Chile saw murders increase 66 percent between 2016 and 2020. Homicides in Ecuador jumped 84 percent in 2021 alone. The government of Peru declared a state of emergency earlier this year over rising contract killings.

Mission Cry

Mission Cry has a plan to take Bibles into areas largely controlled by drug cartels. Jason Woolford says the cartels often oppose churches because they recognize a power that sets people free. “Not only does it set people free, but it raises up a generation to fight back. It will also give them the ability to take background physically. Then the cartels will lose out monetarily. That’s why the fight is so tough against us.”

Woolford asks readers to pray for this mission. “Because we’re stirring up a battle. We’re taking the battle to the devil and those that he possesses and oppresses. We need prayer, we also need sponsorship for these Bibles.”

“You can sponsor these Bibles at $2 a Bible, and that’s going to get it into someone’s hands absolutely free.”

Get involved

In 2021, Mission Cry gave free Bibles or Christian books to 1.4 million people around the world. They also produce a Mission Cry Bible in English and Spanish.

Support this work here.

Your contribution will not only send Bibles around the world, but it will also sponsor special operations like this one, or like the mission to Osama Bin Laden’s former compound in Pakistan last year.

The header photo shows drugs seized by the U.S. government. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain) 

Christian Aid Mission reports the director of a ministry based in Chile had already seen thousands of people in need — including pastors without income in churches his ministry had planted — when he learned that five people in one church were infected with the novel coronavirus.

Then he received more bad news.

“I was just told that a young church couple has COVID-19, and the wife in this family is six months pregnant,” he said. “She has just been hospitalized. God protect her.”

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“We are seeing thousands of people who do not have food to eat, and there is so much need of all kinds. Without work, they are without money.”

In the church with five COVID-19 cases, three other members were infected and have recovered. The native ministry works in poorer areas. In Chile as in the rest of Latin America, the coronavirus is hitting the poor the hardest, as many are part of the informal labor sector that lacks protections while having limited access to health services, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently said.

“The situation in Chile is difficult,” the native ministry leader said. “We are seeing thousands of people who do not have food to eat, and there is so much need of all kinds. Without work, they are without money.”

The capital, Santiago de Chile, has been in quarantine for weeks and people don’t know what to do, he said.

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“Our pastors and workers are doing well but with great need,” he said. “The churches were closed by order of the government three months ago so as not to spread the virus, so there is no income, and the common expenses have to be paid.”

Assistance from Christian Aid Mission donors has helped pastors, other local missionaries and church members to survive during the crisis, he said.

“We appreciate the offering for COVID-19 relief,” the leader said. “We are helping those most in need.”

Church leaders are exhorting, encouraging and supporting members of their flocks through Facebook and other means of social media. The ministry director provides teaching materials online to the leaders, along with devotionals.

With church meetings prohibited, the ministry’s gospel radio program outreach is all the more crucial, he said.

“We deeply appreciate the help of Christian Aid Mission as it blesses us,” the leader said. “God is in control, and with all this the church will come out stronger. We are firm in prayer and fasting, trusting God to help us in this difficult time.”

Shock

The pandemic represents a massive health, social and economic shock with an immense human toll for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a recent U.N. report.

“It is expected to result in the deepest recession in living memory,” the report states.

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Unemployment in the region is expected to rise to 13.5 percent from 8.1 percent last year, raising the number of people affected to more than 44 million people from 18 million in 2019. The expected increase in the poverty rate, from 30.2 percent to 37.2 percent, means a rise in people affected from 185 million last year to 230 million people this year, according to the report.

Indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees are also suffering disproportionately, and urban transmission of COVID-19 is of special concern as some 80 percent of the region’s population lives in cities – with urban slums especially vulnerable to swift spread of coronavirus infections, U.N. chief Gutteres said.

A native ministry in Guatemala has a heavy presence in an urban slum area, caring for poor children who have nowhere else to turn even in the best of times. Last year five such children began attending the ministry’s Bible studies, the director said.

