Tierra de Gracia Lutheran Farm in Venezuela began as a small, abandoned plot of land in 2002 and has grown into a thriving operation providing spiritual and economic opportunities. The farm aims to train local residents in agriculture to improve livelihoods and support nearby rural Lutheran churches facing declining attendance. Through donations and volunteers, the farm now cultivates multiple crops and livestock to benefit the community while hosting spiritual activities that are revitalizing the churches.
Request from 117 Haitian Religious Leaders to Re-Designate and Extend Tempora...Stanleylucas
We are writing as pastors and other faith leaders who are directly from Haitian heritage. We are grateful to serve our fellow Haitians who live across the United States. We are writing in this vital time because our community members are expressing anxiety every day after hearing that Haitian TPS may end on January 22, 2018. We strongly urge that you reconsider this decision immediately to ensure that Haitian TPS recipients will have their status renewed for a full 18 months (117 Haitian Religious leaders)
Request from 117 Haitian Religious Leaders to Re-Designate and Extend Tempora...Stanleylucas
We are writing as pastors and other faith leaders who are directly from Haitian heritage. We are grateful to serve our fellow Haitians who live across the United States. We are writing in this vital time because our community members are expressing anxiety every day after hearing that Haitian TPS may end on January 22, 2018. We strongly urge that you reconsider this decision immediately to ensure that Haitian TPS recipients will have their status renewed for a full 18 months (117 Haitian Religious leaders)
Mission Lazarus is a holistic ministry that focuses on basic primary education, skill development, health education and treatment, agricultural development, and preaching and teaching the Word of God
SoUTHErN STorMA hUrriCAne’s LeGACYWe’LL BUiLD BACK Bette.docxwilliame8
SoUTHErN STorM
A hUrriCAne’s LeGACY:
“We’LL BUiLD BACK Better”
MARCH/APRIL 2006
A GroWING TrENd
FArMinG Moves
to the BiG CitY
h o r i z o n s | J O U R N E Y T O G R E E N E R B E G I N N I N G S
Dear
Friends …
By Jo Luck
President and CEO
inspire other organizations to build green-
er futures too. As citizens of the Earth,
we must be purposeful in our efforts to
conserve natural resources. At Heifer, we
are proud to be a leader in environmen-
tal preservation and restoration, at home
and especially in our project work.
Many people are familiar with Heifer’s
livestock projects, but some are unaware
of our work in agroecology, which is just as
important to help families lift themselves
from poverty to self-reliance.
Heifer project participants learn which
crops grow best in their environment,
how to use natural fertilizers, and
how to conserve and improve soil and
water conditions.
In Peru, for example, families in the
dry tropical forest receive seeds, tree
saplings and training on managing
natural resources. Project participants in
the Andean mountain communities learn
how to reforest their lands and how to
use terracing to grow crops on the steep
hillsides of their villages.
I have no doubt that Heifer’s
agroecology initiatives in the field and
our commitment to conserve, recycle
and educate in our own backyards
will make an enormous difference
by making the world a better place.
Thank you for supporting Heifer in our
collective journey to greener beginnings
for future generations.
S
pring is the season of hope,
when the bareness of winter
gives way to the wonderment of
new beginnings. In March, as
nature unfolds her colorful blossoms
and awakened trees, Heifer will unveil
a “greener” beginning at the dedication
of the new Heifer International World
Headquarters. This dedication marks the
tremendous progress of our work to end
hunger and poverty and our efforts to
heal and replenish the environment.
Heifer’s new headquarters is no
ordinary building—it’s a “green” building,
showcasing many environmentally friendly
features. Caring for the environment is a
journey, not a destination—and it plays a
pivotal role in Heifer’s ongoing mission.
We are practicing what we preach by
building a headquarters that conserves
water through a tower that collects and
uses rain for flushing toilets. We also
save energy because the sun is the main
source of interior lighting, thanks to the
building’s narrow width.
