In a pueblo with nothing, there are children surviving with even less. Each evening as the sun goes down,the headlights come over the hill into Pavia as folks pay for a ride home and Barquisimetaños come to pay for prostitution.
As a result of this ‘landfill prostitution,’ there is an amazing population percentage of children and preteens growing. “Some of these children are motherless, fatherless, and even abandoned by their families as the adults leave the pueblo in search of a better life.
One afternoon, a young parentless child simply asked for a hug from Gerson Perez. From this act of godly compassion to the child, a children’s church was born under the shade of a shanty car repair shack. Since then Pastor Gerson and his team have been working tirelessly to make a difference through the gospel in the lives of children.
The Pavia Project is an official B.G.M.C. project with a 2010 target goal of $65,000 to purchase a 3,000 square foot buiding, the accompanying 2.5 acres, rewire the building and add much needed bathrooms and sinks to the facility.
This past summer, I was blessed to have the opportunity to help lead a youth team and serve in my future home/ mission field, Venezuela. During our time there, we spent a large amount of time in Pavia. I was able to see first hand both the needs and the fruit of the work being done in Pavia. The Nelsons, a missionary family who I will be serving along side of in Venezuela, oversee the Pavia Project. In the words of Angela:
The Pavia Project was created in June of 2010 to assist a church in Pavia, Venezuela that consists of over 300 children. God has opened many doors for our family to assist Pastors Gerson & Francoise Perez & their team as they minister to this large group of children & teenagers. Over the summer we were pleased to host a team from Raleigh First Assembly of God in Raleigh, North Carolina. They were able to use street evangelism & dramas to radically transform the community of Pavia. God has amazing plans in store for the precious people of Pavia.
If you are interested in helping or supporting this project please contact us at: angela@nelson5missions.com or chris@nelson5missions.com We have a video presentation that is 3 1/2 minutes in length. If you would like to see this promo video please contact us by email & we will tell you how to view it. Due to child trafficking laws, we are not posting the presentation on the internet. Thanks to everyone for your support & your prayers. We are fighting a spiritual battle for these children. How thankful we are that we serve a mighty God!