“They live in extreme poverty and, in order to survive, they go out to collect scraps from the garbage,” he said. “To eat, they came to our ministry center. They found it difficult to integrate themselves, but they are doing so much better. Our ministry has provided them with food, clothes, and shoes.”

Workers also provide skills training to help the parents of such children to provide for them.

“There are no jobs, so I cannot provide food for my children,” said one young mother of two. “I am thankful that this ministry is teaching women like me to learn how to sew, which is a great blessing for me and my family. I am learning to sew children’s clothing, which I can sell and earn some income for my family.”

Local missionaries providing such training, aid and the message of salvation throughout the region are themselves in need as the pandemic crushes economies. Please consider a donation today to help them survive and serve.

Click here to support Christian Aid Mission!

Header photo courtesy of Loïc Mermilliod via Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Helen Williams of World Missionary Press says that’s completely wrong, especially in countries like Colombia.

“There’s been the tumult with the rebellion, there’s been government upheaval over the past years, there are stories of missionaries’ difficulties out of Colombia, kidnappings and other things. It’s a really difficult field for many over the years.”

As much as anywhere else in the world, people need the hope of Christ, and there are challenges to the workers who go. From Chile to Peru to Colombia to Rio, World Missionary Press is trying to get the Word of God out and into the hands of those who desperately need it.

(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Williams says it’s important to remember that there are many aspects to ministry.

“If as a church, if as believers, we only go to just the preaching, if you will, we need to show that it reaches every part of our lives and that the Lord cares about the individual,” she explains.

From providing physical help to telling the most important story ever told, there are many ways to catch people’s attention and tell them about the hope that can be found in Christ.

Williams gives an example: “I like the idea of leading people, asking, ‘Is there something we could pray for you about?’ That tells them that we know there’s a source of help, and we’re willing to engage that source to meet their need.”

But WMP is struggling to meet the overwhelming call for more Bible study material.

“World Missionary Press, our burden is for the resources to be more. I have a list of almost a hundred million booklets on order, people waiting around the world trusting there’s a hundred million, and we just, we wanna do more.”

Do you want to get involved?

(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

“You can be part of what the Lord’s doing in Thailand and Malaysia and Indonesia, Russia and Kenya and Bolivia,” says Williams

Obviously, prayer is a huge part of any ministry, and World Missionary Press is asking for yours. Pray about if you’d want to participate in any way as the booklets are passed out and people are introduced to the story of Jesus for the very first time.

“This is an opportunity where you can reach around the world by just four cents for a little booklet, and if you have on your heart to try to do more and you feel that there’s no way, there IS a way.”

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

Chile (MNN) — It’s been a rough month in Chile.

01 April kicked off with an 8.2 magnitude earthquake in a northern coastal city. While there was damage, casualties were kept to a minimum due to the government evacuation precautions, safeguards, and protocols.

However, on Saturday, 12 April, a voracious fire started near the port city of Valparaiso, spread through the hills, stoked by high temperatures and strong winds. Five days later, the blaze had chewed through precious land, prompting President Michelle Bachelet to declare a state of emergency. Baptist Global Response Executive Director Jeff Palmer explains, “The fires are kind of declared ‘out.’ Really, they’re more into recovery and rebuilding right now. [There’s] not really an indication of how it started, but it destroyed almost 3,000 homes, 15 deaths, probably about 13,000 now left without housing.”

A state of emergency means the army is in control of security. The government is in charge of the main response, but churches and organizations are providing food and non-food items donated by the Chileans. Palmer says their partners were ready. “Part of this is because several years ago, we began preparing them to be able to respond to their own needs, and now we’re seeing the fruit of that.”

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

According to a corresponding report from the ACT Alliance, a coalition of faith-based aid groups, the affected families have lost all their belongings. ACT assessments are saying the fire destroyed 76% of the homes in the slums of La Cruz, El Litre, Las Cañas, Merced, Ramadita, Rocuant, and Mariposas.

