Looking Back Over Our Shoulder
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Pam and I arrived in Chile for the first time in mid-January, 1982. That was 43 years ago. I was 28 years-old and Pam was 26. I had a full head of bushy brown hair. We had one child, Rachel, who was 8 months-old.
We went to Chile as interns to complete a final requirement for my Masters of Divinity in Missions from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Our host-missionaries were Steve and Collen Phillips. They arranged a phenomenal experience that was, literally, life-changing. Little did we know that Chile would remain an integral part of our ministry for the rest of our lives.
After spending two months exploring various aspects of the mission field, Pam and I decided to return to Chile for full-time service. Thus, began an adventure spanning over four decades.
When we arrived in 1981, the airport in Santiago was small. There was no terminal with jetways. We disembarked from the plane using stairs and walked across the tarmac to the luggage area.
Today, Santiago’s airport rivals LAX or Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The terminals seemingly go on forever with endless restaurants and with what seems like every airline in the world.
Santiago’s airport is an apt metaphor for the phenomenal changes Chile has experienced in my lifetime. 43 years ago, Chile was a quaint, beautiful, tradition-laden country.
Today, it boasts one of the strongest economies in Latin America with a burgeoning middle-class. In 1981, having a vehicle was largely reserved for the upper class (or missionaries). Today, people in every strata of society own vehicles. And cell phones. And computers. And every other modern accoutrement that you could imagine.
I spent this past weekend visiting Chile. I was invited to officiate the wedding of Joshua Vega and Bethany Frantzen. Joshua is the youngest son of lifelong ministry friends, Santiago Vega and Mabel Fuenzalida. Bethany hails from Iowa. The experience was deeply emotional on many levels.
First, it is always special to connect with Santiago and Mabel. Pam and I have countless shared memories with the Vega family. The Vegas lead our church in Playa Ancha, Valparaiso. The congregation is thriving, innovative, fruit-bearing and kingdom-minded.
Pam and I helped to plant the church. It had humble beginnings. For a few years, Pam taught Sunday School in the open-air because we had no facility
Pam and I vividly remember kneeling in the dirt, along with the rest of the congregation, on a vacant piece of land asking God to provide the parcel for a church facility. Weeks later, our home church, Eastside Christian Church, took a special offering which allowed us to make the purchase.
Later, the church I served in Wisconsin made financial contributions to complete the first Worship Center. Still later, the church I served in Nevada made a huge contribution of $125,000 to complete a larger Worship Center.
Those investments helped to lay a foundation for the robust ongoing ministry that takes place in Playa Ancha week-after-week, year-after-year. The church is now 35 years old. While it may have had humble beginnings, we always had big dreams for what God could do in the years ahead. That future is now a reality and the church’s impact is breathtaking.
A second reason the trip was deeply emotional was because of Santiago’s repeated comments that the church organization we helped to establish is healthier, more cohesive and more mission-minded than ever before.
Along with four other missionary families, Pam and I helped to establish a church body called the Iglesia de Cristo Latinoamericana (ICLA for short). By the time all the missionaries returned to the USA, 17 churches came under ICLA’s umbrella.
In the ensuing years, a few congregations chose to become independent. But the majority stayed affiliated with ICLA. That foundation has now grown into a burgeoning fellowship of 25+ healthy congregations sprinkled up and down the length of Chile. You cannot fathom how grateful we are for what God has done and continues to do.
A recent example happened just a few weeks ago. A group of 30+ people from ICLA churches in the 5th Region traveled six hours north to the 4th Region to serve the ICLA churches in that area. These were students in a three-year missions training program designed by our church leaders to equip a new generation to be sent out as missionaries.
I spoke with one of the married couples who went on the mission trip. They were excited about where God might take them to advance the cause of Christ. Next year, as the mission training program wraps up, the students will travel to the Amazon jungle in Brazil to preach the Gospel and serve the needy.
Santiago said several times, “Steve you would not believe how gracious and supportive the churches are toward one another. This is not common in the church world. What we experience with ICLA is truly from the hand of God.”
It brings tears of joy to my eyes when I think about it.
A third reason this trip to Chile was heartwarming was officiating the beautiful wedding of Joshua and Bethany. The ceremony and reception took place in a gorgeous vineyard in the Casablanca valley. Every detail was stunning, including the bride and groom, the entourage and the five-course gourmet meal we enjoyed during the reception.
Every time I’m asked to officiate a wedding is special. But it’s extra special when I’m asked to do a bi-lingual wedding. When I first learned Spanish, I never dreamed the doors that would open in the future. Who would have thunk that I would officiate weddings in Spanish and English simultaneously? God be praised!
When Pam and I moved back to the USA in 1992, we thought we would never return to the country we had grown to love so deeply. But we’ve now lost track how many times we’ve been back. Every time is a surprise. Every time it rocks our soul.
Looking back over our shoulder, we are among the most grateful people on the planet. God has done great things and he let us go along for the ride!
