El Paso pastor returns from Venezuela aid mission, delivers tents and medicine

El Paso, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A local El Paso pastor who oversees five Seventh-day Adventist churches has returned from a mission trip to Venezuela, where he helped deliver supplies to people affected by an earthquake.

Jose Santos said he came back from Venezuela three weeks ago after seeing “the amount of pain, destruction and suffering” in the country. He described it as a “very touching experience” and said people there were “very beat up by the circumstances, by this phenomenon.”

Santos said his trip route went through Colombia rather than flying directly into Venezuela. He said he flew to Bogota, then to Cucuta, where he and others bought supplies before taking them across the border.

In Cucuta, Santos said they purchased 19 tents, including larger tents that could hold eight to 10 people for families who had no roof. He said they also brought medications, rice, beans, supplies for children, milk for children, and “Pampers for adults as well.”

Santos said getting the aid into Venezuela was difficult because of government issues at the border, including being charged taxes to bring in the supplies.

Santos said the trip was funded largely with personal money, with help from a supporter he identified as Sister Rico. “We basically use our own money,” he said.

Santos said he plans to travel again on Sept. 6 to Colombia, and he expects to assess what is needed in both Colombia and Venezuela. He said the goal is to document what is required so that future assistance matches what people actually need.

People in El Paso who want to contribute can contact Santos directly. He provided his phone number as 915-4949-622 and said donations are tax-deductible because the organization is registered with the IRS as a nonprofit religious organization.

Tags: