Now that's progress . . .

On the right you see the church building in the El Gaitero area of Maracaibo, Venezuela. It still has a dirt floor but this picture, taken in Jan. 2005, documents the progress they have made. The first time I preached there in Jan. 2002 there was a roof, the wall behind the podium, and the short white block wall on each side. The little water tank behind our two brothers is the baptistry and it was then outside the building, not under the roof. There were 2-3 light bulbs in the whole building, so you would have to say the lighting was poor--I don't see that well at night anyway, so my outline didn't help me at all that time. The two nights I preached were a little breezy so every little bit a cloud of sand would come in (Maracaibo is built on an old beach).

Last year, remembering the lighting, I planned a lesson that I could preach by memory. Imagine my surprise when I come in to this building. The side walls reach to the roof now, the roof and walls have been extended to include the baptistry and best of (at least in my book) was the lighting. These improvements were made by the church and even then were saving up to pour a concrete floor. It's amazing what can be done when brethren have a mind to work.

Tol Burk