Miracle in the Mine is the recently-published testimony of José Henríquez, the ‘pastor’ of the Chilean miners – whose gruelling ordeal and amazing rescue captured the attention of the world in the autumn of 2010

At our morning service on January 30th 2011 we had the great privilege of welcoming Jose Henriquez  – one of the miners trapped in the Chilean mine disaster – to share his story

He was the miner with a very strong Christian faith who held services and kept the miners going, and helped a number of them come to Christian faith during this time of real trial

At the end of Jose’s UK tour he flew to Washington at the invitation of President Obama for the US National Prayer Breakfast, where he was invited to give a brief speech

More about Jose and the miners’ rescue

Hear what Jose said

Jose’s return to Chile – CMS blog

‘Manos de Cristo’ – Hands of Christ – Chile

Our Mission Gift Day last October (2010) raised funds (9,520) to provide a years salary for a Chilean couple, Carlos and Alejandra Allendes (see news item below)

Carlos and Ale are working with ‘Manos de Cristo’, an Anglican ministry helping to rebuild communities devastated by the earthquake that struck central Chile in February 2010.
You may remember meeting Carlos and Ale during one of our morning services when we  Skyped them

Here they tell us a little about how things have been going during the last six months …..

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We want to thank you for all the support you have shown us, for your concern and prayers, and for making it possible for us to do this work that God has called us to for his glory.
It has been hard work for the whole family as we have developed ‘Manos de Cristo’ in Chile. As I write these lines my wife, Ale, is driving the car and my son, Juanfra, is in the back seat playing with his toys. At six months he is very vocal and has just discovered his toes!

Since December we have concentrated our efforts on the emergency camps in Antofa de Constitucion and in Putu. We have repaired and painted houses, handed out school books and stationery to school children, run women’s conferences, and organised different activities for mothers and children

After months of our presence in the emergency villages many people are asking us to teach them God’s word. In Santiago we have set up a community centre called ‘Of the Saviour’. This is in a vulnerable area of the city next to the San Joaquin Anglican Church where we minister to children through an after schools club.
We also have plans to develop this as a health centre and a place for weekend sports activities which we hope will strengthen relationships with the community as we live out the gospel there

So we ask for prayer for all these challenges and are so very grateful to our Heavenly Father for making you a part of this work. We send you all a big hug hoping that one day we will be able to meet you and get to know you personally

With much love, Carlos, Ale and Juanfra

If you have a little Spanish, here’s a Powerpoint Carlos has sent us with photos of their work

Look out for news of LATIN JAZZ LIVE, 25th June – an evening with a South American flavour when we will be chatting to Carlos and Ale in Chile, and Ronnie and Nicky Irene in Paraguay through Skype

There will also be a Latin Jazz band courtesy of Chris Jamieson (until recently our morning service drummer), food with a Latin flavour and children’s activities.
More details soon!

We needed every chair we could find for Sunday 30th January, when Jose Henriquez came to our morning service, so we got the ladders out and hauled down 42 scruffy plastic stacking chairs which had been sitting above the Old Church kitchen for many years.

After the 30th we decided that we didn’t want to keep them, so advertised them on ebay.  They sold for six pounds and five pence the lot, and we were delighted that someone would take them away for us.

The guys who bought them are from Cameroon and took them back to their home in Cambridge to put in a shipping container of useful things to send back to friends and family in Cameroon.  As I write – 26th February – they are on their way to help furnish a church in Douala.  So, your brothers and sisters in central Africa will soon be sitting where you once sat.

Mission Gift Day Project October 2010
Hands of Christ

This year there have been a number of earthquakes and floods in various parts of the world all requiring aid to respond to the immediate needs as well as long term support so that communities can be rebuilt.

For our Autumn Mission Gift Day Project we have chosen to respond to the longer term need of just one village devastated by the Chilean earthquake which rocked the country on February 29th – affecting an estimated two million people.

