C-mail: On Lions and Leaving

For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:13

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Friend on Facebook Forward to a Friend Our family still together in one place.  But that place may be changing.  Even with all the stress, Sophia is still happy and enjoying her book, or hat. The responsible older brother sweeps up during our VBS.   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

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The Run Around

Goal: Passport for Sophia 1.0

The immigration and identification office has thankfully gone through a major overhaul in the past decade. In the past, hardly anyone had any sort of valid ID card, and getting a passport was a matter of knowing who to pay how much and then waiting for a year. No longer does such a bureaucratic nightmare exist. The website provides all the information needed to go about the process of procuring the identification that a citizen would need.

Those requirements for Sophia´s passport were the following:

1. An appointment scheduled online by filling out a form on the website.
2. Her birth certificate
3. The parents´ ID cards. In case that one or both were foreigners, their respective passport(s). If the parents are foreigners from Latin America or the Caribbean, they do not need to show a visa within their passport. For foreigners from all other regions in the world, they must have a valid and current visa.
4. The presence of both parents and the minor during the appointment.
5. No charges nor fees apply to minors.

Reviewing the website, we tried to make an appointment. Sadly to make an appointment and fill out the form, the first piece of information that is required is the number of the parents Venezuelan ID card. You can get this if you have any visa other than tourist, or if you are Venezuelan and over nine years old. Since neither Zulay nor I have this, there was no way we could schedule an appointment. None the less, we got all the requirements together with their corresponding copies and planned to visit an office.

The office we visited was close to Zulay´s old work. In that office works the boyfriend of the sister-in-law of one of Zulay´s co-workers. That´s three degrees of separation if you were counting. We arrived, filled out a general form at the door, and were quickly attended. They looked at all of our requirements and all looked good, except for lacking the form from the website. We explained that we couldn´t fill out the form since neither of us had the ID card. We were quickly told that they could not attend to us until we had an appointment. When asked for advice, they directed us to the main office downtown. Our contact was not around so we visited Zulay´s old workplace while we waited for him to show up. Once he arrived, he very cordially took our case to his supervisor. The supervisor suggested that we look for a Venezuelan “tutor”, a natural born Venezuelan who could essentially setup the appointment for us. We thanked him and decided to drop by the main office to see what they would say. They suggested the same idea and that we visit a notary to establish the tutorship. With that confirmation, we knew that we were now on the right track.

Goal: Establish Venezuelan Tutor 1.0

We talked with our friend Moises, our teammate KT´s husband. We explained the situation and asked if he would be willing to be our tutor. He eagerly agreed and we set a time to visit a notary. He suggested one in particular that had been helpful to him while he was in the process to get married to KT. He had a friend there that would help us through the process. We all left early one morning and arrived at the notary. The woman who attended us was very kind and told us that we needed a document written by a lawyer that would establish Moises as the tutor to process Sophia´s passport. We would then bring this document in, and three days later we could pickup the notarization. Moises looked for his friend in the office and did not find him. Zulay and I know a lawyer and we figured that she would be able to help us out.

Goal: Getting the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 1.0

Talking with our lawyer friend, she informed us that she was very busy. There was no way that she would be able to get us the document in time.

Goal: Getting the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 2.0

We asked the pastor of Zulay´s church if there was a lawyer in the congregation that would help us out.  He said there wasn´t, but that one of women that help out with the youth has a brother-in-law that is a lawyer. We contacted him and he was very gracious to help us out and said he would even be so kind as to take the document to the notary to make sure everything was up to snuff.

Goal: Passport for Sophia 2.0

Sure that we would soon have the document showing Moises as the tutor, we decided to save time and have him make the appointment for us online. He made the appointment and all went well. Two weeks later we got a message informing us that our appointment had been scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon on April 22^nd. This was just enough time since after the appointment, the passport would be ready in two weeks and my visa would expire on May 16^th. God is good!

