A mission encounter team of sixteen men and women from ten ABC churches in Indiana recently visited our missionaries Barbara and Dwight Bolick in Chile.

 

Our visit had a dual purpose. First, 5 years ago our region signed a covenant of partnership in ministry with the Convention of Baptist Churches of the Chilean Mission. We went to see first hand the work of our missionaries and the partner convention and to continue to build the relationship we have with both our missionaries and the people among whom they serve. Second, we also went to celebrate the fact that over $45,000 was given to the State Project Fund during the past year by American Baptist Women’s Ministries of IN for the purchase of a new 4 wheel drive vehicle for the Bolicks. We saw first hand the need for a well built, specialized vehicle and the ministries it will enable the Bolicks to continue and expand. Their new vehicle arrived weeks after our visit with them.

 

The first week we visited Cerro Verde, Concepcion and Coronel, areas damaged by last year’s earthquake and tsunami. We learned that ABC, working with the churches of our partner conventions, has centered relief effort in 10 communities and that funds from One Great Hour of Sharing are assisting families who lost their homes and most of their possessions because of the tsunami that accompanied the earthquake.  Dwight Bolick, as our ABC representative in the field, has carefully directed the relief efforts to ensure that our projects compliment and do not duplicate what the government is doing. 

 

In the first months after the earthquake relief efforts focused on basic needs – food kits, drinking water and hygiene kits.  Once temporary shelters were provided by the government, the focus shifted to improving the living conditions for those who have to spend 2 to 3 years in these 10’ x 20’ foot “mediaguas”. Local Chilean churches assisted by sending work teams who brought building materials and provided the labor to insulate the mediaguas.  They added framed windows and better doors; built tables, chairs and bunk beds for each family; and for families with more than 4 members, the work team built on a 10’ x 10’ addition as a second bedroom area.

 

We saw first hand the ministry of local churches among the displaced families in their own areas.  The benefit is that churches throughout the Chliean convention are developing a new sense of volunteerism and service as they send teams to help in the devastated areas.  This, in turn, has built stronger and deeper relationships between churches and between the individuals who have served together.  During our visit to Coliumo, one of the mediagua camps, we had an unexpected experience, that of feeling for ourselves a 6.9 earthquake tremor.  Fortunately, there was no were no deaths or damage from this brief but rather strong tremor.

 

The second half of our encounter was split between Temuco, where the Bolicks have their home and the Mapuche area where they focus their ongoing ministry to the indigenous people. We were privileged, as former Indiana teams have been, to help host two summer gatherings of the local Girls Clubs begun by Barb Bolick and the local churches. We also met with 10 Mapuche women in Repocura as they were preparing final samples of the hand spun and naturally dyed yarn to be sent to a well know yarn company in the United States.  The contract that is being negotiated will expand the present Weavers Project to include the production of high quality merino wool yarns for export to a world wide market.  The development of these projects, as well as the Bee Keeping Project for honey production, has enabled individuals to increase their very minimal incomes by as much as an additional 40 percent.

 

It was our added privilege to worship together with the church in Concepcion and with 3 Mapuche churches in the south, as well as being able to pray with members of several other churches.  We returned home from our encounter touched by the ministry and commitment of our missionaries, proud of the use being made of our world relief funds, and cherishing new friendships with our fellow Baptists in Chile.

 

The members of our team were: Rodger & Mitzi Chappelow, Corri Catellier, Hugh Daugherty, Marian McKittrick, Barbara Mills, Janet Moore, Janice Mott, Tom & Shirley Pavey, Lee & Lynn Riggs, Kelli & Carl Thoele, Barbara Trapp and Helen Wise.