Venezuela in the News

I know that Venezuela has been in the news a lot lately. The latest was a political incident between Venezuela and Colombia. President Chávez sent troops to the border and had been talking about a possible war with Colombia.

I know that many people were concerned for my well-being here during this time. I want to assure you that everything is ok here right now. I never once saw any military units on the move and there was no change to daily life here in Maracaibo. If it wasn't for the news, we would not have realized anything was going on.

Yesterday, I saw a small political march. Chavistas (people who support Chávez) were marching through the streets, shouting, "uh, ah, Chávez no se va" (oo, ah, Chávez isn't going). This is the same chant I heard from Chavistas in 2004 during the recall election when the people tried to have Chávez removed from office. This was the first political march I have seen this year. It was peaceful. They made a lot of noise (yelling and beating drums), but that was it.

I know that the political situation in Venezuela can be very unstable at times, but I am not worried. I know that God is in control. God, for some reason only He knows, has permitted Chávez to be the President of Venezuela. I know that God will take care of everything and that nothing is a surprise to Him. Therefore, I am not worried. I do ask for your continued prayers, because prayer is the most important thing we have. I trust that the God who sent me here will keep me safe here, but I ask that you please continue to ask God for His protection, not only over me, but over all the people of this beautiful country.