We are so blessed to have her!









Neptali, mi sapo, mi guanaba....Neptali is my partner in the movement at Santa Barbara and also for Fiesta planning....He's great at organization and a great servant. He lives in the office and takes great care of the place. He is very gracious to always be willing to help out for Vida events whether it be making fliers, holding a meeting, or opening up the office to us. He also has an amazing laugh that is contagious, I don't care who you are.





Jessyca, sister to Jatniel, has about as much energy as Jatniel does....The two collaborate on worship at Nueva Vida and do an excellent job. Their enthusiasm for Jesus, as well as for life, is encouraging.









Jonas. Jonas is studying to be a math teacher. He also lives at the office and, even though he's not even on the servant team, does a ton of behind-the-scenes work for Vida. He makes all the videos for our weekly meetings as well as helping with all kinds of preparations and taking care of the office. He is a very sweet guy. He is attempting to learn English, and although he gets shy from time to time he's doing a great job!

And a few more animals from this zoo....

Alright, now that you've gotten to know a few of the characters I work with on a daily basis....I want to introduce to a few more characters from this new-fangled picture show.....The Venezuelans! Most of these are students from Vida Estudiantil, or students that I have met here and become friends with in Venezuela....I will be adding more as the year goes, because I don't have pictures for all of them yet!


First off, Mr. Teodorrrrrrrrrrro Castillo. Teo and I go way back. Teo was actually on summer project with Amanda and I in Lake Tahoe, 2 years ago. This kid, while often times reminding me of a ferret, has the most spunk and the most entertaining way of saying things that always keeps me laughing. Although he is super busy with his school work and helping with a new church/college ministry here in Merida, and doesn't have a ton of time for Vida Estudiantil, he lives in our same apartment complex and has spent many an afternoon here keeping us company, sharing his Reggaeton with us, and making us laugh until our sides hurt. His most entertaining phrases have some confusion over the pronunciation of the words "Beaches" and the way he pronounces "Chels (Cheeeeeeels), Mom (Mon, his nickname for Amanda) and Pen Drive (Peeen Drrrrive). We love this kid!

Next up, we have Mr. Leonel Nava. This is by far the funniest picture of Leonel I have ever seen, I adore it. Leonel is our co-leader for English club, as he speaks nearly perfect English. Leonel is a very dedicated and busy student. He loves to swim, speak English and French, wear his Red and Gray Digitel uniform, and dance the night away. I heard he even won a dance contest once! Last night we tried to teach Leonel the word Decrepit, it came out De-crap-it? We had a lot of fun with that one....






Lucia, La Sapa. Lucia and I knew each other well before I got here as well. I met Lucia last summer, and she has been to the states a couple times. Lucia studies chemistry (she's a smart one!) and she spends a heck of a lot of time studying (rightfully so...) but I love to hang with her. We have a lot of fun together. Currently we are trying to start leading a bible study together, if small things like riots would stop getting in the way.....haha. Lucia's most famous english faux pas involves the saying "two peas in a pod" which instead came out "2 pieces of pie on a pot".....what?! I love you Lucia, you are TOO CUTE!


Jatniel. Jatniel is a funny chicken. He has the most energy out of anyone I've ever met, and unlike most Venezuelans - he doesn't like to dance!!
Jatniel stirs up a whole crowd with his antics whether he is being the emcee of the weekly meeting or putting on a skit, he is a fantastic actor/animator! Also a bonus - he looooooooves Kelly Clarkson, :D :D






Angela! Angela is one tough chick, whether it be traipsing across rivers in her hiking boots or wearing her "riot shoes" in case she needs to run, Angela is always prepared. I love her adventurous spirit and at the same time her deep desire to know Jesus and to do his will in her life. Right now she's in the process of finding out where God is sending her for year (for school as well).....I'm excited to see where He leads in her life!


Jesusucio! (Jesus) Jesus is our class clown (as it were), but his passion and heart for God are also resplendent amidst the silliness. I think Jesus hits on every gringa that has ever come to Venezuela, but he doesn't mean a word of it. I have been amazed to see how much English Jesus learned in the past year, he's doing a great job learning! Jesus is very involved with Vida Estudiantil as well as CENFOL. He does a lot of work with our outreach team and it's really a blessing to have his energy and joy present at all of our meetings. He is also an incredible dancer, and as terrible of a dancer as I am, he is always still willing to help teach me, awwww.


Clauuuuuuuuudia Garcia (not to be confused with Banquez) is also an essential part of our servant team. Claudia is often the level-headed one of the bunch and is great with taking care of details and getting things done! (even in a timely fashion, wow!!!!) Apparently she and I also need glasses!








more to come.....next post....i promise.....

Wait, is that the one with the red hair or the the short one?

Now that I have taken ample time to scare/worry/freak you out today, I think I shall write a much cheerier blog, that has been a while in coming....I want to introduce you to some of the characters I work with on a daily basis! First and foremost, there is my team of gringos (and one craaaaazy Maracuchan :) ).

