On Lions and Leaving
Howdy All!
First of all, thank you so much for your prayers during our trip to Colombia. Sophia travels like a dream and we had no issues what so ever on our trip down to Colombia. God is very good and He heard all of your prayers. With that said, the entire trip took longer than expected but we finally got back into Venezuela at the end of June. However, we have major changes in front of and behind us. Here are the details:
1st. The Venezuelan consulate in Colombia gave Zulay her visa for Venezuela! This is a huge praise!
2nd. On the return trip, I Cameron, was denied entry into Venezuela at the Venezuela/Colombian border. This was a big shock to us all given the fact that my wife now finally has her visa and that our baby girl is Venezuelan. None the less, after looking at all of our options, we were able to fly into Caracas and we miraculously got in legally that way. All that to say, once my visa runs out at the end of September...
3rd. We're leaving Venezuela. Why are we leaving? In part, because we as a family could possibly become irrevocably separated between countries and become the next 60 Minutes headliner. Beyond that, we're possibly sensing the hand of God moving us to Colombia via a number of doors that opened up during our visit. Given the amount of rapid changes we're dealing with, we need to discern if all that has just happened really is of God or something else entirely. As such we're going to start a time of discernment which may lead to us to returning to Venezuela, staying indefinitely in Colombia or something else beyond that which we can see at this moment.
4th. Even though my situation is complicated with Venezuela, a huge praise is that Zulay got her tourist visa to the US for 10 years! This was a huge miracle for her to have her visa approved. But, you might say, doesn't it help that she has an American husband? The response is, absolutely not. Since we have no plans to live in the US, she only qualifies for a non-immigrant visa. As such, any connections she has with the States are counted as strikes against her as a non-immigrant. Yet, God was with her and the interviewing officer granted her the visa. We have also been able to get Sophia her US Citizenship as well. Now with everything legal on the US side of things, we are planning on spending two months in the States with my folks so that they can finally meet Zulay and Sophia. After that.....
5th. We'll be moving to Colombia for a time (see point 3). Sophia was also nationalized as a Colombian (yes, that makes her tri-national if you're counting) and that opened the door for me to get a residency visa for Colombia. I can now say from experience that Colombia wins hands down in terms of ease of paper work, quick processing and public relations for visa applications.
Deep breath.
I just shared a lot of game changing information in a just a few sentences. Trust me when I say that these past two months have been even more ground shaking for us. We've been stressed, fearful of our family being separated across borders, anxious, sad, angry, uncertain, unsure, confused, tired (did I mention that Sophia got bronchitis when we returned and had to spend three very long days in the hospital?) and yet grateful for the small and big graces God has given us.
We fee like we've been through the wringer, but there is hope and that is the most important thing. We most certainly need this time of discernment where we can get our head out of the immediate demands of these past few months and take a panoramic look of what God is doing. The one thing I am certain about is that I don't want to deal with visas any more.
With heavy hearts we are making our last visits, explaining everything that has happened, and telling our friends, neighbors and family that we are leaving. After almost six years, I've seen many teammates go through the same process and it's not fun, especially when some of our neighbors think that I've been nationalized since I have a Venezuelan daughter. (FYI, It would take an additional 13 years for me to become nationalized here.)
As for our immediate needs, we have two. First, we've had a lot of one time expenditures recently and more are coming up with the move to Colombia. If you feel so led to support our ministry with InnerCHANGE/CRM, you can make a one time special donation to help cover moving costs or even through become a monthly supporter. We are so grateful to God and to all of those who have supported us through prayer and giving.
Second we need prayer, especially on the 23rd of September as we travel to Texas. Pray for mercies with immigration on both sides (Venezuela and the US) as well as travel mercies for Sophia and us on the flights and layovers. Pray that we can end well in Caracas with all of the seemingly endless tasks and "special times" that everyone (including ourselves) are clamoring for.
I would also give a special thank you to all of you who were interceding for us during the hard moments over the past months. We are so grateful and overwhelmed by how God has answered. I can't say it enough, but thank you for your time in prayer on our behalves.
