Over 20 years in Venezuela: A miracle can rise from the ashes

Congratulations to our Venezuelan neighbors and the brothers and sisters in Christ who have long prayed for Nicolas Maduro to be removed from office.

Witnessing millions of Venezuelans celebrating within the country and in other nations around the world brought me great joy.

It was a clear indication of the level of misery and suffering the people have endured under evil, tyrannical rule, which began under Hugo Chavez in 1999. This problem impacts all of us because communist nations, such as China, Russia, and Cuba, are all vying for influence and directional control of our very close neighbor on the other American continent.

A historical perspective

In 1950, Venezuela, with its vast oil reserves (the largest known reserves in the world), had the fourth-highest GDP per capita in the world, passing European nations that were recovering from WWII. Fluctuating oil prices, political turmoil, socialist policies, excessive debt, and money printing led to runaway inflation. In 2018, it is estimated that hyperinflation reached 1,700,000%. Poverty soared to over 90%, and more than eight million citizens had to leave their homeland to look for a means to take care of their families. Anyone over 70 years old has witnessed one of the greatest economic collapses in modern history. The estimated 28 million citizens who remain have suffered extreme hardships, and they need our help.

A challenge to help

To my fellow believers, the door of opportunity is opening for significant ministry to take place, assisting the people in restoring their lives and livelihoods that have been stolen from them through unleashed corrupt and oppressive forces for more than 25 years. While the government is doing its part to restore the rule of law, support ethical leadership, and rebuild the petroleum and mineral-based economy, we, the Body of Christ, must do our part as well.

If you only watch the news, your perspective will be jaded by pictures of gang members, illegal immigrants, and the fringes of society that have caused the nation to suffer a public relations nightmare. But there is a completely different side to the nation that many likely do not know about. My call to help comes from a personal love for the people in this beautiful nation. Allow me to explain.

Crown Financial Ministries has had trained leaders (nationals) working inside and through local churches in Venezuela for more than 20 years. We were invited to begin our training programs through a highly educated, upright volunteer who helped us expand tremendously without asking for a dime. He eventually became our full-time staff member. I personally traveled to Venezuela when it was still possible for Americans to safely visit the country during Chavez's tenure in 2011.

After the economy collapsed in 2018, we helped relocate our staff member and his family to Mexico; then they legally immigrated to our international headquarters, where he continues to serve in executive leadership, overseeing our outreach to Spanish speakers in the United States as well as in Central and South America. His unique, firsthand perspective is shaped from growing up in a prosperous, cohesive society and watching it crumble from within through the iron-fisted dictatorships of Chavez and Maduro. Their relatives, friends, and network of Crown leaders that remain in Venezuela keep them accurately informed of the reality of what is happening on the ground.

A plan to flourish

In God's timing, we hope the nation will become stable and secure enough for foreign missionaries and church and business leaders to enter Venezuela again. Please pray for that day to come sooner rather than later. At Crown, we believe it will take many agencies working in collaboration when the window opens to begin to make a difference in the name of Christ.

Here’s a list of current priorities from the feedback we are receiving: 

1. Humanitarian Aid – Food is scarce. Distribution channels remain in the hands of corrupt leaders who want to seize power in a leadership vacuum. We need to mobilize relief agencies that can get emergency help to the malnourished children and the vulnerable.
2. Entrepreneurship and Financial Skills Training – Millions will never be able to enter the formal employment sector, even when the macro economy improves. We need to get training for small businesses to develop quickly, combined with training in financial skills that can jump-start the economy at the lower income levels. This is Crown's expertise.
3. Human Trafficking – Unimaginable human trafficking is rampant due to corruption, greed, and scarcity. This problem must be addressed, and restoration ministries need to assist the victims in healing from their trauma.
4. Restoration of Hope and Values – After decades of Marxist brainwashing, the people need renewed hope and a return of the values that can rebuild the economy on trust, while fighting to eliminate corruption. The Church needs to grow, support pastors, and advance community services as quickly as possible.

A miracle can rise from the ashes in Venezuela. It has the potential to rewrite history from a once strong nation to a failed nation to a nation restored and fully flourishing again because God's people did their part for their hurting neighbor. Let's not look the other way. The solution is not political or economic. The people of Venezuela need the love of God on full display in the weeks, months, and years of rebuilding that lie ahead.

Are you interested in receiving ministry updates from around the world? Do you want helpful and encouraging tools and tips on financial stewardship? Sign up to receive the Crown Newsletter emails by using the form on the homepage at Crown.org.