Goal: Getting the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 2.1

A week and a half away from the scheduled appointment, the lawyer had done nothing. We began to call and urgently plead that he get the document ready and turned into the notary. He steadily assured us that he was on it (during the very few times that he answered our calls) and that there was plenty of time.

Goal: Getting the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 2.2

Exactly seven days before the appointment, there was still nothing from the lawyer. We texted, emailed, called, and cajoled the sister-in-law. Finally when he did answer I pleaded with him that I needed the document that next morning without fail. We agreed at a place to meet, much closer to him than it was to me, and at 9:00 am.

Goal: Getting the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 2.3

9:30 am the next morning found me biting my nails. The lawyer was not answering his phone what so ever. He did manage to send a vague text: “I´m on my way”. During these past few weeks Moises had connected with his old friend and found out that he was working in a different notary. He had agreed to help, but we needed to get him the document in the morning. Morning here starts at around 6:00 am and, depending on where you´re going, ends at around 8-10am. As I waited and prayed, I found myself with visions of becoming separated from my family. The lawyer wasn´t going to get the document to us in time. The notary wouldn´t get it to us in time for the appointment. We would lose the appointment. I´d have to leave to renew my visa, and just in that moment they would close the borders of the country refusing to let Americans enter the country. We would become the next international incident on the news, “the family divided by three countries, but united by hope”. And so on and so on.

The lawyer finally showed up at 10:37am. This was the first time I had seen him in person, and even though he was a chubby little guy with a somewhat happy looking ewok-like smile, I confess that I only needed about half a second for me to loath him. I snatched the paper out of his hand and began to review it. While I reviewed, he went over the excuses, the electricity had gone out, he couldn´t go to the notary because of the political situation, and chaos on the streets, etc etc. The document, (which was only 15 lines maximum) had one glaring error. It addressed the immigration office by its old name which had been replaced three years ago. As I angrily pointed out the error, he offered to fix it and have it to me by tomorrow. I said that I never wanted to see him again and that I expected him to return what we had paid him and stormed off as fast as I could to get back home. Not a very Christian attitude I know, but I mention this to show how the stress was getting to me and in no way to justify myself.

Thankfully my wife is good at resolving problems and decided the best thing to do would be to rewrite the document and simply forge his signature. Given the complete lack of options and the urgency of the situation, it sounded like a golden plan to me. An hour later, we had it ready.

Goal: Notarizing the document to establish Moises as the Tutor 1.0

That next morning we went to the notary office where Moises´ friend works. We got there at a decent hour in the morning on the Thursday before the 22^nd which fell on a Monday. We brought the document up to the second story of the office. Moises´ friend quickly directed us to the lawyer that reviews all the documents. I explained our case, presented Moises, and gave her the document. She kindly asked us to wait. When she called us back ten minutes later, she informed us that the document wouldn´t work. She had called a friend of hers that was a judge. The judge agreed with the lawyer that what we needed wasn´t a tutor, but rather to give a power to Moises to request the passport. A tutor is someone who is almost an adoptive parent. As such, a tutor must go through a long process of presentation before a tribunal, then undergoing a socio-economic study of their house and employment, then meeting with a social worker, and finally being established as the tutor. The lawyer was going to save us from having to go through all of that when all we really needed was a document giving power to Moises. Now all we needed was a new document written by a lawyer. We left heart broken. There was no way to make it in time. Our previous lawyer was a screwball and no one would be able to get us the document in under 24 hours. Even then, how could the notary office process the document in time?

Goal: Getting the document giving the power to Moises 1.0

We decided to eat something for breakfast on the road before going home. While eating, Moises called his friend and asked if the same lawyer in the notary could write us the document. He said of course and to come back. We returned hopeful and she set to work getting the document written. Moises´ friend even said that could have the document notarized that same day. God is good!

