13 July, 2026/
No Comments
This Wednesday I will be returning to Venezuela for ten days with one primary purpose: to strengthen the partnerships that...
The population is living through minutes, hours, and days of calamity and despair.
Water filtration kits from IsraAID
Food distribution in Morón
Clothes distribution
Water supply is very low and only trucked in
Pets are also getting attention
StarLink kits for Centers of Refuge
This Wednesday I will be returning to Venezuela for ten days with one primary purpose: to strengthen the partnerships that are making long-term community transformation possible.
The devastating earthquakes of June 24 left thousands of families without electricity, communications, clean water, and access to basic services. Yet in the midst of the crisis, one truth became unmistakably clear.
When everything else failed, people turned to their local churches.
This Wednesday I will be returning to Venezuela for ten days with one primary purpose: to strengthen the partnerships that are making long-term community transformation possible.
The devastating earthquakes of June 24 left thousands of families without electricity, communications, clean water, and access to basic services. Yet in the midst of the crisis, one truth became unmistakably clear.
When everything else failed, people turned to their local churches.
These churches were already trusted. They knew their neighbors, understood the needs of their communities, and had been faithfully serving long before the disaster struck. Our role has simply been to help equip them to serve even more effectively.
During this trip I will be be meeting with pastors, community leaders, humanitarian organizations, and strategic partners as we continue building a network of 25 Community Refuge Centers throughout the affected regions. Each center is designed to provide practical assistance—including hot meals, clean water, emergency power, communications, temporary shelter, and spiritual care—whenever their communities need them most.
One of the most encouraging developments has been the confidence that the Starlink team at SpaceX has placed in this vision.
They initially provided three Starlink systems to support our relief efforts. They have now expanded that support by donating eight stationary Starlink systems and eight mobile Starlink systems, together with 90 days of complimentary internet service. This partnership enables our teams to restore communications where traditional networks have failed, helping families reconnect, relief workers coordinate their efforts, and local churches remain operational during emergencies.
Our long-term hope is that every Community Refuge Center will eventually have reliable satellite internet, allowing each church to serve as a communications hub whenever future emergencies arise. While that goal has not yet been realized, the trust Starlink has already shown gives us great encouragement.
Another encouraging development is our partnership with the Evangelical Alliance of Brazil, which has committed to helping raise $75,000 to equip ten Community Refuge Centers. Although those funds have not yet been raised, their commitment reflects growing international support for this grassroots model of serving communities through trusted local churches.
By God’s grace, generous donors have already enabled us to fully equip four churches with generators, field kitchens, water systems, cooking equipment, communications, and other essential resources. We are now seeking partners to help equip six additional churches, while believing God to provide the remaining resources needed to establish all 25 Community Refuge Centers.
This work is only possible because local churches, businesses, humanitarian organizations, and generous individuals are choosing to work together. Each partner brings unique strengths, creating a model that is practical, sustainable, and locally led.
Please pray for wisdom, safety, and fruitful relationships during this trip. More than delivering equipment, our goal is to strengthen the pastors and community leaders who will continue serving their neighbors long after the emergency has passed.
The buildings already exist.
The leaders are already exist.
The trust has already been earned.
Our privilege is simply to come alongside them—equipping local churches to become lasting places of hope, practical service, and community resilience for thousands of Venezuelan families.
Reflections and articles.
This Wednesday I will be returning to Venezuela for ten days with one primary purpose: to strengthen the partnerships that...
In the aftermath of Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes, our first priority was simple: respond quickly, serve people, and learn what works....
This map combines satellite analysis with reports from relief teams on the ground to illustrate the impact of the devastating...
"I came to the training program with many doubts about my calling. I didn't know if God could really use me, with my history and my limitations. But through the workshops, studying the Word, and the guidance of my mentor, I discovered that my weaknesses were not an obstacle, but rather the place where God's grace becomes most visible. Today, I lead a youth group in my neighborhood and am training others to discover their purpose as well. Next Step didn't just train me, it transformed me."
"When my husband lost his job, I thought our family was going to fall apart. With three young children, I didn't know how we were going to get by. That's when I learned about Next Step through a friend at church. They offered me a microloan and training to start my baking business. Not only did I learn how to do accounting and manage my business, but I also received encouragement and prayer during the most difficult times. Today, my business employs two women from my community, and I can say that God used Next Step to restore our hope."
"Last year, a hurricane destroyed half a dozen houses in our community, including mine. I lost everything, but what hurt the most was seeing my children cry without understanding what was happening. When the Next Step team arrived with food, blankets, and words of comfort, I felt that God had not abandoned us. But the most beautiful thing was that they didn't leave after the emergency. They stayed to help us organize a women's artisan cooperative and a community kitchen. Today, my house is rebuilt and my community is more united than ever."
"Living in a country at war makes you feel like the whole world has forgotten about you. But when I connected with my mentor through Next Step's global mentoring program, I discovered I wasn't alone. She not only listened to me, but prayed with me, helped me think clearly when everything was chaos, and reminded me that God is still in control. That weekly relationship was a lifeline for my faith and my leadership. Today, despite the difficulties, I continue to serve my community and train other leaders who also need to know that they are not alone."
