Bringing Hope to Fire-Ravaged Community

Notebooks and pencils were some of the items that immediately caught Fernanda’s attention when she peered inside of her shoebox gift. She’d be going back to school in a few months and had no supplies to take with her—everything she owned had burned during a fire a few weeks earlier.

The inferno had attacked the community in southern Chile, turning nearly every home into ashes and rubble. In just a few hours, the house where 12-year-old Fernanda lived with her parents and younger brother was gone.

Fernanda’s grief was still raw when she attended the Operation Christmas Child outreach event at a local church. She was in shock, trying to make sense of how quickly and significantly her life had changed.

The event offered the hurting young girl moments of joy during a season of sadness. Her shoebox gift was the first present she had received since losing all of her belongings in the fire.

“That day was a surprise, because people I didn’t know were giving me a present,” Fernanda said. “They were giving me love.”

Fernanda has always been a kind and giving child. She enjoys creating paper flowers for friends and family. She helps take care of her brother and makes her parents cards on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

After the fire, it was Fernanda who needed support because, like her entire community, her heart was broken. God used the Operation Christmas Child event—including the vibrant worship songs that Fernanda enjoyed so much—to bring comfort and encouragement when she needed it the most.

Thankful to Be Alive

Fernanda and her family barely escaped the fire.

“I looked outside and the fire was right around the corner, just a block away,” said Veronica, Fernanda’s mother. “We started throwing a few clothing items into bags. The dogs jumped into the car with us and we left.”

Many of the roads were already closed as they drove away. They finally reached the home of Fernanda’s aunt, where they prayed that they would be far enough away from the fire to stay safe.

After a few hours, the family was anxious to return home. Veronica was worried about her husband, who had been at work when they fled. She didn’t know if he was safe. She knew he would be worried about his family. And she couldn’t bear the thought of him returning home and finding them gone and assuming the worst.

So, they all piled back into the car with the dogs and slowly made their way to the neighbourhood. The route was horrifying.

“We saw people dead inside cars and animals dead in the streets,” Veronica said. “We didn’t see a single home standing.”

Veronica was overwhelmed when they arrived at the spot where their house once stood. “I began to cry, because all the effort of one entire year of building a house—from bottom to the top—was gone.”

Veronica and her husband had decided that building their home would be a family effort. They involved their children in the process because it was a way for them to learn together and to spend more time as a family. Veronica said that Fernanda had especially enjoyed helping her father with the flooring.

Their house had been built with a lot of love. It wasn’t just a physical structure the family was mourning, but the memories it once held.

Faithful to the Gospel

The outreach event that blessed Fernanda had its origin with Luz and her husband, Hernán, pastor a church in Fernanda’s neighbourhood. Not even a catastrophic fire could stop them from continuing to serve families in the area.

“Some people told us to start again in another place. But that thought never crossed our minds because we feel that this is the place God called us,” Luz said.

Luz and Hernán started the church about 13 years ago. More recently, the couple knew that they needed to try and bolster the church’s outreach to children.

“God begin to speak to us about kids’ ministry and the necessity for us to include that in the church,” Luz said.

They connected with Operation Christmas Child leaders in the country and began hosting outreach events and teaching The Greatest Journey discipleship lessons.

Ministry became more challenging after the fire. The congregation had to meet under a large tent because the church building was destroyed. A number of church members had their homes decimated. Luz was heartbroken at the significant loss that seemed to be everywhere she turned.

“It was devastating to see kids playing in the street with balls that they had made from scraps and trash,” she said. “As a church, we felt a heavy weight to do something.”

They decided to stay the course and continue with an outreach event that had already been planned. Boys and girls were invited to the big tent where they heard the Gospel and received a shoebox gift.

The event blessed children, including Fernanda, and also encouraged Luz and the church members.

“Without Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child, it would be impossible to do all the things we’re doing today,” Luz said. “For most of the kids in this area, an outreach event is the first time they hear the Gospel.”

Please pray for Fernanda, her family, and all those affected by this fire in Chile. Pray also for strength for Luz and Hernán and that their ministry would yield a ripe harvest.

National Collection Week is just over two months away! Don’t wait to start packing shoeboxes full of fun items a child will love. Be sure to personalise the gifts as well with a note and photo, which often become treasured favourites!

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