Goal: Notarizing the document to give the power to Moises 1.0

The lawyer wanted to see our passports to get our numbers and write the document. As she looked at our passports, she noticed that Zulay had no record of an entry into Venezuela. In fact the passport had been issued in Caracas from the Colombian consulate. She claimed that this was a problem. Zulay, said stated, has no legal status in the country what so ever and as such, has no legal basis to grant a power to anyone. I began to fight back with the LOPNA, the Venezuelan child protection law. In many of its articles, it gives the children the right to be raised by their parents, especially the mother. The lawyer considered this for a second and thought of an idea. Since I have some sort of legal status in the country, legally I can give power to Moises, and to Zulay as the mother. This last part never made much sense to us, but we didn´t argue. About four hours later, we had our document notarized in our hand and were ready to get Sophia´s passport.

Goal: Passport for Sophia 3.0

All four of us left at just the right time and made it to the immigration office with all of our documents in hand. I had plenty of copies of all the documents with me and we were good to go. Waiting in line, I was nervous, as I always am with any sort of immigration paper work. It has slightly diminished over the past six years with many travels in different countries, but I still get the butterflies wherever there´s a line, someone reviewing documents, a stamp, and me. Why I´m made up this way, I really don´t know, but I am. That´s also why I hated the movie Argo.

When the woman began to review our documents, she asked for the paper showing Moises as the tutor.  While I pulled out the copy, I turned pale to see that the original wasn´t in the folder. In my minds eye, I saw myself leaving it in the scanner I had used to make the copies. Still, I asked the woman to look at the copy to make sure that it was what we needed. After looking at it a bit with another woman in training, she agreed and asked how fast I could have the original. I said “fast” and flew out the building.   

There are many modes of transportation in this city, and by far the fastest is by motorcycle. Many motorcyclists offer their rides as “moto-taxis” and will take you any where you need to go for the right price. Moises helped me find a good one that didn´t charge too much and disregarding the much repeated warning of my mother to never get on a motorcycle while she lived on this green earth, we were off. On the way I found out the young man driving was Christian and we had an excellent conversation as we flew through semis, traffic and pedestrians. We arrived at the house in good order, I found the document, stuffed it carefully in my backpack, offered him a glass of water and headed back. We made the trip in less than an hour.

Glad and thankful to have the original in hand, we all went back up the desk to present our case. The same woman looked at the original, and the rest of her documents. She said to her friend that she wasn´t in favor of this, given that the parents were undocumented, but that she couldn´t put in jeopardy the rights of the child. She had another friend look at the document granting the power. They both decided that they needed to take it to the lawyer working in the office. Five minutes later, the woman returned us our documents and informed that this wasn´t what we needed. This document wasn´t going to work.  We protested and asked why not. She explained that what we needed was a lukjolxc child laj$%&/ tribune trakdlerfl service. I had a hard time understanding her at this point. We had already been through so much and now it wasn´t going to happen again. I had no idea how this was going to work out, if it was going to work out.

She continued on that since I was undocumented that we needed this other thingamajig. I again returned to the LOPNA citing the child´s right to identification and to travel, but she repeated her spiel. There was nothing more to be done here.

Goal: Looking for the thingamajig 1.0

While heartbroken, we were at least a bit optimistic. The worst had already happened. Everything from here on out was completely in the hands of God. There was no way we could go about scheduling another appointment in time before my visa ran out. It´s a month plus process from beginning to end. Even then, we weren´t sure what we needed to make it happen. We truly needed a miracle. If God really wanted Sophia to have her passport and for us to try to fix our situation here, He was going to have to do it. If He simply wanted us stuck here forever with no possibility to see my parents, for them to meet my wife and their granddaughter, so be it. At some point, surrender to Him is the only option.

I must note here that Sophia needs a Venezuelan passport to leave Venezuela. Without it, there is no way for her to leave or enter. She also needs her Venezuelan passport to get her US nationality, as per the regulations of the US Embassy.

