November 28, 2025 • 40 mins
A crowded sanctuary in downtown Caracas. A song of praise rising over a weary city. And a pastor who refuses to leave. In this episode Brian sits down with Rev. Samuel Olson, Senior Pastor of Las Acacias Evangelical Pentecostal Church, to trace how this Venezuelan church keeps growing while the surrounding economy buckles and millions migrate. The stories that are shared are raw, yet practical: pallets of medicine carried into barrios, dentists and doctors setting up pop-up clinics, lawyers helping neighbors find a way forward. Apparently, scarcity doesn’t shrink mission - it sharpens it.
Pastor Samuel goes on to explain why the church won’t trade its witness for political favour, even as members serve across parties, schools, courts, and the military. We explore how interfaith friendships with Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim leaders reduce suspicion and help protect ministry in tense seasons. You’ll hear a gripping account of a near-confiscation of the church property that was turned back through fasting, quiet conversations, and clear evidence of social impact. Through it all, worship fuels perseverance and baptisms multiple, as people find hope money can’t buy.
For younger leaders, Pastor Sam offers a steady word: calling is not a contract. Stay long enough to love a place, to train successors, and to watch God multiply small beginnings into schools, seminaries, and transformed neighborhoods. If you care about faith under pressure, ethical engagement with politics, and how churches can serve cities without compromise, this conversation will stir your imagination and your courage.
If you'd like to learn more about Las Acacias Evangelical Pentecostal Church and Pastor Samuel Olson, you can go to the website and follow them on Facebook.
And please don't forget to share this episode and join the conversation on YouTube!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brian Stiller (00:10):
Hello and welcome to Evangelical 360.
I'm your host, Brian Stiller.
I stood in the largest churchin downtown Caracas, Venezuela.
A church located in a toughneighborhood of a tough country.
Pastor Sam Olson looked outover this crowded church and
knew so many were hurting,upset, confused, anxiety-ridden.
(00:33):
Venezuela was demoralized.
Millions were fleeing to othercountries.
The nation's valuable resourceswere being squandered.
Its currency was in the gutter.
Its people were looking attheir beloved country out on the
edge.
Pastor Olson raised his handand prayed.
(00:53):
Then we began to sing.
The band took over.
We stood and listened as thistrumpeter moved all of us with
his creative jazz interpretationof a favorite hymn.
We joined in an ascendingtriumph of faith.
I looked out over this people,hands raised, eyes unashamed to
(01:18):
their tears.
The next day, amazingly, whilemeeting with a Catholic bishop
and then with the Jewishcommunity, I saw these groups
were looking to Pastor SamOlson, a Pentecostal pastor, for
affirmation, hope, and counsel.
Born in Venezuela of Swedishparents, Sam Olson has spent his
life loving and caring forpeople, leading them in faith,
(01:43):
lifting them up in sorrow, andgiving witness to the power of
the gospel.
If you feel your life is beingdragged down by those in charge,
or if your faith is called intoquestion by those in power
around you, I suggest you listento Pastor Olson.
And my visits with churches andministers in dozens of
(02:04):
countries, often seeing theeffect of opposition and even
persecution.
My time with Pastor Olson hasbeen a highlight.
And thank you for joining me.
Please consider sharing thisepisode with a friend.
And if you haven't done soalready, just hit the subscribe
button.
That really matters.
You can also join theconversation on YouTube in the
(02:26):
comments below.
But now to my guest, Pastor SamOlson.
Pastor Sam Olson, thanks forjoining me on Evangelical 360.
Samuel Olson (02:36):
It's so good to be with you, Brian.
Brian Stiller (02:39):
Sam, I've been with you in Venezuela a few
times and was always amazed athere you are Pentecostal pastor
of a large downtown church inCaracas.
And we would we would, afterour meetings, we would go off
and see the Jewish community andthen the Catholic community.
And they had such regard foryou and the kind of the pastoral
(03:04):
leadership that you brought.
But over these last few years,there's been challenges, of
course, in your country.
We listen to the stories, wewatch the videos from afar, and
we realize that your church hasbeen in the midst of a an
enormous kind of social upheavalas many people have left your
(03:26):
country for elsewhere.
What is it like to pastor acenter church in the city, the
capital city of Venezuela duringthese days?
Samuel Olson (03:38):
It has been a constant walk of faith, of
trusting the Lord, of knowingthat He's going to respond,
knowing that He will followalong with us, and yet always
figuring out what is happening.
The church has been so blessedduring this period of time that
(04:01):
we cannot look backwards and saythat we've been hurt.
We have been blessed, eventhough we have also had to come
through profound changes in ourwalk and in the work that we do
and how we see the future.
But we see a city that has beenso decimated, a city that is
(04:25):
now impoverished by what hashappened, not because of COVID,
but what has produced themigration, which means that the
country has become animpoverished nation.
We're no longer producing whatwe need to produce in the
country to make it a wealthynation again.
We've come into a very sad timewhich does not give a good
(04:50):
prognosis for the future.
But even though those arecircumstances that we are
facing, we cannot say that theLord has been absent.
We've seen how our churchservices or the people who come
are coming so hungrily toreceive the word, to be able to
(05:11):
worship the Lord, and to be inhis presence, and to know that
they have been fed and that theycan go out throughout this vast
city of Caracas, which youknow, and into the other towns
that surround the city, andthey're working for the Lord,
besides the work that they'redoing to support themselves.
(05:33):
I want to give that sense ofwhere we're awed by the presence
and the faithfulness of theLord, but we are very sad at
what we have to look at and whatwe have to respond to.
The calling of the Lord in Luke4 is still our motto.
(05:55):
We've come to serve those whoare captivated, those who are
blind, those who cannot hearwith a message that brings them
to liberty and to freedom again.
So we're picking up what asociety has left behind.
But we're seeing atransformation of the slums,
(06:17):
people who live in the slums,and whose lives are being
transformed in a social sense,in an economic sense, and in an
educational sense.
Our school is burgeoning, theseminary is burgeoning, the
schools that we're have to trainleaders is burgeoning.
So there's no sense ofdisappointment.
(06:39):
There's a sense of work thathas to be done, and that we must
help each other and comealongside each other.
I've been too long in givingthat word to you, but that's
that's my scene, my feeling.
Brian Stiller (06:53):
Sam, can you paint a picture for for us
outside of Venezuela of thecountry that I had known some
years ago, and that most of usoutside of Venezuela, we have a
certain impression, but weunderstand that there has been
difficulty over the last fewyears.
Can you give us a sense of whatthat looks like?
Samuel Olson (07:15):
Well, if you see children going into the trash
heaps to get a parcel of food tostay overnight, when you see
children who are growing upalone because their parents are
not there, old people, theelderly people who have been
abandoned to their futurebecause their people have left
(07:38):
the country, and we are comingin in some way to help them.
