Pastor Mario Explains Chilean Response to Earthquake Relief

The IMB posted an audio link of Pastor Mario and an interpreter briefly describing the spiritual fruit that has been produced as a result of the temporary shelters built for earthquake relief. Listen to it here by clicking on the hyperlink above.  Praise God for what He is doing and ask Him to keep doing more and more.  Ask God to open these people's hearts up more, that they will hear and understand the gospel, and that they will invite Christ to be their personal Lord and Savior. Pray that communities of new believers sprout as a result of the relief efforts being done in the name of Jesus.

IMB Reports on our Chile Trip!

As you know, Second Baptist Church of Russellville has a team in Temuco, Chile right now until the 26th.  The IMB wrote a story about what is going on in Temuco this week.  Please read it here: http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=8505#

Also, there are prayer updates on the IMB's site at imb.org/pray and if you're on Twitter, you can get updates from them about earthquake relief if you follow #QuakeResponse.

Please continue praying for the strength and wisdom of the missionaries and their families, the Second Baptist mission team, the Chilean churches reaching out, the southern Baptist relief teams from Texas and Oklahoma, and the IMB staff over there.  Also, ask God to use them to help and minister to the Chileans who are in need.

God's plan of Restoration in Chile

There are many details about what is going on in Chile and many things to pray about!! The Hinds, Snyders, and Tomlinsons have been busy assessing and meeting needs for disaster relief. They have been putting together and shipping off hundreds of care packages with essential items for people in need. They also have begun constructing a temporary shelter. There have still been several significant aftershocks since the initial earthquake. On Thursday there were 6.9 and 7.2 aftershocks. Today there was a 6.2 aftershock. At the same time on Thursday, Chile was holding an inauguration for their new president by the coast and the missionary’s first volunteer team began arriving in Chile. This team is a part of Baptist Global Response and their specialty is setting up a large outdoor "soup kitchen" that can feed thousands of people in one day. They are hoping to have the soup kitchen running by Monday to feed 3,000 people a day.


Also, Second Baptist Church is on the calendar to serve in Chile over Spring Break. If you remember, they were actually planning this trip long before the earthquake hit. Their plans on exactly what they would be doing there have changed because disaster relief is the greatest need right now. There are five additional trips in the planning process right now among the churches of the Arkansas Mapuche Network.

We are far away from the devastation in Chile, but please consider what the Holy Spirit is urging you to do to be a part of the efforts to restore Chile, physically and spiritually. Throughout it all, God’s purpose is to be glorified.

PRAY:

• For continued strength, stamina, and safety for the Hinds’, Snyders’, and Tomlinsons’ and for the Baptist Global Relief team

• For the new president of Chile

• For aftershocks to cease

• That all of the disaster relief efforts will meet the Chilean people’s needs and that this will be an opportunity to draw more people in toward Jesus

• For opportunities to share the gospel message to those who haven’t heard

• For the soup kitchen to begin serving thousands of needy people food by Monday

• For the Second Baptist team’s trip next week—for safe travels, for God to use their service for His purposes, for opportunities to invite people to invite Christ as personal Lord and Savior

• For the prospective mission trips through the Arkansas churches

• That God will use you in what He is doing in Chile to bring restoration to them and glory to himself

Mini-Update 3/03/10

Angel Tomlinson sent me an email.  She said that everyone got back from their visit out of town and Luis and his family are doing fine.  Praise the Lord!  She also said that a huge area from Puerto Saavedra up past Concepcion seems to be with no water, food, power or means of communication.  Please pray for relief and help in these areas. Please pray that God will give everyone serving the energy and wisdom they need. 

Earthquake Update 3/02/10

Since the earthquake, we've gotten some updates from the missionaries.  They have all updated their blogs, as well, if you'd like to see them.  The Tomlinsons' blog site is: http://tomlinsonsinchile.shutterfly.com/#  The Hinds' blog site is: http://davidandlindahinds.blogspot.com/  And the Synders' blog site is: http://www.arethesnydersthereyet.blogspot.com/  They got power back long enough to send out some prayer requests online, but their power has gone out again.  I didn't hear if they got water or not, so please keep praying that they will get water.

I asked for prayers for the Chilean missionary to the Mapuche, Luis and his family.  Luis's wife is Maria and they have three children (not two, as I stated in the previous post)--Danitza(11), Isaac(4) and Michelle(3). Nobody has heard from them yet. Please pray that they're okay!

Angel said at 2 am Monday morning (their time) that they were still experiencing pretty significant aftershocks, which are really unnerving.  Please pray that the aftershocks end and for God to protect and comfort those who have been affected by them.

Today, Anders, Trent, David and a nurse from another organization, Ruthann, went north to offer assistance and assess opportunities to help. Jess and the kids are at the Tomlinson's house. An IMB team has arrived in Argentina and are organized themselves to cross over to Chile yesterday, perhaps to meet up with the missionaries in the middle. Pray for clarity of mind, protection from fatigue, physical protection, and a peace and calmness that testify to our faith in a sovereign God and our savior Jesus Christ.

I will try to keep relaying updates here as I get them, but you can also check the "Mapuche Network" if you have Facebook.  It is a "group" on Facebook--please join it.  This group page gets updates the quickest.  Also, remember the Tomlinsons', Hinds', and Snyders' blog sites.