We returned to the website to look for some clues to guide us. At this point the website had been updated and the previous pages which gave us the requirements shown at the beginning was no longer there. The new system directed us to a one line order: In the case that both parents are foreigners  all you must do is present yourself at the closest city hall. That was it. It was cryptic at the most, smelled vaguely of a trap or just seemed to good to be true. What they would tell us there was anyone´s guess and how much more run around they would give us was unknown. Thankfully, Moises and Zulay had picked what the woman at the immigration office had been saying. We needed to visit one of the offices that works with children and minors. They could get us pointed in the right direction.

That next morning, we set out to find what we could find. The first office we visited had moved. The second office was very helpful to direct us to a different office downtown that was sure to help us. That office told us to come back early in the morning. They could get us the document we needed.

Goal: Looking for the thingamajig 1.1

Arriving early that next morning, we found the small hall space outside the office overrun by a chaotic line of thirty people. Some babies, some children, some mothers, some fathers, some social workers. Once we got up to the door, the man informed us only one of us could pass. Zulay darted in with Sophia while Moises and I waited. About an hour later, she brought out Sophia asking for help with her and she jumped back in. Another hour later she came back out. Happily, everything was going to work out. We needed to come back tomorrow, this time at mid-morning in order for all of us to sign the document.

Goal: Looking for the thingamajig 1.2

The next morning at 9 am, Zulay managed to get inside again quickly. Moises, Sophia and myself waited outside. Soon we three were called in. We walked through a maze of walls and doors to find some more chairs where we sat down. Zulay apparently was inside some office talking with the lawyer.  A helpful man came out to ask me for some additional copies of some documents. After about half an hour, we were invited in for the signing. The document very clearly indicated that Moises would be helping us to procure Sophia´s passport given the situation of the parents. Sophia had a right to her passport according to the LOPNA in Article such and such. The lawyer was incredibly friendly, and was very clear to us that, contrary to what many had told along the way, we alone are Sophia´s parents anywhere in the world, documented or not. It is a basic human right that we as a family are always together and the government must do all that it can to protect that right. Then he asked me how to go about getting a visa to the states so that he could visit his cousins in LA. I´ve heard some basic advice which I passed on, but I really wish I could have offered him the same hope that he gave us. We all signed, thanked the lawyer, and happily left! We finally had it!

Goal: Passport for Sophia 4.0

We ran directly to the main immigration and identification office. It was only a half block away. There was a line of about sixty people along the side of the building. With baby in arms, we can jump to the front of most any line, except when the whole line is carrying babies. This came in handy and we got to the door immediately. We were informed that we would have to come back tomorrow, early in the morning since they weren´t processing any more requests for passports that day. The good news is that they would take us immediately without the need to making an appointment online since our travel date was looming so close. Once processed, the passport would be ready in three business days. God is good!

Goal: Passport for Sophia 4.1

That next morning we showed up at six thirty, about half an hour later than the man the previous day had suggested. However, the office opened at 8 am that day. Apparently the man that opens the door at 7 hadn´t shown up that day. With baby in arms, we got thrown to the front of the line and waved on in after presenting all of the paperwork we had.

We walked into a room with a number of desks, chairs and waiting space. No one else had arrived so we all sat down. Soon a young woman showed up and asked for the first number to present themselves.  Zulay and I walked up the desk and began to show our documents. The young woman looked at the letter we had been given the day before. She told me I could wait in the other chairs while she went to show the letter to the lawyer in the office. When the lawyer arrived they chatted a bit and then she showed her the document. We couldn´t tell exactly what they were saying, but I got nervous as I always tend to do. I told Moises that we were probably going to have to go to a tribunal to present our case there. After spending a good ten minutes looking at the document, the lawyer returned the document to the clerk who returned and began to talk with Zulay. Moises and I waited while they chatted and she looked at the rest of our papers, typed at the computer, and kept chatting with Zulay. About half an hour later, they both stood up and suggested that we go out to get something to eat.

