A Message from World Day of Prayer Chile

by Ann Ferguson

On this World Day of Prayer day, we received the message below from the World Day of Prayer International Committee (WDPIC). The women of Chile have written the material for 2011. WDP committees around the world are busy preparing the 2011 material for distribution in their countries next year. World Day of Prayer is close to the hearts of Presbyterian women. We were there at the beginning over 80 years ago and continue to be involved.

At the churchwide level Susan Jackson-Dowd, Communications Coordinator for Presbyterian Women serves as vice-chair of the World Day Prayer USA Committee. For the past 5 years, Presbyterian Women's communications staff have produced the beautiful print material women in the U.S. have used . Even more importantly, Presbyterian women across the country provide leadership for and the seats at local events.

We share this message from WDPIC with all of you. While this day of prayer may be coming do an end, women will continue to pray for each other and the world, tomorrow and every day.

March 5, 2010

Re: Earthquake in Chile, February 27, 2010

Dear Sisters in Christ,

In January we heard the cry for help from Haiti. Now hardly 6 weeks later there is a cry from Chile because an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile at 3:30 in the morning of February 27. Its impact extended 70 miles south to Concepción and north to Santiago, the country’s capitol, and created a tsunami that ravaged a 435-mile stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. The official death toll reached 802 on Wednesday, March 2. Those who have survived are witnesses to the trauma of the earthquake and the destruction it has brought.

As there was with Haiti, there is a WDP linkage to Chile as we turn to them for WDP in March 2011.

Now as we are being introduced to the majestic Andes Mountains and the long, long Pacific seacoast we are also witnessing that the geological forces that shaped this land are still active and able to cause immeasurable damage.

In the worship service on the theme, “How Many Loaves Have You?,” the women of WDP Chile describe times of crisis in Chile’s history and how the people of Chile found in their faith the strength to work together and to share what they had. This message has its newest expression as they cope with the consequences of the earthquake.

Fortunately through Elisabeth Delmonte, we have heard from three members of the WDP Committee of Chile:

From Trinidad Urzúa (Coordinator of the WDP preparations for 2011), who lives nearest to the epicenter:

In these moments of desolation and sadness, very slowly the help organizations are getting organized. The image of our beautiful country in this situation is causing our dismay, but the reaction of solidarity arises again, there are again soup kitchens and different activities to help overcome the pain of having lost human lives and of having to look at the desolation and destruction in the country.

We have no news yet from the sisters in Concepción, only from Santiago. The services of water and electric power have been reestablished. In small towns and villages these services don't function yet, and people sleep in tents. The pain of experiencing the earthquake and the tsunami was the impact of a moment, but now it is the matter of overcoming the consequences of this great destruction.

From Ivonne Pereira (President of Methodist Women's organization) in Santiago, the capital:

After several days of total lack of communication I'm able to access the internet and I'm writing to you to tell you about my concern and constant prayer for all Methodist women in Chile, for their families and so many compatriots who are suffering because of the recent earthquake in our country. It was so terrible and unexpected, causing death, injuries and material damage. Today I received information from our bishop Martinez Tapia who informs us: It's only since Monday that I'm able to establish some phone connections, still we know only parts of what happened in the earthquake. So far, fortunately, we have not been informed about personal losses, only damage in infrastructure in many of our churches.

Dear sisters, the help we as women will be able to give will be very important to get up and help to lift up others, but the most important thing is to remain united in prayer, so that God will give us strength to confront this situation in our country in a civilized way, in peace and with a strong spirit of solidarity. I invite you to mark the difference in all circumstances.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

And from Heidi Gruebler in Temuco:

Here in Temuco we are all right, the only things we lament is material damage, no personal injury. Some parts and façades in buildings came down; there are fissures in walls, in many cases because of construction errors. We are helping the villages on the coast which were flooded and where the houses were carried away by the waters. But the situation is slowly returning to normal, we had two days without power, and many hours without water, no mobile phones worked, but God was there listening to our prayers….

I won't be able to attend the meeting in Santiago on the 15th, because I'll travel outside Chile, but I return at the end of the month and we will celebrate WDP on April 9 in the Lutheran church in Temuco.

WDPIC encourages WDP Committees to direct their support to appropriate international agencies as well as church and ecumenical agencies to which you relate. This catastrophe can be an opportunity to be even more informed in our prayers and in our actions.

Today for the Prayer of Invocation, the words of comfort and assurance written by the women of Cameroon spoke to the people of Chile and Haiti and to all of us:

    Though the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the ocean depths,
    Though the seas roar and rage and the hills are shaken by violence,
    O God, we know that you are near….Fill all with your power and love.

On behalf of the WDPIC Executive Committee, especially Elisabeth Delmonte and Ormara Nolla, of the Latin America Region,

Sincerely,

S. Annette Poitier                                                   Eileen King
Chairperson                                                           Executive Director