Amanda Coonts, affectionately nicknamed Amandarina (Mandarina = Mandarin Orange), is my good friend and roommate! Amanda hails from the University of Idaho (go Vandals!) She was an elementary education major, and she adores kids. They adore her as well! At church on Sunday one little niña climbed up in her lap to cuddle. Amandarina has the biggest heart for students and for evangelism, and I am so encouraged in going sharing with her. Although she came here only knowing a wee bit o' espanol, she has been learning so fast, I'm proud of her! She is a joyful and encouraging teammate, which I really appreciate. She is also my bug-killer, hip-hop dancing partner, and taught me to dissect a chicken. What would I do without this girl?!?!





Ivan Bucher, El Jefe (The Boss), also nicknamed by the students "El Chivo que mas Mea" (The Goat that Pees a lot).....is a our red-headed, left-handed, cartoon-faced teammate. He doesn't really have a cartoon face, but he can make some great faces. Ivan comes from a small town in Alaska, although he graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Communication. Ivan is a slow talker, but I've learned he almost always has something worthwhile to say. I've come to significantly appreciate his heart for the Lord and the Lord's will in his life. I'm excited to see what God will do with Ivan's life. This kid makes me laugh like none other. Ivan's sense of humor really "tickles my funny bone". He is still learning Spanish as well, but has learned that if he always says "Si" he can get along pretty well, haha.



Sarah, Sage, Sarita Cheeken, La Jefa.....Sarah Miller, my Washingtonian partner, comes from Whitworth with a degree in Spanish and Sociology. Having spent a year and half of her college career in Spain, Sarah is a fluent Spanish speaker and has a lot of interesting experiences to share with us. We have been most grateful of her translating abilities (especially in getting us through the airport). Sarah is the brains of this operation as she is in charge of all the details, and schedules things in details (which is a life-saver for me!) Sarah's calm spirit makes her a great team leader, while on occasion she lets loose and says some of the funniest things......One night during prayer she asked the Lord to "help us decompose tonight".....needless to say, that made it into the quote book for sure.




Eben, Ebencito (little Eben), Mr. Cito, Eben Antonio, La Roca (the Rock) is most recently from Oregon, The University of Portland to be exact, however he lived as a missionary kid in Bolivia for nearly six years when he was younger. A mechanical engineering major (well I'm not sure if that's relevant or not, however...) this man knows how to fix anything and everything that goes wrong with a home/computer/ipod/and I'm sure car if we had one. He is Mr. Fix-it. We have had several odd instances of needing his help, including a window that tried to jump out of the apartment and a large angry cockroach that needed dispatching. He is also our team administrator and does a ton of work making sure that all the team finances and bills are taken care of, for that we are eternally grateful, it's a really hard job. Eben is my quotes buddy, as he and I know a lot of the same material and often quiz each other as to where a quote has come from (more often than not, it's The Princess Bride or Dane Cook). Eben also comes in very useful and helpful when you need carried across a crik ;).




Claudia, La Sapa (the Toad), my arch-enemy, tan belllllllllla is La Maracuchan (she is from Maracaibo, another city in Venezuela). She studied modern languages and actually taught English for a while before coming to work with Vida Estudiantil. Claudia is one crazy chica, but she is a ton of fun as well! She has taught us to dance merengue and salsa (well, she tried, we still suck at it) as well as taken us all about town, taught us to make arepas, and keeps us entertained on a regular basis with her antics. Claudia and I have decided that living in a telenovela (a soap opera) is more entertaining than real life. So she and I have now taken on personas as arch enemies *fighting* over the same man and constantly acting out our dramatic life situations. Claudia has a lot of joy, and a passion for sharing the gospel with students that is noticeable and catchy.



There you have it, team Merida for 2007-2008. We may be a rag-tag group of gringos from scattered cities all over the Northwest, but can all agree on one thing: we are spending a year serving the Lord here, and we re thrilled with how He is using us, and how He will continue to do so throughout the year.

:S please pray.

Good morning friends....

Mostly up until this point my blogs have been jolly accounts of the ministry and funny everyday things that are going on here in Merida. Well today I have to write about something a little bit different, so bear with me, and know that I'm writing this to ask for your prayers.

Today our weekly meeting (our biggest event during the week) has been canceled. Why? Well for 3 days now there has been severe rioting on the ULA Humanidades campus. As I mentioned before, riots are normal here....however, that doesn't make them ok!! Simply because students here are forced to live in fear doesn't mean that is acceptable. This week the riots have been severe all over Venezuela. So as not to sugar-coat the issue, I will plainly tell you that already numerous people have died in different cities in different riots here. The past two days at ULA have been filled with students and rioters throwing rocks and burning tires (this is their way of free speech.....). The policia respond with tear gas and rubber bullets. As you may remember from a previous blog, I accidently got in the way of some tear gas a couple weeks ago, and let me tell you....it's not fun. One student told me that there was so much tear gas mixing with the smoke from things being burned that the campus was covered in a weird fog. Another student said that part of his building was destroyed by the out of control police and rioters, whose territory for rioting has now stretched all the way down the main street leading off the university.

