Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner on July 28 for his third six-year term. Then, the opposition party called foul.

Protests in Caracas against the re-election of Nicolás Maduro, July 2024.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The European Union, the United States, and other Latin American nations have joined in calling for election rolls to be published. Annabel Torrealba with Trans World Radio says, “Our partner office in Venezuela was closed for four days because it was impossible to go anywhere.”

TWR’s partner in Venezuela shares the same mission and vision: to create radio programs sharing the Gospel of Christ. More about that here. Youth programs, Bible studies, lessons on prayer, and more reach people across the struggling nation.

This isn’t the first or last time TWR has served the nation amid unrest. Today, they need your prayers. “You want a change, but we cannot change people. [Only] God can change hearts,” Torrealba says,

“My prayer request for Venezuela is that this government can be reached for the Word of God because that’s the only thing that can make a difference.”

Praise God that Venezuelan pastors have stayed in the country in the past decade, and the Church is still present. “Pastors in churches in Venezuela are resilient [and] they’re still there. Nobody left,” Torrealba says.

Finally, pray for the TWR team. “They are facing [hardship] like everyone else,” Torrealba says.

“Pray for strength, for them to continue what they are doing joyfully and know that God will give them the reward.”

Header image depicts protestors in Venezuela in August 2024. (Wikimedia Commons)

Javier Milei, Argentina’s new president. (Photo courtesy of La Libertad Avanza | Wikimedia Commons)

Marisol Gomez, national director of TeachBeyond Argentina, says, “55.7% of Argentinians voted for Javier Milei as the new president. I’m not sure whether they were voting for him. They were voting for a change.”

It’s no question that change is desperately needed, with Argentina’s economy crippled by an inflation rate of 143%.

Will positive change come with President-elect Milei?

“It has been like this for the last 20 years,” says Gomez. “With a very low level of employment, the economic situation is extremely, extremely challenging.

“Fifty percent of the population is unemployed. So we have 50% in poverty and…the reason why in Argentina is because of the high level of corruption.”

Milei promises to cut several public departments, shut down Argentina’s central bank printing money, and adopt the U.S. dollar.

Argentinians hope the new administration will repair decades of socialist damage.

On the cusp of significant changes coming to the country, local Christians are also praying for spiritual revival.

“All of a sudden, the Church started getting organized and getting involved with the Kingdom of God, but [also] getting connected with society.”

(Photo courtesy of Aqu Alvarez/Unsplash)

Churches have been organizing well-attended prayer rallies and offering physical aid to people struggling to get by.

Pray with the Church in Argentina for spiritual revival. Gomez says, “We need to pray for more strength and pray for faith.”

You can learn more here about TeachBeyond’s Gospel impact in Argentina through education!

Header photo of Javier Milei, Argentina’s new president, at a political rally in August 2021. (Photo courtesy of La Libertad Avanza Ianzamiento/Wikimedia Commons)

The story drew instant denials from a government spokeswoman who affirmed that annual reviews of the state sponsor of terrorism list were the norm, but she noted again that a policy change for Cuba was not in the offing.

Being on that list, countries like Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan are subject to the harshest sanctions the U.S. can impose, including travel bans, financial transactions, and trade.

The whirlwind of this speculation came days before an unexpected announcement from Cuba's presidential palace: Raul Castro announced plans to retire in 2018. Castro's decision not to run again means ending almost 60 years of Castro rule in the country.

Bright Hope International President/CEO C.H. Dyer says most people seem to be biding their time instead of reacting to the announcement. "2018 is a long ways away. I think the predominant thought among believers–and even the secular media–is, ‘Well, it could happen, [or] it could not.'"

Raul Castro's retirement doesn't mean a Castro-styled influence will disappear. During his address, Castro indicated his hand-picked successor: current vice president, 52-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Dyer says it's kind of a foreshadowing, [meaning:] "'We're planning for our ideology to continue beyond the Castros.'"

However, it was under the pressure from the Castro regime that the Church blossomed, Dyer notes. "The Church has grown under the Castros, under persecution, under trying not to help the Church grow. God has been providential over what has happened."

Still, some analysts wonder if retirement is just another of the reforms Raul Castro began implementing to catapult the country into the 21st century. Despite assurances that Cuba would not abandon socialism, Castro indicated plans for two-term limits and age caps for political offices, most of which will have to go through a referendum.

It all boils down to more change…apparently. Still, the 632 church planters Bright Hope supports don't have time to get bogged down in the "what if's." They've got more pressing matters for today, says Dyer. "Believers down there aren't really paying much attention to this. They're just saying ‘We believe in God. We're going forward. We're faithful. We are going to live out our faith regardless of who's in power or what they do or don't do to us.'"

