Venezuela Is a Different Country

We Venezuelans have just lived through one of the most important experiences in our history. Last Sunday hundreds of us mothers said goodbye to our children at three in the morning because they had to go and work at the polling stations. Thousands of children said goodbye to their mothers or fathers, who were also going to take on that great responsibility once again. Those of us who saw them off did so as if we might never see them again, especially those of us with family members at polling centers in dangerous neighborhoods.

Never before had we seen so many people mobilizing others, so many people cooking for the polling centers. Not to brag, but this year we can say that all the poll workers, and everyone else there (National Guard troops, election council staff and so on), were treated wonderfully by thousands of volunteers who made sure they were well fed and hydrated. Without doubt the heroes of Sunday were all those who worked at the polling stations, from young people who had just turned 18 (fighting for a better future for their country) to older people who were there fighting for their grandchildren. There were exemplary scenes in these elections. A 104-year-old woman voted. At one center we saw a man who had just had surgery arrive by ambulance to vote.

That night many of us mothers were anxious. In my case, my two eldest sons (aged 20 and 18) were working at polling stations in a dangerous neighborhood of Caracas. But you have to summon your courage, and when they called around nine at night to ask what to do because tempers were running very high there, I answered in the voice of an anxious mother: “Don’t move from there until the whole process is over. You have to defend every single vote.” And I handed that time of waiting over to the Lord. “My God, protect them for me!” was all I could say. At that center, where the government had won in every previous election, this time the opposition won. Thank God, although there were some violent groups in the streets, nothing serious happened. Once again the Virgin protected us with her mantle and Peace reigned in our Homeland, apart from a few isolated incidents. We Venezuelans are people of Peace; we have worked tirelessly for Peace, and we will always cry out and fight for Peace to reign in every corner of the country.

All of us who lived through this process ended up exhausted! There have been too many months of tension, too many hard things we have had to live through on top of the daily problems, which are many and sometimes serious. But on Monday we got up early as always, had our JUG of coffee and a few headache pills, and carried on, because Nothing and No one will take away our hope or stop us!

I will tell you this, though: the last thing I thought before going to bed in the early hours of Monday was, where are the 4 million people who didn’t vote in these elections, so crucial for our country? What can they be thinking right now? Can it be that at this point in our history there is still a Venezuelan who lives oblivious to the reality of his country? Or who doesn’t care? Don’t these people have parents, brothers and sisters, friends, children? I truly cannot understand it.

But even though we know this is hard (and I honestly think it is getting less so), there are many, very many! of us who have learned that Venezuela’s future is in the hands of each one of us. And the example young people (and many not so young) are giving has been and will be essential. So a thousand thanks to everyone who has fought and will keep fighting, without losing heart and without losing hope, for a better future.

Nothing stops Truth and Peace. In Venezuela many of us are giving everything we have so that ALL Venezuelans, each and every one, can live in a country with Justice and Peace for all. That is why the struggle will always continue, supported by God and the Most Holy Virgin, who are watching everything from heaven and know their Venezuelan children will not let them down.

I take this opportunity to thank, a million times over, all the people on Twitter who on Sunday, from all over the world and every corner of the country, kept us company online, encouraging us, supporting us and above all praying for Venezuela. I ask you with all my heart never to stop praying for us, because the struggle continues, my dear brothers and sisters, the struggle for Truth and Peace to triumph in our Beloved Homeland.