GREAT COMMISSION GREAT COMMISSION GROUPGROUP

DESTINATIONDESTINATIONCHILECHILE

ChileChile

The nation of Chile is governed as a republic. Sound

economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country’s commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

The population of Chile is about 16 million. Life expectancy is about 77 years.

Slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana, Chile (292,258 square miles) fills a narrow 1,800-mile strip between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. One-third of the country is covered by the Andes. In the north is the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, and in the center is a 700-mile-long, thickly populated valley. At the southern tip is Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world.

Nearly all Chileans speak Spanish.

The ethnic make-up of Chile is 95% White and White-Amerindian, and 3% Amerindian. Other ethnicities comprise the remaining 2%.

The per capita income of Chile is $10,700, with inflation at 2.4%. The literacy rate is above 96%.

89% of Chileans are followers of Roman Catholicism, 11% profess to be Protestant. There are small Jewish andMuslim populations in the country.

Chile VideosChile Videos

Follow the linkhttps://youtu.be/WKcmC-xO4LU to view

these videos as a whole on YouTube.

A Legacy of Missions. A Chilean pastor working in Paraguay explains how the legacy of Alliance missions inspired him and others to "go."1:22 http://www.cmalliance.org/video/watch/32045/

Alliance Marriage Encounter: Santiago. Pablo and Wilma Reyes tellhow God used Alliance Marriage Encounter to transform their marriage and their lives.4:32 https://www.cmalliance.org/video/watch/19858/

Go to the Darkness. International Workers Bob & Cheryl Fugate receive a vivid call from God to plant a church in one of the darkest parts of Santiago, Chile. This work is now being handed off to Chilean church leaders and laypeople to carry out the ministry.4:38 https://www.cmalliance.org/video/watch/19715/

Operation Rescue. There are many orphans in Santiago, Chile, who live in unsafe conditions. Operation Rescue shares the love of Jesus by word and deed, discipling and training the children in the ways of God and practical life skills.5:41 https://www.cmalliance.org/video/watch/19895/

The AllianceThe Alliance

Alliance missionaries arrived inChile in 1897 and began working

among the Mapuche Indians.

Today, our workers in Chile have a rich and varied ministry that encompasses

caring for orphans as well as impacting unreached professionals with the love of Jesus.

Broken lives and families are being restored through Alliance Marriage Encounter (ALMA) weekends, and the lost are coming to Christ through

Women’s, Men’s, and Youth Encounter ministries. In one amazing testimony, a couple had already signed annulment papers when a friend invited them to the marriage retreat. They went as a last-ditch effort, neither of them expecting anything to change. But their lives were radically transformed through an encounter with their Savior,and today they are sharing their story at ALMA retreats.

Alliance missionaries have made significant inroads into Chile’s professional class by cultivating meaningful relationships with society’s most influential residents. More than 400,000 of the country’s top leaders and decision makers live in the immaculately landscaped community of Peñalolén, where no evangelical church existed. The C&MA’s Church ofthe Vineyard was the first evangelical church in this suburb of Santiago. In Reñaca, a congregation of 100 professionals has been formed.

Vision for Chile (VFC), an Alliance sister organization, is involved in construction projects designed to improve the living conditions of homeless children and Alliance orphanages in Chile. The C&MA national church is actively involved in sending missionaries.

National ChurchNational Church

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Chile:

125 organized churches80 unorganized groups100 ordained ministers

16,538 baptized members42,862 inclusive members

Team InitiativesTeam Initiatives

Plant churches among the professional class in the Santiago metro area.

Plant reproducing churches in the needy cities of the northern Chilean desert.

Train lay leaders and future Chilean missionaries through FATELA’s (Facultad Teológica Latinóamericana Alianza) Theological Education by Extension program.

International WorkersInternational Workersin Chilein Chile

Chuck & Betty OstlieDavid & Lou Ann Woerner

Ministry UpdatesMinistry Updates

No One Abandoned: Half a Mileunder the Earth for 69 Days

by Bob and Cheryl Fugate

Bibles were one of the firstsupplies requested by the

miners, to whom an Alliancepastor ministered during

the rescue effort.