Zulay accompanied us outside and gave us the news. The process was just about done, but the clerk needed to present our case to her boss. He would give the final approval or not. Zulay relayed the rest of thier conversation. Apparently the lawyer was very interested in the document we had received the previous day. She was very interested because it was the very first time she had ever seen one. The office always asks for this document in these cases, but no one had every brought it in before. Other couples had said that the office either didn´t want to give it to them or gave some other excuse. In those cases, they had just used a notarized document saying that a Venezuelan had power to setup the appointment and request the passport. The lawyer had asked if she could make a copy of the document to show to other people in the same situation of exactly what they needed.

In other words, we were bureaucratic trail blazers. We were the first to do it right. If that´s our mark on history, the ones that boldly and unwittingly went where no undocumented foreign couple with a baby born in Venezuela had gone before, well then, we shall be remembered for the centuries as such. Maybe we´ll get a statue. Will we be hunched over signing some paper, or perhaps defiantly staring down some office clerk? Will future generations sing songs about the document from the minor´s defense office that could? I´ll let the future take care of it.

Zulay was also clear that the clerk, who was very helpful in listening to the whole story, hardly even looked at our passports, noting that our own particular cases have nothing to do with the passport of our daughter. She also explained why we needed a Venezuelan. The entire ID system is based upon some very advanced electronic system. The only way process a passport is to unlock the system with the electronic fingerprints of someone already in the system. Once you get a Venezuelan ID card, your finger prints are taken and stored in the system, but if you don´t have an ID card, you´re not in the system.

Soon, the same woman showed up and ushered us to a different room. There Moises´ fingerprints were taken along with his signature. Sophia´s photo was taken, and we signed the last forms. The man at the exit told that in three business days, the passport would be ready.

Goal: Passport for Sophia 4.2

That next Thursday (Wednesday was a holiday), we walked in the office and in five minutes walked out with Sophia´s passport. God is good.

Goal: Thankfulness

God really was and is good. There were points where we were going nuts, but God always kept hope alive in us. Without that, I don´t know what would have happened. Interestingly enough, with the way this worked out, we got Sophia´s passport faster and than if they would have processed our request on the 22^nd of April. Perhaps they never would have processed it there in the first place. All I know is that we got it now. And now you know how to go about the process as well should you ever find yourself in the same situation.

I am also extremely grateful to Moises for all that he did in joining us along the whole journey. It must be understood that every time we leave to go to an office or an appointment, it is typically a hour long journey just to get there. Part of that is spent in a very full underground metro at peak hours. Then it is an hours journey back. Thankfully we could keep up our ministry appointments which principally happen in the afternoon and at night even if it was exhausting. I am also grateful to Sophia for her patience with us. We got good about changing her on our lap and being a mobile baby attention unit at any place and situation.

This whole process was only one among seven to get us all legal. We still lack getting Sophia´s Colombian passport, American passport, Zulay´s visa for Venezuela and for the States, and my visa to Venezuela. But now I know all of this can be done. We´ve killed the lion, we´ve killed the bear, and whatever other giant that shows up, is going down in the name of the Lord of Hosts.

Until then,

Press on for Joy!

The Passing of a President, Partisanship and Freedom

Just as soon as we had finished our survey, the unthinkable happened. President Chavez, who had returned from his cancer treatment in Cuba, passed away. Zulay and I were on the street when the news hit. There had been many loose rumors that he had already died, so when we heard the news I thought it was just another rumor. Except that this time it was official. Everyone on the street was in a daze. Some were crying, some were scared, everyone was shocked.

With the grim news, the country ground to a halt and preparations were made for the funeral. His casket was marched from the hospital where he died to a military compound in the city and was accompanied by the thousands. His open casket, as all wakes are performed here, was put on display. People traveled from all over the country to come see him one more time. Women would faint from dehydration as they waited in the more than twelve hour line to say their goodbyes. The free outpouring of devotion of the country was more than evident and was nothing that could be faked or forced. A great leader, one of the types that perhaps appears once in a century, had gone.

