Jose Barros (in the green shirt) and Carmelo Fricano are the preachers working in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. The church there is small--10 or so on Sunday and has been meeting about 2 years. Puerto Ordaz is a good sized city and is one of the petroleum centers in the Eastern part of the country.
Even though Carmelo and Jose are young physically and spiritually, they are the most knowledgable and mature in the church there. Paul told Timothy to let no one despise his youth, yet often we do. It's easy to say,"What do they know? They're still young." or perhaps "Just wait until you 'grow up' and then we'll see what you think about that." If what the young person says is Biblical, does their age matter? Or for that matter, if what they say is not scriptural, does their age matter?
To be sure, younger people often lack wisdom in the ways they deal with people, how to hand certain situations, etc. Looking back, it is easy to see that I've learned alot in these areas through the years and I see mistakes I made, but remember that God expects my best, no matter who or what age I am. The Lord recognizes the inexperience of young people and accepts their best efforts; so should we.
I would ask you to pray for these two brothers as they labor in Puerto Ordaz. They don't have mature Christians close to them--the closest church is a couple of hours away. They are both single, which also brings it's own set of temptations. They need our prayers.
Tol
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