As we see poverty and thepeople who are not able to buy
what they used to buy because ofthe incredible inflation, and
at the same time the lack of theskills or the possibility of
(07:59):
purchasing the food that theyhave to eat.
When you don't have gasoline toget around, or the prices of
the gasoline are going so highthat you must be careful and
wait long lines at night intothe early morning to buy your
gasoline, unless you're able topay for the expense of gasoline.
(08:20):
If you see them walking blocksand blocks and blocks to get to
church on Sunday morning becausethey do not have the car or
they cannot pay the bus fare,that's one item.
But as we have people who haveso kindly sent provisions in
(08:40):
pallets of medicines to thecountry, and we're able to
spread that throughout differenttowns and areas of the city
through people who are givingtheir time and lives to that.
Our hearts are turned over withlove to the Lord, thankfulness
that we can do that, but it'ssuch a sad reality that we're
(09:01):
living in.
Brian Stiller (09:02):
How is the evangelical church surviving or
thriving in Venezuela today?
Samuel Olson (09:08):
It's surviving.
If I can be very frank, everypenny that comes in in our
meager offerings now goes out.
And so there's no surplus, soto speak, to be able to pay for
different programs and tosupport programs.
Some churches are beholden tothe government, which gives them
(09:33):
some type of an offering orgift for them, and they are so
happy to receive it, but theyare compromising their faith in
the Lord for that.
And of course, we cannotpossibly break our basic
principles of being able tominister the gospel without
having any other type of acompromise.
(09:56):
But a church like ours, and ofcourse the very poor people, are
surviving because their leadersin some way or another are
being able to bring the funds tosurvive as a church.
But it also means that thepeople who are coming to the
church are very, very losteconomically in their
(10:19):
foodstuffs, their medicines.
But the church is incrediblehow it's going out throughout
the country, planting churches,discipling people, and forming
churches across the nation.
And they are doing that out ofthe meager offerings that they
do have or their meagercapacities that they have.
(10:41):
So it's not a disappointedchurch, it's not a sad church,
it's not a church that isfailing, it's a church that is
growing as ever before, andseeing the realities as a chance
or an opportunity to spread agospel of hope, a gospel of
(11:05):
salvation, a gospel of atransformation of a life.
And so in our church, we'regoing into the slums and working
with our medical capacities andmedical schools, medical
doctors, our dentists, oureducators, our lawyers who are
(11:25):
helping the people come out andto be able to face their future,
but at the same time, they'regiving their hearts to the Lord
and becoming new, faithfulbelievers in the Lord.
We're seeing hundreds beingbaptized in the past few years.
Last year was 400 people.
(11:45):
The year before that it wasanother 400 people.
This year, because we've kindof caught up with the past,
we're talking about already 200people who have been baptized in
water this year because thepeople are searching for the
truth and they're searching forthe Lord and they're searching
to live a life of hope.
Brian Stiller (12:06):
Sam, your church in Caracas, as you've been
describing, how would youdescribe then the other
evangelical churches throughoutthe country?
Even with the financialdeprivation that you're
experiencing?
Samuel Olson (12:24):
They are growing and they are multiplying
throughout the country.
This is an opportunity that theLord has given to us in order
to teach and to preach hope tochange and transformation.
And I can say that.
Brian Stiller (13:01):
Now, Sam, you know that in other countries, uh
evangelicals have engaged withthe with the with public life,
with civic life, with politics.
I'm wondering in your countryuh how do you relate to the to
the political life of yournation as a church?
(13:22):
Now, traditionally,evangelicals we were quite
separate, we were hands-off, wekept our distance.
Uh, but as you know, in inAmerica and in uh in uh uh
Brazil and other places, thereis more of an engagement,
there's more of a of a attemptto try and influence.
(13:44):
How does that operate withinVenezuela?
Samuel Olson (13:48):
I am surprised by the fact that we have a good
number of people, not only inLas Acasias, but in the whole
body of Christ, as individuals,they are working within the
different political partieswhich are serving different
emphasis politically speakingand somewhat different
(14:10):
ideologies.
As I look into the audience ofLas Acacias, even though I don't
know them specifically, I knowthat there are a number of
people in the church who arepolitical activists within the
different political parties ofthe nation.
And so they are fulfillingtheir desire to serve the Lord
(14:34):
by serving the nation throughthe different political systems
that are operating in thecountry.
We have the Social ChristianParty, we have the Social Action
Party, we have the presentgoverning system, we have the
president of the Supreme Courtcomes to church here.
(14:55):
We have generals, we havejudges, all of these people who
are very, very much involved inthe educational systems of the
country and in the politicalsystems of the country and the
legal systems of the country.
We cannot separate ourselvesfrom the fact.
(15:15):
What we need to do is that thechurch, as the ark that has the
gospel, cannot commit itself toanyone but to serve the Lord, to
teach the gospel, so that thepeople can become servants of
the people and therefore servethe Lord.
It's very active.
Brian Stiller (15:34):
Do you have any kind of pressure to, as a
church, uh as a as acongregation or as a
denomination to support onepolitical party or another?
Is there any kind of thing?
Samuel Olson (15:46):
We would not do that.
We would not do that.
One might have a personalpreference, but that would not
be part of the picture of thechurch, nor of our teaching in
the church.
That would that wouldabsolutely annihilate the church
as a body of Christ.
Brian Stiller (16:04):
Sam, what what are you learning as you you I
mean, you're you're obviouslynavigating your way through some
really political storms.
And uh I understand from myvantage point, by way of news
and reports uh uh from varioussources as as to the as to the
(16:27):
chaos and the difficulty thatyou've had these few years.
Uh so for you as a as a senioruh religious Christian leader in
in Venezuela, uh for you tonavigate your way through those
difficult seas, what have youlearned from that uh that you
(16:48):
you didn't know earlier?
Samuel Olson (16:51):
Uh let me let me go into something that you said
at the beginning.
Do you know that I was very,very akin, uh close to the
Jewish people and the RomanCatholic Church and the rest of
the evangelical body.
What happened next was that Iwent to the nuncio apostolico,
(17:11):
the apostle nuncio, and I said,we need to involve the Muslim
people in this.
And we had four incrediblelunches with the Jews being
together, the Muslims or theArabs being together, I should
say that, and the RomanCatholics being together, and
(17:32):
the evangelical people.
And we had a wonderful time.
That was a step forward inbringing us together as a
people.
Of course, the present systemkind of bots that, but the
nuncio apostolico became the thesecret, the present secretary
(17:52):
of state in the Vatican.
So, in some way, we were very,very much involved, and we had
to step forward to see if wecould bring a sense of a
relationship with the people.
Now, let me go to a differenttype of a story.
That that I that's just apicture.
