The work of the Lord in the Andes of Venezuela

Telling about what the Lord has done in the Andes requires the obligatory mention of Dr. Thomson and Doña Alicia. They saw the formation of the first Assembly in Mérida in 1976, after 13 previous visits, each for 15 days. Accompanied by other workers, we are greatly indebted to them for what we see and enjoy today in the Andes. My wife Dorothy is the niece of the Thomson's.

They saw two Assemblies established in Mérida, Los Próceres and El Chamita. Then Paul Chapman and his wife Daphne were in El Vigía, where they also saw the establishment of an Assembly in 2015. As for us, we have to attend to and identify with what the Lord said in Jn 4:38: "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." However, we recognize that their shoes are too big for us.

Alejandro & Dorothy Trias & family

On January 12, 2019, brothers responsible for the assemblies in Mérida and 13 workers gave us the right hand of fellowship to work full time. Although we had considered working outside the country for some time, our hearts had been won by the people from Jaji, where we had been busy for 12 years. We have been visiting the town of Jaji for 16 years, and by the grace of God we have been allowed to see the establishment of an Assembly there, composed of 15 believers in fellowship. Meetings that the assembly holds include the Lord's Supper, prayer meetings, Bible studies, house preaching, and Bible classes for children and adults.

On November 27, 2022, the Breaking of Bread was celebrated in Jaji for the first time. Today, meetings are held in other towns, and we long to see other lampstands shining for the glory of God. La Calera Alta de Lagunillas is a sector where work has been done for a long time, and showers of blessing have been seen. There are about 14 believers, of which eight are in the fellowship of the Assembly in Los Próceres; it is the population where we have seen the most significant interest in a series of consecutive Preaching, with more than 30 unconverted people attending every night for two continuous weeks. We would greatly appreciate your support in prayer for this sector.

There is a city called Ejido, where an exercise is also maintained for a while, showers of blessing have been seen, and we long to see rain, we greatly appreciate the prayers for Ejido. The enemy has hit the testimony there quite a bit; there is little strength, but the Lord is faithful and has not been left without a testimony. Three weekly meetings are held there in José Araque's house. There is a town in the Andean Paramos, two hours from our house, called Santo Domingo, where brothers from the assembly in Barinitas maintain spiritual exercises, and we try to support them as much as possible. Some have professed faith and have continued. What a joy it would be to see an Assembly there according to the biblical pattern. The days are passing by between the four assemblies and these foreign works, including meetings in our home with our neighbors that occurred due to the pandemic. We try to support as much as possible other neighboring states that make up the Andean Region and where there is also great need, such as the States of Táchira, Barinas, and Trujillo, and what weighs on our souls is the need in the neighboring country of Colombia, where we try to provide support, as we are the closest workers to the Colombian Venezuelan border. This year, we managed to accompany the brothers to the Sincelejos Conferences and Soacha in Bogota and, in previous years, to the Conferences in Villa del Rosario de Cucuta, Cartagena, and Medellín. We are so aware of our smallness and limitations and of the breadth of the fields that we ask for help in prayer so that we ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest since, in truth, it is great and the workers are few. So many other open doors are waiting for the Gospel message, and we are debtors. We need to serve the people of Tovar and Bailadores, among many others, but we have not been able to. There are countless towns where there is nothing of the Gospel.

To get from Mérida to the assemblies in bordering states it takes 4 hours, to get to the state of Táchira, one can travel 4 hours without seeing a single assembly, but yes, countless towns, the same is the story to reach the assemblies in the State of Trujillo, and the same thing happens if you want to visit the assemblies in Barinas. They are great distances, which have innumerable towns with whom we remain indebted with the Gospel every time we pass; "And for these things, who is enough?” II Cor.2:15.

Among the Assemblies of Mérida, there is an agreement to have a special bimonthly meeting every two months on Saturdays, with teaching meetings from the morning until the afternoon. This has served to strengthen ties of communion between the State Assemblies. The Biblical Conferences of the Andean Region are also held annually in Mérida, with brethren from the States of Táchira, Trujillo, and Barinas.

For the purposes ahead, there are three weeks of special meetings due to the conferences in Mérida to be celebrated in the will of the Lord from July 5 to the 7th, with one week of pre-conference meetings and two weeks of post-conferences. Starting from the second week of August, dedicate, as is customary, 6 or 7 consecutive weeks of Bible classes for children in the afternoons and preaching at night, one week for each place in the four assembly of Mérida, that is, Los Próceres, El Chamita, El Vigía and Jaji, also in three or four foreign works, such as La Calera Alta, Santo Domingo, Ejido and Portachuelo. For all these purposes, we would greatly appreciate your support of prayer.

If this report serves to motivate many to exercise prayer in favor of the state of Mérida and awaken others to consider service here, then we will understand that it was worth it and that the Lord must be glorified with this.

Summer 2024

Written by Alejandro & Dorothy Trias - Venezuela

dorogriffin1978@gmail.com