With that, may God bless you richly and feel free to contact us via email or Facebook should you have any questions. If you are in the Hill Country of Texas, we'll be there from the 23rd of September till the 20th of November if you would like to see us in person. Till then,
Stay strong, seek the Lord and
Press on for Joy! Cameron
FAQ
General timeline of the past few months:
12th of May. We all leave Venezuela and enter Colombia successfully with no problems. 13th of May. We all arrive at our destination of Barrancabermeja. 14th of May-21th of June. The run around to get all supporting documents, turn in the application, appear for a surprise interview, and receive the final approval for Zulay's visa. 24th of June. Zulay has a Venenzuelan visa in her passport 26th of June. Travel to Venezuela only for Cameron to be denied entry into Venezuela. 26th of June -28th of June. Stuck on the Colombian side of the Colombia/Venezuela border. 29th of June. Fly into Caracas by air, thankfully everyone is admitted into Venezuela. 30th of June-15th of August. We proceed under the assumption that we are leaving Venezuela permanently at the end of September. In this time Sophia is nationalized as a Colombian and American citizen and Cameron gets a residency visa for Colombia. We also prepare Zulay's application for a tourist visa to the States. 16th of August. Zulay has her interview at the US embassy and is miraculuosy granted a Tourist Visa. 16th of August – Present: Prepare for discernment/brief time in the states followed by a move to Colombia. Get everything squared away with the ministry, Zulay's church, the neighborhood and sell/give away all of our belongings.
What exactly happened on the border?
Now that it's no secret that nothing's secret, I'm going hold out on sharing the entire story until a later date. Just suffice it to say that while Zulay and Sophia could have entered Venezuela, it was made very clear that I would not be allowed to enter under any circumstances. We spent three nights in a hotel (thankfully I had a credit card because we didn't have anything else) trying to figure out a way to resolve the issue. After all of our "responsible" options had failed to play out, we thought we might have a chance if we flew in. There was a flight available the next day leaving at five in the morning and arriving in Caracas at one in the afternoon. Thankfully, due in part to Sophia's crying in a very long line, we were admitted through the airport.
Can you get a visa for Venezuela?
I, Cameron, don't have a visa for Venezuela yet. I have been here on a tourist visa which must be renewed every 90 days by leaving the country and reentering. Many people like myself have been doing this for years and the immigration service is now closing this loophole. As per the Venezuelan law, the only visa I qualify for is a family transit visa. The only way I can get a family transit visa for Venezuela is by traveling to the States with Sophia (who is Venezuelan) and also with Zulay as she is part of the family and applying at the Venezuelan consulate in person with our family. Now that Zulay has a visa, it is certainly more likely that I could get that visa. Yet even then, there is no guarantee. I applied for a religious worker visa through the Venezuelan consulate in 2009. I'm still waiting for it to be approved. Granted, there is a much greater chance that my visa would be granted in this instance. However, the visa must be renewed on an annual basis. This plays into our discernment, see below.
What was the danger of becoming seperated?
According to the law, no child can leave Venezuela unless accompanied by both parents or if they have a travel permission issued by the non-traveling parent in Venezuela. The law is designed to avoid kid-napping and as such makes a lot of sense. The danger lays in that if Zulay or I were to leave, and then were not admitted upon return, there would be no way to reunite as it would be legally impossible for one or the other to leave the country with Sophia. As such we all must enter as a family and leave as a family.
What has life been like with all the chaos?
In The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis, there is a scene where Shasta and Bree are being chased by (what appears to be) multiple lions. As they try to escape, they are cut off from one direction and then from another and all they can do is run as fast as possible in the only direction left free of lions. At one point, the lion jumps out and swipes at them, scathing one of the party.
In a nutshell, that's how life has felt like. We're not really sure where we're running to, nor from, but we know that we're running and faster than we would like to, and it really hurts at times. We're not really sure what is behind all this either, but I have to trust that it's God since I can't give the devil so much credit.
During the first month back, it felt like we were being chased out. Now that Zulay's visa to the US was approved, we've been able to breath a bit deeper and begin to feel a bit of liberty with the choices now in front of us. But making those choices isn't always easy.
What exactly are you discerning?