But at one point, a few yearsago, we were told that this
(18:16):
church building, which you know,was going to be confiscated,
and that there was a documentupon us on the desk of one of
the functionaries of the of thegovernment.
I had to pray, and we weregoing through 30 days of fasting
and prayer.
When that happened, I addedanother 10, and I asked the Lord
(18:41):
to direct me step by step as tohow to deal with this.
So I asked the Lord, where do Igo now?
I went to the proper militaryperson outside of the city.
He said, That can't be.
Talk with such and such aperson.
I spoke with such and such aperson.
That person said, that documentshould be at such and such a
(19:06):
place.
I said, Well, you go find it.
And he did in the middle of thenight.
And the document there waswaiting for a signature by one
of the leaders of the country.
And we got that.
And now I said, Now where do Igo?
Well, you have to go to suchand such a place.
I won't mention it.
And I said, now where do I go?
(19:28):
I said, You go to the patriarchof the political party.
I said, Well, I know who he is.
He knows me, and I can get thatthrough a friend of his.
We went to him and I sat downwith the patriarch of the
political party that is in powernow, and I said, This is
happening.
He said, Are you owners of theproperty?
(19:50):
Yes, of course I'm we're ownersof the property.
And what are your socialprojects that prove that you are
actively working within thewhole community that you're in?
I said, Here you are, 30projects that we're involved in.
He said, send me thecoordinators of the property
(20:13):
that you're in, and I'll let youknow.
I said, you know, I don't haveto go to the newspaper to do
this.
I don't have to go to thepublic.
You know me, and you know thatthe 300 pastors were in the city
in my church yesterday.
He said, I know, I know.
He said, I'll get back to youin a week.
(20:34):
He said, it's all bluff.
I said, thank you.
That was it.
My answer to your question is,I have learned to trust him and
to ask him to guide me at everyturn of the way.
(20:56):
He has led me, but I also keepmy friendships open, I keep my
relationships open, I keep mygood relations, which does not
mean a compromise in myreligious and spiritual ideals
and principles.
(21:16):
But we must communicate, wemust be open, and we must be
forthright, and we must bevaliant, brave.
No, we must trust the Lord toguide us and know that he will
help us work through differentproblems.
There are times when the storyis a bit different, but the
(21:38):
results are better.
At the turn of this century,the defunct president of the
country, who died in 2013,expelled the new tribe's mission
out of the country.
Everyone was shocked.
But what has happened is thatthat made a turning point in the
(22:01):
Venezuelan church.
The Venezuelan church is nowtraining its people to go into
the different uh tribes andethnical groups that know that
have not heard about the Lord.
That gives you an idea of howone must learn to trust and know
(22:23):
that we can go forward.
I don't know if that helps you,but it's part of my story.
Brian Stiller (22:31):
It's a great part of the story, Sam.
The question uh that comes tomind as I listen to you is what
will the next generation looklike of leaders in the church?
They're they're living througha very difficult social
political upheaval.
(22:51):
Uh in which you're in which Isuppose that you've been
challenged as to your legitimacyas a church, even as they
attempted to take away yourproperty.
What will this next generationof leaders living in this time
become?
Samuel Olson (23:10):
Um I do not want to draw attention to myself as a
person, but my answer is this.
The new generation is watchingwhat the elder generation does.
They may not have the sametraining or the same experience,
but they will be trained andthey will go through the
(23:31):
experiences, but they do havecertain people in their
reference mind or in theirreferences who, in some way, are
a pillar for their decisions,and they're being able to trust
the Lord as they guide thechurch into the future.
(23:54):
We are training them.
The seminary is now offering adoctorate in ministries through
Fuller and through otherseminaries.
That's the academic side.
But the actual living out ofthe gospel in the presence and
in the view of the leadersacross the nation will be a
(24:16):
reference point for theirministry and their churches as
they come forth into the futureof the Venezuelan church.
That's what I'm trusting for.
I'm trusting my leaders in thechurch to be able to do that as
I transition out of this church.
And we're searching for that.
And we know that the Lord willproviding and training the
(24:40):
future leadership of Las AcasasChurch as He's doing in
Maracaibo, in Puerto Razz, inBarquisimeto, in Maracai, in San
Cristobal.
We know that the Lord isbringing up that future
leadership.
And we've had a remarkablepresident of the Evangelical
(25:01):
Alliance who has come to knowthe entire body of Christ across
the nation through hugeconvocations of thousands of
people and hundreds and hundredsof leaders in each one, and
they're seeing what theirpresident of the Evangelical
Alliance is doing.
So I'm trusting.
(25:22):
We had to trust for ourselvesin the past.
We can certainly trust the Lordfor the future.
Brian Stiller (25:29):
Sam, are there are the restrictions that you
experience in pastoring or inleading your congregation?
Samuel Olson (25:36):
There aren't restrictions, as so to speak,
visible, felt restrictions.
But every now and then newrequirements are placed.
And those requirements inseveral moments kind of reduce
(25:56):
our scope of leadership or thelegal side of our leadership.
But we are dealing with them.
And one way that we deal withthem is to really be up front
with the people.
And they are up front with us,and we send the right people in.
(26:17):
So are we limited?
There are limitations thathappen.
Now and then we're caught offguard.
For example, you know whatthey're requiring, and we've
gotten by that, that they knowevery name and the
identification of the people whogive an offering in the church.
(26:40):
So we had to say, no, we willnot do that.
But that's what the governmentwanted.
As you can see and hear, thatmeans that there's a slow
knowledge of who is giving inevery church in the country if
the pastors allow that.
Brian Stiller (26:59):
And what is creeping in?
Control?
Samuel Olson (27:03):
What I'm saying is suddenly you cannot do this.
And we have to struggle withthat.
Suddenly they want to know whois doing what.
And we decide if we can let thepeople know that or not.
Or we have to go to the proper.
Some of these people arerequiring things they know
(27:24):
nothing about.
And we have to clarify thoseissues with.
And I'm not trying to benegative, but these are facts
that we're living in, and thereare limitations.
They want to know how muchmoney comes in.
They want to know what thelegal structure of the church is
being.
They want a new legalstructure, which in the States
(27:45):
would be the incorporation of alocal church.
And they want to know exactlyhow many people are there, and
they've reduced it to fivepeople who can be part of that
new corporation of the church.
So that those when when I saycreeping in, I'm saying that
this is a very slow process thatwe have to deal with every time
(28:09):
something comes up.
Brian Stiller (28:11):
And yet, in spite of that, you're saying that the
that the witness of the gospelhas been has been pushing its
way across your country.
Samuel Olson (28:18):
Yes.
Yes.
So we have to be visible withthe gospel, and we have to trust
the Lord for the future of thegospel, but we also know what
the legal systems can do andchange.
But we we're we're willing toface that, and we're willing to
live with that.
(28:39):
We're not willing to cower orto to be or or to be fearful of
different ideas and differentsituations to come.