Walkways, countertops and tile floors
are made of recycled materials, includ-
ing tires, bricks from abandoned ware-
houses and glass from discarded soda
bottles. The location is a living exam-
ple of sustainable development—the
headquarters is built on a restored
industrial brownfield, land that was
once tainted by pollutants and hazard-
ous contaminants.
Adjacent to the Clinton Presidential
Library, the Heifer International
World Headquarters is highly
visible.
Presentation designed for young audiences, showing rural Haitian children's everyday lives, to enhance Zanmi La Santé Paris' crowdfunding campaign to finance school meals.
“50 000 schoolmeals for Haiti” https://rally.org/schoolmealsforhaiti
Zanmi La Santé Paris
http://www.zanmiparis.org/en/
An overview of Mission Lazarus Inc.
Mission Lazarus is a holistic ministry that focuses on basic primary education, skill development, health education and treatment, agricultural development, and preaching and teaching the Word of God.
Tourism: The Good, The Bad and the SustainableDeborah McLaren
Presentation by Deborah McLaren for the rural strategies section of the 2008 National Preservation Trust conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Oct 24). The "bad" presentation was given by Jennifer Sandy, National Preservation Trust, focusing on the negative impacts of CAFOs (including health, environment, tourism). Deborah's presentation followed and show-cased numerous positive and sustainable models of farm development around the country.
This set of slides, originally prepared as the Area Council Report to Diocesan Council, April 2013 and since updated, describes the richly diverse nature of the Episcopal Area of York-Credit Valley and celebrates the work taking place there.
Come to the Table Guidebook: Second EditionRAFI-USA
The second edition of the Come to the Table Guidebook is a 40-page publication released in 2015 by RAFI, the NC Council of Churches and Resourceful Communities. It includes snapshots of community groups that have pioneered innovative food access work, the current status of hunger and agriculture in North Carolina and nationally, along with new resources and stories from faith leaders and from the field.
Propuesta para un fondo en apoyo del ministerio diaconal de la Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela.
Misiones: (Ya establecidas o nuevos grupos)
¿Que aspectos pueden ser atendidos?
-Transporte.
-Refrigerio.
-Recursos o material de trabajo.
-Acondicionamiento de espacios, entre otros.
Misericordia.
Beneficiarias.
-Diaconisas consagradas, activas o cursando el programa de estudio diaconal.
-Familiares en primer grado (cónyuge, padres, hijos, hermanos).
Información para la Ofrenda:
Zugeimar Aranguren C.I.: 13.855.2950.
Teléfono: 0424-5667723
BNC; Banco Nacional de Crédito.
Fui inspirado y animado a seguir una carrera misionera por Philip Bickel, pastor de misiones en la Iglesia Luterana St. Michael de Bloomington, Minnesota, y ex misionero en Venezuela. Aquí está su consejo en español para aquellos que están considerando el ministerio público.
More Related Content
Similar to 2007 update on Tierra de Gracia agricultural mission
Mission Lazarus is a holistic ministry that focuses on basic primary education, skill development, health education and treatment, agricultural development, and preaching and teaching the Word of God
SoUTHErN STorMA hUrriCAne’s LeGACYWe’LL BUiLD BACK Bette.docxwilliame8
SoUTHErN STorM
A hUrriCAne’s LeGACY:
“We’LL BUiLD BACK Better”
MARCH/APRIL 2006
A GroWING TrENd
FArMinG Moves
to the BiG CitY
h o r i z o n s | J O U R N E Y T O G R E E N E R B E G I N N I N G S
Dear
Friends …
By Jo Luck
President and CEO
inspire other organizations to build green-
er futures too. As citizens of the Earth,
we must be purposeful in our efforts to
conserve natural resources. At Heifer, we
are proud to be a leader in environmen-
tal preservation and restoration, at home
and especially in our project work.
Many people are familiar with Heifer’s
livestock projects, but some are unaware
of our work in agroecology, which is just as
important to help families lift themselves
from poverty to self-reliance.
Heifer project participants learn which
crops grow best in their environment,
how to use natural fertilizers, and
how to conserve and improve soil and
water conditions.
