Venezuela’s current state has shocked the world under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule. Within the past weeks, reports have surfaced of aid turned away, closed borders and the country being deprived of energy and water. Furthermore, the country has been exposed to a nasty political feud between Maduro and the Venezuelan National Assembly’s president Juan Guaidó. These issues have caused the country to struggle to keep its people safe and calls us Christians to help the people through aid and encouragement.
THE BIG ISSUE WITH VENEZUELA’S CURRENT SITUATION
Maduro has rejected any aid sent to Venezuelans by the U.S. and has closed the Venezuelan borders to other countries. Venezuela’s seclusion has furthered an economic and political problem since the nations surrounding Venezuela have little desire to wage war. Cuba, for instance, has attempted to provide medical assistance by sending doctors into the country. However, the doctors were forced to coerce Venezuelans to vote for Maduro, the current dictator.
This situation has caused over 3 million Venezuelans to flee the country since 2015 and to overfill Colombian hospitals.
The problem with Maduro’s Venezuela is his wish to make the country solely communist and to cease all relationships with any capitalist country. This puts the U.S. and the United Nations in a tough spot since the number of capitalist countries around the globe is far greater than that of communist countries.
WHAT WE, AS A NATION, SHOULD DO
Venezuela will not change until Maduro is overthrown by the people. It seems, however, that the people are not strong enough. The only other option is going into war with the troops surrounding the country, but the casualties in this would be too great and damaging. This puts the United States in a tough position, as Maduro’s troops are avidly seeking confrontation. The solutions seem to revolve around trying to summon Maduro for a meeting with the United Nations in order to minimize damage and enter an agreement. As much as he may not want any capitalist aid, the best way out of this crisis would be for various nations to come together in order to find common ground and solve the issue.
Additionally, with Trump’s new sanctions aimed at Venezuela’s oil, the country’s economy seems to be tumbling down into an even worse state, which primarily affects its citizens. This should be of concern to us, as a nation we might be to blame for hardship upon of Venezuelans. These sanctions are causing the Venezuela citizens to feel uneasy, as they fear Maduro’s presidency will not come to an end, especially since Russia has been giving the oil company money.
WHAT WE, AS CHRISTIANS, SHOULD DO
As we seek clarity in this, churches should begin praying and preparing to send missions teams in order to fix the damage that is to come. We as Christians should also come together to understand why we need to be more aware of Venezuela’s situation. Though Venezuela may seem far away, we need to realize that their country matters just as much as any other, both in an economic sense and in a Christian, humanitarian sense. Venezuelans provide us with valuable imports and are our brothers and sisters who also deserve peace.
Knowing that Russia has been sending soldiers into the country, we should seek to speak with Russian believers and see how they can help. Missionaries should also seek to make helpful connections with Russians in order to further the chances of good aid and faith reaching those suffering.
Venezuela’s situation is truly devastating, but we need to realize that our help is needed more than ever. Communicating with our government to let them know hurting Venezuela’s economy could harm the working class far more than those in power is a great first step. Additionally, seeking to connect with our brothers and sisters in Russia might be the smartest move for Christians as we seek to send aid to the people suffering.