Roughly a fifth of Valparaiso lives below the poverty line. A third of the city’s population fares little better, surviving in close-packed shantytowns. Even so, Palmer says, “People won’t leave; at least the husbands are staying there. Their fear is that if they move away, they’ll lose access to that land, and then they can’t rebuild, so many of the men are camping out in these areas.”

With so many homeless survivors, the stage of response is quickly shifting. “It’s going to be a little bit of recovery to get everybody back into adequate housing, especially now that the rains will be starting here in a couple of weeks.” That they already had training done and a team in place meant an organized, calm response to the immediacy of the crisis, Palmer adds. “Several years ago, like I said, with the earthquake, we worked alongside and trained Chilean believers how to respond and work with a certain number of groups. Those folks that we have trained are actually among some of the first responders from BGR there.”

However, the emotional trauma is surfacing now. Bachelet called on civil society and churches to provide support, especially calling on Christians to develop social support initiatives. They’re on it, says Palmer. “This is an area that you see national believers and government and people coming out to help themselves and help their fellow countrymen. This is a neat response in that we’re coming alongside and supporting. The local people are doing most of the work.”

It’s summer vacation in Chile, too, which means school is out. For the Christians connecting through the responding churches, it means manpower. “Tons of students were pouring in, helping with recovery, getting things out of homes, things that could be salvaged, feeding, and doing sandwich lines, soup kitchens, and things like that.” The vision is already in place. All the Chilean churches need is a little help with the resourcing.  

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

As the relief projects continue, partners hope many of the city’s trouble residents will find new lives. Palmer concluded his thoughts with a call to action: “Pray for those national believers that are responding, that they would find the right places to work and that they would be bold in sharing the faith that is found in Jesus Christ.”

A stunned survivor surveys damage left by the Valparaiso fire.
(Image courtesy ReachGlobal)

Chile (MNN) — The massive Valparaiso fire continues to rage in Chile. Tomorrow marks a week since flames first erupted in a ravine and quickly swept through the port city, destroying nearly 3,000 homes.

ReachGlobal Crisis Response has staff on-the-ground, helping a partner church recover.

Several families in the Igelesia Union Cristiana church have been burned out of their homes. For 70-year-old Pastor Enrique and his wife, this was their second dance with a Valparaiso fire.

“The first time their church got saved,” shares the ReachGlobal team in a recent report.

“But this second time…they now find themselves sleeping in a little tent over the foundation of the former church building. It has been overwhelming for them, really a test of faith. But they still believe that somehow God is in control and that He will take care of them.”

Pastor Enrique and his wife are living in what
used to be the tin roofing of their church building.
(Image courtesy ReachGlobal)

The faith of Pastor Enrique and his wife must stretch beyond what they see around them. Right now, 7 of the 41 hills surrounding Valparaiso are almost completely burned down to ashes. Homes, churches, schools, community centers, and businesses– all the structures that make up this community–are gone.

As ReachGlobal staff and their ministry partners visit families in the disaster zone, one description keeps coming up: “It looks like a bombs have gone off over the whole community.”

Nearly a dozen helicopters, 6 planes, and thousands of police officers, firefighters, and soldiers are battling the blaze. Some officials are warning that it could be another two days before they succeed in quenching the flames; other authorities estimate weeks.

Due to the extent of this crisis, there are plenty of prayer needs.

First of all, pray for Pastor Enrique, his wife, and the 11,000 other Valparaiso residents who are starting over from scratch. Pray for churches as they coordinate efforts to bring Christ’s compassion and love to hurting people. Finally, ask the Lord to give wisdom to ReachGlobal and its partners as they plan a long-term response strategy.

(Image courtesy Operation Mobilization)

Chile (MNN) — Chile is in the midst of yet another devastating disaster. April began with a magnitude 8.2 earthquake in the country’s northern region. Over the weekend, another community was torn apart: a massive fire began sweeping through Valparaiso, destroying around 2,500 homes and killing 15 people.

