We've changed blogs!

Hey friends and family,

Sherry and I have switched our blog over to Wordpress. I know…I know…we just started blogging, so why in the world did we switch? It’s quite simple. We don't like Blogger. It is not very easy to use. Plus, we think WordPress looks better. So there you have it.

Our new blog site is: thevenns.wordpress.com

Go ahead and bookmark that page for all things Venn-related.

Thanks,

Rich & Sherry

Brazil!!

Sherry and I are back from our trip to Brazil and we had an amazing time! There were so many experiences and memories, that when I think about it, I get a little overwhelmed. So needless to say, we are both still processing.

We arrived in Manaus, Brazil in the late afternoon on Sunday, May 18, after a long day of travel. Manaus is located in the northeast part of Brazil and is the capital of Amazonas state. Located near the meeting point of the Rio Negro (Black River) and the the Amazon River, the city is the chief port and a hub for the region's extensive river system.

When we landed, we met our team for the week: Pastor Dijard from Manuas Presbyterian Church, our four translators and three Bel Air Pres college graduates who were already doing short-term ministries in Manaus. Our partner church, Manaus Presbyterian Church, ministers to the Amazon region of Brazil and supports more than 75 church plants throughout the small villages along the many rivers in the area.

We ate dinner at a restaurant called “Habibs,” a Brazilian fast food franchise that specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine and is known for its low prices and exotic dishes. After we ate, we went to a church service at Manaus Presbyterian Church and then were taken to the boat that we would call home for the next week.

We traveled down the Rio Negro on an open-air boat and visited seven villages during the week. We experienced and learned about close community as the one large area on the second level of the boat served as our dining room, bedroom and living room!

In each village, we offered medical and dental care (we had a dentist and a doctor on the boat), Vacation Bible School (VBS) activities for the children, men’s ministry of soccer and testimonies and an evening church service. On our trip alone, we had the opportunity to minister to 75 families in 7 villages. The doctor and nurses saw 228 patients (91 children and 137 adults), the dentist saw 38 patients and did 138 procedures, we had 174 children in VBS and had 54 men for the men’s ministry.

In the villages that we visited, we found that most people lived in two-room houses made of wood. Most didn’t have running water but some had electricity from a generator, which was used to power lights, TV and a refrigerator.

One of the biggest highlights for us was helping lead the VBS activities under Rosario, Pastor Dijard’s wife. The kids in the villages were so warm and friendly, and were excited to interact with us despite the language barrier. It was very encouraging to us to be welcomed, trusted and embraced by them.

To view some photos from our trip, please click HERE.

Enjoy!

And we're back!

Hey friends and family!

We got back late last night (or early morning) at 1:30 a.m. We're glad to be back and had an amazing experience. Once we get unpacked and re-situated, we'll dish on the details. In the meantime though, thanks for your prayers and support that allowed us to go on this incredible trip.

Love,
Rich and Sherry

And we're off!

Hey friends and family!

We are all packed and ready to go! Let's hope both our bags weigh less than 50 lbs., otherwise there are going to be some tough decisions to make at the check-in counter.

We are both really excited to be going on this trip and look forward to telling you about it when we get home.

Love,

Rich and Sherry

Happy Birthday

In the midst of getting shots for Brazil, Rich neglected to mention it was also his birthday last week! We kicked off the week with a joint party with our small groups (we celebrated 2 other birthdays as well) and dined on fine cheeses, salads, tri-tip, BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes and Sprinkles cupcakes. On Wednesday, the actual day of Rich's birth, we headed to Duke's in Malibu for an intimate dinner which turned into a so-so meal. Watery cocktails, rubbery chicken, over-cooked steak, and an unfriendly waiter all contributed to our meal of mediocrity. Still, I thought we had a good time together.

Over the weekend, we celebrated one more time with the family and our niece Ashley went all out to give Rich a Harry Potter themed birthday. OH-MY-GOSH, she was so cute with all of the decorations, from table decor to signage and games. Saying she loves Harry Potter anything is an understatement and she knows every piece of trivia a 10-year old could possibly know. She did such a great job being in charge of the party, she could have a serious future in this.