An Alliance pastor in Chile is one of five area pastors who were asked to be a part of the pastoral care team for the rescue effort of the 33 trapped miners. Technical help came in from around the world to rescue the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine in Copiapó, Chile, for more than two months. Seventeen days after the cave-in, the miners were discovered alive, buried 2,300 feet under solid rock. Today (October 13,2010), after 69 days underground, they are being rescued in front of a worldwide audience. Around midnight last night, I was in a meeting when we received the call that the first miner had been brought alive to the surface via the 28-inch hole. What amazed all of Chile was the revelation yesterday that the miners were arguing over who should be last to the surface. Not first, but last! None of the miners wanted to abandon their friends. A Nation Rejoices. All of Chile rejoices tonight. But we have some more news that will make you even more excited about this breaking story.

Cheryl and I have been to the desert city of Copiapó numerous times; it is about a 12-hour drive north of Santiago. The Alliance has a small church there. We are good friends withPastor Antonio Cárcamo and his wife, Betty. Cheryl helped them with Women’s Encounter, and I have had the privilege of speaking at the church. Here are some facts that make this story even more amazing.

Pastor Antonio Cárcamo of the Copiapó Alliance Church accompanied the NASA specialists tothe mine site to be briefed on the psychological and emotional needs of the trapped miners. PastorCárcamo was one of

five area pastors selected to join the pastoral care team for the rescue effort.He was on call and in constant contact with the regional governor during the crisis. He tells how the men held Bible studies and services twice a day during their ordeal. Bibles were among the supplies requested by the men. The drill that was used for the shaft that reached the miners came from Berlin, Pennsylvania. I have had the privilege of knowing several Berlin Alliance Church members and their pastor. Go, Berlin! Chile thanks you. You make us proud. To the Rescue! One of the helicopters transferring the miners to the hospital is piloted by our friend, Lt. Isaac Espinoza, presidential pilot and member of our Alliance congregation inSantiago, the Church of the Vineyard. Isaac and his wife serve in the music ministry of the church and in Marriage Encounter. On the day of the February 27 earthquake, Isaac piloted then President of Chile to the earthquake site. Today, Isaac is flying the rescued miners to the hospital.

Cheryl and I want to thank you for your support of Alliance missions, enabling us to minister in Chile for 20 years. We think of how the

nation of Chile did not abandon the 33 lost miners; how much more should we, who know the love of God, press onwith our efforts to reach a lost mankindthat is buried beneath the rubble of sin and injustice! No one should ever be abandoned.

The Whole Gospelfor the Whole Person

by G. David Woerner

Taking the whole gospelto the whole world begins

with the good news impactingthe whole person.

Bruno heard voices inside his head. Doctors and medicines gave no relief. For many years, Bruno was in a deep depression. Joy and peace continually eluded him. The Gospel of Deliverance. Bruno, aconstruction engineer, attends the Chicureo Alliance Church in a thriving and growing area of Santiago, Chile. For four months, we have met each week, going through the steps of freedom in Christ and lifting up many prayers of confession and deliverance.

The Lord has answered miraculously. Now, Bruno follows a daily Bible reading plan, with life-

changing impact. The ministry of the Word has brought healing and joy. Just last Wednesday, he smiled a number of times during our session — a first! Bruno’s parents, who also go to the Chicureo church, said that for the first time in years, he attended every family function during the Independence Day holidays. Taking the whole gospel to the wholeworld begins with the good news impacting the whole person, as with Bruno.

Divine Encounters in Chileby Bob and Cheryl Fugate

God does not abandon anyone,because lost people

matter to Him.

Chile is anything but boring. The earthquake of February 2010 — with more than 1,000 aftershocks — and therescue of 33 trapped miners in October 2010 are just two events that left us thankful to the Lord for His protection. But there is something far more exciting taking place in Chile. It is a spiritual openness that leads people to place their faith in Jesus Christ and experience the power of God’s transforming love.

A woman started the year 2010 witha marriage on

the rocks and a life in turmoil. She andher husband attended a Marriage Encounter last year, and through this ministry they decided to give their love one more chance, saying no to divorce. As the year ended, she gave her life to Christ and found peace with God and internal joy. She ended 2010 looking forward to baptism, which she calls her best Christmas gift ever. In another Marriage Encounter weekend, three of the couples were absolute disasters when they arrived. Two of them were so miserable all day Saturday that they spent most of their time figuring out how to leave. One couple was determined to leave and called their sponsors to come and get them. Completely unknown to us, I requested that this couple be seated next to Cheryl and me for dinner. In these types of delicate situations, the pastoral couple normally uses greattact and very careful probing to offer support and encouragement; but alas, that was not to be the case with this poor couple. No sooner did they sit down when the words just came spewing forth. I looked the husband straight in the eyes and firmly ordered him, “Don’t leave; stay the night. If by tomorrow morning you still want to leave, I will help you leave myself.” I don’t know who was more shocked – me or the poor husband across the table. He couldn’t figure out how I knew that he had just secretly called hisfriends to come and get them. He agreed on the spot to stick it out for thenight. Glimmer of Hope. During the rest ofthe dinner, we listened with more tact and empathy as the wife shared the tragic story of the suicides of her two younger siblings within the last 12 months. She wept the entire time. An hour later when the friends arrived to take the couple home, they declined; bySunday afternoon, they left the Encounter weeping for joy and holding hands, with a glimmer of hope for their marriage and their family. We teach throughout the Encounter that the secret to a lasting marriage, one that can weather the fierce storms of life, is to build it on the bedrock Jesus Christ. These dear couples that come in search of one last chance to save their marriage are ready to listen and open their hearts to God’s transforming love.