In Peru, for example, families in the
dry tropical forest receive seeds, tree
saplings and training on managing
natural resources. Project participants in
the Andean mountain communities learn
how to reforest their lands and how to
use terracing to grow crops on the steep
hillsides of their villages.
I have no doubt that Heifer’s
agroecology initiatives in the field and
our commitment to conserve, recycle
and educate in our own backyards
will make an enormous difference
by making the world a better place.
Thank you for supporting Heifer in our
collective journey to greener beginnings
for future generations.
S
pring is the season of hope,
when the bareness of winter
gives way to the wonderment of
new beginnings. In March, as
nature unfolds her colorful blossoms
and awakened trees, Heifer will unveil
a “greener” beginning at the dedication
of the new Heifer International World
Headquarters. This dedication marks the
tremendous progress of our work to end
hunger and poverty and our efforts to
heal and replenish the environment.
Heifer’s new headquarters is no
ordinary building—it’s a “green” building,
showcasing many environmentally friendly
features. Caring for the environment is a
journey, not a destination—and it plays a
pivotal role in Heifer’s ongoing mission.
We are practicing what we preach by
building a headquarters that conserves
water through a tower that collects and
uses rain for flushing toilets. We also
save energy because the sun is the main
source of interior lighting, thanks to the
building’s narrow width.
Walkways, countertops and tile floors
are made of recycled materials, includ-
ing tires, bricks from abandoned ware-
houses and glass from discarded soda
bottles. The location is a living exam-
ple of sustainable development—the
headquarters is built on a restored
industrial brownfield, land that was
once tainted by pollutants and hazard-
ous contaminants.
Adjacent to the Clinton Presidential
Library, the Heifer International
World Headquarters is highly
visible.
Presentation designed for young audiences, showing rural Haitian children's everyday lives, to enhance Zanmi La Santé Paris' crowdfunding campaign to finance school meals.
“50 000 schoolmeals for Haiti” https://rally.org/schoolmealsforhaiti
Zanmi La Santé Paris
http://www.zanmiparis.org/en/
An overview of Mission Lazarus Inc.
Mission Lazarus is a holistic ministry that focuses on basic primary education, skill development, health education and treatment, agricultural development, and preaching and teaching the Word of God.
Tourism: The Good, The Bad and the SustainableDeborah McLaren
Presentation by Deborah McLaren for the rural strategies section of the 2008 National Preservation Trust conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Oct 24). The "bad" presentation was given by Jennifer Sandy, National Preservation Trust, focusing on the negative impacts of CAFOs (including health, environment, tourism). Deborah's presentation followed and show-cased numerous positive and sustainable models of farm development around the country.
This set of slides, originally prepared as the Area Council Report to Diocesan Council, April 2013 and since updated, describes the richly diverse nature of the Episcopal Area of York-Credit Valley and celebrates the work taking place there.
Come to the Table Guidebook: Second EditionRAFI-USA
The second edition of the Come to the Table Guidebook is a 40-page publication released in 2015 by RAFI, the NC Council of Churches and Resourceful Communities. It includes snapshots of community groups that have pioneered innovative food access work, the current status of hunger and agriculture in North Carolina and nationally, along with new resources and stories from faith leaders and from the field.
Propuesta para un fondo en apoyo del ministerio diaconal de la Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela.
Misiones: (Ya establecidas o nuevos grupos)
¿Que aspectos pueden ser atendidos?
-Transporte.
-Refrigerio.
-Recursos o material de trabajo.
-Acondicionamiento de espacios, entre otros.
Misericordia.
Beneficiarias.
-Diaconisas consagradas, activas o cursando el programa de estudio diaconal.
-Familiares en primer grado (cónyuge, padres, hijos, hermanos).
Información para la Ofrenda:
Zugeimar Aranguren C.I.: 13.855.2950.
Teléfono: 0424-5667723
BNC; Banco Nacional de Crédito.
Fui inspirado y animado a seguir una carrera misionera por Philip Bickel, pastor de misiones en la Iglesia Luterana St. Michael de Bloomington, Minnesota, y ex misionero en Venezuela. Aquí está su consejo en español para aquellos que están considerando el ministerio público.
