wo girls shared the same pair of shoes. When one of them went to church, the other stayed at home. Some brothers were losing weight fast due to the lack of food. Others did not have the resources to get around. One day, after the service, some children asked for food to eat because they were very hungry. Considering these sad reports, observed, and collected by the Pastor responsible for the Maranatha Christian Churches in Venezuela, Pastor Rufino, that the supporting institution – Maranatha International Christian Mission (MICM), began sending a monthly aid in cash, six months ago. The purpose of the aid is to purchase basic food baskets that have benefited 43 families. The pastor was guided by God to help the brothers with part of the harvest from his plantations and by raising fish in his farm. The fish harvest yields, on average, 1500 (fifteen hundred) fish every six months. The farmed fish are tilapia and cachama.
Impact of hunger in Venezuela exacerbated by the pandemic
The impact of poverty on MCC members in Venezuela is recurrent. Because the poverty rate in Venezuela was 29.4% in the period 2002 to 2014, according to the latest data from the INE (National Statistics Institute of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela). According to a study published in 2018 by three Venezuelan universities, the poverty rate rose to 90% (Reuters article 12/21/2018). There are currently no new official data, but the Maranatha Christian Church (MCC) has been paying attention to reports from pastors responsible for regions bordering Venezuela to provide support to needy families. Today, there are three Maranatha Christian churches in Venezuela.
Faced with the increasing economic impacts of the pandemic, the pastor noticed the need of the members worsen and, before building his house on the farm, he received a sign from God showing this prophetic moment, of need for help, preparation of food for the brothers. And so, when that time came, the pastor, with the MCC, promptly began to assist the members. “At first, I didn’t want to accept the donation, knowing that God’s work is spiritual, but seeing the difficult situation and different needs of our brothers, we understood God’s plan. Well, there was even a lack of medication and getting dressed was luxury, so I created a project for donating clothes”, said the pastor.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God
Members receive the help of the Maranatha Christian Church of Brazil through MICM and the spiritual work of salvation has remained firm, containing nothing that can separate them from the love of God, as stated in chapter 8, verse 39 of the book of Romans.
“The people are firm on the rock, in one body, in one Spirit and always loving our large family in Christ throughout Brazil, with whom we always have contact with the brothers, and we are very grateful for their help and especially for their prayers. Here in Venezuela, you are also constantly in our prayers,” concluded Pastor Rufino.
Por Andréia Talma













