Tristan Taylor

SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--Joy and relief are resounding in Chile upon the successful emergence of some of the 33 miners who have been trapped 2,300 feet below the surface of the earth in the coastal Atacama desert for more than two months.       When the last man reaches the surface, it will end a national crisis that began when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed Aug. 5, sealing the miners in the lower reaches of the copper and gold mine.       But the traumatic ordeal has forged many new friendships -- perhaps none more important than the ones between the miners and those ministering to them and their families.       Marcelo Leiva, a Baptist pastor, and José Henríquez, one of the miners, had never met before the mine collapse. Instead, they have communicated in handwritten letters and in a single, brief phone conversation.       A half-mile of rock has separated them.       But despite the physical distance, the two Chilean evangelicals developed a special friendship.       Henríquez has been an encouragement to his co-workers as they struggled to stay positive during their confinement. An evangelical Christian, he held daily Bible studies for the miners as rescue efforts developed on the surface.       When Henríquez requested an evangelical pastor to aid the miners and their families at the site, Leiva, of Vallenar Baptist Church in Vallenar, Chile, was contacted. The pastor arrived at Camp Esperanza (Hope) about two weeks ago.

SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--As the day of their rescue draws near, trapped miners in Chile are listening to recordings of sermons, Bible studies and Christian music a half-mile underground, thanks to the efforts of Chilean engineer Igor Bravo.       Bravo has been part of the rescue efforts for 33 trapped miners in northern Chile for weeks. But it isn't only the miners' physical needs that concern him -- it's their spiritual needs as well.       "I had to help in some Christian way," Bravo said. "If there is an opportunity to share the Gospel -- even if we're extremely occupied -- and to contribute to the Christian cause and evangelism, it's something that's in [my] blood."       A partial collapse blocked the mine Aug. 5, leaving the miners trapped in a living room-sized chamber for more than two months. Bravo owns the geo-technical monitoring company that is helping the rescue efforts on the desert surface 2,300 feet above the miners.       A member of First Baptist Church of Santiago, Bravo realized that though the miners' physical needs were being met, their spiritual needs had been overlooked. He called his pastor, Luis Cortéz, for help.

SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--José Henríquez leads a small group of men in prayer every evening in northern Chile -- 2,300 feet below the surface of the earth.       For more than two months, 33 Chilean miners have been trapped beneath the desert floor in a chamber the size of a living room. A partial collapse blocked the mine exit Aug. 5.       Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne confirmed Oct. 11 that a trial run of a rescue capsule was successful. The miners' rescue is scheduled to begin at midnight, Oct. 12.       When the mine collapsed, three of the miners -- including Henríquez -- were Christians. Since then, two more of them have made professions of faith.       "It was José who made the request that an evangelical pastor come to minister to the miners and their families," said Bryan Wolf, an International Mission Board (IMB) missionary serving in Vallenar, Chile.       Rescue engineer Igor Bravo, a member of First Baptist Church of Santiago, was one of the first to hear of Henríquez's request ...

SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--Sean Michel smiled through his distinctive, foot-long beard as he slid the guitar strap over his shoulder and greeted the crowd at El Huevo nightclub with what little Spanish he knows. The former American Idol contestant and his band then erupted into the sounds of Mississippi Delta blues-rock.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--Brazilian Baptists plan to share a Christian witness at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. For 20 days, 200 Brazilian volunteers working with the 2010 African Connection Project will conduct outreach activities among soccer enthusiasts at the tournament ...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (BP)–When James, a Brazilian known to call upon evil spirits, lost his home and family to floodwaters in early April, he begrudgingly took refuge in the Baptist church in his area of Rio de Janeiro. The city — which sits beneath the iconic “Christ the Redeemer” statue — is suffering its […]

TALCA, Chile (BP)--Mercedes Iturra has something she didn't have before Chile's 8.8-magnitude earthquake -- a newfound love of Scripture.       A group of Chilean Baptist volunteers arrived March 10 in Pangue Abajo, a rural community where Iturra lives in a makeshift tent outside her collapsing home.

CONSTITUCIÓN, Chile (BP)--As the house trembled, Chilean pastor Juan Mauricio Muñoz prayed with his wife, son and a young woman who was staying with them. When the 8.8-magnitude earthquake was over, they were shaken but unharmed.       But the worst was yet to come. Though no tsunami warning was issued, the pastor knew to expect a wave.       "We were always taught from a young age that in any kind of earthquake, you go to high ground," he said.       He rushed his family to the car, headed to his daughter's home at a higher elevation in this seaside city of Constitución, 164 miles south of Santiago.       As they were leaving, the pastor glanced across the Maule River toward an island where approximately 200 Chileans had been enjoying a late-night party. He saw the lights of nearly 30 cell phones waving frantically as partygoers trapped on the island tried to signal for help.       By then the water was rising into the street and around the wheels of his car -- evidence that the 10-foot wave was quickly approaching. Horrified, Muñoz realized it was too late to help the people on the island.       Only three survived.       Just days after the Feb. 27 tragedy, Muñoz, pastor of Iglesia Bautista de Constitución (Constitución Baptist Church), showed the devastation in his neighborhood to a disaster assessment team of Southern Baptist and Chilean Baptist officials. Standing on the concrete slab where his home used to be, he fought back tears and recounted how the wave flattened everything on the waterfront. Like most of his neighbors, he lost a place to live and most of his belongings.       A street block of houses was gone. One of the family's cars was found almost three blocks uphill from his home. In one place, the water had crushed one building into the next.

MOLINA, Chile (BP)–At Templo Evangelico Bautista (Evangelical Baptist Temple), members of all ages are turning their hearts toward fellow Chileans whose lives were upended in the Feb. 27 earthquake. “We pray for the people in all places who suffer,” a gray-haired woman prayed tearfully, her voice cracking with emotion, in a small gathering of church […]

TALCA, Chile (BP)--Exhausted from traveling through south-central Chile to assess earthquake damage, a team of Southern Baptist and Chilean Baptist leaders bedded down on the floor of La Iglesia Bautista El Sembrador (Baptist Church of the Sower) in Talca. The next morning they discovered they were in exactly the right place to make significant connections to help with future relief work.