Blog Posts
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Nicaragua Video – Sign Up for Next years trip!
Posted by stephen on May 4th, 2012Here is a fun video that shows the work that was done by Venture’s Mission team in Nicaragua! It was a really amazing trip and we who went were so blessed by the experience.
We will be returning to Nicaragua for two more trips in 2013.
The First one will be March 10-17, 2013 to Leon, Nicaragua to teach Hygiene and Drill a well while we share the love of Christ and His good news with the people we meet.
The Second trip will head out June 20-27, 2013 and will go to Rivas, Nicaragua. Here we will teach Hygiene and air drill through volcanic rock.
If you are interested in either trip please fill out our STOMP form.
Below is a video that Estuardo’s (who is in charge of the Leon site in Nicaragua) old church from California put together. It gives a great feel of what Living Water, (who Venture partners with on these trips) is all about:
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Washington DC Q Conference
Posted by stephen on May 1st, 2012
On April 10-12 a handful of us at Venture had the opportunity to go to the Q conference hosted by Gabe Lyons. It was a three day event that consisted of a myriad talks that were either 18, 9 or 3 minutes in length and ranged from topics on Humility, Power, Abortion reduction, Social Networks, Books, Worship, Politics, Discipleship, Identity, our place in the public square and many more.
I have gone to this conference for the past three years now. Each time I have been appreciative (though now, not so overwhelmed) my the magnitude and care of the conference.
I will be writing over the next few weeks about different talks I heard and how they have been influencing my reading and thinking but before I do all that I wanted you all to listen to a song that was sung at the conference.
It is by the group Young Oceans and I have found it to be a very beautiful, worshipful song.
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We found water!
Posted by admin on April 13th, 2012Update— Day 5
Today we are dedicating the well. Yesterday we finished clearing the water with back pressure and then capped it and purified the casing. We then had the chance to play with the children and the we made the cement base of our well.
The well pumps 100gal per minute so it will never run dry!
We hope to return to the village we worked at last year and say hello to the community.
Pray for continued safety and for the community that God would use this well to show his great love to this wonderful group of people!
Update— Day 3
Today we went to the school where we began drilling. it took a bit of time to get started because we had to make two four foot long by 1 foot wide trenches to flow our mud pits that had to be dug through concrete.
Once Curt took the opportunity to brake his pinky toe(he will be okay), and we all were exhausted from the physical labor of destroying poured cement, we had our trenches and started drilling. We dug 100 ft into the earth and did indeed find water! Tomorrow we will redriill the well and make it large enough to put the casing down. Pray for continual safety!
The Hygiene team taught 4 different classes and had an hour with each class! Using the parable of the lost they explained how happy God is to continually seek after us. They explained how germs travel and taught people how to wash their hands and explained why it was important to keep their hands clean. They had a great time. We are all exhausted and ready to sleep.
Check back tomorrow for progress! Keep praying for us!
***UPDATE Day 1***
We made it to Leon and have had very safe travels.
We will be working at a place called Santa Maria about a half hour from where we are staying.
We will be near two large villages and will be drilling the well at a school that has 180 kids.
We brought along a lot of sports equipment and school supplies so they will be put to good use!
The team is working together well!
Keep us all in your prayers!
Our Team is leaving for Houston, Texas tonight. They will fly to Managua early tomorrow morning. Please pray for Alex, Stephanie, Rebecca, Monica, Curt, Eric and Stephen as they go to Leon for the week. Check back this week for more updates!
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Easter Week
Posted by danny on April 2nd, 2012This week we celebrate Passion Week. For Christians, this is a significant week for commemorating the significant events at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It is also an opportunity for us to worship the Lord Jesus. Instead of thinking of ourselves first this week, we can turn our attention to celebrating the ministry of our Risen Lord.
Yesterday we began the week by celebrating Palm Sunday together. We looked at key passages from Jesus’ ministry from the gospel of Luke: 4:14-21 (Jesus’ proclamation that he came to end Israel’s exile and to bring the kingdom of God); 19:28-48 (Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and his showdown with the Jewish religious leader about the temple); and 22:7-20 (the last Supper, the Jewish Passover meal where Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant).
