On June 24, a double earthquake shook central Venezuela, hitting La Guaira especially hard. Thousands of families lost their homes, and many churches in the area were faced, overnight, with a need far beyond their capacity.

What happened next is one of those stories that remind us why this work is worth doing. Not because it solves the magnitude of the tragedy, but because it shows that a different kind of response is possible.

A team of engineers from the international ministry EMI, invited by Camino Alliance, trained leaders from 15 churches in Caracas and two communities in La Guaira to assess whether a home was still safe to live in, and to provide emotional and spiritual first aid to people going through grief and trauma.

The outcome included a container of food and hygiene supplies distributed among 17 churches and organizations. But the most significant result was something else: Global Care, Next Step Venezuela, Las Acacias Church, and the National Baptist Convention, four organizations we have been walking alongside for several years, chose to respond together. Rather than competing with one another, they saw themselves as one body. Each contributed what it had (contacts, local presence, logistical capacity), and the result was greater than the sum of its parts.