Are We There Yet?: Move That Bus

It didn't quite look the same, and the crowd wasn't quite as big, and the house, well, it was a mediagua, merely a shelter, not a mansion. But you know what? It sure felt like one of those Extreme Makeover moments...except even cooler.

It was the very first shelter we were able to put up, and it was for Rodrigo (pictured) and Rosa, a young couple who lost their home to the tsunami after the earthquake. But I tell you what, there was a depth present in that moment when Rosa and Rodrigo stood in doorway of their new shelter, tears welling up, surrounded by the circle of hands who helped raise it. Why? Because that circle was assembled for prayer, for seeking God, for invoking a greater power and greater peace in their lives than a home could ever offer, even if it had been one of those fancy ABC Extreme Makeover castles. We didn't get to say, "Move that bus!" but we will be back. And we will see to it that the physical blessing is accompanied by the knowledge that all good and perfect gifts come from above, that what we give we give in the love and name of Jesus. Here are some more images from that day in Tirúa.

This is Rodrigo and Rosa's little girl.

This is where they had been living for nearly a month.

This man also received a shelter from us that day. What's more, here he is looking carefully over the gospel tract he received as well.

An IMB media team was with us as we went out to deliver and install the first of our mediaguas. Here are some links to pieces they put together and posted on imb.org. One tells Rodrigo and Rosa's story with a little more detail.

Video: Missions Interrupted
http://www.imb.org/main/downloads/embedvideos.asp?flashvars=mvid=10822&mvidext=flv
Story: New Home For Quake Victims
http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=8520&LanguageID=1709
Video: Show Chileans We Love Them
http://www.imb.org/main/downloads/flashvideos.asp?filename=/files/108/10839/10839-57944.flv

After getting the engine running on our little mediagua factory with the team from Arkansas, we received a team of 17 people from Texas and Oklahoma through Baptist Global Response (BGR). They are in the air as we speak, headed back to their homes, but not without having left an impact. In their short week here, they turned out 15 shelters, all of which were loaded on a large flatbed and shipped up to Cañete last Tuesday. On Wednesday, the team rose early to make the road trip north to Cañete to install some of the shelters. Two were completed, along with the foundation for a third. The city will help build the rest.

As we saw in Tirúa, this day was not just about swinging hammers. We were among the people, sharing a physical blessing, but also sharing life and sharing Christ. Through one of the team members, a young man named David, another name was added to the Lamb's book of life: Antonio. Antonio has had trouble with drugs and alcohol and, it seems he was ready to let Jesus turn his life around. Pray for him. Pray specifically that he will be able to reunite and reconcile with a young lady who is pregnant with his child. It is a new, narrow road ahead. I was also touched to learn on our way home, after a long sweaty day, that the two women we brought along, nationals who have been involved in our church planting work, were able to spend the day praying with, offering counsel and sharing with the sisters, mothers and wives who watched us work that day. What a beautiful day it was. We had four Chilean pastors, one Chilean pastor's wife, one Chilean sister in Christ, two IMB missionaries and 17 BGR volunteers from the United States...all united to offer a small but practical help to families affected by a natural disaster. And? It was all worth it. Seeds are planted, the name of Jesus has been lifted up, some have believed and accepted His offer of new life...yeah.

Some of the precious ones who received a shelter.

Antonio, our new brother in Christ is on the left. His mom is in the purple and his sister is next to them. They received one of the shelters on Wednesday. Luis is the bearded one in the back. He is a national missionary to the Mapuche in Cañete who has been invaluable in helping make all the connections for this project. Marcela is on the left. She is involved in one of our church plants outside of Temuco.

The man in the hat is helping put together his own shelter. Some of you will recognize Mario in the background, our national church planting partner.

This is where one family's house used to be. The hillside it was built on fell away. They were inside the house as it slid at 3:30 in the morning!

The mayor of Cañete sent a truck to pick up our shelters in Temuco. He also had some of his city workers help us distribute them to the sites they would be built at.