La Guaira, Venezuela | Hecho Nuevo | Finding Jesus in the Rubble
Following Jesus meant a complete change in Vanessa’s life. She left behind the religious practices of spiritism and santería and joined a local church.
On June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela just 39 seconds apart. The second, a magnitude 7.5 quake, was the strongest to hit the country in more than a century. The devastation was especially severe in the coastal state of La Guaira, where entire apartment complexes collapsed, while Caracas and other parts of the country also suffered widespread damage. More than 6,400 people were ultimately confirmed dead, tens of thousands were reported missing, and thousands more were injured or displaced.
Hecho Nuevo, Novo’s Global Partner in South America, has deep roots in Venezuela. Although the ministry is no longer based there, years of investment had built trusted relationships with Christians and churches across the country. When the earthquakes struck, those relationships gave the team a way to respond quickly—and they said yes.
Before the earthquakes, Hecho Nuevo had focused on building relationships with local church leaders, creating training opportunities, and equipping believers to engage friends and neighbors through Discovery Bible Studies (DBSs). That existing emphasis shaped how the team chose to respond.
Given the magnitude of the need, they decided to focus their efforts on supporting leaders and others working on the frontlines, while also serving families staying in two shelters in La Guaira.
Their Venezuela team handed out supplies to 150 families and led a recreational program for 60 children and adolescents.
But they also recognized another critical need: caring for the emotional and spiritual wounds left by the disaster.
The team hosted seven training workshops for 420 leaders and volunteers representing 100 churches, equipping them in Psychological First Aid, trauma, resilience, and spiritual care. They also partnered with a therapist to provide acute care and counseling for 10 leaders with specific needs.
Vanessa was one of them.
After the earthquakes, Vanessa spent several days as a “Topo,” or “mole,” digging through the rubble looking for people, IDs, and important documents. Some of those she searched for were her own relatives.
“My brother lost everything,” Vanessa shared. “His house, his car, his business, his family, his dog... everything.”
The days of searching, recovering bodies, and facing her family's losses left Vanessa emotionally exhausted. She experienced frequent anxiety attacks and intrusive memories.
With support from Hecho Nuevo’s Venezuela team, Vanessa began working through what she had experienced. Then she said yes to helping others, using her training to provide psychological first aid and spiritual support to her own family and three additional displaced families.
During this time, Vanessa also began following Jesus.
“It was tough and there are still images that repeat and repeat,” she shared, “but with Christ it has been something tremendous; he has given strength, given firmness, given peace amid so much sadness and pain.”
Following Jesus meant a complete change in Vanessa’s life. She left behind the religious practices of spiritism and santería and joined a local church.
Now Vanessa says she would love to continue serving people in crisis wherever God leads her. She says the experience has deepened her faith as she digs into God’s word and listens to the Holy Spirit, seeking to offer genuine encouragement to others.
Hecho Nuevo continues to mentor the leaders they’ve trained, in partnership with trauma psychologists, to help them apply what they've learned in their communities. They're also equipping these leaders to bring Discovery Bible Studies into the shelters, creating opportunities for people to explore scripture amid the upheaval of the earthquakes.
Vanessa's story offers a glimpse of what this ongoing investment can make possible: people finding healing and helping others find it, too.
