Serving in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile

28 April 2010

The serene sights of the seaside village of Constitución quickly turned to vast areas of destruction when four explosive forces struck on February 27, 2010—an earthquake and three tsunami waves up to 66 feet high. The events left three large fishing boats precariously resting in streets a quarter mile from the river—on the inland side of three-story buildings. Train tracks disappeared into mounds of dirt and rubble. Hundreds of buildings and houses were in ruins.

The morning after the quake, six sister missionaries and two women from the Constitución congregation picked up bundles of food and hygiene kits before visiting members and others in devastated areas. Their first stop was the Rodriguez home.

This modest home had been destroyed and filled with silt, but the family was unhurt. Manuel Rodriguez showed the missionaries the high-water mark—nearly eight feet up—on a leaning exterior wall. Even with this level of destruction, the full force of the tsunami had passed around his home. Further inland, several buildings had imploded into thousands of pieces when struck by the waves.

The missionaries handed the family some food packets and blankets, then walked two miles to a more exposed area of the beach. One of three remaining homes on the oceanfront was nearly 30 feet above sea level. Around it, other houses, buildings, light poles, and the road had been destroyed. These sister missionaries visited the area to offer help. The five members of one family had no water, so the missionaries found buckets and walked a mile to a paper mill to get water and bring it back. The family's love and appreciation overflowed for these missionaries of a church unknown to them.

"The missionaries were so wonderful—they just wanted to help," said Jorge F. Zeballos, second counselor in the Chile Area Presidency of the Church. "They were so happy doing that, even though they were in areas where the quake had the main impact. They set a wonderful example. I think the chapels, our youth, and our missionaries have been three symbols of help, hope, and happiness in the earthquake's aftermath."