Volunteers from Woodbury Lutheran Church of Woodbury MN and St. Michael's Lutheran Church of Bloomington MN visit the eastern Venezuelan state of Monagas in August 2002.
Hecho y presentado por Luz Maria Henriquez de Ernst en CEIB "Las Delicias", La Caramuca, Barinas, Venezuela, para el comienzo del año escolar 2015-2016.
Introducción: Reflexión sobre la inauguración deñ tanque de agua.
Para inaugurar el tanque se habia solicitada que cada familia del poblado, depositará en el tanque un barril de vino, a alguién se le ocurrio que si depoitaba agua, nadie no notaría. El gran día de celebrar llegó, abrieron la llave ay ¿adivinen que salió¡? Agua. Todos habian pensado engañar un poquito a los demás.
Concepto de valores: son los principios que rigen nuestro comportamiento y son: amor, respeto, tolerancia, empatia y otros.
Donde se fundamentan: En el hogar, el contexto de la comunidad y la escuela.
Donde se originan: Podriamos decir que en nuestra mente y corazón.
Sin embargo, la Biblia nos dice que nuestra mente y corazón pueden prostituirse. Un ejemplo: "los bachaqueros" ó revendedores . Ellos se aprovechan de la necesidad del prójimo; su prioriad o valor es la ganancia de capital.
La Biblia es la norma, dada por Dios para nuestra conducta. En los mandamientos o ley moral, Dios establee nuestro compartamiento.
¿Podrían decir los mandamientos? Este es el problema, hemos dejado de lado la voluntad de Dios, no la conocemos.
La buena noticia: Tenemos las Escrituras, Cristo en la cruz pagó el precia de nuestra desobediencia. En su resurrección no concede la victoria. Ahora Cristo nos ayuda a mostrar a otros su amor, su perdón, su paz.
Conclusión: Dios nos regaló est institución CEIB "Las Delicias"; ¿Cual será mi contribución, mi comportamiento para celebrar? Si; veo en mi prójimo la imagen y semejanza de Dios; El ambiene donde convivimos y laboramos será de armonía y bendición. Dos nos bendiga. Amén.
Explicación del programa diaconísa de la Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela para los encuentros regionales de la Sociedad Luterana de Damas Venezolanas (SOLUDAVE). Por Luz Maria Henriquez de Ernst.
Una presentación para acompañar una comparación de la exposición en el libro por Sergio Fritzler, "El Oficio Pastoral" con la exposición en "Dogmatica Cristiana" por Juan Mueller.
Se realizó el último acto de grado del Centro de Educación Integral Nutriniño "Mi Pequeña Lucecita" el 11 de julio de 2.013. Se reabrirán en el próxmo año escolar como el Simoncito Comunitario "Mis Pequeña Lucecita." Los niños que pasarán al primer grado son Yuliannys E. Ascanio; Luís Rivas M.; Nazareth Zambrano P.; Eduar J. Garrido S., Angela I. Pintero R.; Ximena V. Barrueta Z.; y Ailyn T. Noguera S.
The Tierra de Gracia project (2000-2010) attempted to establish a working farm to generate funds to support a national pastor for impoverished rural parishes in eastern Venezuela and to provide emplyment and job training.
La mariposa tiene tres fases durante su vida: la oruga, la crisálida o capullo, y la mariposa. La oruga sólo come entonces se símbolo de la vida terrenal cuando la gente está preocupada por el cuidado de sus necesidades materiales. La oruga se hace girar en una crisálida o capullo, parecida a la tumba. La mariposa sale del capullo, que representa la resurrección y la nueva vida gloriosa, libre de las limites de este mundo.
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In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
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MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
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Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
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Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb? Check it out…
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
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What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
Evangelization in the footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul
2007 update on Tierra de Gracia agricultural mission
1. “He put another parable before them, saying, For the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man
took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants
and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32.
