Dear Grandma,
After Christmas, my teammates and I went to the plains, or Los LLanos, region of Venzuela for a few days. We got to see a lot of really cool and exotic animals including an anaconda, piranhas, turtles, iguanas, caiman (basically alligators), freshwater dolphins, tons of different birds, anteaters, and even capybara (in the picture and also the largest of rodents). It was a lot of fun.
God bless,
Eben

"December" Prayer Letter

Dear friends,
The first two weeks of December flew by before students left for their three week break from classes. My parents visited the next week, and it was a lot of fun to show them around Merida and have family here to make it feel a little bit more like the holidays. They left the 23rd, and as my team celebrated Christmas and New Year’s together, we learned that both eves are fiercely celebrated with fireworks at midnight. Since the noise finally died down around 2am on the 1st, it’s been pretty peaceful around here, giving me a chance to reflect some on my time here and think about not so much New Year’s resolutions, but New Year’s hopes: things I desire to see from God this year. Whether they are somewhat vague notions without any idea of how he will accomplish them, or a little more concrete, I’d really appreciate you taking them to the Lord in prayer with me:

Vision Meeting: We had originally planned to meet with the students in the movement to see what vision God had set in their hearts and get them thinking bigger picture than simply maintaining what already exists. It never happened due to some miscommunication with the servant leaders. I would love to see it happen as we begin this semester and see where they want to strive after God, trusting Him for bigger things.

Men’s Ministry: I desire for the guys here to be instilled with an understanding of what it means to be men of God. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like, but I’m considering a series of guys’ nights that would lead up to a men’s retreat similar to CRUX (retreat back home incorporating shared adventure and talks). Ivan found a list of biblical masculinity topics, and I’d also like to look at the life of David, a man after God’s heart. Please pray for wisdom on how to proceed and how to make the adventure (CRUX is usually rafting) economically reasonable for the guys.

Initiative: Last semester I think I for some reason felt obligated to focus very heavily on evangelism or helping initiate others’ faith, and I somewhat neglected my greater passion to strengthen or deepen faith. Please pray that God would provide me with initiative to pursue individual time with involved students and wisdom of how to pour into their lives.

Returning: Coming in to this STINT year, I was considering it a one year commitment, after which I would enter law school and pursue a career in patent law. However, students began asking me in November if I’ll be returning, and I’m now wondering if God might be calling me back for a second year. My understanding is that the deadline for the decision is not until March 1, but it is definitely already on my mind. Your prayers for discernment are greatly appreciated.

Hoping your Christmas was merry, your New Year’s happy, and your 2008 blessed, ~Eben

Dear Grandma,
It was a little strange to be away from the family for Christmas. Our team celebrated together by having a pot roast for dinner and reading the Christmas story on the 24th, and exchanging gifts the morning of the 25th. It was a little odd to be sitting there opening presents when it was 80 degrees outside, but it was still a good time together.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Eben

Dear Grandma,
Mom and Dad got here Sunday afternoon. Yesterday we took the Merida cable car ('teleferico' in Spanish) up to Pico Espejo, about 15633 ft high. It was interesting to go from a sunny tropical climate to a snowy peak in a matter of hours, but we had a lot of fun. I heard about the storms there in Astoria, and I hope you're doing well and comfortable in the aftermath.
God bless,
Eben

"November" Prayer Letter

Updates…
Dear Friends,
Last month I shared a need for prayer for several events. Here’s how God has answered:
RETREAT:
Forty-one students attended the Merida retreat two weekends ago. Students told us that God’s hand was incredibly evident in the weather for the entire weekend. First it downpoured Friday afternoon, causing riots to disperse and allow students to reach campus to leave. The next day, the sun shone and dried out the whole venue so the bonfire was able to proceed as planned. The stars shone in the clear sky during the bonfire and weren’t covered by clouds until everybody was back inside for fun and games. The students also commented on the excellent talks from the speaker and most agreed that it was the best retreat Merida has had yet.

TRAVEL:
The wedding in San Cristobal was incredible, both as a cultural experience as well as an opportunity for extended quality time with several students. As is common here in Venezuela, the reception was incredibly high energy and lasted until about 4 am. The next week I was in Maracaibo to begin planning our national conference and spend thanksgiving with the whole Venezuelan Campus Crusade Staff. It was encouraging to feel part of a larger team there and made me thankful for my even larger team of prayer and financial supporters back home. (I don’t think I say it enough, so THANK YOU!). Finally, the last week out of the country to renew our Visas also went smoothly and provided a chance to relax and recharge a little before returning to finish the semester. Overall, the two weeks of travel went smoothly and God kept us safe every step of the way.