What happened a week ago, twoweeks ago?
A number of uh Dutch peoplecame to preach in the streets of
the city.
(29:00):
Well, someone allowed them tocome in and they were preaching
and they were hauled off toprison.
They were nearly imprisonedwhen someone came by and said,
no, they can't.
They lose used a political,they knew the person in charge
who could change that.
But these people were going tobe put in prison because they
(29:20):
came in without the right visato do religious affairs, and
they thought they could get bywith that.
Uh that those are items aspeople go, as people uh as we
live through the facts of ourlife here.
Brian Stiller (29:39):
Sam, last time I was with you, wherever I went,
you had me surrounded with yourown uh your own uh, I guess,
police force uh because you'refearful of us being kidnapped.
Is that a continuing concernwith you?
Samuel Olson (29:55):
Not presently.
At that time it was becauseBecause uh there were certain
situations uh that that that Iwon't go into, but we were all
very fearful of different thingsthat could take place at that
time.
But that somehow or anotherthat was undone, and those
(30:16):
people were taken off to jailand and done away with, so to
speak.
That no longer happens, but wehave to be careful and we have
to be very knowledgeable of theplaces that we're driving
through uh or who is near us.
(30:36):
We're not scared.
It's not a problem of beingparanoiac about it, but we do
have to be uh prudent in ourways.
Brian Stiller (30:47):
Sam, how long have you pastored in Venezuela?
Samuel Olson (30:50):
Well, I started out in 71 as the co-pastor, and
I became the full senior pastorin 1979.
Brian Stiller (31:01):
So since 1971 uh to 1925, that's the number of
years.
As you as you look back onthat, those years, did you ever
come to a point as you weregoing through these social and
political difficulties that youthought you would leave the
country as well?
Samuel Olson (31:19):
That never crossed my mind.
Let me let me put it this way.
I was I thought between 1971and 79 that I was simply there
to help my to help the churchbecause my father was ill.
Dad passed away, and I becamethe senior pastor through the
voting, the voting system of thechurch, and I required that,
(31:44):
but I did not sense that I wasactually a pastor until about
1987.
1987 it suddenly dawned on me,yes, I am a pastor.
I am the senior pastor.
And it's not just the game orsomething of being uh uh uh
(32:07):
selected as such.
This is a calling of the Lord.
And Nancy and I have never,never thought of the idea that
we might leave Caracas.
Uh the call the Lord called ushere, not because of our
parents, but because ofourselves and the calling upon
(32:28):
his life.
I never felt that in the Stateswhile I was studying and
working in the States.
It came as a gift.
And I can never say, now andthen I say, wow, I could have
been living in this type of asituation in a certain type of a
city where I used to work andteach in Princeton, but I could
(32:52):
be living there, I could beliving elsewhere in Brittlebury,
Vermont, or, or, or, or.
But no, no, that's not whereI'm supposed to be.
I'm supposed to be here.
Brian Stiller (33:03):
What constitutes a call for ministry?
Samuel Olson (33:06):
First of all, I could see what the Lord was
doing through my work as theco-pastor of the church.
I was not filling shoes.
I was seeing what washappening.
For example, the church wasgrowing.
I added elders to the church,and they assumed that work as
(33:32):
elders.
We started building huts,complete houses for the people
who were living in the dirt.
The church was growingnumerically and spiritually.
And I saw that, and I could notsay that the Lord wasn't
blessing.
And then I fell in love withthe church again, and then it's
(34:00):
I sensed yes, the Lord is usingme as a shepherd of the church,
as nothing else.
Not as teacher, not asevangelist, not as an apostle,
not as a prophet, as a shepherdof the church.
I do teach, but I'm a shepherd.
And that's been part of my uhwhat can I say?
(34:25):
That's a sense, a powerfulsense, to for which I'm thankful
to the Lord.
I could never deny that again.
Brian Stiller (34:36):
Well, I've been to a few countries in in the
world and I've I meet a lot ofpeople.
But I I must say that that Ihave been both attracted and
fascinated by you and Nancy andyour presence in a Pentecostal
(34:59):
church in Caracas, and you arenot in the wealthy area of the
city, you're in the poorer area.
And you've lived there duringenormous political and social
and economic upheaval, and yetyou continue to nurture this
(35:19):
idea that you're a shepherd andyou find your joy there with
your people, even though youhave all kinds of opportunities
to leave.
So here's my question then,coming out of that observation
to a younger person who is maybein a difficult place or maybe
(35:43):
in a place of enormous ease anduh and provision.
Um what should they in theirmind look to as a call of the
Lord and an affirmation of hiscall?
Samuel Olson (36:02):
I would say what I said, told uh a few people I'm
not going to mention.
Do you want to stick it out?
Do you think you're going tostick it out, or do you just
think this is a five-year termin a contract?
If it's just a contract, well,okay, fine.
Live it through and fulfillyour contract.
(36:25):
But do you want to stick it outand see what the Lord is going
to do with your life and theministry that you have?
I know that I stuck it out, butI didn't suffer sticking it
out.
I wanted to see, and I've seenhow the Lord has worked enormous
miracles and provisions as wego through.
(36:48):
Just the fact that we now havea full-fledged school from
kindergarten or preschool to thefinishing high school.
And now the people want tostart university.
I can't believe it.
Just to see that the seminaryhas 200 students from 50
different churches in the cityand that they're working toward
(37:08):
their masters and towards theirdoctrine.
Whoa, whoa, that it just tellsme that the church is being
multiplied and that in some wayone was used a particular way to
get something going.
What can I say?
Uh stick it out.
The Lord will bless you ifthere's a calling upon your
(37:29):
life.
If you give up after five orten years, you'll always wonder,
did I do the right thing?
The call is a call, and it isnot a contract.
A call is a catch that bindsyour soul to the Lord and to
what he wants to do through yourlife.
Brian Stiller (37:52):
Sam, it's been so wonderful in conversing with
you today.
I have this one last request.
The rest of the world knowswhat's going on in Venezuela.
We hear the reports, we see thepictures, we understand the I
guess millions now people whohave who have emigrated.
(38:13):
What eight million out of howmany?
Sam, what would you what wouldyou have to say to church
leaders of the world from whereyou sit as we come to our last
few minutes of conversation?
Samuel Olson (38:29):
I I'm surprised by the question, and not bec
because it's a terriblymeaningful question or or or
request.
It's worth uh serving the Lord.
It's not about money, it's notabout buildings, it's not about
(38:50):
relationships, it's aboutserving Him.
One goes back to Peter and andJesus.
It's not the same thing, butit's at least it's a suggestion.
Feed my sheep.
The people are longing to befed, whether they're ten people
or a thousand people, each onehas a call upon his or her life
(39:14):
that the Lord is going to workout over the years.
Serve him and he will blessyou.
