Venezuela Situation

The situation in Venezuela is very critical. Protests occur in many cities of the country and they are violent. In Caracas, protests began on April 2 and have not ceased till today. So far we can count about 70 people who have been killed and for the most part they are young college students.
The protests have become more dangerous since last week because now the neighborhoods where poor people live are demanding food. The government represses demonstrations with everything it has, gas, guns, anti-riot vehicles, etc.

Food shortages have become more acute every day, and it is increasingly
difficult to find basic foods such as corn, rice, meat, chicken, sugar or vegetables. Some people buy in the black food market, but at prices that are extremely high. For example, a kilo of meat is costing 14,000 Bolivars, a kilo of corn flour 7,500,
a kilo of rice is costing 5,000, a liter of edible oil costs 10,500.To have an idea of how expensive those items are; the salary of a school teacher or nurse is
200,000 per month.

Inflation is estimated by the world bank at 720% for this year and 2,068% by
2018. However, the citizens estimate that inflation should be close to 1,600% this year alone.

DATA
Minimum wage
Inflation
Shortage

The political situation has worsened because the President has made a proposal to reform the Constitution. This move has not been received well by the vast majority of people, including some who were senior officials in the Chávez government. They are at odds with this idea.
The Attorney General of the Republic has asked the Supreme Court for clarification of the process initiated by the president, which has generated very tense situations in the government.

NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM
Now I will tell you about the many things that the Eternal God has worked in the midst us so far in 2017.

1. Council of Elders.
On March 10, a meeting for pastors was held in the city, There was talk about the need for unity in the church and the importance of maturing as children of God.

A decision was made to recognize the Elders of the City, considering their testimony, their work and their fruit. 6 elders were chosen of which I was one to them. IT WAS A GREAT SURPRISE !!
Immediately after this recognition, persecutions begun. Some religious people showed their disagreements and their anger by such appointments and their anger was directed more towards me than to any of the others named.
Several meetings were held to clarify many things of doctrines, but the Eternal God has given us the victory because they have recognized the fruit, testimony and conduct of City of Eagles in our city.
Although we are aware that we do not need recognition of men to do the work that the Father has entrusted to us, we know that those who were appointed as elders of the city ARE NOT ALL who should be in that position, but it is great beginning.

2. First Pastors Breakfast.
After the Council of Elders was formed, some elders begun to plan meetings to pray and to intercede for the country. I told them that it was not right to start praying for the nation if we first did not experience a change. I said that what God is going to do in the city must begin in the church. They want unity in the country but we are divided and the Lord gave me a word on harmony. It is easy to be

together but to be in harmony requires effort, time invested and resources. The word of the Lord said that it was necessary for us to get together to worship the Lord as one, to share a meal and, If the Lord pleased, he would give us the opportunity to pray for the nation. In response to the word, we decided that we should have a breakfast for the ministers of the city, which we did on April 29. We invited many ministers and their spouses being that in Venezuela the minister’s wives are not taken into account at all.

We planned that breakfast and started looking for a place to do it, but we did not find a suitable place in the city; For that reason, we decided that that first breakfast WE WOULD DO IT IN THE CITY OF THE ÁGUILAS.

We hosted 35 pastors with their wives … it was a spectacular morning. During worship, we could feel an intense presence of the Holy Spirit. Ministers of the Lord who had conflicts of years were reconciled. Some were hugging each other, some expressed that they felt alone and that now they were being taken into account. Others who were discouraged, arose with new courage. From that moment on we have seen glorious things in the city: Pastors have come to ask
for help … others are coming together to work together and to make alliances.

My wife and I decided that the City of Eagles church would plant a seed of faith by paying for the food of all the pastors who would come to breakfast and we did so. We focused on doing something worthy and honorable for the ministers. The Lord blessed us with His Presence.

This coming Friday, we will have the second breakfast of ministers of the city and so far 58 ministers with their wives have confirmed their attendance, but we will not do it in our building but in another congregation’s facilities.

3. First Prayer Meeting of Pastors and Leaders.
On May 1, we held a prayer meeting with ministers and city leaders. This was a different meeting because on many occasions we had gathered to pray for many things: for the city, for the country, for the governor, for the president, BUT we had never met to pray for each other. So we decided it was necessary to start there. Best of all, it was made in Ciudad de las Águilas. It started at 5:00 p.m.
and ended at 8:30 p.m. We were all shaken, some came because of the situation that the country lives and others because of what they had experienced at the breakfast meeting. More brothers joined in and more than 120 attended, some were pastors and some were intercessors.

4. Circle of Christian Journalists
On May 15, the Circle of Christian Journalists was formalized. It was a project
that arose from a sister of City of Eagles. She thought it was necessary to have a group of journalists who are Christians to impact the media with the message of the kingdom of God. We talked many times about the idea and when everything was ready, the project was registered legally and an official act was made in the offices of the National College of Journalists.
The board of directors is made up of 5 people, two of them from Ciudad de las
Águilas. HALLELUJAH!!
That day I was asked to attend the event and to pray for the board of directors and to minister a word from the Lord. Of course I did and those who run the National College of Journalists were present and received the Word.
I send you the links where you can see the news reflected in the local press.

https://cactus24.com.ve/noticias-falcon-crean-primer-circulo-periodistas- cristianos-en-venezuela/

http://nuevodia.com.ve/cultura/noticia196557.html

5. Taking of the city in prayer
On May 20 we held a rally at a key place in our city to pray for the city and for the nation. Brothers from various churches attended and it was a time of worship and intercession for the country and it lasted 3 hours. Of course we were not going to miss this meeting and we attended as well. The meeting was so glorious that passersby stopped to pray with us, people stepped down from their vehicles to pray, and others from nearby buildings and businesses joined in prayer. We started at 4pm and finished at 7pm.

