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An experience for all senses
By Ellen Munsterman

It would be absolutely impossible for me to ever truly convey our experiences in Venezuela through an article. Venezuela is a country of five senses. A country you must smell, see, taste, hear, and feel. To smell the unique foods, to see the bold colors of the streets and buildings, to taste the sweetness in the exotic juices we were served, to hear the liveliness of the praise music, and to feel the warmth and stickiness of the humidity - all of that is required to truly experience such a vibrant and generous country.

But still, the power of witnessing is immeasurable, and above all else, we were called to be witnesses after returning from our experience. And that is what I am going to do.

We spent seven days in Maracaibo, Venezuela, meeting and embracing new people and a new culture, trying new foods and new customs, experiencing high temperatures unlike anything we've ever known, and discovering new ways God works in our lives and through our experiences.

One particular day, however, stands out to me like no other. Our group of Colombians, Venezuelans and North Americans boarded the aged school bus as we had done every other day of the trip, preparing to visit a new sector of this country we were slowly becoming adapted to. The bus trip lasted around an hour, but felt so much shorter, as we conversed (in English and Spanish), joked and laughed, and sang along to the music (in English and Spanish).

Our liveliness quickly turned into quiet and observation as the bus drove past the dump for the city of Maracaibo. We were appalled at the sight before our eyes, only a few hundred feet from our bus. Hundreds of people were living in this dump, making their living by collecting anything and everything that they could recycle and find a use for. The images of such a lifestyle are permanently implanted in my brain, and I'm sure the minds of everyone else on that bus.

From this point, our bus traveled only a short distance farther to the Wayuu village, a village of Venezuela's poorest indigenous people. Regardless of the economic status, we were greeted with open arms and generosity, just as we had been in every other situation we had encountered. We sang songs of praise and thanksgiving, before receiving a tour of their medical center (a new development made possible by the cooperation of their village and the Venezuelan government).

We then traveled to their schoolhouse and were greeted by an enormous group of schoolchildren. We spent the day playing sports and games with the children, eating alongside them (they prepared sheep for us!), and watching as they shared information about their heritage and presented a traditional dance.

After such a day, the donations that we presented to them felt far less valuable than the generosity and love they had shared with us. Leaving such an impacting experience was only made more difficult as the children opened their arms for hugs, and asked us when we would return next. The joy, generosity, and enthusiasm displayed by these people who had so little still amazes me to this day. Such an outlook on life is truly inspirational. Such an experience was truly inspirational.

I hope my brief words provide a justifying first look into a country with such depth. But as I began with, I hope you realize that to truly experience what these people have to offer, you need to experience it first-hand. I suppose that is the truth with any culture, with any country.

Mission is so important, so significant, so life-changing. I wish the opportunity of mission for everyone, at least once in your life. It is so often that the people we think need the most, are really the people that are able to teach us the most. I know this to be the truth from our experience. And I hope this has encouraged you to desire such an experience, because it is truly miraculous what can be learned and accomplished by all involved.

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