Looking Back

Boulder Colorado Fire Destroyed 169 Homes

Chasing a Storm

 Below is a summary of the report by Ernie Rice

Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief

Photo by Gary Smith
 

In every disaster there is a group with privilege and resources who do not need help. But, most often, we relate to victims that are not only hurt by a disaster, but are underprivileged in life as well. It is an unequal relationship because the victims cannot reciprocate. It is heart crushing to see poverty exacerbated by the devastation that disaster brings to places such as Haiti, the Philippines and Mexico. I am grateful to our Lord for Him granting us such opportunities to minister to needy folks in the throes of disaster. Not only do we offer the victims a relationship with us, but also a relationship with He that is the author of all hope.

    The Chilean Baptists (UBACH) had requested help from Texas Baptist Men in the form of consultation regarding the structures of the churches damaged by the earthquake. Vernon Proctor, a structural engineer and commercial building contractor, and I toured the earthquake zone and advised the congregations on remedies for their buildings. The destruction was unbelievable in scale. Santiago, the capitol of the country, lies over 200 miles from the epicenter of the quake and still experienced Richter scale forces larger than the earthquake in Haiti this year. Entire fishing villages in the south were leveled from the ensuing tsunami. High rise buildings, built to withstand earthquakes, were toppled or damaged beyond repair. Many of the Baptist church structures sustained total destruction while others require costly repairs to make them safe again. Many Baptist pastors were left homeless and they and their families had to live through the winter in tents or temporary structures called mediaguas that are leaky and drafty at best.

    Chile is a long narrow country that lies on the south western coast of South America and stretches 4500 kilometers (almost 2800 miles) down even into Antarctica. The Andes Mountains border the east side of the country and the Pacific Ocean is its western border. The San Andreas Fault, the same fault line that is in California, lies underwater just off the coast. From desert environments to timberlands and from mountains to coastline the country is as diverse as the geography of Texas. It is spared from hurricanes and tornadoes but it has seasonal flooding and endures a life that living on a fault line brings.

    But the earthquake of 2010 was the granddaddy of them all. TBM responded with relief by providing roofing materials and money, and we even sent a building team to build a home for a pastor in Nipas. In the process of TBMs response, I developed an endearing friendship with Bernardino Morales, the director of Baptist disaster relief in Chile, and with Raquel Contreras, the President of the Baptist Convention of Chile, UBACH. It is significant to note that God is in the relationship business and expects us be so as well. As a result, TBM was invited to share with the Chilean Baptists our experience in disaster relief work.

    In the background of all of this was another thread that was working its way through TBM. We were becoming aware of a need for a training module for evangelism. We have always done a good job in training of the nuts and bolts of our work but have not really offered any training on how to evangelize correctly in a disaster setting. For a year now TBM has been in a strategic partnership with EvanTell, an evangelism training and support organization. That plan includes training a few TBM volunteers to be trainers. During the last year, Gary Smith and I have undergone the rigors of becoming Certified Master Trainers in the EvanTell method of evangelizing...to be trainers of trainers.

Ernie Rice and Gary Smith presenting to the Baptist Regional Representatives from Chile at UBACH in Santiag

    We then offered to Raquel and Bernardino this EvanTell evangelism training for Chilean Baptists. God, moving through what seemed like an afterthought, turned into the main event! Gary Smith and I toured through the country on a three week trip filled with sharing about disaster relief and evangelism at every stop. There was overwhelming interest in learning about evangelism. They liked what we said about disaster relief, but they were hungry for the evangelism training. Many churches were already lining up dates to have the "You Can Tell It" seminar held at their facilities, and people were signing up to be trained as we were leaving!

    This second trip to Chile was very revealing as well. On the whole, of our more than 2000 mile trip, all of the roads that we traveled were equal to or better than any of those we have here in Texas. We learned that the country is governed by the rule of law that provides order and opportunity and a flourishing economy. Education is a priority in the country, and there is, and has been for some time now, a law that requires all children to complete an education through high school. All students must take English in their course of studies, and all have access to the Internet. Lifestyles with healthy incomes afford them modern automobiles, and provide for comforts of technology and leisure. Modern malls are large with underground parking. Coquimbo and La Serena as well as Vino del Mar are coastal resort towns that cater to the middle class, offering seasonal condos and apartments for vacationers, and Pacific Ocean beaches that are large and beautiful.

    By now you are probably confronted with some questions..."What in the world are we to do for Chile? Why would the Lord lead us there if they are resourceful? What is the nature of help that would be useful to the more that 500 churches in the family of believers there?" The answer is surprisingly simple. You can do for them just as you could do for a community of believers suffering from Hurricane Rita or Hurricane Ike.

    Chile is made up of only about 15% evangelicals, the larger part of whom are Pentecostals with only a small portion being Baptist. The rest of the population is made up of Catholics, with many who do not go to church. Catholic churches are tax exempt but evangelical churches are not. In the aftermath of the earthquake local governments imposed unreasonable requirements on the evangelical churches regarding the disposition of damaged buildings. Yet, in spite of this difficult environment, the evangelical movement has doubled in the last ten years.

    I have found the Chilean Baptists to be a determined, hard working group that don't take themselves too seriously while taking their work and ministry very seriously. It is the testimony of Bernardino that for an era, the church has been a community with "walls" keeping much to themselves and not interacting well with the community. He believes that the earthquake broke the walls of the church both physically and figuratively to get the believers active in the communities. While very few of the believers homes were damaged, scores of churches were damaged or destroyed. His goal is to rebuild the churches to be more inviting to outsiders and to use the facilities for more than worship a few hours a week. He hopes to get the congregations involved in community outreach such as feeding and counseling and social events. The Chilean Baptist reaction to the earthquake with disaster relief has animated the church, and has positioned the believers to realize their need for evangelism tools as well as for preparation for the next event. This is why theresponse to the EvanTell seminar was so large.

    While a North American church that helps a Chilean church rebuild their facilities would be welcome indeed, it is not the highest and best help they can offer. What Chilean churches feel is most needed and what they most long for is a long term relationship with a North American church. Chile is at the threshold of a movement that is about to break out. Consider the very strong growth that has happened in the evangelical movement in the recent past. Consider the hunger of the believers for evangelistic tools. Look at how the earthquake disaster has broken the "walls" down and sensitized the faithful to the need for action and preparation. With all this, it could be said that Chile stands poised for a revival of epic proportions. Chilean church pastors will need North American pastors to talk to, to plan with and to pray with. Lay folks will need North American laymen to walk alongside, and to advise and assist and support them. Youth and young people will need role models and encouragers and personal relationships that can be expressed through Facebook and e-mail. They all need exactly what we need, a reciprocating relationship that can be expressed in both directions.

    Chilean Baptists want the company of other serious minded Christ followers. They want someone to team up with them in the work of plowing the fertile ground God has given them in their country.

TWO MIRACLES IN CHILE

The UBACH headquarters in Santiago

A group of ladies in Talca Chile at our first stop in the circuit of churches.

Ernie Rice with Bernardino and Louis during their certification training for EvanTell's personal evangelism seminars.