However, adds Dyer, "We cannot bring all of Bright Hope to Cuba yet. We can't do relief work (except for the disasters like Hurricane Sandy), and economic development certainly can't be done."

In spite of the limitations, Bright Hope has helped to rebuild churches, provide hundreds of bicycles for pastors, and support pastor training workshops and evangelistic Christmas dinners that fed thousands. These holistic programs have created a solid base from which the church is set to explode when Cuba is opened, he excitedly notes. Pastors "are in house churches that are in villages and tiny towns across Cuba and are witnessing, sharing their faith, fully devoted to preaching the whole Gospel and winning people to the Lord."

Cuban church leaders are predicting that in the 9 to 18-month period after Cuba's political sanctions are lifted, thousands of people will be exposed to the Gospel for the first time. In fact, last July Bright Hope's church partners in Cuba held their first outdoor evangelistic meeting in recent history with 10,000 people reported in attendance. It's never happened before that way, and it's a good indicator of what to expect.

Along with your prayers, the HUGE need for the pastors and missionaries are bicycles. Bright Hope wants to supply 600 bicycles to Christian workers. The bikes cost $139 each. Imagine how many souls could be reached for Jesus if these missionaries had a bike to ride door to door, neighborhood to neighborhood…city to city.

Change is coming to Cuba…just maybe not from the political realm. In Cuba, a bicycle = souls = life change.

Click here for details on the work of Bright Hope in Cuba.

Executive Director of Spanish World Ministries (SWM) Daniel Sandoval says, "Among the true believers, there is a sense of disappointment. There's a sense of fear about what will happen in the next few years. But, we are certain that God is in charge of whoever is president in Venezuela."

The fear is understandable. In 2006 Chavez forced many expatriate missionaries from the tribal areas of the country. This time around, however, Chavez is sending mixed signals. What kind of mixed signals?

Sandoval says before it was announced that Chavez had cancer, he was condemning Israel. "When he came back from Cuba after the surgeries, or therapies that he had in Cuba, he came back with the idea that he needed Jesus in his life. So Chavez all of a sudden, within the last month, has become a more religious person."

That doesn't mean his socialistic ideas have changed, however. Even those issues haven't worked, though. Sandoval says, "Poor people remain poor people, and the rich people are deciding to move to other countries, or they're deciding not to invest their money in Venezuela."

While the so-called injustices haven't been fixed in Venezuela, Sandoval says those issues can only be fixed completely as Venezuelans come to Christ. He's challenging Christians. "Christians have to stand firm in their convictions and have boldness to reach the unsaved with the Gospel. Certainly there will be more obstacles in Venezuela. We don't know the socialist agenda, but the truth is the Great Commission remains the same."

That's why SWM continues broadcasting radio programs in the country. Sandoval says Christians have the authority through Christ alone. "There are still people who need to be saved in [Venezuela] just as in the rest of Latin America where are programs are reaching so many people."

You can be a part of their ministry without having to leave your home. "With $15," Sandoval says, "a believer who is committed to the Great Commission can help Spanish World Ministries reach 28 people with the Gospel." That will help SWM continue broadcasting more than 12,000 times a week in Latin America.

If you'd like to support them, click here.

By the way, Mission Network News can be viewed in Spanish. Share this link with a Spanish speaking friend, http://www.noticiasmisioncristiana.org.

Chavez has described Cuba's dictator, Fidel Castro, as his
mentor. As the warm relationship
continues to intensify, it's bringing along with it a growing sense of concern for
religious freedom.

Castro's attitude toward the church has been decidedly
unfriendly. However, according to Voice of the Martyrs Canada, over the last
year, the government shifted away from higher profile forms of oppression to
putting pressure on pastors and other Christian leaders.

The concern, says VOMC spokesman Greg Mussleman, is that because
of the Chavez admiration for Cuba, Venezuela may be adopting a similar mindset
and ideology. Mussleman spoke with
Colonel Nelson Castro (unrelated to Fidel Castro), a Venezuelan Church leader, about
his concerns. Castro's first comment
was, "The church in Venezuela in the past has been very active and has done a
lot of evangelical campaigns."

Then, says Mussleman, came agreement. "We don't see the more
demonstrative persecution–church buildings set on fire, or people thrown into
prison–but more subtle kinds of persecution that causes people to
compromise."

Many church leaders have gone
along with the radical socialist government or kept a low profile to avoid
problems, but it backfired. Mussleman goes on to
say that the current scenario is proof of that. "What you're seeing is a situation where
pastors have compromised, and Colonel Castro is saying that this kind of
persecution is intensifying for those who stand up and preach the Gospel."