Serve him and he will multiplythe works of your hand and of
your mind and of your soul.
Serve him and he will blessyou.
Brian Stiller (39:35):
Pastor Sam Olson, thank you for joining us from
Caracas, Venezuela onEvangelical 360.
Samuel Olson (39:42):
Thank you.
It's been a pleasure, it's beena blessing.
Brian Stiller (39:48):
Thanks, Sam, for walking us through your world in
Venezuela and helping us seewhat service to our Lord is all
about.
And thank you, faithful friend,for being a part of the
podcast.
Remember, you can share thisepisode and join the
conversation on YouTube.
If you'd like to learn moreabout today's guests, check the
show notes for links and info.
(40:09):
And if you haven't already,just hit the subscribe button.
That would be reallyappreciated.
Thanks again for joining metoday.
Until next time.
Hello and welcome to Evangelical 360.
I'm your host, Brian Stiller.
I stood in the largest churchin downtown Caracas, Venezuela.
A church located in a toughneighborhood of a tough country.
Pastor Sam Olson looked outover this crowded church and
knew so many were hurting,upset, confused, anxiety-ridden.
(00:33):
Venezuela was demoralized.
Millions were fleeing to othercountries.
The nation's valuable resourceswere being squandered.
Its currency was in the gutter.
Its people were looking attheir beloved country out on the
edge.
Pastor Olson raised his handand prayed.
(00:53):
Then we began to sing.
The band took over.
We stood and listened as thistrumpeter moved all of us with
his creative jazz interpretationof a favorite hymn.
We joined in an ascendingtriumph of faith.
I looked out over this people,hands raised, eyes unashamed to
(01:18):
their tears.
The next day, amazingly, whilemeeting with a Catholic bishop
and then with the Jewishcommunity, I saw these groups
were looking to Pastor SamOlson, a Pentecostal pastor, for
affirmation, hope, and counsel.
Born in Venezuela of Swedishparents, Sam Olson has spent his
life loving and caring forpeople, leading them in faith,
(01:43):
lifting them up in sorrow, andgiving witness to the power of
the gospel.
If you feel your life is beingdragged down by those in charge,
or if your faith is called intoquestion by those in power
around you, I suggest you listento Pastor Olson.
And my visits with churches andministers in dozens of
(02:04):
countries, often seeing theeffect of opposition and even
persecution.
My time with Pastor Olson hasbeen a highlight.
And thank you for joining me.
Please consider sharing thisepisode with a friend.
And if you haven't done soalready, just hit the subscribe
button.
That really matters.
You can also join theconversation on YouTube in the
(02:26):
comments below.
But now to my guest, Pastor SamOlson.
Pastor Sam Olson, thanks forjoining me on Evangelical 360.
Samuel Olson (02:36):
It's so good to be with you, Brian.
Brian Stiller (02:39):
Sam, I've been with you in Venezuela a few
times and was always amazed athere you are Pentecostal pastor
of a large downtown church inCaracas.
And we would we would, afterour meetings, we would go off
and see the Jewish community andthen the Catholic community.
And they had such regard foryou and the kind of the pastoral
(03:04):
leadership that you brought.
But over these last few years,there's been challenges, of
course, in your country.
We listen to the stories, wewatch the videos from afar, and
we realize that your church hasbeen in the midst of a an
enormous kind of social upheavalas many people have left your
(03:26):
country for elsewhere.
What is it like to pastor acenter church in the city, the
capital city of Venezuela duringthese days?
Samuel Olson (03:38):
It has been a constant walk of faith, of
trusting the Lord, of knowingthat He's going to respond,
knowing that He will followalong with us, and yet always
figuring out what is happening.
The church has been so blessedduring this period of time that
(04:01):
we cannot look backwards and saythat we've been hurt.
We have been blessed, eventhough we have also had to come
through profound changes in ourwalk and in the work that we do
and how we see the future.
But we see a city that has beenso decimated, a city that is
(04:25):
now impoverished by what hashappened, not because of COVID,
but what has produced themigration, which means that the
country has become animpoverished nation.
We're no longer producing whatwe need to produce in the
country to make it a wealthynation again.
We've come into a very sad timewhich does not give a good
(04:50):
prognosis for the future.
But even though those arecircumstances that we are
facing, we cannot say that theLord has been absent.
We've seen how our churchservices or the people who come
are coming so hungrily toreceive the word, to be able to
(05:11):
worship the Lord, and to be inhis presence, and to know that
they have been fed and that theycan go out throughout this vast
city of Caracas, which youknow, and into the other towns
that surround the city, andthey're working for the Lord,
besides the work that they'redoing to support themselves.
(05:33):
I want to give that sense ofwhere we're awed by the presence
and the faithfulness of theLord, but we are very sad at
what we have to look at and whatwe have to respond to.
The calling of the Lord in Luke4 is still our motto.
(05:55):
We've come to serve those whoare captivated, those who are
blind, those who cannot hearwith a message that brings them
to liberty and to freedom again.
So we're picking up what asociety has left behind.
But we're seeing atransformation of the slums,
(06:17):
people who live in the slums,and whose lives are being
transformed in a social sense,in an economic sense, and in an
educational sense.
Our school is burgeoning, theseminary is burgeoning, the
schools that we're have to trainleaders is burgeoning.
So there's no sense ofdisappointment.
(06:39):
There's a sense of work thathas to be done, and that we must
help each other and comealongside each other.
I've been too long in givingthat word to you, but that's
that's my scene, my feeling.
Brian Stiller (06:53):
Sam, can you paint a picture for for us
outside of Venezuela of thecountry that I had known some
years ago, and that most of usoutside of Venezuela, we have a
certain impression, but weunderstand that there has been
difficulty over the last fewyears.
Can you give us a sense of whatthat looks like?
Samuel Olson (07:15):
Well, if you see children going into the trash
heaps to get a parcel of food tostay overnight, when you see
children who are growing upalone because their parents are
not there, old people, theelderly people who have been
abandoned to their futurebecause their people have left
(07:38):
the country, and we are comingin in some way to help them.
As we see poverty and thepeople who are not able to buy
what they used to buy because ofthe incredible inflation, and
at the same time the lack of theskills or the possibility of
(07:59):
purchasing the food that theyhave to eat.
When you don't have gasoline toget around, or the prices of
the gasoline are going so highthat you must be careful and
wait long lines at night intothe early morning to buy your
gasoline, unless you're able topay for the expense of gasoline.
(08:20):
If you see them walking blocksand blocks and blocks to get to
church on Sunday morning becausethey do not have the car or
they cannot pay the bus fare,that's one item.
But as we have people who haveso kindly sent provisions in
(08:40):
pallets of medicines to thecountry, and we're able to
spread that throughout differenttowns and areas of the city
through people who are givingtheir time and lives to that.