Many years ago after seeing a teammate leave Venezuela I made a promise to myself: I would not leave until I decided to do so. I wouldn't be forced out by trauma or by problems or anything of the sort, rather it would have to be because of my own personal decision. God is good and humbling us through humiliation. That pledge had been long forgotten on my part. In the past couple of months, I've been wanting to avoid that decision. It would be much easier if there was simply no way to come back, if I was just a victim and had no choice in the matter. Once Zulay's visa was approved I realized that I was now forced to make a decision. It is now possible for me to be legal in Venezuela. In that, God reminded me of my pledge and now I realize I am the only one that can make this choice.
So what is the choice? The choice is either to continue ministering in Venezuela for another protracted period of time, or move and minister for a protracted time in Colombia. Obviously, God might have completely different plans and I need to give space for me to hear His voice if that is the case.
What are the factors? While there are many, mentioning two will suffice for the moment. One huge, if not predominate factor is Sophia. I now realize that one of the best gifts I can give my daughter is stability. During our trip to Colombia, it broke our hearts to see her wake up in a different room morning after morning and see the startled look on her face as she looked for something familiar. Stability is much more than just waking up in the same room every morning. It's not having to interrupt schedules and her early morning sleep to submit yet another piece of paper work. I feel responsible to give her stability. As such, wherever we go, I want to be sure that we can be there for a good long while. We as a family want to be precisely where God would have us, understanding that at times He gives us freedom to choose. In either case, we trust God so that we, as parents, can offer the best stability for us as a family.
Another factor is ministry. I mentioned a number of doors that opened up during our time in Colombia. Are those doors the ones God really wants us to walk through? That is something we need to discern and look at. Are those just distractions to something else God would have us do in Venezuela? That is also something to discern.
While in Venezuela, I've been trying to pursue starting a DMM or Disciple Making Movement. I feel called to pursue this as it is my conviction that this is what God would have me do. While there has been some progress here and there, and while I have learned tons, refined this and that, tried many different paths, methods, people. Churches, etc, as of yet, no movement has started nor have I seen interest within those we have discipled to see one start either. The question then becomes if this is the right time for Venezuela, or am I the right person for Venezuela, or is God doing something radically different in Venezuela, am I just being impatient etc etc. These are all questions I'm hoping to tackle while at the same time testing the waters in Colombia.
Where in Colombia where you be staying?
We'll be staying in Zulay's home town of Barrancabermeja (that's pronounced bar-rawn-ka-bear-may-ha). It's not a big city, it's not well known, it is incredibly hot, and it is the oil producer of Colombia. We're not sure what barrio we'll be in yet, but once we hit the ground at the end of November we'll be scouting out the right place.
What are some of the doors that opened up in Colombia?
While in Colombia, without looking for any sort of ministry opportunities, they found us. First was the jail. Zulay's cousin's husband is in the city jail for drug problems. He claims he's innocent; almost everybody on the outside says differently. I don't know what to believe nor do I find it particularly relevant. We're all sinners and some of us are better admitting it than others. For one reason or another, he invited me to visit him. I've never visited a jail before and was quite surprised to find out how much I enjoyed the visit. The inmates were very polite and generous. While on the inside, my contact introduced me to the "pastor". Why the "pastor" was in jail is a story for another day. He has only been in for 18 months, but the fruit he has produced is impressive. He's discipled a number of inmates to Christ, and when they have been transferred to other prisons, they start doing the same in their new setting. In this particular jail, they've set apart a room for prayer with a few Bibles and the requisite removal of sandals upon entry. He let me lead a brief Bible study with a number of inmates that showed up. He'll be out at some point next year and wants to start a jail ministry on a national level, working with families on the outside and the inmates on the inside. I got to visit with him twice during my visit and he was quite excited about working together. I didn't make much of it, but then again, I didn't know what was waiting for us on the border.
