I Remember Ramon by: Vern Dyck

The very first one who believed of his people group, went to be with his Saviour.
 
I heard just this past week that Ramon passed into the presence of his Redeemer.  Although I was not present at his death, I can be assured that there was no large funeral ceremony, no hurst, no flowers, no fancy casket or carved grave marker to adorn the occasion  Immediate family will have gathered together to dig the grave and lovingly lay Ramon to rest.  Although few will take note of this man’s passing, there are however those of us who are deeply impacted by this man and he will be greatly missed.  Allow me to share just of few of the memories.

                                            (grave marker)

I remember Ramon.  January 1989, I arrived and experienced for the first time the windy, dry season winds of the plains of Venezuela.  First priority was to build a house for my family that would be joining me some seven weeks later.  Ramon quickly stood out to me.  I can’t say for sure, but he will have been one of the first of his nation I met.  My language abilities were limited to a few expressions, ice-breakers perhaps.  “It’s windy” I would say, or “It’s sunny”.  It was always windy and sunny in the dry season and Ramon would always be happy to engage with me despite my non-existent abilities in the language.  

I remember Ramon.  Countless times he would take me fishing.  Undoubtedly I was more of a hindrance than I help as I would constantly tangle my line, get my hook caught on some obscure root or rock, or fall off the makeshift rafts that they used to venture out onto the small lakes.  Yet, it never seemed that he would lose patience with me (not that I would have clued in if he had).  His gardens were often a place to go and check on the produce that was growing.  Never plentiful, yet on more than one occasion he would start a small fire and we would roast a cob of corn or a yuca root for us to share.  

I remember Ramon.  There was a far away village that was quite leery of our team.  They did not know what to think about the message we had come to share.  They wondered if we were able to use black magic to cause sickness  and crop failure as well as other things.  How could we build friendships with people who thought we might cause them harm?  I still was in the preliminary stages of language learning and so I knew that it would not be my great oratory skills that would convince them that I cared about them.  I still wanted to meet them and get to know them.  I knew Ramon had a daughter living in these villages and so I asked if he wanted to go with me.  He readily agreed.  So we loaded up my motorcycle with our hammocks, some food and headed out for the 5 day excursion.  It was dry season once again and the upriver folks that were living in these villages had abandoned their homes to temporarily live in makeshift shelters close to where the fishing, hunting and wild root gathering was optimal.  Locating them was difficult but Ramon had some ideas of where they could be and soon we found them.  Our time was spent in search of food during the day and visiting during the evenings.  Much of the conversation went right over my head and yet I was with them, eating and sharing food, sleeping in a hammock just like them, living with them.  The time came to leave and with little emotion, Ramon and I set off to return home.  Nothing was talked of their reluctance and concern for building a relationship with me and our team.  Yet in the weeks and months that followed, God used that simple visit from Ramon and I to open a very unexpected door to share God’s important message.  The ice had been broken, friendships were made, and today there is a church among these very villages that Ramon and I visited so many years ago.
 
I remember Ramon.  The first of his people group to place his faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  “Well, if Jesus paid sufficiently with his blood and death to the One Who is demanding blood and death from me, then that’s where I’ll get my payment,”  Ramon testified.  God’s provision had become very clear to Ramon and he pioneered the way that many would follow in the years to come. 
 
I remember Ramon.  In their nations kinship, he was my Uncle.  In life, he was a friend, a language and culture helper,  a fellow believer united by one faith, one Lord, one Spirit. He was a kind and gentle man who I have missed ever since having to leave my home in Venezuela. 
 
I remember Ramon.  Dear brother, I look forward to eternity and the joy of being together once again! 

28 Years Ago Today!

Twenty Eight years ago our little family of four, moved to the country of Venezuela.  There were of course a lot of things that seemed strange and different to us that first year.  Little did we know how much Venezuela would soon become home to us.  We thought we would live and work there for the rest of our lives.  However, the Lord had different plans for us and 15 years later the door closed for us to return there.   When we left on our furlough in 2001, we didn't know we would never return to the life we knew there, to our home and work, and people that we love.  The family picture in which we are holding that sign was taken a few minutes before we left our village for the last time.  Oh, if we would have know we were never going to return it would have been a different looking picture.  It was a difficult process to transition to life back here in Canada.  I don't think a day will go by that I will not miss Venezuela.  How we praise the Lord for the time we had in there  and for the incredible memories we made!    

Our Future MK's

During the 18 months that our students are here they spend hours learning about different cultures, the skills on how to learn an unwritten language, Bible translation principles, how to teach literacy, how to go about curriculum development, as well as many more things.  As some of you know these last couple of years I have been working with our MK's adding different classes and activities to try to prepare them for life in another country.  Yesterday I hosted our first MK Orientation Event with the children of our families that will be graduating in December.  In each event I hope to expose them just a little more to life in another culture or to things they might experience as they transition to another country and culture.  Pray for these precious little ones as they will be experiencing a lot of changes in the next couple of years.  Depending on their ages and personalities every child processes things in a different way.  Although there are a lot of challenges that come into the life of an MK it is also a pretty cool experience as well.  We hope and pray that as our MK's come back to North America as adults, they will look back with fond memories of their many different experiences.

My View

I have never watched “The View” and even though I joke around about living under a rock I have been very aware of what happened with Kelly Johnson and the comments that the ladies on “The View” made.   I am not a nurse as I cannot even handle the sight of blood.  However, I happen to have a daughter, daughter-in-law, and two sisters who are nurses. (I also have nieces and many friends who are nurses.)  Just with these four ladies alone they have been there in the operating room dealing with life and death situations, in the new born nursery, with cancer patients that might not pull through, with patients dealing with huge overwhelming medical issues, and with Alzheimer patients like Joe.   All of them work tirelessly to give their patients the best of care.  These ladies are my heroes.  They are all overworked and underpaid.  They are the most loving, caring women I know.  Nursing isn’t a job for them, they truly love and care about people and are making a difference in the lives of their patients.   Thank-you Ruth, Gay, Ruth, and Camille for being such an example of Christ as you show love and compassion to your patients every day.  To all the other nurses out there,  thank-you for everything you do to make this world a better place.  We need you and value you.  Keep making a difference in this world!

Global Perspectives

Last week we held a Global Perspectives Conference here for our students and staff.  We had guests in from Asia Pacific and Africa as well as a couple of other missionaries working in other areas.  It was good to get an overview of what is happening in the different areas of the world and of all the unique challenges that each region faces.  As we think of all the challenges and stresses involved with working in a different country and in a different culture it is not someone's amazing abilities that is going to have to sustain them.  It is through people seeing Christ in us, that will make a lasting difference.  Please pray for us and our students.  There are so many valuable and practical things we are trying to pass on but the thing we desire for all of us is a deep and intimate relationship with our Savior.    

 

Great Warrior

Unfortunately our Internet was down yesterday so I wasn't able to post anything.  Yesterday our grandson Gideon turned four.  What a gift he is to our family.  Gideon means "Great Warrior".  We are praying for Gideon that he grows into a Mighty Man of God. 

Road Trip

This past weekend we made a trip to Chicago.  We had the joy and privilege of taking Aurora with us.   We made some special memories with the Schroeder family.  Aurora was such a good traveler and as you can see Cuddles enjoyed having Aurora with as well.