Our hearts are turned over withlove to the Lord, thankfulness
that we can do that, but it'ssuch a sad reality that we're
(09:01):
living in.
Brian Stiller (09:02):
How is the evangelical church surviving or
thriving in Venezuela today?
Samuel Olson (09:08):
It's surviving.
If I can be very frank, everypenny that comes in in our
meager offerings now goes out.
And so there's no surplus, soto speak, to be able to pay for
different programs and tosupport programs.
Some churches are beholden tothe government, which gives them
(09:33):
some type of an offering orgift for them, and they are so
happy to receive it, but theyare compromising their faith in
the Lord for that.
And of course, we cannotpossibly break our basic
principles of being able tominister the gospel without
having any other type of acompromise.
(09:56):
But a church like ours, and ofcourse the very poor people, are
surviving because their leadersin some way or another are
being able to bring the funds tosurvive as a church.
But it also means that thepeople who are coming to the
church are very, very losteconomically in their
(10:19):
foodstuffs, their medicines.
But the church is incrediblehow it's going out throughout
the country, planting churches,discipling people, and forming
churches across the nation.
And they are doing that out ofthe meager offerings that they
do have or their meagercapacities that they have.
(10:41):
So it's not a disappointedchurch, it's not a sad church,
it's not a church that isfailing, it's a church that is
growing as ever before, andseeing the realities as a chance
or an opportunity to spread agospel of hope, a gospel of
(11:05):
salvation, a gospel of atransformation of a life.
And so in our church, we'regoing into the slums and working
with our medical capacities andmedical schools, medical
doctors, our dentists, oureducators, our lawyers who are
(11:25):
helping the people come out andto be able to face their future,
but at the same time, they'regiving their hearts to the Lord
and becoming new, faithfulbelievers in the Lord.
We're seeing hundreds beingbaptized in the past few years.
Last year was 400 people.
(11:45):
The year before that it wasanother 400 people.
This year, because we've kindof caught up with the past,
we're talking about already 200people who have been baptized in
water this year because thepeople are searching for the
truth and they're searching forthe Lord and they're searching
to live a life of hope.
Brian Stiller (12:06):
Sam, your church in Caracas, as you've been
describing, how would youdescribe then the other
evangelical churches throughoutthe country?
Even with the financialdeprivation that you're
experiencing?
Samuel Olson (12:24):
They are growing and they are multiplying
throughout the country.
This is an opportunity that theLord has given to us in order
to teach and to preach hope tochange and transformation.
And I can say that.
Brian Stiller (13:01):
Now, Sam, you know that in other countries, uh
evangelicals have engaged withthe with the with public life,
with civic life, with politics.
I'm wondering in your countryuh how do you relate to the to
the political life of yournation as a church?
(13:22):
Now, traditionally,evangelicals we were quite
separate, we were hands-off, wekept our distance.
Uh, but as you know, in inAmerica and in uh in uh uh
Brazil and other places, thereis more of an engagement,
there's more of a of a attemptto try and influence.
(13:44):
How does that operate withinVenezuela?
Samuel Olson (13:48):
I am surprised by the fact that we have a good
number of people, not only inLas Acasias, but in the whole
body of Christ, as individuals,they are working within the
different political partieswhich are serving different
emphasis politically speakingand somewhat different
(14:10):
ideologies.
As I look into the audience ofLas Acacias, even though I don't
know them specifically, I knowthat there are a number of
people in the church who arepolitical activists within the
different political parties ofthe nation.
And so they are fulfillingtheir desire to serve the Lord
(14:34):
by serving the nation throughthe different political systems
that are operating in thecountry.
We have the Social ChristianParty, we have the Social Action
Party, we have the presentgoverning system, we have the
president of the Supreme Courtcomes to church here.
(14:55):
We have generals, we havejudges, all of these people who
are very, very much involved inthe educational systems of the
country and in the politicalsystems of the country and the
legal systems of the country.
We cannot separate ourselvesfrom the fact.
(15:15):
What we need to do is that thechurch, as the ark that has the
gospel, cannot commit itself toanyone but to serve the Lord, to
teach the gospel, so that thepeople can become servants of
the people and therefore servethe Lord.
It's very active.
Brian Stiller (15:34):
Do you have any kind of pressure to, as a
church, uh as a as acongregation or as a
denomination to support onepolitical party or another?
Is there any kind of thing?
Samuel Olson (15:46):
We would not do that.
We would not do that.
One might have a personalpreference, but that would not
be part of the picture of thechurch, nor of our teaching in
the church.
That would that wouldabsolutely annihilate the church
as a body of Christ.
Brian Stiller (16:04):
Sam, what what are you learning as you you I
mean, you're you're obviouslynavigating your way through some
really political storms.
And uh I understand from myvantage point, by way of news
and reports uh uh from varioussources as as to the as to the
(16:27):
chaos and the difficulty thatyou've had these few years.
Uh so for you as a as a senioruh religious Christian leader in
in Venezuela, uh for you tonavigate your way through those
difficult seas, what have youlearned from that uh that you
(16:48):
you didn't know earlier?
Samuel Olson (16:51):
Uh let me let me go into something that you said
at the beginning.
Do you know that I was very,very akin, uh close to the
Jewish people and the RomanCatholic Church and the rest of
the evangelical body.
What happened next was that Iwent to the nuncio apostolico,
(17:11):
the apostle nuncio, and I said,we need to involve the Muslim
people in this.
And we had four incrediblelunches with the Jews being
together, the Muslims or theArabs being together, I should
say that, and the RomanCatholics being together, and
(17:32):
the evangelical people.
And we had a wonderful time.
That was a step forward inbringing us together as a
people.
Of course, the present systemkind of bots that, but the
nuncio apostolico became the thesecret, the present secretary
(17:52):
of state in the Vatican.
So, in some way, we were very,very much involved, and we had
to step forward to see if wecould bring a sense of a
relationship with the people.
Now, let me go to a differenttype of a story.
That that I that's just apicture.
But at one point, a few yearsago, we were told that this
(18:16):
church building, which you know,was going to be confiscated,
and that there was a documentupon us on the desk of one of
the functionaries of the of thegovernment.
I had to pray, and we weregoing through 30 days of fasting
and prayer.
When that happened, I addedanother 10, and I asked the Lord
(18:41):
to direct me step by step as tohow to deal with this.
So I asked the Lord, where do Igo now?
I went to the proper militaryperson outside of the city.
He said, That can't be.
Talk with such and such aperson.
I spoke with such and such aperson.
That person said, that documentshould be at such and such a
(19:06):
place.
I said, Well, you go find it.
And he did in the middle of thenight.
And the document there waswaiting for a signature by one
of the leaders of the country.
And we got that.
And now I said, Now where do Igo?
Well, you have to go to suchand such a place.
I won't mention it.
And I said, now where do I go?