6. Pastor Pedro Chirinos, New Birth Church
Pastor Pedro Chirinos from the town of Mene Mauroa, which is located 2 and a half hours from our city has been walking closely with us. This is the man whom I told you that was in the meeting in your first visit to Coro in 2007 and you spoke prophetic words over him.
He went through very difficult times since he was thrown out of The Assemblies
of God “for believing that Christians should influence politics” The church put him in discipline. He was demoralized, discouraged, and confused. On a Sunday of last year he came to City of Eagles without telling his church of this visit and in one day the Lord restored him in that meeting. He regained his spirits and was lifted up. He returned to his congregation and resumed his ministry.

In the month of February, we visited his church with the worship team. We stayed all weekend with them imparting the word concerning the 5 things about the purposes of God and there was a glorious impartation. They are now working
with us and they have asked us to be their spiritual covering, although I have not yet told them what you have taught us about parenting, and especially that a child does not choose his parents.
I must tell you that this church was established 35 years ago, but Pastor Pedro has been in charge of it for 8 years.

In April, 38 young people from that church came to spend the weekend with us and two weeks ago 26 women, including the pastor’s wife came to a retreat here in Ciudad de las Águilas. It was a weekend where we pointed to true repentance, brokenness and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The pastor says that the women came so changed that no one could recognize them.

7. Pastor Isandri Ruiz, Church House of God
Last Sunday I ministered in Pastor Isandri’s church. I have known him for about 6 years and we have had a good friendship. He invited me to minister and I must say that I thought that invitation to be strange. This is a small congregation of about 60 people and there was a very beautiful atmosphere on that day. I taught about the 3 elements that God used to solve the chaos of the earth. When the meeting was over, he approached us and told us something that surprised us.

He told us that he was present in 2004 when you visited Oscar and Elia Hernández in the city of Valera in Trujillo State. He says that the word of the kingdom captured his heart. In 2005, you came to Coro invited by Pastor Amelia Arenas and Pastor Gerardo Sotillo to minister during the anniversary of their congregation. Brother Isandri was part of the people serving and helping in the activities which allowed him to be in all the activities that were done. There were two activities in the auditorium of the Technological Institute, one for leaders in the Zion Church of the Assemblies of God (that’s where you prophesied to me and Pastor Peter) and on Sunday afternoon they held a meeting exclusively for those who had worked As servers in the event. He says that at the end of the activity, chaos and confusion came in the midst of the ministers because many said that the word preached was false but others said that it was a true word.

Several pastors and presbyters (actually the Pharisees) met and officially declared that these teachings were false doctrines and therefore gave the order to hide the recordings. The ministry of the pastor, who had invited you was in great danger because he was accused of being responsible for bringing that false doctrine to the city and they almost forced him to retire from his ministry.

At the server’s meeting, you spoke a prophetic words to brother Isandri Ruiz. And the word spoke to him about the Lord’s call for his life. And although at the end of the conference, the order was given to discard all that you had ministered; this brother embraced the word and did not let go of it.
For several years he was very cautious and as he was before others he pretended to have rejected the prophetic word he had received but actually he treasured it in his heart. He told us that he knew about every time you came to Coro, and wanted to see you, but for fear of reprisals against him, he would not go to the meetings.

In 2010, trouble began in the church where he attended because he wanted to put into practice the word you had given him but his pastors told him to forget those prophecies because they were false. They rose up against him and tried to silence him until, finally, they threw him out of the congregation. At first he was very hurt and he did not know what to do but began to talk to some college students and he was able to win two of them for the Lord and with those two young people he began to hold meetings in the squares of the city.
Every Sunday they brought food and juice to give to the people who were in the squares and then preached to them. That is how the work began and today he pastors a group of about 60 people.

In 2012, when we had the Family Reunion, when he was no longer in that church, he was able to come and attend the conference.

He tells us that the brethren who invited you in 2004, rejected the word of the kingdom and today, after all these years they are alone. They had to renounce their positions as pastors and the congregations they tended because Pastor Oscar Hernandez is very sick. Even Pastor Isandri was given some congregations for him to attend to.
On the other hand, the pastors who brought you to Coro in 2005, did not know what to do with the word, they could not withstand the pressure and the threats, and ended up discarding the word. Today they are a small congregation in Coro

Brother Isandri says that he did not lose sight of us. He followed us for years because he knew that we had received the word of the kingdom but they wanted to wait and see the results that this word would produce.

He says that we who believed the word, have been blessed, strengthened. We are growing and the Lord has used us to influence the city. IT IS THE RESULT OF HAVING BELIEVED THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM … !!!

Surely, the next time that you visit us we will have a meeting with these men and they will enjoy shaking your hand and receive words that confirm what they have received.

ABOUT THE FAMILY
• We are well, all working in the church. In spite of shortages, the Lord has kept us safe. We lack on many things but we have had food and peace.
• Our daughter Valeria and her boyfriend have planned their wedding for the month of November. We trust in the Lord that all things will be provided for them.
• We have already completed the entire process of renewing our passports. We are waiting for the passports to arrive.

A big hug.

Strength and Honor

More photos from Venezuela can be found here at the website on our photos page and also on out Facebook page.