Cheryl and I want to thank you for your support of Alliance Great Commission Ministries, which has enabled us to minister in Chile for more than 20 years. We think of how all of Chile did not abandon the 33 lost miners, how the Lord did not abandon us last February, and how God does notabandon anyone, because lost people matter to Him.

Alliance Church Member WasFirst to Fly Former ChileanPresident to Disaster Area

by Isaac Espinoza, presidential pilotin the Chilean Air Force

Isaac and his wife, Francesca,are members of the Church

of the Vineyard, the Alliancecongregation in Peñalolén.Following is his eyewitness

testimony of the first few hoursfollowing the 8.8 magnitudeearthquake that rocked Chile

on February 27, 2010.

On the night of February 27, I was on call – which meant that I had tobe ready to fly wherever the

President needed to go in an emergency. I was honored by God to be assignedto the president at the young age of 26 when there are many other, higher-ranking, more experienced pilots in theAir Force. In Chile it is not easy to be an evangelical, much less an officer, in the Air Force with the assignment that I have. On the morning of February 27,I had returned home from a birthday party at 3 o’clock. It was at 3:37 a.m. that the catastrophic earthquake hit. Shaken! Chile is a country of earthquakes, so when the shaking started, I tried to go back to sleep. Within seconds, the shaking became terrifying. I ran to get our little daughter from her room, and Francesca and I made our way to the living room. By this time our eighth floor apartment was swinging wildly back and forth in a 6-foot arc. Outside the window I could see the electric wires snapping and lighting up the sky like lightning. We couldn’t do anythingbut wait until it stopped. It got so bad that we thought the building would collapse and that wouldbe the end of us. I felt surprisingly calm, but I give thanks to God for His

mercy in sparing us. Our apartment was not seriously damaged, although the apartments below us have suffered. I knew that I had to get to the base immediately, so I took Francesca and our child to my mother-in-law’s home and left, knowing that my wife would have to report to the hospital where shewould be needed as a medical intern. Itwas not easy to leave my wife and young daughter, not knowing what would come next, but I made my way tothe base. There were no gas stations open, the roads were cracked in many places, and I had to convince police that I needed to get through to the base. A City in Chaos. I was ordered to fuel up my helicopter and pick up the president. We had no cell phones, no communication, no lights in Santiago –it was like flying in the Stone Age. The president headed toward the most affected zone, a city where my mother lived and where my grandparents pastor a church. Many of the houses were made of adobe, and they collapsedinto rubble. I flew directly over my mother’s house and praised God that it was still standing. As we headed toward the coast, I was not prepared for what we saw. Thetsunami had taken half of the coastal towns. Houses still intact were floatingin the ocean. Freighters were washed five blocks into shore. The president was speechless, staring at the damage and the loss of life. We then flew to the city of Concepcion, one of the worst hit areas. The city was in chaos – no lights, water,electricity, or food. The people were in panic at every aftershock. I flew for 11 hours that fateful Saturday without food or sleep.

Refined by Fire. As I close, I reflect on the way many people ask why God could permitsuch a disaster. I am

reminded of the Bible verse that says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though nowfor a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perisheseven though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7). I know that this temporary sadness will help us to grow spiritually and that many will come to believe in Jesus as a result of this tragic disaster.

New Lives for Old

“I’ve learned that for those wholove God, all things work

together for good.”