(19:28):
I said, You go to the patriarchof the political party.
I said, Well, I know who he is.
He knows me, and I can get thatthrough a friend of his.
We went to him and I sat downwith the patriarch of the
political party that is in powernow, and I said, This is
happening.
He said, Are you owners of theproperty?
(19:50):
Yes, of course I'm we're ownersof the property.
And what are your socialprojects that prove that you are
actively working within thewhole community that you're in?
I said, Here you are, 30projects that we're involved in.
He said, send me thecoordinators of the property
(20:13):
that you're in, and I'll let youknow.
I said, you know, I don't haveto go to the newspaper to do
this.
I don't have to go to thepublic.
You know me, and you know thatthe 300 pastors were in the city
in my church yesterday.
He said, I know, I know.
He said, I'll get back to youin a week.
(20:34):
He said, it's all bluff.
I said, thank you.
That was it.
My answer to your question is,I have learned to trust him and
to ask him to guide me at everyturn of the way.
(20:56):
He has led me, but I also keepmy friendships open, I keep my
relationships open, I keep mygood relations, which does not
mean a compromise in myreligious and spiritual ideals
and principles.
(21:16):
But we must communicate, wemust be open, and we must be
forthright, and we must bevaliant, brave.
No, we must trust the Lord toguide us and know that he will
help us work through differentproblems.
There are times when the storyis a bit different, but the
(21:38):
results are better.
At the turn of this century,the defunct president of the
country, who died in 2013,expelled the new tribe's mission
out of the country.
Everyone was shocked.
But what has happened is thatthat made a turning point in the
(22:01):
Venezuelan church.
The Venezuelan church is nowtraining its people to go into
the different uh tribes andethnical groups that know that
have not heard about the Lord.
That gives you an idea of howone must learn to trust and know
(22:23):
that we can go forward.
I don't know if that helps you,but it's part of my story.
Brian Stiller (22:31):
It's a great part of the story, Sam.
The question uh that comes tomind as I listen to you is what
will the next generation looklike of leaders in the church?
They're they're living througha very difficult social
political upheaval.
(22:51):
Uh in which you're in which Isuppose that you've been
challenged as to your legitimacyas a church, even as they
attempted to take away yourproperty.
What will this next generationof leaders living in this time
become?
Samuel Olson (23:10):
Um I do not want to draw attention to myself as a
person, but my answer is this.
The new generation is watchingwhat the elder generation does.
They may not have the sametraining or the same experience,
but they will be trained andthey will go through the
(23:31):
experiences, but they do havecertain people in their
reference mind or in theirreferences who, in some way, are
a pillar for their decisions,and they're being able to trust
the Lord as they guide thechurch into the future.
(23:54):
We are training them.
The seminary is now offering adoctorate in ministries through
Fuller and through otherseminaries.
That's the academic side.
But the actual living out ofthe gospel in the presence and
in the view of the leadersacross the nation will be a
(24:16):
reference point for theirministry and their churches as
they come forth into the futureof the Venezuelan church.
That's what I'm trusting for.
I'm trusting my leaders in thechurch to be able to do that as
I transition out of this church.
And we're searching for that.
And we know that the Lord willproviding and training the
(24:40):
future leadership of Las AcasasChurch as He's doing in
Maracaibo, in Puerto Razz, inBarquisimeto, in Maracai, in San
Cristobal.
We know that the Lord isbringing up that future
leadership.
And we've had a remarkablepresident of the Evangelical
(25:01):
Alliance who has come to knowthe entire body of Christ across
the nation through hugeconvocations of thousands of
people and hundreds and hundredsof leaders in each one, and
they're seeing what theirpresident of the Evangelical
Alliance is doing.
So I'm trusting.
(25:22):
We had to trust for ourselvesin the past.
We can certainly trust the Lordfor the future.
Brian Stiller (25:29):
Sam, are there are the restrictions that you
experience in pastoring or inleading your congregation?
Samuel Olson (25:36):
There aren't restrictions, as so to speak,
visible, felt restrictions.
But every now and then newrequirements are placed.
And those requirements inseveral moments kind of reduce
(25:56):
our scope of leadership or thelegal side of our leadership.
But we are dealing with them.
And one way that we deal withthem is to really be up front
with the people.
And they are up front with us,and we send the right people in.
(26:17):
So are we limited?
There are limitations thathappen.
Now and then we're caught offguard.
For example, you know whatthey're requiring, and we've
gotten by that, that they knowevery name and the
identification of the people whogive an offering in the church.
(26:40):
So we had to say, no, we willnot do that.
But that's what the governmentwanted.
As you can see and hear, thatmeans that there's a slow
knowledge of who is giving inevery church in the country if
the pastors allow that.
Brian Stiller (26:59):
And what is creeping in?
Control?
Samuel Olson (27:03):
What I'm saying is suddenly you cannot do this.
And we have to struggle withthat.
Suddenly they want to know whois doing what.
And we decide if we can let thepeople know that or not.
Or we have to go to the proper.
Some of these people arerequiring things they know
(27:24):
nothing about.
And we have to clarify thoseissues with.
And I'm not trying to benegative, but these are facts
that we're living in, and thereare limitations.
They want to know how muchmoney comes in.
They want to know what thelegal structure of the church is
being.
They want a new legalstructure, which in the States
(27:45):
would be the incorporation of alocal church.
And they want to know exactlyhow many people are there, and
they've reduced it to fivepeople who can be part of that
new corporation of the church.
So that those when when I saycreeping in, I'm saying that
this is a very slow process thatwe have to deal with every time
(28:09):
something comes up.
Brian Stiller (28:11):
And yet, in spite of that, you're saying that the
that the witness of the gospelhas been has been pushing its
way across your country.
Samuel Olson (28:18):
Yes.
Yes.
So we have to be visible withthe gospel, and we have to trust
the Lord for the future of thegospel, but we also know what
the legal systems can do andchange.
But we we're we're willing toface that, and we're willing to
live with that.
(28:39):
We're not willing to cower orto to be or or to be fearful of
different ideas and differentsituations to come.
What happened a week ago, twoweeks ago?
A number of uh Dutch peoplecame to preach in the streets of
the city.
(29:00):
Well, someone allowed them tocome in and they were preaching
and they were hauled off toprison.
They were nearly imprisonedwhen someone came by and said,
no, they can't.
They lose used a political,they knew the person in charge
who could change that.
But these people were going tobe put in prison because they
(29:20):
came in without the right visato do religious affairs, and
they thought they could get bywith that.
Uh that those are items aspeople go, as people uh as we
live through the facts of ourlife here.
Brian Stiller (29:39):
Sam, last time I was with you, wherever I went,
you had me surrounded with yourown uh your own uh, I guess,
police force uh because you'refearful of us being kidnapped.
Is that a continuing concernwith you?
Samuel Olson (29:55):
Not presently.
