Hi everyone!  Thank you so much for your support for our Christmas Hampers Project this past December!  The following letter is from Jocelyn and Sandra Salazar, who are pastors of the church in Mulchen, they were blessed to have participated in this project and have sent a detailed letter of thanks, sharing how this project was carried out to the South of Chile.  Our hope is that you will be blessed as you read and that God will be glorified for all He has done, and will continue to do, in the lives of those who received these hampers as gifts of love. 

God bless you!

Mandy Santana

For a little over a year now, our Corporation entrusted to us the mission to work with a group of churches in the south part of our country, in what is referred to as administration and spiritual coverage to these churches. At this time this sector or division is made up of 10 churches, 5 of them are located in cities and 5 in the rural areas, specifically in the mapuche indigenes communities.

The churches in the rural areas are places that have much need and the people are very hard working, without drinkable water, no sewer systems, far from hospitals, schools and malls.  The work of the land is essential, being part of their daily activities so as to have fresh vegetables, meat and eggs and anything else that can be grown.  The rest of their food items are purchased in the nearby towns, normally once a month.  Many of these people walk about two hours to go to church, even during the winter months, when it is cold and rainy.  The majority of the roads that they take are not paved, with no lights and no local transit, they cross long distances on mountain terrane.

It is a great blessing and an example for us, as these inconveniences are not an excuse for them to serve the LORD.

Every year at Christmas time, our Church in Mulchen, where we are pastors, prepares something called “baskets of love”, to be given to low-income families in our community.   But this year we had a desire in our hearts to also bless these hard working, indigenes families in sector 13, but we did not have the resources available to us to do so.

While having this feeling of restlessness in our hearts, it was then that we received a phone call from the other side of the world, from Canada.  It was our friend, Jorge Santana, proposing to us a beautiful blessing, the idea of receiving support with the Christmas hampers project, which for us, was an answer to our prayers.  This is what would enable us to take this blessing to the south.

We communicated the news of this blessing to the brothers and sisters in our church in Mulchen, explaining to them that this gift was not for them, but for our brothers and sisters in the south, to be able to bless others, this gave us a great reason to be joyful that day.

We got to work, as Christmas was approaching quickly and bought the items and put together the hampers with our brothers and sisters in Mulchen, we made 30 large, beautiful hampers of love, each hamper included a Bible, so as to not just give them food, but also to give them that which sustains our lives, the Word of God.

On December 23^rd, together with our children, Natalia (14 years old), Gabriel (9 years old) and a young lady from our youth ministry in our church, we set out very early in the morning with this amazing gift, a sign of God’s love, that came from Canada.

A trip that took us to traveling more than 500 km of highway, dirt roads and beautiful scenery of the hilltops and mountains in the south of our country.

We arrived at a place called Lautaro, specifically the community “Central Alhueco”, where 6 families were given hampers.  After that we headed to Zanja Maquehue, where 6 more families received these gifts of love.

By noon that day, we arrived at the community of Trai Traiko, 7 families received their hampers with joy and happiness, and most of them were widows.  In the end we went to the most difficult sector to access, called Mili Mili, which is located high on the top of a mountain, we had to go around cliffs and rocky roads to meet our brave and courageous brothers, who serve the LORD in the middle of this mountain, and there we could bless 8 families.   Words cannot really describe how grateful each family was by receiving this unexpected gift of love.   They could not understand how God sent them a blessing that came from so far away. Words of gratitude came from their mouths, amid tears of joy and words of blessing to you, dear brothers and sisters in Canada.

Along with the food, we also were able to provide a complete set of school supplies to every child in these families who received the Christmas hampers.  Along with these families, there were 3 more, in Mulchen, who are low-income families, who have family members with disabilities, are bed ridden, or in wheelchairs, they also received this great blessing of a Christmas hamper.

On behalf of every family who was blessed and on behalf of our church in Mulchen, who were allowed to be part of this work, we want to thank you for obeying God’s voice, for extending your hands out and sending this blessing so far. Nothing that is done in the work of the LORD is in vain.

And as the Word of the LORD says, “Beloved I desire that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers”. Sending a big hug from a distance to you all. Jocelyn and SandraPastors in Mulchen.