“Barefooting”:
Your First Year in the Field

by Steve Hoke

First Six Months
Your first three months in Caracas are to be spent doing nothing but getting settled into a national home or your own place and adjusting to your new culture.

During this time you will:

Find housing and furnishings.
Meet your neighbors.
Immerse yourself in Spanish study (class-room, tutor, relationships).
Learn where to change money.
Learn how to get around using buses, taxis, and the subway.
Learn where the post office and stores are located.
Visit several different churches and ministries.
Learn how to use the phone, pay bills, pay rent, etc.
Find a Venezuelan mentor/helper (or “adopt” a family).
Obtain your cedula (official ID document), health certificates, and driver’s licenses.

During your second three months, you will add to your adaptation skills by doing things like:

Opening a bank account.
Purchasing a car. (Note: Some may want to wait longer on this.)
Finding a church home.

Second Six Months
Explore ministry possibilities.

1. Read the following:

Daily newspaper.
Weekly magazine.
A recent book that evaluates Venezuelan culture.

2. Visit and become acquainted with various resources and ministries in the city, including the following:

Christian bookstores.
The Caracas Ministerial (local pastors ministerial association).
The Evangelical Alliance.
Theological education centers.

3. Continue relationship building in your new church home.

Third Six Months
Begin structured ministry.

Expand your cultural understanding by attending/visiting the following:

A wedding.
A horse race.
The theater.
A funeral.
A baseball game.
The beach.
A barrio (only after checking with your director regarding safety precautions) .

Your ministry should gradually become more clearly defined. You will have a clearer picture of what you will do, where, with whom, and what skills you will need to do it.

Fourth Six Months
Focus on ministry development.

Some cautions:

Watch the time you spend exclusively with people of your own nationality or ethnicity.
Limit your time on e-mail. Already we have seen new missionaries misuse their time by e-mail. Give your cyberspace correspondent (even family) time to ponder the different exchange.
Don’t let other technology neutralize personal relationships.