Venezuelan Migrants Find Relief at Center of Hope from Samaritans Purse
GNN Note – We have been following the economic collapse of Venezuela for close to six years. The economic policies of socialism have destroyed another country and is currently destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. We are grateful to see some relief flowing into this area to offer some assistance to victims of these out of control politicians.
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A SMALL FACILITY IN COLOMBIA IS PROVIDING MEDICAL CARE AND OTHER SERVICES TO VENEZUELANS WHILE KEEPING THE GOSPEL AT THE FOREFRONT OF CONVERSATIONS.
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We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
Just over the border from Venezuela, in Cucuta, Colombia, hundreds of desperate men, women, and children come to the Center of Hope each week to find physical and spiritual relief.
SAMARITAN’S PURSE IS PARTNERING WITH A
LOCAL CHURCH IN CUCUTA TO MINISTER TO
VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS OF ALL AGES.
Some of these Venezuelan migrants have moved to Cucuta, some are passing through, and some will travel back to their home country in the evening. They all share this in common: a failing economy has put their once-wealthy nation in a painful place. People are struggling to feed themselves, and the healthcare system is no longer able to meet even basic needs. They feel they have nothing left in Venezuela and must seek out relief somewhere else.
At the Center of Hope, a partnership between Samaritan’s Purse and a local Colombian church, they find a variety of services.
“People come and get spiritual help, regardless of background. They hear about God. They get psychological help, medical help, legal help,” said Jairo Antonio Garzon Lopez, the center’s coordinator.
Between June and December 2018, nearly 13,000 people (the vast majority of them Venezuelan migrants) were guests at the center, with the numbers climbing as the new year began. A concern for people’s souls is integrated into all the center’s services, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being clearly presented. Close to 3,000 people have surrendered their lives to the Lord, and an additional 1,300 people rededicated their lives to Him.
Fleeing a Country in Collapse
Many of those who come to the center are seeking medical care for their children. Orangeles, 21, came seeking diapers and medicine for her 1-year-old son’s rash. She left Venezuela “because it was unbearable” and moved to Cucuta, where she now works as a beautician and sleeps on a mattress in a cleaned-up storage room. It’s not easy, but she resolved, “I’m going to Colombia and am going to stay no matter what.”
