Before I traveled to Venezuela to help with earthquake relief, I carried certain expectations with me.I went to help with Operation Blessing, the humanitarian organization I'm privileged to lead.
Like a lot of Americans, most of what I knew about Venezuela came from headlines.Years of stories about political turmoil, economic collapse and government dysfunction had quietly shaped the picture in my mind.I expected to find a country running on "empty." I expected suspicion and a harsh welcome.
What I actually found was something else entirely.I found one of the most beautiful countries I've ever set foot in.And more than that, I found some of the most resilient, generous people I've ever had the privilege of meeting.
In community after community, I watched neighbors care for neighbors while having almost nothing themselves.US MILITARY DEPLOYS MTVRS, AIRLIFTS AID TO VENEZUELA FOLLOWING DEADLY EARTHQUAKESTaxi drivers drove 10 hours just to volunteer on search-and-rescue teams at ground zero.Families who had lost their own homes showed up to help clear the rubble from someone else's.
Churches threw open their doors, and their volunteers worked until 2 a.m.to hand out emergency supplies and tens of thousands of hot meals that we prepared in an industrial kitchen that we’d taken ownership over.Drew Friedrich aided Venezuelan earthquake victims as part of Operation Blessing.
The man next to him is a taxi driver who traveled 10 hours to help.(Operation Blessing)The first responders there weren't all outsiders; the vast majority were Venezuelans.Watching all of this unfold forced me to sit with something harder.
Before our team ever deployed, I heard from people who questioned whether Americans should help Venezuela at all, given its politics.US UPDATES TRAVEL WARNING FOR QUAKE-HIT NATION, CITING DISASTER RISKS AND VIOLENT CRIMESome suggested the government had brought these troubles on itself.Others simply couldn't untangle the humanitarian crisis from the political...