When the ground shook, América Tovar thought it was the end.
She was standing outside a small shop with her sister — a sister she hadn't seen in 10 years, who had arrived in Venezuela just eight days before the earthquakes struck. They were buying sodas. The lights went out. The tremors came and then grew stronger. "I thought we were going to die," América recalls. "I waited so long to see my sister — I nearly lost her."
She made it home. But her house was cracked and unsafe, forcing her and her granddaughter — a little girl with a fragile health condition — to shelter in a thin tent that offers little protection from the elements. "I don't care about myself," América said. "But to see my little girl in those conditions — what could we do?"
América is one of thousands of survivors picking through the rubble of what the back-to-back earthquakes left behind.
Hear América share her story in her own words — the moments that shook her world, and the fear that still lingers for her granddaughter.
The need is immediate
When disaster strikes on this scale, the first hours and days are critical. Families like América's need warmth, dignity and hope. That's why LWR Quilts & Kits matter so much to survivors in the hardest-hit areas. For a grandmother keeping watch over a sick grandchild, a quilt is warmth. A kit is dignity. Both are a sign that someone, somewhere, cares.
Going where others can’t
Venezuela's damage didn't stop at the buildings. Roads buckled. Infrastructure collapsed. Communication failed. Many communities were cut off entirely.
That is where your support is making a difference. Your generosity is helping to supply and sustain 25 mobile clinics operated by a trusted local partner — bringing medical care directly to communities where roads are damaged and access is nearly impossible. Your gifts help stock these clinics with essential medicines and support the logistics that get them to families in need.
Your generosity is already moving
América's first instinct after surviving was to reach the people she loved. Your instinct is the same — to make sure people are not suffering alone.
Because of you, they aren't.
So many more of our neighbors are waiting for a love like yours. You can still donate to help keep mobile clinics stocked and families like América's supported through every difficult day ahead.
Thank you for being Christ’s hands and feet in the world.