Operation Mobilization teams are on-the-ground today, distributing emergency items and assessing needs. Pray that Christ’s love will be made evident through tangible care as the OM team helps survivors.

The inferno began on Saturday evening, reportedly stemming from a forest fire on the outskirts of Valparaiso. Strong winds from 42 steep hills surrounding the city quickly whipped the flames into frenzy, destroying slum neighborhoods–with homes made of little more than wooden huts–in an instant.

By the time winds calmed and cooler temperatures moved into the area on Tuesday, at least 11,000 of Valparaiso’s 250,000 residents were homeless. More than 500 had been treated at nearby hospitals, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Some former OM missionaries have seen their homes damaged by the fire, but all were safe and accounted for at last report. As the OM Chile team formulates a long-term strategy to help with rescue and recovery efforts, ask the Lord to give them wisdom and discernment.

A team member of OM Chile’s Adventure team 2012 sits down and talks with some little Chilean boys.
(Image, caption courtesy OM)

Operation Mobilization began working in Chile through the OM Ships ministry. The Doulos and Logos began visiting Chile ports in the 1980s, and OM Chile formally began, following the Logos sinking; the ship hit rocks in the Beagle Channel, between Argentina and Chile.

Based in Santiago, a city 70 miles east of Valparaiso, OM Chile primarily serves in three areas: training, evangelism, and mobilization. Learn more here.

According to a report from BusinessWeek.com, Chile’s forestry agency predicts it could take up to three weeks to completely stop the Valparaiso fire. Please pray for wisdom for government leaders as they decide the best ways to protect citizens. This is the second massive disaster President Michelle Batchelet has faced since beginning her second term in office on April 1.

Click here to help OM Chile respond to the Valparaiso fire.

Earthquake and aftershocks hit Chile.
IMB workers are safe and are praying.

Chile (MNN/BP) — An 8.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by aftershocks as strong as 7.6, has rocked the country of Chile in South America. It’s a country where seismic activity is common. The frequent earthquakes cause Chileans to be prepared, no doubt resulting in lives saved according to most reports.

Southern Baptist International Mission Board missionaries in Chile are asking you to pray and to thank God for protection.

“Praise the Lord that Chile is very prepared for earthquakes,” said IMB’s Chita Drinkard, who serves in Santiago, Chile’s capital. Drinkard endured a similar 8.8-magnitude quake that rocked Santiago in 2010 and said Chileans are familiar with the country’s frequent seismic activity. “Even so, the terror of going through an earthquake of this magnitude can affect one for a long time, so please continue to pray,” she added.

Tuesday’s quake caused landslides, damage to buildings, power outages, and triggered a small tsunami; at least six people have been confirmed dead. The earthquake’s epicenter in the Pacific Ocean was about 60 miles northwest of Iquique, where IMB missionaries Cathy and Lee Zwink serve. The Zwinks are currently on stateside assignment in Colorado.

About 2,500 homes were damaged in Alto Hospicio, a poor neighborhood in the hills above Iquique. Poorly-constructed government subsidized housing was the cause of the damage.

“Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in northern Chile following the 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Iquique,” the Zwinks posted on their Facebook page. “Pray that our Lord’s grace and mercy will be poured down on our country [Chile] and be shared with all those affected by the quake.”

No other IMB personnel live in the quake zone. The nearest IMB missionaries are Bryan and Deana Wolf in the coastal city of La Serena, about 800 miles south of Iquique. They and most other IMB missionaries in Chile didn’t even feel the quake, said Bob Shirey, IMB’s logistics coordinator for Chile.

A 7.6-magnitude aftershock struck the region late Wednesday. There was no immediate word on damage or injuries.

