wfn.org | LCMS - Missionaries leave Venezuela

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No. 1
January 2, 2003

Missionaries leave Venezuela

Because of an ongoing labor strike and growing tensions, eight Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod career missionaries and their families have left
Venezuela, where they were serving, and returned to the United States.	The
missionaries departed the country the week of Dec. 23 and all were out by
Dec. 30, according to Rev. James Tino, area director for Venezuela and the
Caribbean with LCMS World Mission.

The Synod's mission board had pulled its volunteer missionaries from
Venezuela on Dec. 10, and on Dec. 21 notified its career-missionary staff
that they, too, would be evacuated, based on recommendations from U.S.
embassy officials.

"No missionary was in any physical danger at any time," Tino said.
"However, the ongoing national labor strike has caused severe shortages of
goods and services.  The U.S. embassy evacuated their non-emergency
personnel, and recommended that U.S. citizens in Venezuela leave the
country."

Tino added that LCMS mission leaders plan to meet later this month "to
review the situation and make a determination as to a future course of
action."

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