The second opportunity was through one of Zulay's uncles (Zulay's mother is one of 11 children in her family, so there are lots of connections to be found) who showed up one day asking me to preach at his church. While no one in the family knew a thing about which church he was attending, I figured at least to answer the question I should accompany him that next Sunday. At the church, I talked with the pastor a bit before the service and I was left with the impression that I wouldn't be speaking. To my surprise, in the middle of the service I was called up to preach. He called Zulay and I back to preach that night during the church's anniversary. Afterwards, I mentioned some of the DMM material we're working with in Caracas and he agreed to get all of the leaders of the church to go through a training I gave over the next few nights. We met individually a few times as well and there was a lot of openness to embracing DMM as a way to reach the city. He asked us to contact him as soon as we got back to Colombia. Again I didn't make anything of it not knowing what was waiting for us on the border.
Thirdly, was not an opportunity, it was a sadness. In visiting the above mentioned church as well as other churches in town and in talking with people, sadly it looks like the prosperity gospel has taken root ubiquitously in all the churches. I can't say its that way in 100% of the churches because I know for certain that the church in jail isn't about that. But beyond that, it seems ubiquitous. Some churches emphasize it more than others, but the elements present are upsetting.
While visiting Zulay's old church, a contemporary of hers shared a testimony during his sermon. While traveling and preaching, he talked with a woman who had consulted a witch to heal her son. She had payed the witch upwards of $1300 which is a huge sum of money here. The preacher asked her where she got all that money. She responded that she had moved heaven and earth to pay up. The preacher concluded this testimony with the exhortation that if this woman had moved heaven and earth to pay a witch, why can't Christians move heaven and earth to pay the church. Not only is this Biblically unsound, but it's a disgrace given the fact that many of the people in the church have a hard enough time finding work in order to eat, much less "sow" their bills in the church.
In talking with one woman after service, I was greatly grieved: "I want a car." she said. "But I want a car to be able to help people. Give them rides when they need it, bring people to church and bring them back home. I ask God for a car, but I still don't have it yet. What am I doing wrong? You see my son did his military service (military service is obligatory in Colombia unless you have lots of money to buy your freedom) and while in the field he steped on a mine and it blew his leg off. He's now at home with me, but he's in a bad way and can't work. My sister is a witch and she has money but never helps us because I'm Christian. There are days when we don't have food, and I'm scared I'm going to lose my job. I work as a janitor, but I'm old now and I can't keep up with the work because of my back. I give to the church but I'm doing something wrong because I don't have anything. What am I doing wrong?" Thankfully, God was good enough to have recorded Luke 6, and I was able to share with her the good news that Jesus calls her blessed. No mention of the car made.
Finally, there were a number of other people that I would identify as God seekers that are either fed up by the greed of the church or are honestly looking to follow him. I was brought to these seekers by people of peace that were able to seemingly randomly connect me with them. Whether these God seekers really turn out to be potential followers of Christ or not is yet to be determined.
Are you continuing with CRM/InnerCHANGE?
For the immediate future, yes. At the same time, we, along with CRM/InnerCHANGE, will be discerning precisely what our future relationship with them will be. At this point, we have made no decision to leave nor do we expect to, but we want to be open with God and bring everything to the table to discern in His light that would be honoring to Him, to our missionary family and ourselves. We are in conversation with our leadership concerning our situation and are exploring all possibilities.
How did Zulay get her visa to the States?
The first thing to understand is that it is not easy visit the States as a tourist. It's almost guaranteed that Zulay could become a US resident or even US citizen. However, that doesn't help us one wit in this case. For one, a residential visa implies that we would have to relocate and live in the US. It also means traveling overseas is difficult for the US resident, especially if they spend considerable amounts of time outside the US, to the point where they can lose their residency and would never be admitted to the US again. This is a major bummer if you're an overseas missionary and would like to visit your family every once and awhile. While there is a way to expedite US citizenship, the whole process can take upwards of six to eight months and is very costly.
The option available to us on short notice was to apply for a tourist visa. In order to qualify for said visa, the individual must show very strong ties to their country of origin, in this case Venezuela. Those ties must be financial, social, and familial. The reasoning goes that a person that doesn't have strong ties with their country is more likely to stay in the US once arrived. As such the applicant bears the burden of proof to show that they have every reason to return.
On our team, we've had a number of Venezuelans who have applied for tourist visas to the US, either to attend a conference or to visit family of a spouse and all have been summarily denied. As such, we didn't hold much hope out for Zulay given the fact that I'm American, Sophia has her American citizenship, and that Zulay doesn't earn anything for her work as youth pastor. Since it was our only option we were going to try for it.