It is hard to explain the degree to which Chavez formed part of life here. I can only liken it to a medieval monarch except with the added dimension of freedom of speech. Whether you loved him or hated him, his simple existence was a part of daily life and conversation. If you loved him, you saw all that he had done for Venezuela and the deep transformation he had brought about in the country and might even actively participate in that transformation in one way or another. The fact that your shanty cardboard house had been transformed into a brick and mortar structure through a government program that employed your neighbor to build it for you at a serious discount along with the food you have in your cupboard was more than proof enough that Chavez himself had helped you. If you hated him, he was so wonderful to hate that even the rain was his fault. You would fill 90% percent of your conversation about how bad off Venezuela is and how it´s all Chavez´fault: the crime, the potholes, the blackouts, the corruption, the difficulty of find basic goods, the lousy service at the restaurant, your recurring gout, etc etc.

From my own personal opinion, after having lived here for over five years, I'm certain that I've never seen any politician like him, nor will I again. He was the no nonsense type of figure you wish all politicians could be like. The attitude of “What´s the problem? Well fix it then, what's the hold up?” was evident throughout his tenure. Add to that a bursting charisma, open genuineness  and an energy that needed no rest, sleep, or vacation and you have an epic combination. My mother-in-law always talks about the time that a very young boy walked up to him. Chavez immediately picked him up and began to carry him around. The boy, who had just bit the last slivers of a cracker, innocently decided he wanted to share it with the man that was carrying him. The boy reached into his mouth, pulled out the soppy mass and offered it to the president. Chavez, without even so much of a pause, took the salivated mess and eagerly put it in his own mouth, downing it with a grin. I know I wouldn't do that, nor do I know anybody that would do that.

I mention all this because I know these stories don´t cross borders. I know he was painted as a dictator in the US media and the reality is far different. There are times that I think there are more freedoms here than in my own country. There are many open pathways for normal people to participate in local governance and community projects that simply don´t exist in the states. Our politics on all levels are relegated to the professionals while the modern ordinary citizens´ job is to passively watch the news and maybe complain later on Facebook.

I also mention this because as an American, I could never understand why so many countries seemed to have “dictators”. I now begin to wonder if maybe not all the supposed dictators really are such. Perhaps there are good leaders, and the people that live under that leadership are genuinely happy. Perhaps those leaders don´t have America´s best interest at heart, instead they look to better their own country and are willing to let a trade deal die if it means less of local population would die. But that´s to easy to understand, so we just call them dictatorships. Then, we get confused when they win elections, or we call it a fraud and do whatever we can to go against the will of those beguiled people by putting our man in the others place, and then call it a democracy. Are there dictatorships and unfair elections? Of course, go look at a country like Burma. But are all so called dictatorships like that? I have my doubts. I can say with certainty that Venezuela, under Chavez was never a dictatorship.

One interesting story from Chavez's funeral. During the service, there were three reflections given. One by a Venezuelan Catholic priest, one by an evangelical pastor and the third by Jesse Jackson. How in the world Jesse Jackson got in there I have no idea, nor do I care, nor is it the point of this story. During the funeral, over seventy heads of state showed up to pay their respects. One of which was the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad. Now instead of getting riled up about an axis of evil composed of all the people the news tells you to fear, listen to what God does in this situation. God puts an evangelical pastor in front of a world stage. This is a pastor who was a very good friend of president Chavez, and assured the world that Chavez had accepted Christ months before he died. This man takes the responsibility of the moment seriously and begins to preach the gospel to over seventy heads of state in the room in front of him and who knows how many millions watching on TV. As the pastor shares the gospel and the hope we have in Jesus and his resurrection  the camera pans over to the president of Iran listening to the translation and nodding his head in apparent agreement. I can't say that he accepted Jesus as Lord, but he heard the good news. And what an all powerful God does with that is His business. But here is my challenge to you. Would you be surprised to see two heads of an axis of “evil” seated next to you at the wedding banquet? Would you be willing to embrace them as brothers in Christ? Would you be willing to make your allegiance to the Kingdom of God and all those that compose it greater than your allegiance to your politics?

