Adventist Team Travels from Colombia to Venezuela to Support Recovery Efforts
Initiative seeks to assist those serving those affected after recent devastating earthquakes.
July 29, 2026 | Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia | Cristin Serrano, North Colombian Union, and Inter-American Division News Staff
A team from the Rescue and Disaster Assistance Corporation (GARSA) recently traveled from Colombia to support humanitarian efforts after the devastating double earthquake that hit Venezuela Jun 24. Its mission, developed in coordination with local organizations, reflects the value of preparedness, cooperation, and service amid one of the largest recent disasters in the region.
After traveling about 38 hours from Colombia, a team from GARSA arrived in the state of La Guaira with an urgent mission: to support the search and humanitarian assistance efforts in the area. As families waited for news of their loved ones and rescue teams worked around the clock among collapsed structures, volunteers joined a coordinated effort with emergency agencies and humanitarian organizations, group leaders reported.
Rescue teams from several countries inspect a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, one of the areas hardest hit by the two earthquakes that struck on June 24, 2026. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
A Planned Response
Before the trip, GARSA contacted organizations and response teams in Venezuela to learn about existing needs and define how it could contribute to humanitarian efforts. The team was allowed to enter Venezuela thanks to the efforts of the Isaias 58 Foundation, an organization linked to the Adventist Church in Venezuela, which helped coordinate their movements with local officials and response agencies.
The team included GARSA operational manager José Sepúlveda, and experts in Prehospital Care and rescuers Óscar Ibarra, Giovanni González and Alexander Alarcón. Nursing assistant Adriana Barón also traveled with them. From Medellín, GARSA manager Arbey Fernández provided permanent support in the logistical and administrative coordination of the operation.
Members of the GARSA Rescue Team return from their humanitarian mission in Venezuela. From left: José Sepúlveda, Óscar Ibarra, Adriana Barón, Alexander Alarcón and Giovanni González. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
The team left Medellín on Saturday, June 27 and, after spending nearly two weeks supporting humanitarian work in Venezuela, returned to Colombia on July 9.
“We always try to respond in places where our experience can be useful and our service is really needed,” explained Sepúlveda.
When they arrived in La Guaira, the dimension of the tragedy shocked the team.
“The beauty of the place contrasted with the magnitude of the destruction. The fatigue of the journey disappeared when we saw the need in front of us. We just wanted to start helping as soon as possible,” Barón said.
During the following days, rescuers participated in search work, pre-hospital care, logistical support and accompaniment to affected families, they reported.
A GARSA rescuer takes part in search and assessment efforts at a collapsed structure in La Guaira, Venezuela. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
Technical work occupied a good part of the days the team spent in Venezuela. It was the stories of the people affected, however, what most deeply marked the members of the team.
Sepúlveda remembers meeting a father who remained next to the rubble as he looked for his missing daughter. The team provided him with water, food, and a flashlight to continue the search through the night, as well as staying by his side providing support amid the uncertainty.
“We were not always able to change what they were experiencing, but we could let them know that they were not alone,” he said.
The GARSA Rescue Team during its humanitarian mission in Venezuela, which ran from June 27 to July 9, 2026. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
Together with the search and rescue efforts, the Adventist Church’s humanitarian response continued through theAdventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Colombia, with the support of ADRA’s international network and fundraising campaigns in several countries. According to ADRA Colombia director Jair Flórez Guzmán, Adventist members and churches in Colombia joined a donation campaign that raised more than $25,000 for affected families.
“For us it is very important to support a neighboring country,” Flórez Guzmán said. “We are sure that, if the situation had been the opposite, they would have done the same for us.” Flórez Guzmán also thanked the donors. “Each contribution counts to meet so many needs that Venezuela faces today.”
According to him, ADRA Colombia was the only national office of the ADRA network that deployed personnel directly to Venezuela during the first phase of the response.
Rescuers and support personnel from several organizations gather after a day of work, reflecting the international cooperation during the emergency response in Venezuela. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
Upon arriving in Venezuela, the GARSA team became part of the response system already operating in the affected areas, working under the coordination of local officials and together with other relief agencies.
According to Jonás Hurtado, coordinator of Orinoco Rescue Operations, the GARSA Rescue Corporation was in charge of the installation and organization of the base camp, providing logistical infrastructure, specialized equipment, and technical personnel to strengthen operations on the ground.
“As a representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we immediately joined the effort that was already underway,” Hurtado said. “The contribution of the Colombian team was essential because it provided the infrastructure of the base camp, technical rescue tools, and qualified personnel in emergencies. By integrating these resources with local teams… we helped teams to have the greatest impact.”
GARSA Rescue Team members join international rescuers during earthquake response operations in Venezuela, working alongside relief agencies and humanitarian organizations in affected areas. [Photo: Courtesy of Garsa Rescue Team]
As response operations progressed, Adventist churches in various regions across Venezuela set up collection centers and supported the distribution of humanitarian aid in coordination with ADRA and other agencies.
For those who were part of GARSA’s mission, returning to Colombia marked the end of the operation, but not of an experience that transformed their understanding of service.
“You come back valuing your family much more and understanding that every opportunity to help can make a difference in someone else’s life,” Barón said.