2. This is an overview of Tierra de Gracia Lutheran Farm. Like the mustard seed, it grew from the smallest of beginnings
into the Lordñ s garden in Venezuela, providing a place of spiritual retreat and refreshment and revitalizing rural
Lutheran churches in the surroundign area.
3. When work on the project began in 2002, the farm looked like this. It had been abandoned
for a number of years.
4. Much of Venezuela receives 60 inches of rain annually, but most of it from late May to mid
December.
15. The farm's tranquil environment showcases God's creation and hints at what the Garden of
Eden must have been like.
16. But the most wonderful aspect of the farm's development has been the spiritual harvest..
17. Let's back up. We, Dale and Sandra Saville, were sent as agricultural missionaries to the
Venezuelan state of Monagas in 2000, after years of work among the Navaho.
18. Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod missionaries planted the Word of God in the hearts of
people Monagas 50 years ago. The formation of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela began
here in these rural parishes as well as Caracas.
19. But since then these rural churches have experienced many hardships.
20. In these rural districts today, unemployment runs as high as 80 percent of the population
and typical family income is less than 2,000 U.S. dollars annually.
21. In this impoverished environment, many infirmities result from malnutrition and
contaminated water.
22. At one time Sunday attendance in the rural churches of Rio Chiquito and Quebrada Seca,
the two communities hardest hit by economic problems, averaged 80 people per week.
24. By the late 1990s, typical Sunday attendance had dropped to less than 20 – when there
were Sunday services..
25. But when members of the rural churches moved to town they formed the core groups of
some of the largest Lutheran congregations in Venezuela, such as Cristo Rey Lutheran
Church in Maturin, the capital of Monagas.
26. In cooperation with Pastor Adrian Ventura and other members of Cristo Rey, Dale
developed a business plan for a working farm to accomplish two objectives.
27. One objective was to train rural residents in better methods of agricultural production and
marketing to help them improve their incomes and standard of living.
28. There is the potential for agricultural improvement throughout Venezuela, but expecially in
the state of Monagas.
29. The soil in Monagas is among the most fertile in the country with the capacity to produce a
remarkable variety of crops.
30. Dale Saville and the Cristo Rey farm committee spent a long time looking for the best land.
31. They found 140 hectares of good land, about an hour's drive from Maturin, but only a half-hour
to 45 minutes from Quebrada Seca and Rio Chiquito.
32. Fences and a paved road divided the property into two parts.
33. A river formed the eastern and southern boundaries with enough water to irrigate 67
hectares. Irrigation is critical for crop production during the dry season.
34. The farm's soil was ideal for irrigation, an alluvial mix of clay, loam and sand.
35. The farm comittee acquired title to the land in February 2004 with the help of a loan from
supporters in the United States. The congregations of Maturin, Rio Chiquito and Quebrada
Seca gathered for a celebration on the farm.
36. In March 2004, the farm was able to buy a 75-horsepower tractor with contributions from
churches in North Dakota and Montana.
38. The churches that raised money for the tractor and implements were rural churches small
by North American standards.
39. Yet these same rural churche in 2005 provided funds to build a lagoon to catch and hold
rainwater for irrigation.
40. The lagoon has the capacity to hold 1.5 million liters of water...
41. Also in 2005 the farm initiated livestock production with four bred cows. All soon calved
and one gave birth to twins.
42. Cows of a native Venezuelan breed were artificially inseminated with Tarentaise semen
donated by a breeder in North Dakota. This is an example of the Tarentaise breed.
48. In 2006, Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, St. Louis, Missouri, along with Lutheran
World Relief, has supplied the funds to buy four more cows.
49. The farm now has,more than 20 hectares of pasture which, enough to maintain 70 cows,
100 goats and 100 sheep.
50. We are now up to 9 cows with 6 heifer calves which bring our “female” herd to 15. We have some
nice looking bull calves that buyers have shown some interest in purchasing.
51. The livestock program also now includes sheep and goats. The sheep program is really
great as the workers are the owners of the herd and are learning to build up a better
future..
52. The goats were purchased with money donated by St. Peter's Lutheran Church of
Columbus, Indiana.