Pablo and Wilma were signing annulment documents when a friend invited them to an Alliance Marriage Encounter (ALMA) sponsored by the Cordillera Alliance Church in Santiago, Chile. Wealthy by Chilean standards, the couple led extremely busy lives, leaving no time for their children or for each other. After 15 years of marriage, they had drifted apart. Pablo had multiple affairs. Wilma fell in love with Pablo’s best friend. They finally separated but agreed to attend the retreat. “When the weekend began, I didn’t have any expectations,” says Wilma. “In fact, back in our room, we had a fight.” Pablo stormed out and planned to return home. “I couldn’t find my car, so I tried to walk home,” he says. “But it was too dark, and I couldn’t find the exit. Eventually I had to go back to the room.” Hope for a Future. Saturday morning, things started to change. Wilma heard the testimony of a womanto whom she was able to relate. “She was in love with another man, had left her husband, and later returned to her husband. I saw her with her husband, and it looked so good. As I listened to her heartfelt story, it birthed in me the possibility that [Pablo and I] could have a future together,” says Wilma. Both Pablo and Wilma accepted Jesus. “I considered myself an atheist,” says Pablo. “But by the end of the weekend, the Lord had met me. I left the Encounter very changed.” After ALMA, Pablo and Wilma grew in their faith in Christ and their love forone another. They attended Sunday worship at the Cordillera Alliance Church, where they were baptized and where Pablo has served as a board member and church secretary. In addition, they began sharing their testimony at ALMA weekends.

A Test of Faith. Seven years later, Pablo and Wilma suffered a tragedy that would test their marriage like

never before. During a routine medicaltest, Pablo’s spinal cord was damaged, paralyzing him from the waist down.

“He began rehabilitation with six other men and was the only believer in the group,” says Alliance missionary David Woerner, who had helped to prepare the couple for baptism. “Two of his fellow rehab patients committed suicide, and two others divorced their spouses.” Pablo copes with his paralysis by trusting that the Lord is sovereign. “I haven’t lost hope that someday I will beable to get up and walk,” he says. “Either way, I’m prepared to accept Hiswill, and the paralysis doesn’t keep me from participating in ALMA. We’ve continued traveling and giving testimony to what the Lord has done despite this spinal cord injury. And so we are joyful, living this life we have. The most beautiful thing is to be able toserve Him and share with our brothers in the faith.” “God has radically changed our lives,not only by turning our unbelief into belief but also by giving us a testimony borne out of suffering,” says Wilma. “This power that God has is so great, and His love that He gives us is so big. We want to continue serving Him, learning about Him, and working for Him. I’ve learned that for those who love God, all things work together for good.” What You Can Do. Praise God for bringing Pablo and Wilma to a saving knowledge of Jesus and for restoring their marriage. Pray that the Lord will meet all of their needs and continue to use them for His glory.

Alliance Church in ChileMinisters to Unreached

Professionals

Emotions ran high when 102 people celebrated the first service of Church of the Vineyard in its new building in Peñalolén, an upper-class community of Santiago, Chile. “We held a communion service to dedicate the chapel to the Lord in recognition of ourdependence on God,” said Alliance missionaries Bob and Cheryl Fugate. “From the very beginning, this has been a work of the Lord. Many who attended the service have seen the testimony of the power of God in their lives and in the ways in which Church

of the Vineyard has grown from five families who began meeting in the living room of missionaries Bill and Patty Hall in 2003.” More than 400,000 of the country’s top leaders and decision makers live in the immaculately landscaped community of Peñalolén, where no evangelical church exists. A major challenge in sharing Christ has been making contact and forming relationships. “There have been tremendous spiritual struggles that have only increased as we approached the opening of the church,” said Bob and Cheryl. “The Church of the Vineyard is the first to lift the cross high in this suburb of Santiago.” “Jesus promised to build His Church, and He has done so in Peñalolén, Santiago, and we are deeply grateful to be a part of His work in this place,” said Bob and Cheryl. “Your faithful prayers and support have madeit possible for The Christian and Missionary Alliance to open our churchwhere we minister to the least-reached people in Chile.”

At-Risk Kids Respond to Christ

During a week long English camp in rural Chile attended by 80 at-risk youngsters, 40 of the children received Jesus as their Savior. “Vision for Chile,an Alliance ministry, brought a team of 10 people to teach English as a Second Language,” said Robert and Cheryl Fugate, Alliance missionaries who serve in Santiago. “The group held three hours of English classes each day,and national Chilean leaders shared Bible stories and taught songs. For most of the children, this was their firsttime to hear the gospel. Many had never even heard the song ‘Jesus Loves Me.’”

Vision For Chile is involved in construction projects designed to improve the living conditions of homeless children living in Alliance orphanages in Santiago, Chile. The group also ministers to the youngsters through cultural celebrations, providing gifts of love and sharing testimonies with the children.