In Brazil news, last night Rich and I headed to the travel clinic to get our Yellow Fever shots and unfortunately I was unable to get mine. Since I'm allergic to egg whites, they wouldn't administer the shot since the clinic was not equipped to handle anaphylatic shock if that were to occur. Apparently I need to go somewhere that will give me portions of the shots in 3 controlled increments to make sure I won't seriously react. I don't think I'll have any problems since my allergy isn't life-threatening, but as annoying as it is to have to go somewhere else, I guess it's better to play it safe. Rich did get his shot though, so he's all set and ready to go.

-Sherry

I've been shot!

It's true. On Tuesday, I had to go get several immunization shots for our Brazil trip. And it is a pretty lengthy list of shots too: Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Tetanus and a prescription for pills to prevent malaria, the ones without the psychological effects. Yes, apparently one of the prescription drugs that prevent Malaria, called mefloquine (Lariam), has several side effects including, sleep disorders, headaches, bizarre dreams, disorientation, severe anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, depression and unusual behavior. I have two alternative choices: Doxycycline and Malarone. Doxycycline's side effects include sensitivity to sunlight which is probably not a great idea since we'll likely be working outdoors in Brazil, but the drug is unlikely to produce psychological changes. And Malarone can cause vivid dreams, insomnia, and dizziness. Malarone sounds like the best choice for me even though the 18 pills I need cost an arm and a leg. Doxycycline just costs an arm. But I don't want to risk getting skin cancer in 10 years...

I am still shopping different travel clinics for a yellow fever shot since my PCP wasn't liscensed to administer it. The cost of the yellow fever shot alone ranges between $125-$145 plus travel clinic administration and office visit fees. Crazy, huh? Unfortunately, my health insurance plan doesn't cover any "travel" immunizations, so Sherry and I (and pretty much everyone on our mission trip team) have to pay out of pocket for all our shots. I think we'll end up paying close to $500 each for all our shots at the end of the day. But we need the shots to safeguard our health, plus there is a yellow fever outbreak right now in the region of Brazil that we'll be traveling in, so all the more reason to get the shots.

So, that's the latest in our string of adventures in preparing for the trip. Sherry's doctor's appointment is today, so she'll come back with sore arms, just like mine.

Rich

Adventures in Snowboarding!

After years of begging, pleading and whining, it finally happened.

I was convinced to go snowboarding. It had been nearly 10 years since my last attempt, and it wasn't pretty then. So naturally, I wasn't gung ho on going.

Who knew it had been since the 1900s when he last went. I realized the day might be disastrous when the night before Rich said, 'I hope I don't break any bones and then can't go to Brazil.' It was then I knew what I was dealing with.

Sherry's an Olympic gold snowboarder. I knew I'd have to face up to this someday. After all, I married into this sport.

We convinced our friends RO and Mindy to go with us to Snow Summit in Big Bear. That way, Rich and Mindy would have somebody to learn with, and RO and I could hit some advanced runs. I checked on Rich after his first run, and seeing the frustrated look on his face, made me believe my worst fears were coming true; he was never going to do this again.

Before the day even started Mindy and I agreed we'd blame Sherry for organizing this outing if we had a bad time. And I would take the credit if we had a good time. Needless to say, the first "run" down the bunny-slope was more of a painful series of falls.

Everything always seems better after lunch, so soon after, we headed over to the grill and chowed down on cheeseburgers, chips and Gatorade. Magically, everything was better after lunch. Rich became the rock star of the green (beginner) slope and, oh yes, hit a blue (intermediate) by the end of the day, wha wha!

And Sherry's rock star moves turned heads, mainly mine (which almost lead to a collision into a pine tree). All in all it was a good day, beautiful 45 degree weather, good snow and good friends.

I think I might even be able to convince Rich to do this again sometime -- hooray!

Our passion buckets were filled.