Mission trip to Alto Bio Bio, Chile

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.

Isaiah 52:7

Chilean Bible Society & partners bring help & hope to isolated mountain communities

Under  cloudless  skies  and  a  hot  sun,  people  walked  or  rode  their  horses  along  long  dusty  roads  to  see  us.  People  

here  live  on  remote  farms  and  it  took  some  of  them  several  hours  to  reach  us.

A  mother  arrives  on  horseback,  with  her  two  young  children  =ed  securely  to  her.  Most  people  here  are  Pehuenches  -­‐  an  indigenous  ethnic  group.  Around  30%  of  them  live  below  

the  poverty  line  -­‐  10  =mes  the  na=onal  average.

The  Trapa  Trapa  medical  post.  66  volunteers  from  the  Chilean  Bible  Society  and  5  partners*  were  based  in  the  area  

for  4  days,  bringing  prac=cal  and  spiritual  help.  *World  Vision,  Alfalit,  the  Municipality  of  Alto  Bio  Bio,  ‘Prescribing  Smiles’  &  Evangelical  M.T.F.    

Unloading  boxes  of  biscuits  at  a  rural  outpost.  

People  queueing  up  for  medical  consulta=ons.  Most  people  here  seldom  get  to  see  doctors  or  nurses.  

An  elderly  woman  having  a  medical  consulta=on  with  a  volunteer  doctor.

A  young  pa=ent  gets  a  health  check.

A  volunteer  helps  a  woman  with  her  literacy  skills.  Most  people  in  this  region  only  go  to  school  for  around  6  years  and  many  adults  cannot  read  or  write.  More  than  

100  literacy  books  were  given  to  tutors  and  students  during  the  visit.

More  than  120  people  had  their  hair  professionally  cut  and  styled  by  volunteers.

People  really  appreciated  the  spiritual  support  that  was  on  offer  and  asked  volunteers  to  pray  with  them.

A  Pehuenche  man  (leQ)  receives  toiletries,  biscuits  and  Scriptures.  

Hugs  and  smiles  as  volunteers  hand  out  clothes  to  a  young  family.  

Giving,  reading  and  sharing  God’s  Word  together.  More  than  500  Scriptures  were  given  out  over  4  days.    

A  young  girl  reads  a  Scripture  booklet  in  Mapudungun  -­‐  the  language  spoken  by  the  Pehuenche  people.

Javier  Garcia  of  the  Chilean  Bible  Society  with  an  elderly  lady  who  travelled  by  bus  for  a  free  medical  consulta=on.  Buses  in  this  area  are  very  infrequent  and  she  had  to  

wait  three  hours  for  her  bus  home

A  young  couple  who  got  married  on  the  day  the  Bible  Society  and  its  partners  visited  their  area.  They  were  delighted  to  welcome  the  team  to  their  celebra=ons.  

A  mother  and  daughter.

A  grandmother  who  came  to  get  clothes  for  her  family.

Text

‘Anything you did

for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Together,  the  Bible  Society  and  its  partners  were  able  to  demonstrate  God’s  love  to  more  than  500  people  in  

Alto  Bio  Bio.  And  we  plan  to  return.  

Matthew 25:40