After the funeral and the burial, the political fight awoke from dormancy. Elections were set to take place just one month later. Maduro, the current party candidate, was hand picked by Chavez to run the show while he was in treatment. Capriles, the opposition candidate was the same that ran against Chavez last October. To me the election was very telling. It was close, with a thin margin of 240,000 votes. This was much closer that the previous elections. There was a high turn out where once again, over 80% of eligible voters voted leaving our own voter turn out numbers to shame. The basic position of the candidates was to show how much they loved Chavez and wanted to embrace and continue his work. The only problem is that neither of them are Chavez. Many people that previously supported Chavez weren´t about to support the new guy, even if he had been hand picked by him. The reasons for why not are many, but let´s just consider one.

The country is in a difficult situation right now. The most evident symptom is seen in the difficulty finding basic food items. I don´t say impossible, nor do I say that there is scarcity. But if you go to a supermarket on any given day at opening time, there is likely to be only two of the following: corn meal, flour, oil, butter, milk, rice, pasta, or sugar. And even then, what is there isn´t going to last long, maybe till midday. While nobody is going hungry, it takes a lot more time and effort to sustain the basic culinary needs in the household. Prices have gone up: eggs have nearly tripled in price over the past nine months and chicken, beef and pork are getting to be pricey. But then again, the culture is one of laughter and jokes abound about the difficulties of finding food items. We all just take it in stride and make it work out with what we got. We can speculate about the economic reasons for why this is all happening, we can blame one party or the other, or the whole country at once, we can get frustrated, but we´re all just in the same line in the supermarket. It is so much better just to be thankful for what we found, and to be able to share it family and neighbors who are out.

Yet, there are many that would prefer to dwell on, and quite loudly so, about the problem and just who is to blame for it. The government has its explanations for why this is happening, as the does the opposition  Oddly enough, each blame the other, and each is somewhat right and somewhat wrong. But should you mention to someone who is firmly on one side or the other that they are only partially right, you can expect to have your ear yelled right off. You will be called one name or another depending on your opinion, and completely shut down in any sort of conversation.

The powers are at each others throats, doing all they can to whip the population into a frenzy to support their own particular just cause. All it does is polarize the country. Although some just want to find enough to eat, while making a few jokes to lighten the atmosphere where they find themselves. Politics wants to be God. It wants all of your attention, your worry, your concern for the future, your offense at the gall and stupidity of the other side, your gratitude for what your side has done, your understanding that this is truly important, urgent, and under attack. It paints its parties with colors, with symbols. All those of the color and the symbol are the same, nameless components of the mass which can be summarized in three easily refutable bullet points.

We all know this, and many of us are good at seeing through it. The scary bit is just how few truly committed people to this false vision are needed to impact everyone whether they believe it or not. And that is scary indeed, no matter where you live.

As one writer put it, the best option is simply to ignore the rival powers. Whenever you give attention to them, you give them their sought after glory. Even if you rebel against them, you give them what they want. Anger fills you as you consider the other group, but in the same moment you make yourself a slave to them. They go left, you go right. They look down, you look up. They say yes, you say no. There is no freedom in opposition, rather it is the saddest form of slavery. It is a self imposed slavery, submitted to mindlessly oppose the whims of the other. The more I learn, the more convinced I become that freedom cannot be won, fought for, nor defended. Freedom can only be received.

“The truth shall set you free.” “It is for freedom that Christ set you free.” Notice the passive nature of being set free. It comes from outside, not from within. Freedom is brought about by truth, not by struggle. There is only one Liberator, and that is truth Himself. His freedom is one that permits the oppressed to bless those that curse them, carry the burden twice as far as is legal, be blessed in their poverty. It invites the oppressor to consider his ways, leaving them behind for the freedom shown him even beneath his own oppression.

I would hope that we might learn to depend more on the truth and less on its interpretation, and especially the interpretation that best suits us. Only then might we avoid the trappings of partisanship, unnecessary anger and the illusion of freedom through negation. Until all are free

Press on for Joy!