I was hoping to accompany Zulay to the interview. However, since we brought our cell phone and had nowhere to store it, and they informed in the line that bringing in electronic devices is prohibited and can lead to the appointment being canceled, I couldn't go in with her. I waited outside while Zulay went through the two security checkpoints, fingerprint station, and other lines until she was attended to by the consular official. The whole proceeding process took three and a half hours while the interview was only 15 minutes. Apparently there are twelve windows through which the officers conduct the interview. Zulay waited in line to be attended to and during that time, she could overhear what was said in the interview in front of her and also in some of the other windows. Zulay noticed in the window next to hers, there was a young man, supposedly very similar in appearance to myself, who seemed to be giving visas to everybody. The man that was in Zulay's window, was, as she said, "The only black man in the office, and was very, very black" (It is by no means offensive to call people by the color of their skin in this Latin culture). He spent twenty minutes interviewing the man in front of Zulay. After twenty minutes he made a series of deductions which sounded the end of a mystery novel showing that the man applying had not been honest for the following reasons and for which his visa was denied. The man left steaming under his breath, while Zulay composed herself realizing that she had a tough cookie waiting for her.
The consular official begged her pardon for making her wait and began to ask her many questions. The official assured her that he was well trained to know when people lie. She assured him that she wasn't lying. He asked many times why she didn't want to live in the US to which she always returned to her love for the youth in her church. At the end, the officer asked who she wanted to visit in the States and she replied that she wanted to visit her parents-in-law. The officer asked if she had ever met them. She explained that she had never met them and that they were unable to travel due to health issues. He asked how long we had been married and for how long we had known each other and if she had applied for a visa before. She said no, that it had never worked out to apply before, but now was the time. He seemed touched, and picked her passport to return it to her, a sign of visa denial. Quickly he snatched it away. "I believe you" he said, and "I believe in Jesus as well." Zulay was overcome with emotion and said "May God bless you!" to which he said "Amen".
When I met her outside I couldn't believe it. It took me all day to realize that my wife and my parents were finally going to be able to meet. We got her passport back that next week we found out that she had been granted a ten year visa! The duration of each visit, along with the possibility of admission, is determined by the CBP officer at the airport upon arrival. Please pray that they would give Zulay two months and most importantly, that they would let her in.
In Closing
We finished the VBS two weeks ago and it was a beautiful opportunity to be with the kids from the neighborhood one last time. We focused on the parable of the two prodigals in Luke 15. While the little bold titles in the Bible name it The Parable of the Prodigal Son, the story tells of two sons, and both of them are lost. During the VBS drama I got to play the older son, with whom I readily identify. The older "responsible" son is so lost in his own responsibility that he doesn't know his own father. While it is important to keep the farm running, it is even more important to be waiting for and desiring the return of the lost brother, and then receive him with a banquet. The older son, angry at the generosity of the father, protests that he hasn't even received a young goat to celebrate with his friends.
I think the eldest wants to justify his own responsibility, making himself a martyr, subconsciously or consciously blocking the loving and generous heart of his father. If he were to acknowledge these aspects of his father, it would mean admitting that the he is not self fulfilled, not self made, not self sufficient, instead of being dependent on his father. This doesn't have to be a bad dependency, nor does the father's generosity need to be abused. Rather, it needs to recognized, appreciated, and fully accepted with gratitude. The responsibilities need not be dropped but rather that they can be put in their proper place knowing that there is a time for everything.
What does that mean personally? It means that I don't have to kill myself pursuing the Father's business. Rather, I can be honest with Him about what I really want. I know I will always be laboring for and with Him, and at the same time I can celebrate and even share my heart's desires with Him. It might even be that those are His desires as well. I'm not going to share what those are just yet, because I need to discern them better in moments of peace, but I plan on spending time with Abba simply sharing my heart with Him. As for now, Zulay and I are looking forward to a few days of rest and discernment to be able to fully enter into life with our Father, both the work and the feast.
Till the last feast,
Press on for Joy!
Cameron