VOTE:
The NO vote won and the controversial Constitutional Reform was denied! Talk about celebration! As the results were announced around 1 am Monday morning, a great clamor of banging on pots, voices yelling, and loud noisemaking firecrackers filled the streets. The next day, in the evening, as we left from our servant team meeting, the streets were packed with rejoicing Venezuelans in cars and on foot waving flags, honking horns, dancing, and generally making noise. We walked the 15ish blocks back home, and even stopping for dinner, still reached our apartments before cars that we had seen as we started walking. About two blocks from our home, we saw a large group of students with a HUGE Venezuelan flag. They would bring it low, then lift it high in the air and direct cars to drive underneath it. It is definitely a huge praise, especially considering that many people rejoicing now would likely be rioting if the vote had resulted differently. Instead, we have the opportunity to enjoy the celebration and our continued safety. ~In his hands, Eben

And additional prayer needs.
Pray that we would finish the semester of ministry well as students leave for Christmas vacation Dec. 14th.
Pray for safety, fun, and smooth travel as my parents visit the week before Christmas.
Please continue to pray for a new apartment with a good landlord to open up near our current location.
Pray for a Christmas outreach dinner event at which we’ll help at a local church this Saturday, Dec. 8th.

"October" Prayer Letter

Some praises…

Dear Friends,
A month has passed, and there are several reasons to thank God. Four weeks ago, I started a bible study. Seven guys showed up the first week, and we started studying Romans. The whole study was in Spanish, excepting the one moment when I slipped into English and had a student help me translate the thought I was lacking the vocabulary to communicate. Since then we’ve continued meeting for lunch and the study every Friday at noon, and I think I’m been getting better at doing it all in Spanish. I’ve enjoyed the chance to share in the guys’ lives, and it is encouraging to see them coming back.
This last Saturday, we also threw a fiesta, mostly on the premise of it being my birthday. We had a pretty good turn out, and besides the cake and piñata, I had the opportunity to share a testimony from my life. Like the bible studies, it was all in Spanish. By the time I had finished, I was relieved to find that I was not frustrated at my inability to speak, but rather felt like it had been understandable. I spoke about my repeated experience of stepping out in faith and seeing God respond, offering the question or challenge for the listeners to consider if God may be offering them a similar chance to trust him and see him come through. There were not any immediate responses, but as with all our work here, I am trusting that God is using it even if it isn’t immediately evident as to how.

And some prayer requests…

I mentioned a few prayer needs briefly at the very end of last month’s letter that warrant a little more explanation now. The first of these is our Merida Retreat, November 23rd-25th. The theme centers on families, a subject that seems to be a common area of hurt and/or need for students, whether new to the movement or not. The talks will progress through having a foundation of Christ, how that can mark an individual to their family, and then God’s ability to also restore family. Unfortunately, the venue for the retreat was only available when our STINT team is away for a staff conference, so our team of student leaders will be running the whole event. Please pray for the elimination of barriers to student attendance (such as finances or schedules) and for the servant team as they take on the challenge of running a major event without our presence.
In addition to the just mentioned staff conference (a week with all Venezuelan staff to do some country wide planning), the following week we will be out of country to renew our traveler’s visas. Add my trip this weekend to the wedding of two students, Inder and Kelly, (pictured at right before a dance competition earlier this year), and it amounts to a lot of traveling for which prayer would be appreciated.
Last month I also mentioned our need for a new apartment, as our landlord will be selling our current place. He is anxious to get us out, and our relationship with him is deteriorating. Pray for God’s provision in the face of rentals being hard to find, needing one that is near the girls’ apartment, rising prices, and a short timeframe.
Finally, there have been some riots in response to an upcoming referendum to amend the Venezuelan constitution, Dec. 2nd. Besides knowing that there’s no safer place to be than where God has me, we are also generally pretty safe because the riots almost always center around campuses. This makes it easy to keep a safe distance; however, it also severely affects how we can do ministry. Pray for safety as well as wisdom and creativity in how to minister in such situations, especially as much of December is likely to be turbulent.
~In His hands, Eben

Dear Grandma,
This picture is a little random and late in coming, but I hope you still enjoy it. Over a month ago, we went to the Merida zoo for a Saturday outing. Many of the cats were sleeping but the lion was awake long enough to grace us with some fun pictures of him. The zoo itself is a pretty nice place, it even has a waterfall that feeds into a river that runs through the center of the property, adding extra habitat for some aquatic species.
God bless, Eben