A Long Way From Caracas: Kidnapping, Exile, and the Adventures of Trusting God

Kidnapped by guerrillas. Exiled from his homeland. Rebuilt in America. At twenty-three years old, Alfonso Vidal felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his neck.What began as a fishing trip in the Venezuelan plains became eleven days of captivity at the hands of Colombian guerrillas. Those days would forever divide his life into a "before" and an "after."But this is not simply a story about kidnapping.It is the story of a young Venezuelan engineer who grew up during his country's golden years, witnessed its collapse, left everything behind to start over in America, built a family, launched businesses, experienced both success and failure, and discovered that God's plans often reveal themselves only when we look backward.From the vibrant streets of Caracas to the jungles near the Colombian border, from the uncertainty of immigration to the opportunities of the American Midwest, A Long Way from Caracas is a deeply personal memoir filled with adventure, humor, heartbreak, faith, and hard-earned wisdom.Along the way, Alfonso reflects on:• Surviving eleven days as a hostage deep in the jungle• Growing up in Venezuela during a dramatically different era• The collapse of a nation and the lessons it offers about freedom and responsibility• Building a new life in America as a legal immigrant• Entrepreneurship, leadership, and resilience through adversity• Marriage, family, and raising children between two cultures• Faith, suffering, and the mystery of God's providence• The seven steppingstones that help ordinary people endure extraordinary challengesWritten with warmth, honesty, humor, and humility, this memoir invites readers into a remarkable journey that spans continents, cultures, and decades.Whether you are an immigrant, entrepreneur, person of faith, student of history, or simply someone trying to make sense of life's unexpected twists and turns, A Long Way from Caracas offers a powerful reminder:Sometimes the longest roads is the shortest path to a virtuous life.