At that time it was becauseBecause uh there were certain
situations uh that that that Iwon't go into, but we were all
very fearful of different thingsthat could take place at that
time.
But that somehow or anotherthat was undone, and those
(30:16):
people were taken off to jailand and done away with, so to
speak.
That no longer happens, but wehave to be careful and we have
to be very knowledgeable of theplaces that we're driving
through uh or who is near us.
(30:36):
We're not scared.
It's not a problem of beingparanoiac about it, but we do
have to be uh prudent in ourways.
Brian Stiller (30:47):
Sam, how long have you pastored in Venezuela?
Samuel Olson (30:50):
Well, I started out in 71 as the co-pastor, and
I became the full senior pastorin 1979.
Brian Stiller (31:01):
So since 1971 uh to 1925, that's the number of
years.
As you as you look back onthat, those years, did you ever
come to a point as you weregoing through these social and
political difficulties that youthought you would leave the
country as well?
Samuel Olson (31:19):
That never crossed my mind.
Let me let me put it this way.
I was I thought between 1971and 79 that I was simply there
to help my to help the churchbecause my father was ill.
Dad passed away, and I becamethe senior pastor through the
voting, the voting system of thechurch, and I required that,
(31:44):
but I did not sense that I wasactually a pastor until about
1987.
1987 it suddenly dawned on me,yes, I am a pastor.
I am the senior pastor.
And it's not just the game orsomething of being uh uh uh
(32:07):
selected as such.
This is a calling of the Lord.
And Nancy and I have never,never thought of the idea that
we might leave Caracas.
Uh the call the Lord called ushere, not because of our
parents, but because ofourselves and the calling upon
(32:28):
his life.
I never felt that in the Stateswhile I was studying and
working in the States.
It came as a gift.
And I can never say, now andthen I say, wow, I could have
been living in this type of asituation in a certain type of a
city where I used to work andteach in Princeton, but I could
(32:52):
be living there, I could beliving elsewhere in Brittlebury,
Vermont, or, or, or, or.
But no, no, that's not whereI'm supposed to be.
I'm supposed to be here.
Brian Stiller (33:03):
What constitutes a call for ministry?
Samuel Olson (33:06):
First of all, I could see what the Lord was
doing through my work as theco-pastor of the church.
I was not filling shoes.
I was seeing what washappening.
For example, the church wasgrowing.
I added elders to the church,and they assumed that work as
(33:32):
elders.
We started building huts,complete houses for the people
who were living in the dirt.
The church was growingnumerically and spiritually.
And I saw that, and I could notsay that the Lord wasn't
blessing.
And then I fell in love withthe church again, and then it's
(34:00):
I sensed yes, the Lord is usingme as a shepherd of the church,
as nothing else.
Not as teacher, not asevangelist, not as an apostle,
not as a prophet, as a shepherdof the church.
I do teach, but I'm a shepherd.
And that's been part of my uhwhat can I say?
(34:25):
That's a sense, a powerfulsense, to for which I'm thankful
to the Lord.
I could never deny that again.
Brian Stiller (34:36):
Well, I've been to a few countries in in the
world and I've I meet a lot ofpeople.
But I I must say that that Ihave been both attracted and
fascinated by you and Nancy andyour presence in a Pentecostal
(34:59):
church in Caracas, and you arenot in the wealthy area of the
city, you're in the poorer area.
And you've lived there duringenormous political and social
and economic upheaval, and yetyou continue to nurture this
(35:19):
idea that you're a shepherd andyou find your joy there with
your people, even though youhave all kinds of opportunities
to leave.
So here's my question then,coming out of that observation
to a younger person who is maybein a difficult place or maybe
(35:43):
in a place of enormous ease anduh and provision.
Um what should they in theirmind look to as a call of the
Lord and an affirmation of hiscall?
Samuel Olson (36:02):
I would say what I said, told uh a few people I'm
not going to mention.
Do you want to stick it out?
Do you think you're going tostick it out, or do you just
think this is a five-year termin a contract?
If it's just a contract, well,okay, fine.
Live it through and fulfillyour contract.
(36:25):
But do you want to stick it outand see what the Lord is going
to do with your life and theministry that you have?
I know that I stuck it out, butI didn't suffer sticking it
out.
I wanted to see, and I've seenhow the Lord has worked enormous
miracles and provisions as wego through.
(36:48):
Just the fact that we now havea full-fledged school from
kindergarten or preschool to thefinishing high school.
And now the people want tostart university.
I can't believe it.
Just to see that the seminaryhas 200 students from 50
different churches in the cityand that they're working toward
(37:08):
their masters and towards theirdoctrine.
Whoa, whoa, that it just tellsme that the church is being
multiplied and that in some wayone was used a particular way to
get something going.
What can I say?
Uh stick it out.
The Lord will bless you ifthere's a calling upon your
(37:29):
life.
If you give up after five orten years, you'll always wonder,
did I do the right thing?
The call is a call, and it isnot a contract.
A call is a catch that bindsyour soul to the Lord and to
what he wants to do through yourlife.
Brian Stiller (37:52):
Sam, it's been so wonderful in conversing with
you today.
I have this one last request.
The rest of the world knowswhat's going on in Venezuela.
We hear the reports, we see thepictures, we understand the I
guess millions now people whohave who have emigrated.
(38:13):
What eight million out of howmany?
Sam, what would you what wouldyou have to say to church
leaders of the world from whereyou sit as we come to our last
few minutes of conversation?
Samuel Olson (38:29):
I I'm surprised by the question, and not bec
because it's a terriblymeaningful question or or or
request.
It's worth uh serving the Lord.
It's not about money, it's notabout buildings, it's not about
(38:50):
relationships, it's aboutserving Him.
One goes back to Peter and andJesus.
It's not the same thing, butit's at least it's a suggestion.
Feed my sheep.
The people are longing to befed, whether they're ten people
or a thousand people, each onehas a call upon his or her life
(39:14):
that the Lord is going to workout over the years.
Serve him and he will blessyou.
Serve him and he will multiplythe works of your hand and of
your mind and of your soul.
Serve him and he will blessyou.
Brian Stiller (39:35):
Pastor Sam Olson, thank you for joining us from
Caracas, Venezuela onEvangelical 360.
Samuel Olson (39:42):
Thank you.
It's been a pleasure, it's beena blessing.
Brian Stiller (39:48):
Thanks, Sam, for walking us through your world in
Venezuela and helping us seewhat service to our Lord is all
about.
And thank you, faithful friend,for being a part of the
podcast.
Remember, you can share thisepisode and join the
conversation on YouTube.
If you'd like to learn moreabout today's guests, check the
show notes for links and info.
(40:09):
And if you haven't already,just hit the subscribe button.
That would be reallyappreciated.
Thanks again for joining metoday.
Until next time.
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