This latest earthquake was the most powerful temblor to rock Chile since Feb. 27, 2010, when an 8.8-magnitude quake shattered central Chile. That quake and a subsequent tsunami claimed the lives of 524 people.

“More than anything, pray for the people to be calm and to have their hearts turned to the Lord for their needs,” said Jackie Bursmeyer, a veteran IMB missionary in Chile who experienced both the 2010 earthquake and an earlier 8.0-magnitude temblor in the coastal city of Vina del Mar in 1985.

Support the IMB here.

Special thanks to Maria Elena Baseler, an IMB writer and editor living in the Americas for her contribution. 

The Chilean government is accusing the Mapuche tribe of setting numerous forest fires, and tensions are still high after an arson attack killed an elderly couple.

But it's not stopping the Gospel, says Christian Aid Mission, your link to indigenous missions. Slowly, the Mapuche are turning to Christ with their pain instead of drugs and alcohol.

"It's not like winning thousands in a big crusade," says Rosa, the spokesperson for Chile Evangelical Mission (CEM). It's a group helped by Christian Aid that sends indigenous missionaries to poor, rural Mapuche communities.

"They are not so numbers-oriented, but rather they focus on one-on-one relationships and discipleship, which is appropriate to their culture. The people turn to Christ slowly but surely."

CEM missionaries take practical action to share Christ's love with the Mapuche. They take food, clothing, and medical supplies to the poorest tribal people and children.

So far, seven churches comprising over 500 believers have been planted in Mapuche tribal communities.

Planting a witness for Christ among the Mapuche is no easy task, however. The Mapuche's territorial claims have never been recognized by the Chilean government, and since the 19th century, the tribe has lost 95% of their ancestral land.

Forced into isolated, rural communities, the Mapuche endure living standards far below South American norms: no electricity or running water, no access to medical care, and unheated homes in frigid mountain climates. Many turn to alcohol or drugs to find relief.

But the missionaries' consistent teachings and presence is speaking mightily to the Mapuche. Missionaries share their own testimony of how the power of Christ has transformed their lives. This living change, noticeable and unexplainable by any other way, has a powerful effect.

"I shared the Gospel with Hugo, a man who used to be a drug addict," says Marcelo, who serves as a CEM missionary. "He received Jesus as Savior, and the Lord delivered him from addiction.

"Now he is an enthusiastic believer."

When a Mapuche experiences freedom from addiction, entire families turn from their idols and believe.

"I shared the Gospel with a man who used to worship idols and Catholic saints," another CEM missionary says. "He received Jesus as His Savior, and the Lord transformed his life and family. He is helping me to evangelize."

Pray that more Mapuche would come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Pray that communities would change as the Gospel spreads.

With your help, CEM missionaries can reach even more Mapuche communities.

Wycliffe Bible Translators says the Leaders Moving Forward event is an important time of collaboration. Leaders involved in the work of Bible translation gather to discuss spiritual and theological themes, as well as missiology, strategic partnerships, and leadership.

Over 20 leaders from five South American countries, representing 13 organizations, met in Uruguay earlier this month for Leaders Moving Forward. They were able to develop strategies and encourage their fellow leaders.

"God is using this time to renew me, speak to me, and confirm my call to be a cross-cultural missionary," said one participant. "I can only say, 'Thank you!'"

Ask God to strengthen the Bible translation movement throughout Latin America as He equips and encourages leaders who attended this event. Pray that fellowship would continue as these leaders work and grow together.

Participants in Leaders Moving Forward hail mainly from the Southern Cone of South America. It's a geographic region encompassing the southernmost areas of South America, and includes Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Not only is the drought affecting the people, it is also affecting crops, cattle, mining, and power supplies.

BGR has been helping one area which has been affected for the past seven years by the drought. They are providing hay for livestock and food baskets for 100 of the poorest families.

If you feel that you have the means to help, click here to contribute to the BGR disaster relief fund. Also pray that God will give wisdom to know how to respond to the needs in the area. And of course, pray for rain!