Brother Jimenez – MY LIFE AFTER HUGO CHAVEZ
After Hugo Chávez Frías took command of Venezuela and completely took over everything, my life has changed in many ways. In the first moment when he became President of the Republic, it did not seem to me nor did I imagine that everything that has happened after more than 20 years could happen.
He always struck me as too radical and determined a man, who liked to do his will regardless of what others thought or believed. That honestly left me wondering, but in 1999 when he began his presidential term, everything was flowing normally and it is clear that he had not shown his true intentions.
One of his first decisions was to introduce the concept of the ‘Bolivarian revolution’ at the same time that he wanted to make people believe that socialism was the best thing that could happen to Venezuela. At first, everything was fine, in my life there was no immediate change that affected my family’s finances, but over time some of their decisions began to affect me.
It was very unfortunate to see how little by little the foreign companies that made so many excellent investments in my country, we’re moving away and removing their people. The change in PDVSA (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) was especially terrible since it was 100% in the hands of the government. With very little investment of resources and inefficient maintenance, the Paraguaná Refining Center, one of the largest in the world, was completely decaying and no one could deny that today it is falling apart. That was a place where I worked for more than 10 years and because of Hugo Chávez’s efforts, I had to leave it. But I trusted Heavenly Father a lot and he helped me make the best possible decisions to move forward and progress without fear.
Before Hugo Chávez it was quite easy to find people who were willing to buy land and invest in it and it was something I wanted to do, especially now, but unfortunately, it has not been possible anymore. However, I do not lose hope that later on, I will be able to sell part of the land that the Lord has allowed me to take care of here on earth and to be able to do something better to continue for as long as I have left.
My wish has always been that my children have that inheritance when I am gone. But I also know that it will not be easy for them to manage it, because there are no resources and no facility to do so. When Hugo Chávez was still in power, it could be said that he had a worse and worse relationship with many countries and that he was too attached to Cuba, in whose country he began to invest more aid and resources than he invested in our own country. He was a very despotic man, but even so, in one way or another there were more opportunities than now and I worked in my truck a little more calmly.
I’m not going to deny that I always supported the campaigns against him so that another president could improve everything. But no effort was worth it and more years began to pass without anyone being able to do anything. So when I realized that Hugo Chávez had basically bought out the National Electoral Council and the National Armed Forces, I knew that this was not going to stop easily and that I would have to find a way to move forward with firmness and patience.
Despite the circumstances, I helped my children with their university expenses and we had what they needed until Hugo Chávez fell ill and left Mr. Nicolás Maduro in charge of the presidency of Venezuela. I don’t remember ever thinking that things could get worse, but sadly it did.
As they say here in Venezuela, it was the legacy of Hugo Chávez, which has been getting worse and worse. Despite all my efforts, many doors began to close for me and I just had to trust God more. I tried to work without fatigue and together with my family, I overcame many obstacles. He never left me alone, even though I am an imperfect man and from time to time I could not prevent my faith from failing.
So behind Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro arrived and my life began to change more than I thought in recent years. How can it be possible that after 20 years they are still in power? Who could think that’s a good thing? My resources began to decrease more and more and the progress of my children stopped, so it was difficult for them to meet their goals here in Venezuela.
Then something happened that I did not expect and that has sincerely broken my heart. In 2017 my eldest daughter, along with her husband and my first grandson, decided to emigrate to Argentina, and to this day they are there. I have not been able to see them for all this time and recently my daughter had another baby. It is very sad for me and my wife to have to be so far away from them and not be able to share their joys physically.
My eldest son, my only son, also decided to emigrate to Peru in 2018 and is still there, he has a job but lives alone and it is very sad not to be able to support him and not share with him on special dates. We are such a united family and now the government situation and everything that Hugo Chávez implemented has separated us without knowing if here on earth we will be able to meet again and be close.
Sometimes I wonder why my family had to go through this? Why have my children had to leave their native country and seek progress in a distant land when our country has it all? That’s when I remember that my Heavenly Father knows all things and that He has a purpose for everything and everyone.
I am sure that He is just and merciful and that at some point he will help us to bring the country back to light. But for that we must do our best that we can and try harder every day. I just have to be more patient and accept His will.
The separation from my family has been one of the worst changes I have experienced in the course of my life. I never thought that the fruits of the Chávez government were these. Like us, many Venezuelan families are going through the same thing, some have even abandoned everything they had and have left without leaving anything in this country.
I start to compare what my life was like before Chávez and how it was after him and it amazes me that they are completely different angles. The challenges that we went through before were very easy to solve and I could receive support from other people with perhaps more opportunities.
Now we all have the same tests and we have had to endure them in different ways depending on our abilities. I personally have been very blessed and even though I don’t have everything it takes, I thank God for what I can have and because He puts Angels to help me.
I will continue to fight and hope that this socialist legacy of Hugo Chávez can end very soon and that my family can return to Venezuela and fulfill all their temporal and spiritual goals. I’m trying to do what I can to keep going so that my wife and I can keep up well, but there is a lot that is getting out of hand. A life after Chávez has meant having to depend on others for food, not being able to go to a doctor to check my health because a specialist is very expensive and worse still, not being able to take my wife to a doctor when she has heart problems. heart and has not been able to have an exam for a long time.
Yes, I know that all this sounds very negative, but it is my reality. The good news is that despite all these things, I trust the word of the Lord and He has promised us that we will prosper on earth as long as we keep the commandments. I trust that promise and I will do my best to do my part.
It is my turn to continue until God decides that this Venezuelan government should no longer remain and until many Venezuelans who are still blinded by the socialism implanted by Hugo Chávez can open their eyes and realize that this will not give any good future to their children and their grandchildren.
I know that my life and that of my family could be better after so many sufferings, we just have to wait for this corruption to end. I have no doubt that at some point it will have to be that way.
Give Today
$5
$10
$50
$250
$500
Other
Recent Comments