Thinking of my friends in Chile

Like many, I watched the television screen in disbelief Saturday as coverage unfolded in Chile about one the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. The scenes on TV were and are especially personal to me because Concepcion and the surrounding area is where I spent 18 months as a missionary back in '95-'97.

As a missionary who served in some of the hardest hit cities, I know first hand of the faith, goodness, resilience, and patience of the Chilean people. Even when they have very little themselves, they are quick to help and comfort others. How I wish I could be there now, working side by side with them to rebuild.

After I heard there was an earthquake, I jumped on facebook to see if any of my Chilean friends had posted updates. Slowly, I found updates on folks from each town I served in except for my favorite area of Arauco, a small costal community. I usually hear from Nibaldo about once a month and have been very distraught that he has been incommunicado. He and his wife have four young children, including a newborn.

As of today, I still haven't heard from anyone in Arauco. From what I can scour on the internet, the narrow two lane road that leads from Concepcion to Auraco was severely damaged by the quake and the first truck of supplies just made it in yesterday (5 days after the quake). Some cell phone service has been restored, but the town is still without running water and electricity. The truck brought in a generator that quickly became the charger for everyone's cell phones.

In addition to the damage from the quake, a tsunami wave came hours after the quake and wiped out a number of homes and businesses. The town's only large grocery store burned. Here are some photos of the town.

The road from Concepcion to Arauco.

A street in the town that is passable by car.

Please continue to remember Chile and especially Arauco in your prayers. While the worst of the quake may becoming to an end (they received another aftershock today), it will take them years to rebuild their homes, cities, and lives.

Miracles are not in short supply during this challenging time for Chile. Check out this story from the Santiago East Mission, where my cousin Nick is serving as AP.