Don & Maud Thorp's Pictures

Zach Olson and the student interpreters

Joyce Graves and De & Sherryl McCleery with a family they befriended in the market


Mike Brown playing the guitar during a group session for House Church Team

Mike Brown leading a ministry team in praise and worship on the campus of the University of Caracas

Don & Maud, after a worship service at the Caracas International School

Buck Smith speaking during orientation (Diane Peacock, Cathy & Jim Mellon, Mike Brown, Joyce Graves)

De McCleery sharing Christ with a Caracas family

Don & Maud Thorp singing in a house church setting

Kurt & Zach Olson with Aura & Soily, interpreters

New believers, a couple with their little girl, pictured with Melody, De, Sherryl, Don and a couple of women from the local church

Buck Smith, Maud & Don Thorp at a Bible Study

Pictures from Melody Wong

Rebecca Portillo & Tia Maud Thorp

Melody & Raquel

Aura & Melody

Don & Maud Thorp with Melissa Portillo (Buck's daughter/Melody's sister who lives in Caracas)

group looking out down below from the dining room window

Maud & Don Thorp sing for House Church in Las Minas

House Churh with the Guyanese from Rios church

Photos from Lorene Heskett

A cloud in the Bible was a symbol of the presence of God. We had been praying for God to pour out His Holy Spirit on Venezuela, and He did! Amen!

The pastor and his wife who live in Las Minas. Anna Lee & Lorene worked with them.

Anna Lee & Lorene visiting in the home of one of the church members. It was 72 steps UP the mountain to the street level of this house!

The Venezuelan flag flying over a city of 6 million in need of the freedom in Christ!

#1, trying to follow the example of the big boys and the leaders...awesome responsibility

Jeff Siegel signing a baseball.

Christopher, the boy in the striped baseball shirt, is 12 years old. He has never been to school because his mother did not register him when he was born. Since he wasn't registered, he doesn't 'exist', so he can't go to school. One of the ladies in the church has taught him to write his name. He is very intelligent. God arranged a divine appointment and Buck met a man who is in the department of education. Buck talked to him about Christopher's situation, and things are in the works to help him learn and take the test until he catches up with his level.


This is a picture of a mosque with it's tower for the call to prayer. However, notice the cross on the church steeple across the street reflected on the mosque. It's shadow is resting on the mosque. The cross of Christ covers it all!

The lady in the gray slacks and white top had just prayed to receive Christ. This is her family and friends.

Look at that smile! This is Tigisoy, the lady who cleaned our rooms every day. This picture was taken just minutes after Lorene shared Jesus with her, and she prayed to receive Christ! Lorene was tired that day and was resting in her room. They had given her a Bible and when she came to bring towels, she asked Lorene for another Bible for a friend. Lorene asked her if she had ever asked Jesus into her life. She said no. Lorene asked if she would like to know how, and she said yes. Praise the Lord!

These are some of the children in the church that Lorene & Anna Lee worked with.

In the middle of the excitement and noise of the baseball field, this dog was king of the gravel pile, asleep in his comfort zone and oblivious to the world around him. How can we see the spiritual hunger and close our eyes to it, content in our own little world? We have a choice to get involved in the work and excitement around us and be blessed, or close our eyes and sleep contentedly through it.

Jacob's Pictures

Venezuela - Ripe for Harvest

It was my pleasure to spend time and minister in Venezuela. I travel the world using baseball as our platform to reach the lost for Christ. The Lord used Kerry Peacock and Bill Cashion to bring to my attention the need to come to Venezuela. As I ministered in this place I realized that this country may be the most ripe for harvest in the world. A few simple decisions and investments into lives are the key in this place. We need to strengthen the infrastructure around Pastor Jacobo of the Venezuela Baptist Convention to help him train others to by facilitate and take some of the administrative responsibility from him. He would then be free to set the vision for evangelism and work in his country.

During my time in Caracas I worked with Carlos Subero's baseball foundation doing evangelistic baseball clinics and we built great relationships. I had dinner at the home of Carlos and his national sports foundation representatives were present. We have agreed to continue to work together in Venezuela and Cuba. Working together in Caracas and additional cities we did 6 days of baseball clinics in multiple places per day. We saw over 400 people make public confessions for Jesus Christ. Many Spanish New Testaments and Carlos Subero's testimony tracts were given to everyone in the crowd. At our hotel a Christian man handed out New Testaments and Carlos Subero's testimony tracts to everyone going up the elevator. What was mind blowing about this is that this residence hotel is where Hugo Chavez government officials and Honor Guard of his Army lives. Brother Ladimiro had the opportunity to share with 20 people including Chavez honor guard and led 2 of them to Christ.

At the beginning of the trip I met a woman named Sol. She is the President of a 2,000 Christian Business Women Coalition and serves in the Chavez Government Ministry. She is in charge of Social Services to the poor in her country and a woman of great influence. She has been involved in building homes for the poor and is also trying to build drug rehab centers for women. It is her intention, Lord willing to set up a meeting in the near future for me to meet with President Hugo Chavez and share Christ with him. She has invited me to come as her guest with my wife Terri for 15 days to visit in her areas of influence in Venezuela and I have free hand to share Christ. We gave her 15 cases of Bibles and they will all go into Cuba with her and will be waiting for me in May of 2008 when I go to Cuba to minister and train pastors.

Pastor Ladimiro who is a University Professor was involved in the meetings with Sol and me. He also asked me to come to his state and do 3 day leadership training for pastors and their wives. Both Jacobo and Ladimiro met with Dave Altopp and me to ask if we would put a team of up to 20 baseball instructors and come to Venezuela and do baseball evangelistic programs in 5 major cities with the help of the local churches.

I truly believe that the Lord is now moving in South America and this is his next big move. Venezuela is key. For my personal life I am open to investing my life in Venezuela.

Jeff Siegel - Global Youth Baseball Federation, Inc.
www.baseballwithoutborders.com

Cesar's Evangelism Pictures

Report from Cesar Gabriel

First I want to say thanks for the prayer and financial support for this trip. It was a big blessing for me and my ministry. I was assigned to Iglesia Bautista Emanuel at Caucagua, a mission of a church in Caracas.
I arrived at the church at Caucagua on Sunday and preached at the evening service. The team was formed by 6 people, and one more joined later. On Sunday we did door-to-door evangelism that morning, every home that opened their door also opened their hearts to Christ. My partner was a young man from Maracaibo who did mission work in the Amazonas jungle. The door-to-door evangelism work in Caucagua was all day Monday and Tuesday evening, because in the morning we helped with "Pan de Vida", a ministry from the church feeding and helping poor kids. On Wednesday I preached a funeral, and on Thursday we went to Higerote, a fast growing community. Again, we did door-to-door evangelism and had evangelisitic services. Pastor Francisco took me back to Caracas on Thursday evening.
When I left the mission field, our team had seen more than 60 people come to Christ. Praise God!

Cesar Gabriel


Iglesia Bautista Trinidad, Laredo, Texas