More than a thousand Christians from Chilean Anglican churches have responded to this tragedy by giving their time and energy through programmes set up to help those affected. One of these is ‘Manos de Cristo’ Hands of Christ which is working specifically in Putu, a coastal village 300km south of Santiago and close to the earthquake’s epicentre.

So far Manos de Cristo has distributed 40 tonnes of food, 15 tonnes of clothing and helped to build 160 emergency houses. It has also made pastoral visits to countless people every week and offered activities to brighten people’s days including hairdressing, manicures, film nights and children’s activities.

We are in close contact with Carlos Allendes who is the Manos de Cristo coordinator in Putu. He has shared with us their plan to commit to between 5-8 years to help this community get back on its feet.

The team would like to find a permanent base on site from which to operate full time. They hope to raise £10.300 to fund the salary of a Chilean missionary couple to work full time at the base in Putu. They long to see a church established there as well.

How can we help?
We would specifically like to raise the money needed to support this Chilean missionary couple. Any monies raised over and above their salary would go towards their housing.

UPDATE November 2010

At our  October 10th Mission Gift Day £9527 was given to support Ale and Carlos Allendes for the next year

Newsletter 6-Imaginative title!

It has been a while since Newsletter 5 and a lot has happened.  If you can this is worth reading and it won’t be long until the next one comes……

Gappers Return!
This year Phil helped to train and prepare 6 young people, 3 have spent their 6 month placement in Brazil, 1 has been working in the Youth Development Team based in Llanelli and 2 (a married couple went to North Africa for a slightly longer placement of 10 months. In July they returned for a week of relaxing, sharing, and reflecting on their experiences and adventures.  We take seriously the responsibility to support these young people in their transition back into their home culture.

Avoiding the Ash Cloud!
Paul did the second part of his training to be a Global Journeys Leader by taking a trip to Morocco in April.  The purpose of the journey was to develop leadership skills as we travelled by land rover: navigating the route, setting up camp, sleeping under the stars and leading devotional times.   We had with us 3 Koreans, 1 Welsh, 1 Cornish, 5 English, 1 Land rover, 1 Nissan patrol & 2 trailers!  We drove through France and Spain before taking a ferry across into Morocco.  As we waited in the port we met lots of Brits trying to return home without flying due to the Ash Cloud!
In Morocco we visited different places to pray and encourage workers in the country.  The last eight months have been very challenging for expat workers as many have been expelled from the country.

Phil continues to be involved in a weekly Parents Prayer group for the girl’s school, it is so encouraging to be able to pray for the wider community and the local churches as well as the school.  There is a real sense that God is wanting to redeem and restore things from former days . . . we are only a few miles away from the place where the 1904 revival took place and many people in this area were dramatically affected, with whole families turning to Christ. Generations on and we find ourselves praying God would revive and continue what was begun in some of those families.  Phil is also on the Board of Governors at the school – please pray for her role there, to be salt and light.

• Jessica is reading well and also enjoying learning Welsh at school.  She is full of smiles and loves making up her own “Knock, Knock” jokes!
• Bethany recently came 2^nd reciting welsh poetry in her School Eistoddfod (Welsh festival of literature, music and performance) earlier in the year and continues to enjoy Brownies.
• Hannah is 2, loves Cinderella and insists on doing everything her big sisters do.  She always makes herself heard and like her father avoids vegetables where possible! Since Easter she has been going to a nursery for 2 hours everyday.  She loves it.

They all seem to love the outdoors and enjoyed our family camping holidays, trips to the local beach and the planting & harvesting in our vegetable patch – you should see the size of our pumpkin!

Bring on the New!
What’s next?  This weekend saw the start of our new training programme here in South Wales.  Please pray for our 20 new arrivals – 10 of whom are part of this year’s Gap Year, which Phil is responsible for!  They come from a variety of different cultures, nations and backgrounds and are aged 17 to 50!  But one thing they all have in common is that they are on an adventure with God – please pray they would be free to embrace all that Jesus wants to reveal to them in these coming days.

Many thanks for your continued support!

We will write again soon with more details on our plans to move to Asia but do email or call if you want to know more in the meantime!
Paul & Phil Wisdom