Global Talk

As Christians, we talk a lot about our identity. We’re pretty sure about who we are in our cloistered Christian community, but when we have to relate on a spiritual level with those who aren’t from our own Christian culture, we’re not sure who we are. If we say we’re “Christian,” then we step right into the stereotype prepared for us by the politically correct, by the media, and by our own hypocrisy. If we say we’re followers of Christ, we perceive that others will be immediately turned off by our one-way-and-only-one-way beliefs. “Fundamentalists” carry a lot of baggage related to legalism. “Evangelicals” have gotten a black eye lately by a rash of prominent leaders teaching one thing and living another.

So what is a Christian supposed to do if he wants to talk to others about Christ??? Why, go to Venezuela, of course! I was still in the air from Miami to Caracas when the lady next to me asked me why I was coming to Venezuela. “A group of us are coming” I said, somewhat evasively. What kind of group, she wanted to know. A group from a church in the US, I said. What kind of church? “Christian.” (There it was. A conversation killer for sure. Wrong.) “What kind of Christian? – there are lots of groups that say they are Christian” – and she listed off more than 5 Christian groups. “Uh, we just believe in the Bible and try to apply it to our lives,” I said in broken Spanish. “Oh, she said. I do that too, and I’m Catholic.” I was not ready to talk this way. So I asked her about how to deal with the horde of taxi drivers at the Caracas airport. I guess I failed the first test. But God still loves me!

On the University of the Andes campus at San Cristobal, it was hard to get started, but the students were as open about talking about spiritual things as the lady on the plane had been. They had opinions, they listened, and they prayed to receive Christ. More than 30 of them in a 4-hour period. They weren’t interested in labels. They were interested in hearing that God loves them, that their sin separates them from God, and that Jesus provides the only way to deal with their sin so that they can be acceptable to God. They were excited to hear that God desires a relationship with them. They believed, and they brought their friends to a meeting so they, too, could hear and believe.

To us Gringos, this was all completely amazing. This openness is something we’ve never experienced before. The total lack of cynicism was very hard to believe. The number of people who responded was way beyond our expectations.

But to the Venezuelans who work here all the time, it’s expected. “We’re used to being overwhelmed,” said Deivi Bracho, director for Campus Crusade in San Cristobal. “We just wish we had more people so we could disciple all the new believers. As it is, only the extremely persistent students are getting the attention they deserve.”

Deivi and his wife Yanina are praying that they’ll be able to stay in San Cristobal. If support doesn’t come in for them and at least two other partners, they’ll have to pull out of San Cristobal and move to a more established campus.

“We are willing to go wherever God directs,” said Deivi. “But,” replied Yanina, “if we have to leave San Cristobal, we’ll be devastated.”

The community of believers at Grace Community Fellowship are praying that Deivi and Yanina will be able to stay in San Cristobal.

Tom Berglund