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Mary Al - Mary Allison Joseph

Hello, everyone! My name is Mary Allison Joseph, and I'll be spending the next year in Venezuela! I'll be doing mission work under the guidance of Reverends Francisco Mendoza and Fernando Mendez with the communities and ministries in Carorita, San Carlos, and Maracaibo. This a journey, a response to a call, an expression of faith. I have many friends and family members back home and throughout the world thinking about me, praying for me, and supporting me. I hope to be able to share with you all much as possible in this next phase of my life, about life in Venezuela, about missions in Venezuela, about what God teaches me, about my Venezuelan friends and family. This blog is a bridge, between all of you where my roots took hold and my present experience where my wings have taken me now. I love you! Join me on my journey!

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Joined on: April 5th 2005
Last Login: August 5th 2008

Blog Entries: 17
Photos: 21

TB Code: [blogger=2785]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Mary-Al, order by Date newest first.

By Mary Al
February 20th 2008

Echar p'alante...

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

In my life, choosing between responsibility and what I feel like doing has manifested itself in decisions like the following: I want to go to the movies, but I can’t because I have to study. I want to buy that new shirt, but I can’t because I need money for gas. I want to go on the spring break trip, but I can’t because I need to help out at home. For rural Venezuelan farmers, choosing between responsibility and what they feel like doing results in decisions like the following: I want to finish high school, but I can’t because [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
January 13th 2008

The Mission Honeymoon and the Mission Reality

South America » Venezuela

Just as assuming a person is completely bad is an incorrect assumption, assuming a person is completely good is also an incorrect assumption. It’s best just to understand that a person is completely human. The first time I came to Venezuela I was 18 - I spoke Spanish well enough to ace even college Spanish exams but not well enough to understand when I was being made fun of or gossiped about. In an environment of relative poverty in comparison to the average lifestyle in the United States, I saw and experienced so many beautiful acts of kindness that I had [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
January 11th 2008

I remember when I thought I was a patient person...

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

All my life, I have considered myself a pretty patient person. I even have one memory as a child with my mom when we lived at 106B Keowee. It was Easter, and she was putting out all of her cutesy decorations. Part of the decorations was a small Easter tree, which required unwinding all the tangled up branches. As she pulled it out of the box, she huffed and passed it over to me, saying, “Here, you’ve got more patience for these kinds of things than I do.” I don’t know why, but I remember feeling proud at the time that [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
December 28th 2007

¡Feliz Navidad!

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays as much as I am here in Carorita! Venezuelan Christmas tradition is very different from that of the states. The first welcoming of the Christmas season occurs in early December when everyone starts to paint their houses and make all the necessary home repairs to make sure the house is in top condition to welcome baby Jesus and the New Year. Then, the 15th of December, the first Misa de Aguinaldo, or Misa de Gallo (Rooster Mass), begins, which is an early morning mass that starts [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
November 23rd 2007

Lessons in orthopraxy

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Lessons in orthopraxy Hello, everyone! I hope you're all happy, healthy, and living life to its fullest! I write you today with a few cultural lessons and a reflection I've had recently... Here in Carorita, there's a strong belief in spirits, particulary in the idea that after a person passes on, their spirit might go looking for you if you had ever done them wrong. Right now, in the time between October 31st and December 25, it's considered by many to be the season of the souls, meaning that more spirits are out than usual, particularly at night. Moms tell th [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
November 2nd 2007

when life is less convenient...

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

when life is less convenient... what do you learn? patience and improvisation! let me fill you in on ways that life is less convenient here for me in Venezuela, and the lessons this has taught me... what do you do... 1. when the power goes out and all your clothes are dirty? you wash your jeans by hand and hope they come out clean! (i started to wash my jeans by hand the other day, by the way, and when i was half way through the power came back... also, the majority of houses here don't have washing machines, anyway, so [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
October 25th 2007

update from Carorita

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Update from Carorita Hello all! I hope this email finds everyone happy and healthy! Things here in Carorita have been a little rough recently. After my first blog, we found out that my godmother Auxiliadora was pregnant. Just last week, however, three months pregnant, she miscarried. For the 3 or so weeks before the miscarriage, she had already been on bedrest, so the household has been out of whack for a while now. Fortunately, she and Francisco have been recovering well, and things here at home are starting to get back to normal. I must say I learned a lot about [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
October 17th 2007

¡hola!

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Update from Carorita Hello all! I hope this email finds everyone happy and healthy! Things here in Carorita have been a little rough recently. Just after my first blog, we found out that my godmother Auxiliadora was pregnant. Just last week, however, three months pregnant, she miscarried. For the 3 or so weeks before the miscarriage, she had already been on bedrest, so the household has been out of whack for a while now. Fortunately, she and Francisco have been recovering well, and things here at home are starting to get back to normal. I must say I learned a lot [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
April 16th 2007

Who am I with?

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Francisco
Francisco is the head minister of the Methodist ministry here in Venezuela! He's also my godfather, trusted friend, dear brother in Christ, housemate, and one of my favorite, most respected people!

Who am I with? South America » Venezuela » Carorita By Mary Al April 16th 2007 Mary Allison JosephHello, friends and family! I wanted to let you know who I'm in ministry with here in Carorita. Though I can't show you pictures of everyone (there's not that much room!), here are some of my best friends, my family, and com [View Full Entry]

By Mary Al
April 16th 2007

Where exactly am I?

South America » Venezuela » Andean » Carorita

Venezuela
Maracaibo and San Carlos are in Zulia state, #23. Carorita is in Trujillo state, #20.

Where exactly am I? South America » Venezuela » Carorita By Mary Al April 16th 2007 Mary Allison Joseph Hello, everyone! I'd like to give you all a better sense of where I am: I'm in northern South America, in the country of Venezuela, in the state of Trujillo, near the city of Valera, near the town of La [View Full Entry]

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