Venezuela
Unshaken Faith
As I write this letter, I stand in awe at the goodness of God. The story I am about to share with you is one of remarkable timing. We could not possibly have planned this – only God could have put this together.
From my letters recently, you already know that God has put Venezuela on our hearts in a big way this year. We felt a great urgency to respond to the doors that have suddenly opened in this nation, and so for the past two years, CfaN leaders have been conducting Fire Camps and building relationships with hundreds of local churches.
That has all been building towards a major CfaN Gospel Campaign, set to happen in Valencia later this year. We have seen incredible favor at the highest levels, along with a marked sense of anticipation and unity amongst the churches. Campaign preparations are at advanced stage.
So, this is why Alejandro and Rachel Escobar – veteran CfaN campaign organizers – were in Venezuela when the twin earthquakes struck. They were on the last few days of a 19-day trip, leading 27 evangelists doing youth campaigns, preaching in prisons and meeting with local churches to plan the upcoming campaign.
One of the team evangelists, Fabian Lösslein, described the moment everything changed.
“I had just left a big pastors' meeting. We'd gathered all the pastors in one church, and when it was over, I was driving home. Then, all of a sudden, all the cars stopped on the highway. My first thought was, are we getting robbed? What is happening? Then I saw the car right next to me shaking and immediately knew it was an earthquake.
My wife and three kids were back in the apartment on the 24th floor. The whole building was shaking. My kids were literally falling from wall to wall. But the Lord clearly said to me: “I am your castle. You are safe.” Half an hour after the earthquake, the children were in bed and fast asleep – we had complete peace, a peace that passes all understanding.”
Not one of the 27 evangelists in the team was harmed in any way.
Being the hands of Jesus
In the wake of the earthquakes, campaign preparations were temporarily put on hold. Alejandro and Rachel, who have built a network of church leaders over the past two years, looked to see how they could be the hands of Jesus. Instead of holding prayer meetings and media interviews, they were now taking food, water and medicine to desperate, displaced people. They looked for where the local church needed help and jumped in to do as much as they could.
Alejandro is originally from Venezuela and has heard the Lord speaking about a great harvest there for over eight years. He shared:
“When the earthquake hit, we were the only Christian response team on the ground, just Rachel and myself.
“Since then, a few more people joined, and we’ve put together a small relief team. Matias Toivanen flew all the way to Venezuela from Finland after the airports reopened to begin mobilizing evangelists across the nation. Other Jesus Camp graduates and CfaN Bootcamp evangelists came to help preach the gospel, minister with local churches, and support humanitarian efforts while activating evangelism. The people are incredibly hungry for hope.
“We have over 700 trained evangelists in the country. In Valencia, where we were based, there are around 250 Jesus Camp evangelists. They’ve been mobilizing on their own, and many churches have been working nonstop. We’ve heard stories of trained evangelists going out to rescue people and even preaching the gospel to those trapped in the rubble, sharing Jesus with them while they were still buried. They didn’t have equipment to dig them out, but they brought hope and prayer.
“Even though our core team was small, we had huge support from hundreds of evangelists trained over the past years, along with local churches. We’re now working with countless churches, board advisors, and major denominations in Valencia. They’ve partnered with us to share the Gospel. They’re bringing in teams and humanitarian aid, and we’re coming alongside them to add the evangelistic part. For example, they deliver mattresses and food, crowds gather, and then we preach the Gospel. We’re holding mini-campaigns at relief centers.”
“God spared me to serve”
A few days after the earthquakes, Alejandro visited a church in the heart of La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas, where over 165 buildings collapsed.
“We connected with a small church there, and met a pastor named Israel. He shared his story, and it was heartbreaking. That day, they had held a healing and deliverance service. Just minutes after the service ended, the earthquake hit. He lost 20 church members. He himself was buried in the rubble and would have died if not for a church member who pulled him out.
The church also ran a feeding program for children, with a large building used to feed hundreds of kids. During the earthquake, that building collapsed, and all the children inside died. The church had a wall covered in paintings by the kids, drawings with messages like “Jesus is my friend” and Bible verses. All those children passed away, but they all knew Jesus.
Could anything more poignantly impress on us the urgency of the Gospel?
That story really wrecked me. But what marked me most was when Pastor Israel said, “I was supposed to die. God saved me for a reason. I’m alive to continue helping people and building His kingdom.” Since the earthquake, he and others have been working day and night – rescuing people, providing food and water. He said, “If the cook can’t cook anymore, I will cook. God spared my life to serve, help, and rescue people for the sake of the Gospel.”
Matias Toivanen expressed the deep need for God that they are seeing everywhere:
“I haven't seen any cynicism towards God. There are no atheists in the country right now and hearts are very, very tender towards the things of the Lord. So, God has given us strength, God has given us a part to play in having the Good News go out. We love people, so as we help people, we also pray for them. We want to talk to them about a hope that does last, a life that does last and cannot be broken, and just be leading people into the arms of Jesus.
We've been seeing hundreds of people responding to the Gospel every day, over 9,000 people already (10 days after the earthquakes).”
God has a plan for Venezuela
Isn’t this an amazing thing to witness? God was working in Venezuela long before this tragedy struck. He was laying a new foundation, calling hundreds of evangelists, knitting the hearts of Christians together. Now, in this moment of shaking and testing, it is the Body of Christ that has risen to the challenge. And everywhere that hands are helping, the Gospel is being preached.
The time for Venezuela is now!
I don’t think there’s any need for more confirmation of what the Lord has been speaking to us about Venezuela. For this nation that has suffered and is suffering so much, the time is now. We are not the only ones who think so. When our campaign organizers speak to the local committees and advisors, they are all in complete agreement that Venezuela needs the Gospel now more than ever.
Campaign preparations will continue as soon as possible, and I look forward to giving you more information on that soon. Please keep praying for the people of Venezuela, for the local churches who have risen to this tremendous challenge, and for our team as they seek the Lord for the upcoming campaign. We are clearly hearing the heart of the Lord for Venezuela – let’s be found ready for what God has planned there.
Together with you for the Gospel,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the CfaN team worldwide)
