Venezuela (MNN) — Millions of migrants bottleneck at the United States-Mexico border as Title 42 confusion continues. Thousands like Julio come from Venezuela.
For the past several years, Venezuela has been undergoing a massive economic, political, and humanitarian crisis. While the world has moved on to new headlines, many Venezuelan locals still lack basic necessities – things like gas, electricity, internet access, and even food. Many of these obstacles existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the virus came renewed desperation.
Churches have faced their own struggles. Transportation was already hard to come by before Venezuela’s economy collapsed, but gas prices have risen out of the reach of most locals. As a result, very few believers can make it to church.
The crisis has spilled beyond Venezuela’s borders. In the pursuit of better opportunities, over 6 million refugees and asylum-seekers have left Venezuela. They’ve gone to Peru, Argentina, Panama, and even the United States. In particular, many refugees have gone to Colombia, a country with its own share of challenges.
Wherever they go, Trans World Radio programming has followed. Most of their Spanish broadcasts are produced in Maracay, Venezuela, and TWR’s Annabel Torrealba used to live in the country.
After all, despite the difficulties they face, many Venezuelans have come to Christ. TWR produces specialized content that caters to the needs of believers who have been displaced. Educational programming, for example, reaches kids and their parents who can’t reach schools.
TWR is also raising international support. Churches around the world are supporting their Venezuelan brothers and sisters via food and clothes drives and financial aid, and TWR is finding those organizations and connecting them to people in need.
They’re also looking to the future. Colombia’s people have undergone suffering of their own, and now they’re neighbors to Venezuelan refugees. Why not minister to both?
“Our team needs a studio to produce programs… that address these specific things that are facing the people… that are still healing emotionally,” Torrealba says.
If you want to support TWR and its Colombia project, you can do so right here. “We can build trust and tell them that there is a God that loves them and gave His son to save us,” Torrealba says. “Our team there is willing to go and keep telling the message of hope in that area in Colombia.”
Header photo courtesy of Trans World Radio.
