“The devastation is overwhelming,” said Ferrin from SCA network partner CRI. “Families with children are just milling about and sitting outside crumbled residences.”
Prior to departing to the site of Venezuela‘s tragic double earthquakes, Somebody Cares connected CRI with Maranatha Church, one of the largest churches in that nation. Maranatha had feet on the ground immediately, assisting with search and rescue before professional teams began arriving from nearby countries, then shifting to serve meals from a sister church located in the disaster zone.
Plans are to serve 7,000 meals a day from the church’s commercial kitchen to feed a portion of the 15,000 people who are displaced due to the quakes.
Somebody Cares is also in touch with other churches in the area and with partners stateside who are prepared to offer assistance as soon as visas are issued.
“Keep us and our relief partners in Venezuela in prayers,” Doug Stringer said. “Lisa and I have been in regular communication since day one with local churches there. Our longtime relief partner, CRI, is on ground serving as our representatives there as they were able to get past some red tape and arrived yesterday.
Right now, during phase one of this crisis, our partners on-site need finances so they can purchase supplies they need immediately.
Your gift today feeds families and helps with other urgent needs. Please give generously.
And please join us in praying:
- For the people from Maranatha and other churches who have been donating their time to serve on-site in the midst of the heartache and destruction.
- For the first responders who continue searching for survivors.
- For the families who have been affected.
- For more help to arrive and for visas to be approved.
- For the thousands of Venezuelans who have experienced the trauma of loss.
“In the middle of power outages, empty shelves, rubble, and uncertainty, we are reminded that the presence of God is greater than any disaster,” said CRI Director Sean Malone.
“There is hope when it seems hopeless, and we are depending on God for everything.”
Thank you for caring!