I would encourage you to not only review those significant passages in Luke, but to read the entire Gospel of Luke this week. At a good pace, you can read through Luke in about 90 minutes. Reading this book of the Bible will allow you spend some intentional time in worship this week. Then join us in Venture on Sunday as we sing songs of praise and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection (and reflect on how we have the hope of resurrection in Christ). Make this a week of reflection and celebration of our Risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Donate to Nicaragua – Update
Posted by admin on February 24th, 2012A team from Venture will be heading to Nicaragua on April 14-21. We will be going to Leon and working with Living Water International, drilling for clean sustainable water for a local village. We are in need of finical support! If you are willing to support us please click here. We still need to raise about 9,000USD. Please be praying for our team as they prepare for this trip!
Meet the Team!
Curt Wunder:
“I feel it is important to do God’s will and put my faith into action; actually doing something as opposed to talking about it. I feel in the United States we have such a sense of entitlement and take many things for granted. Going to a Third World country and serving people and caring for their basic needs will be a humbling experience. I need to be reminded what is important and what is not. Sharing the love of Christ by a selfless act is a good exercise for me; hopefully I will be able to carry that through my daily walk when I return home. A big plus as I get the bond my son-in-law and I’m looking forward to that very much!”
Alex & Stephanie Hairgrove:
“This will be my (Alex) second trip to Nicaragua with Living Water, International. The opportunity to provide a physical representation of Christ’s love to the people of Nicaragua was the driving force behind my first trip. It was such a rewarding experience, that when I returned, I immediately told my wife (Stephanie) that she was coming with me next year. Together we hope to show the community in Nicaragua that just as God sends us to help meet their physical needs, He sent His Son to meet their spiritual needs.”
Rebecca Perez:
“This trip to Nicaragua will be my very first mission. In the past year, God has shown me how blessed we are in this country. We take clean water for granted while others never see it in their lifetime. With a new perspective, I hope to grow closer to the Lord while bringing the native Nicaraguans a new perspective of their own: the Gospel.”
Eric Flug:
“I am returning to Nicaragua four years after my wife and I went for our first time. That trip was extremely rewarding despite not being successful in our attempt to get a working well. I have longed to return and I finally have another chance this spring. I look forward to getting away from my comfortable yet chaotic Northern Virginia life and see God work through us and in us. It gives me great joy to meet the needs of people in a tangible way and to do it in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Stephen Procopio:
“This will be my third trip to Nicaragua with LWI. Each time I have learned more about Christ’s love and about sharing Him and his love with how I daily live. I love going on these trips, working with the people in Leon and growing with others from Venture. I believe that this is very important work and am so grateful to be part of this team!”
Again, We still need to raise quite a bit of money to pay for the drilling equipment, food and airfare. Please consider donating here:
https://www.immanuelbible.net/registrations/giving/missions_giving.html
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Venture Christmas Party!
Posted by stephen on December 4th, 2011Blanket Stock-up Christmas-Potluck: Sunday, December 11 from 6-10 p.m.
Come celebrate the season with us at 6338 River Downs Road, Alexandria, 22312. Please bring a new or gently-used and laundered blanket (suitable for the outdoors) to the party. We will give the blankets to the homeless on December 18. Last name A-H: Please bring a side dish. Last Name I-P: Please bring a main dish. Last name Q-Z: Please bring a dessert. -
Thanksgiving Boxes
Posted by stephen on November 3rd, 2011
HolidayFoodDrive2011-edited – CLICK ON LINK FOR A PDF WITH LIST AND DIRECTIONS.
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Men of the Bible
Posted by stephen on September 19th, 2011The MOB gives you an opportunity to develop meaningful and lasting relationships with other men as we study God’s Word together and apply it in every aspect of our lives.
This study begins September 20 at IBC in room W102 from 8-9pm.
Register Here – or just show up.
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Ultimate Frisbee!
Posted by stephen on September 12th, 2011Ultimate Frisbee,
Cookout, & Pie Contest
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 | 2:30-7pm
Jefferson Manor Park | Alexandria
Sign up as a complete Frisbee team (7 people) for $10. Sign up as a partial team or an individual for $2 per player. If you don’t want to play, come to cheer and hang out during the tournament or just for the cookout at 5pm. Sign up to play and/or come to the cookout here.