53. Our chicken program has started 500 chicks to provide fryers on a continuous basis.
54. We are also in the rabbit business. What a multiplication project. The workers had to
really move to get cages ready for the new babies. We have sold quite a few as pet and
the oldest ones we raised are about ready to eat.
55. There are more than 1,200 citrus trees in the farm's orchards...
56. There are 245 passion-fruit vines and 85 guava trees.
58. A small house serves as the farm's office and visitor's center..
59. A second house serves as a home and office for Pastor Armando Ramos..
60. Armando grew up in rural Venezuela himself although on the western edge of the country
in the state of Barinas.
61. Pastor Armando was ordained August 1, 2004, at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church.
62. Since Pastor Armando's arrival in Monagas, the Tierra de Gracia evangelistic program has
made tremendous strides. Roca de Eternidad (Rock of Ages) Lutheran Church in Quebrada
Seca now has weekly attendance of 20 people.
63. Bethel Lutheran Church in Rio Chiquito has increased Sunday attendance to 27 people New
members continue to be baptized and confirmed at both locations..
64. Rundown facilities in Rio Chiquito and Quebrada Seca are being repaired. A new roof for
Roca de Eternidad is nearly complete while new bathrooms are being built at Bethel.
65. Evangelistic activities have included three vacation Bible schools and four prayer vigils at
the rural churches as well as door-to-door visits with approximately 1,800 people.
66. Amichel Ventura, a deacon at Cristo Rey in Maturin, assists Pastor Armando in caring for the
rural churches.
67. Another member of the evangelistic team is Yumira Valderrey as Bible school teacher.
68. Eduardo Flores, a member of La Fortaleza Lutheran Church in Maracay, served as a vicar
under the direction of Pastor Armando. He worked with the youth of the rural churches and
provided musical accompaniment during worship. That's Eduardo with the guitar.
69. Tierra de Gracia also has provided opportunities for volunteers from the United States to
help with revitalization of the rural churches as well.
71. They have attended services at the rural churches and learned how Venezuelans worship..
72. Visitors have included formal representatives of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World
Missions, such as Dr. Jorge Groh and his wife, Olga., shown here with Pastor Armando.
73. Other visitors have been North American youth sharing experiences with their counterparts
in Venezuela.
74. The youth of the rural churches in Rio Chiquito and Quebrada Seca have become very
active..
75. For the first time in many years, Bethel and Roca de Eternidad sent 12 to the Lutheran
Church of Venezuela's annual youth gathering in 2005.
76. The involvement of young people is one of the most exciting developments of Tierra de
Gracia evangelistic program..
78. So are the faces of the children at the vacation Bible schools that have been held at the
farm.
79. At Tierra de Gracia itself, Pastor Armando leads about the workers in daily devotions. In
addition, weekly adult Bible studies draw 35 to 40 people to farm from the nearby village of
Banco de Acosta.
80. On January 20, 2005, Pastor Armando performed the first baptism on the farm. in a special
service with 75 people from Banco de Acosta and Quebrada Seca in attendance,.
81. The child, José Enrique, was the son of one of the farm's workers.
82. On Sunday, June 12, 2005, Pastor Armando conducted the first formal worship service at
Tierra de Gracia with 156 people in attendance. Four adults were confirmed: José Luís Rivas,
Leobardo Gamboa, Marelis Bolivar and Javier Alcantera.
83. Americo Rengel, who is in charge of the cattle program, is another person whose life has
been changed.
84. Americo has grown in responsibility as well as in his spiritual life. With confidence that we
all have shown in Americo he has blossomed into a man that holds himself in high esteem
and self-confidence.
85. Then there is Marelis Bolivar, a single mother of three, who is now in charge of the farm' s
accounting..
86. In fact, there has been such a spiritual impact on the farm site itself that land has been set
aside to build a church near Pastor Armando's house. According to Pastor Armando Ramos,
there is the nucleus of a congregation with about 9 confirmed Lutherans in the rural
community surrounding the farm.
87. Actual construction of a new church at Tierra de Gracia Lutheran Farm began with a service
near the farm office December 16, 2006.