{"id":38839,"date":"2026-07-03T14:34:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T12:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vedruna.org\/words-from-venezuela-solidarity-care-faith-in-god\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T14:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T12:37:31","slug":"words-from-venezuela-solidarity-care-faith-in-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vedruna.org\/en\/words-from-venezuela-solidarity-care-faith-in-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Words from Venezuela: solidarity, care, faith in God"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nearly ten days after the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, two testimonies from Venezuela highlight the power of solidarity and the faith that God sustains us even through the worst of times, such as these. <\/p>\n\n

Mental health is very important<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

After spending an entire week working nonstop\u2014receiving supplies, organizing, sorting through clothes, shoes, medicine, water\u2026 for all those affected by this double earthquake that we, as Venezuelans, have experienced\u2014we have seen far too much pain up close. Graphic images, screams, cries, unfiltered footage, nonstop videos, family members trapped under rubble, deceased individuals, news story after news story, video after video. <\/p>\n\n

Without a doubt, we have also seen how wonderful Venezuelans are\u2014their solidarity, their smiles, their applause, their jokes\u2014and how they focus on the positive aspects of their lives, which I believe is the most important thing: seeing hope for tomorrow, for life, and for recovery. <\/p>\n\n

I think we do need to stay informed, but we also need to take care of our mental health. <\/strong>In the past, we often watched events on TV\u2014edited, with warnings, and presented with a certain degree of care; today, they reach us at any hour directly on our phones, live, without context, one after another, and that takes a toll on our minds and emotions, leaving us with nothing but suffering. Some people are having nervous breakdowns; others are facing their fears, reliving them every time someone sends them a message; children are seeing events they shouldn\u2019t be seeing; I understand that staying informed is important, but staying informed cannot mean destroying ourselves\u2014and mind you, this isn\u2019t about looking the other way, nor is it about closing our eyes to tragedy or pain; it\u2019s about taking care of our mental well-being as <\/strong>we stand with the country during these difficult times\u2014we must take care of ourselves. <\/p>\n\n

Recently, at the national gathering of educators, one of the topics we discussed was precisely this: taking care of those who care for you. How <\/strong>important it is to take care of ourselves and others in order to keep our minds and hearts healthy\u2026 Joaquina told us: \u201cLet us place ourselves in the hands of Divine Providence, and then God will take care of everything; let us cooperate with grace on our part, and may God\u2019s sweet will be done in everything and in its entirety.\u201d That is what we must do now: cooperate and place ourselves in God\u2019s hands. <\/p>\n\n

I am grateful to everyone who has shown up\u2014both in person and online\u2014to stand in solidarity with us as a people, for your prayers, for your contributions, and for placing us in the hands of the Good Lord, trusting that all of this would pass\u2014and indeed, it did.<\/p>\n\n

Giclis Santamaria<\/strong><\/p>\n

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