If you have questions or would like to help with this event, go to the Ultimate Frisbee registration table today or email Kristen Law – krcarter2002@yahoo.com
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Nicaragua Living Water Int. Trip 2011
Posted by stephen on August 5th, 2011Join us this Sunday, August 28 in Venture for a special service all about our trip!
See you in the IBC Gym at 11am! Hear from our team and find out how you can
get involved in future trips!
Update 8-11-11 (Part 2- 7pm):
Today we finished the well and dedicated it! It was a wonderful ceremony hosted by the leader of the community – a woman older than I would like to guess… I was also asked to speak on behalf of our team and had the opportunity to share with the whole community that we did this because we love Jesus and wanted to help them fulfill a need. I also told them that there were hundreds of people in the states that though they couldn’t be there to dig the well did participate by donating to us and funding our trip and were and are praying for us and the community. They made us an amazing meal and we are now back at Jorge’s resting and getting ready to travel back to Managua tomorrow and back to the U S on Saturday – please pray for safety for everyone on our last day and as we head home!Update 8-11-11:
Hello! Today was another fun day! We had one hiccup with the compressor and it broke the PVC t shade pipe that shoots the water out to the side of the rig! We had to wait for a replacement and, in the mean time, Eric tied the compressor down and we continued pumping without any way to direct the water – it was wet! After we replaced the broken piece we got back to work and put the concrete down. Our water is running at 110 gallons per minute! With a flow like that we are told the well will never run dry.
The hygiene team had an excellent time with the kids and community and actually had the opportunity to bring school supplies to the school. The kids were extremely excited. The teacher praised God for such an answer to prayer! It was really great to hear how receptive the community has been to our teaching team.We ended the day with a game of soccer with the kids — Greg and Marcos are really good and so are the kids. I did my best to keep up!
Tomorrow we will dedicate the well!
Thank you for your prayers — pray for safety traveling back to Managua and a safe flight home!
Update 8-10-11:
Another successful day! Lisa and Monica are having a great time with the children – it seems that the people are very receptive to the teaching – they say on average there is one person who knows about brushing teeth or washing hands but it is new to the majority. All the kids are in love with them — and Greg, who played so hard with the kids the kids today that he nearly passed out.We re-dug the well using a 7 inch bit and then went Bout putting the PVC piping in a x sterilized the casing- the work was messy and wet but we are all having a great time!
Thank you all for your prayers! tomorrow we will try to put the piping in and after that we will cap it and dedicate it with the pump!
Update 8-9-11:
We just got back from our first day of drilling and… we already found the water!! Tomorrow we will case it up and get it set with a shoot and pump, and then we will purify it. By Wednesday we may be all finished and able to dedicate it!Update 8-8-11:
Morning! yesterday we spent some time in the village and then came back and worked on getting hygiene supplies ready. the rest of the day was spent reading and talking and building relationships as a team. we will be drilling in a community about ten miles from Jorges house. it is a great opportunity to show his immediate community what LWI is all about and show them Christ’s love. Today we will head back to start drilling and teaching. pray that the people are receptive and that we can be encouraging. pray that we work hard and for constant safety. (Stephen P.)Update 8-7-11:
Hello! Our team made it safely to Nicaragua, Managua last night. It was a very smooth entry and we all found our luggage with ease! Minutes later we were greeted warmly by Jorge who met us and took us across the street to the Best Western for the night. We spent some time catching up and learning about each other. Our team: Lisa, Monica, Michelle, Eric, Alex, Marcos, Greg and Myself could not be more different but that is a wonderful thing and I think we will really work well together. Jorge told us that they are moving to a new area in Nicaragua Because they have had over 50 teams sign up to participate next year. The new area is tricky to find water in due to all the volcanic rock but he and his family are excited and hopeful about the new challenges. Many of his team from last year are going to be working with us along with a couple that LWI sent from TX that was wanting to participate this year on a well dig. Today we will be going to church and getting settled in Jorge´s house about a two hour drive from here. Tomorrow we will go to the village and start digging and educating. That process will hopefully end with a successful well on Friday morning that can be dedicated to the village. Please pray for unity, safety and that we can continue to be representatives of Christ and his love for all of us as we learn and grow through this process. I do not know when I will get a chance to send you information updates again but I hope this is good enough for the blog!Update 8-5-11
We leave Tomorrow at 2pm from Reagan airport. Please pray for safe travels for our team! More updates to come throughout the week!