Needless to say, we have not been to any of the faculties (campuses) since last Friday. Yesterday, the bosses even went so far as to not allow us to leave the house.....It was a loooooooong day, and I think today will be a repeat of this. While I know this is for our own good, it sucks! It is hard to know that there is absolutely nothing we can do to help. It is so strange to me that this is normal practice for these students. They have to live constantly wondering if they'll have classes, or if they'll even make it home alive....:S It makes me sad to know that they live in this uncertainty and fear. Riots are a way of life here, but they certainly mess up every day life.

This year, in December, there are elections - even more reason for riots (all the reasons for riots are political, dealing with Chavez and socialism, etc...). We have been told that there will be riots off and on from now through December. This will be significantly limiting to the work we can do at the university. This breaks my heart! However, we are hoping to be able to do some other kinds of volunteer work or community outreach during the times we cannot spend time at the university. Still, the situation is not optimal, and seems it will only be getting worse.

All of that being said, our weekly meeting is canceled today. We are still hoping to have things cleared up enough by Friday to have English club, and a Fiesta on Saturday for Eben's birthday. Please, pleeeeeeeeeeeease pray for Venezuela . Pray for these students, pray for these people, pray for the political unrest, and please pray for our safety as a team of gringos, who can't truly understand what is happening. Pray that even as our plans change, and maybe even the face of what the ministry looks like here changes, we would take it all in with a willing heart to do what it is that God has planned for us.....and we would do it with joy, true joy. Thank you friends, your prayers mean the world to me!

If you would like more information, or simply feel like writing to me, my email address is Chelsea.Hasenpflug@uscm.org

In addendum, dearest friends, I want you to know that I do not write all this to worry you or scare you....but rather because you are all on this journey with me. You are my supporters, my friends and my family, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, and I need your prayers to keep me going down this road......I know that God is watching out for us, and I know that God has brought us here for a reason, obviously. This is a minor obstruction in the road to doing our ministry, and I am excited to see the ways that He will use it for His good.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

Hola Caramelos!

ok 10 years later I will give you an update about the outreach we did last week, that I asked you to pray about. It went well! It actually went infinitely better than I personally anticipated (oh ye of little faith, yes, that's me...). We set up the table early on Tuesday morning on the Hechicera (sciences) campus. We had a table full of fliers (that explained the 4 spiritual laws, and what it means to have a "date" with Jesus...) as well as fliers for our Vida Estudiantil meeting, English Club, and for the Retreat "Marcando La Diferencia". Basically, our sign said "Quieres una cita?" (Do you want a date?) so when students saw the table and sign, they came up and asked what was going on, we had the opportunity to tell them what it looks like to have a "date" with Jesus, and what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. For students who were already Christians, and even those that weren't we also got the chance to invite them to our weekly meeting and/or to English club. I spent a majority of my day working at the table, and it was really encouraging. Not only did we get to meet a ton of new students and make new friends, we also got to share the gospel and invite students to become a part of our ministry! Consistenly throughout the day we were surrounded by interested people and we kept having to make more fliers because we ran out - how cool!

It also included one funny incident of Claudia attempting to offer candies to some passerbys, but instead calling them candies. It happened to be a group full of male students....awkward!!



Other updates from this week: Wednesday was the weekly meeting, we had quite a few new people, yay! The talks at the weekly meeting have been going through the fruits of the spirit (in Galatians) and last week was joy. It was a great topic and a great reminder for students about what true joy is.

Friday, English club was great. We talked about weekend activities and had the students play charades (which apparently they have those in this culture as well, sweet....) I love how excited they get playing games, it makes it much more fun. They are all very brave as well playing games in a language not their own....

Last night, we had a girls' night! We invited the ladies of Vida Estudiantil, new and old, to come hang out at our apartment for an evening of fun. We had fondue (as appropriate for almost every girls' night I've ever been to.....), and fun punch, and other goodies. We made necklaces (they have some of the coolest beads here!) and we played some games. It was a lot of fun getting to know some of the girls better, since we don't get to spend a ton of time with them during the week. At the same time the boys were having a "guys night" and two of the boys took a short break to come serenade us through our second story window....I'm sure it was quite a spectacle for the neighbors, but we got a kick out of it. :)

Things to pray for this week: My bible study is on Mondays, so far we don't have anyone in it. However, we've invited a few girls, so hopefully they come, please pray for that! Also, we have a fiesta next Saturday, which I have to plan....but we're excited about (it's sort of for Eben's birthday) so pray for the details of that. Finally, I'm trying to get back to Santa Barbara again soon for one of their weekly meetings, but it's a lot of work to be able to go and to figure out a time when I can have students accompaniments, so please pray for that. Mostly this week will consist of sharing and of meetings....as usual. One of these days I'm going to write a blog about what exactly I do in a day, for those of you who are confused. Right now there are shots and/or fireworks going off outside my window so I'm going to go see what's happening.....Love and miss you all!