Subtle persecution keeps governments under the radar of the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Rather than a direct hit, it's a campaign of
discouragement. "Where a lot of the
pastors now are starting to stand up and speak the truth, they're running into
problems. Again, it's subtle,
where people are losing their jobs, their churches, or some buildings have been shut
down. They won't allow them to meet."

Mussleman notes that on the face of the issue, it looks like
there is freedom. "You can have
Christian radio stations in Venezuela IF you agree to some very strict
regulations. One of those regulations is that you cannot speak out in any way
against the government."

However, that regulation can put a preacher afoul of the
law. "Some of the teachings of Scripture, in our allegiance to Jesus Christ,
would be seen as an affront to the government. So if you're not close to the
government and going along with what they're saying, you won't be granted a
license to operate a radio station."

The same is true for those trying to keep their churches
above ground. However, says Mussleman, "If
you're not close to the government, or if you're in any way seen as outside of
their control, they won't grant a license or permits to build new structures or
renovate the  existing structures." As a result, many churches are going
underground.

That's good and bad news. Castro warns, "I firmly believe that there is
going to be a law passed that will modify the way churches gather, and there
will be a price to pay. I think that is what is ahead."

Mussleman responds, "Pray that the church in Venezuela will
mature. With persecution and the difficulty the church is facing, pray that the church
will be strong, the leaders will be strong, and they will be preparing their
people in what the Bible says about persecution and difficulty."

The time for compromise is over. Colonel Castro says, "Preaching the Gospel will always bring
consequences, but we have to continue to preach Christ as Jesus as our King, no
matter what that brings."

E3 plans to focus its ministry in Ecuador on empowering
church-planting mission trips led by Ecuadorians, as well as on providing
leadership support, research, and ministry tools. 

Latin America’s rising
“Pink Tide” of socialism and paganism has given e3 Partners’ operations there a
sense of urgency in recent years. Ecuador, like Bolivia
and Venezuela,
has acquired a socialist leader. President Rafael Correa took office in January 2007 and wants to rewrite
the constitution to help the poor, reports BBC News, but critics say he is only
trying to consolidate his power.  

Many suspect that the “doctors” and “teachers” Cuba is sending to Ecuador and other nations are advocates
of Santeria, an Afro-Cuban form of paganism.
Bolivian president Evo Morales, who is also socialist, wants to spread
his country’s tribal animism. Under
these circumstances, syncretism and socialistic animism could easily spread
through the continent, especially in the Andes Mountains. 

Syncretism already abounds in Ecuador. Although 90% of Ecuadorians call themselves
Roman Catholic, most of them combine Catholic beliefs with indigenous
beliefs. Sometimes their veneration of
Catholic saints resembles the traditional local worship of pagan deities. 

While the Ecuadorian church still needs financial and
material support from e3, e3 reports that the church is strong and
well-equipped for ministry. It is doing all it can to spread the Gospel in Ecuador while the doors are still
open. 

The church took an official stance against the President in
the referendum. In their opinion, the
bishops are quoted, "Besides restricting many civil, social and political
human rights protected by the Constitution, [the reform] establishes motives
for political discrimination and introduces new fields of confrontation and polarization
between Venezuelans."

With the failure of
the constitutional overhaul, Chavez faces a term limit. That means he's out of the President's office
in 2013. Voice of the Martyrs' Todd
Nettleton says that means he may speed up his press toward a socialist
agenda.  

Unfortunately, that's not good news for believers. "We have heard reports of increased
persecution, particularly along the Colombian border with Venezuela. There are some cases
of Venezuela providing sanctuary for FARC guerrillas from Colombia, and in other
cases, literally, persecution instances against the church in that particular
area."

The concern is growing as ministries look over Chavez' track
record against Christians. A year ago,
he revoked a permit given to the mission more than 40 years ago. That gave the Bible translation ministry just
90 days to relocate their personnel from the tribal areas. At the
time, the missionaries were already preparing the indigenous people for the
possibility of continuing the ministry on their own.

Prayer is needed for church workers in this area. "Times of political turmoil can be times
of great outreach and great ministry, but they obviously are also times of
uncertainty and times of questions. I
think we can pray for the leaders of the church and pray for the members of
the church in Venezuela to have wisdom and to continue to be bold witnesses for
Christ."

Please pray that President Chavez will have a change of
heart towards Christians. Pray that the church leadership will know how to best
lead through this uncertain time. Pray
that the Lord will raise up believers to carry on the torch so that the church
of Christ can move forward in those remote areas where the Gospel has been
preached.