Wildfires in Chile: LCMS offers aid and Gospel comfort

(Counterclockwise from left) The Rev. Juan Pablo Lanterna, ILC-Chile president; the Rev. Adrian Ventura; and the Rev. Pablo Gonzalez assist with cleanup and construction work in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged Valparaiso, Chile, in February. (LCMS/Ross Johnson)

By Sarah Reinsel

From Feb. 2 through Feb. 5, wildfires ravaged the neighborhoods in the hills surrounding the Chilean cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.

Initial reports indicate that the fires have destroyed approximately 12,000 homes and displaced thousands of people. The current death toll exceeds 131, with many more people sustaining severe injuries or facing long-term health consequences due to smoke exposure and inhalation.

The wildfires are the worst natural disaster to strike Chile since the 2010 earthquake and tsunami. They also cover approximately four times the area of Chile’s last wildfire, which occurred in 2017 in Valparaíso.

The Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile (ILC-Chile), a partner church of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), has been directly affected by the wildfires. Though two churches in the area, Holy Spirit Lutheran Church and School in Valparaíso, and Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church and School in Viña del Mar, didn’t sustain any damage to their buildings, every church member had neighbors or family members who died or were injured, or whose homes were destroyed.

‘Present to us in His Word’

For days, thick, heavy smoke hung over the two cities, and ash fell constantly. At one point, 25 active fires were burning in and around Valparaíso alone.

Twice, the Rev. Juan Pablo Lanterna, ILC-Chile president, had to evacuate his home because the fires got so close. Even after evacuating, he drove back up into the hills, with the fires blazing all around him, to bring people back down in his own car.

After the fires had subsided, the police, seeing Lanterna’s clerical collar and crucifix, allowed him into burned-out areas, where no other civilians were allowed to go. There he prayed with people and shared the comfort of the Gospel with them.

Lanterna said he knew he could die when he went up into the hills. “But as Lutherans, we have the theology of the cross,” he explained. “We suffer on behalf of the Gospel.”

“I made visits up past the police cordon and brought the Gospel to people who had lost everything,” Lanterna continued. “It [might] seem like God wasn’t present in these situations, but He certainly was. He’s always present to us in His Word in any situation [in which] we may find ourselves.”

Now, Lanterna and his wife, Jessica, are hosting 14 refugees (10 children and four adults) at the mercy center that LCMS Disaster Response built after the 2010 earthquake. Here, the refugees are provided with meals, showers and a place to stay.

The mercy center also has a chapel in its basement, where Lanterna has been holding services for the refugees in the wake of the fire.

“What is most needed is for suffering people to hear the Gospel,” said Lanterna.

Recovery efforts underway

On Feb. 19, the Rev. Ted Krey, director of the LCMS Latin America and the Caribbean region, and the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response, traveled to Chile to meet with Lanterna and two other local pastors to do damage assessment and create a response plan.

The hills surrounding Valparaíso and Viña del Mar are among the poorest and most underserved regions in Chile. Most of the people who live there are very young families or elderly people.

Johnson said that Disaster Response plans to target this area, distributing meals and providing construction materials for families to rebuild their homes. Thanks to previous donations to Disaster Response, relief work can begin immediately.

This relief work is also an opportunity for a small church body like the ILC-Chile to do community outreach and evangelize to their neighbors.

In addition to physical needs, victims of the fire need the comfort and love of Jesus. Survivors are suffering from the trauma of losing their homes, trying to rescue people trapped in the fires, and bringing injured and dying people to hospitals.

“Right now, the best thing to do is pray for wisdom and strength for the leadership of the Lutheran church in Chile. When you go through a disaster like this, you go a hundred miles an hour and you’re absolutely exhausted,” said Johnson. “Now, they are changing their rhythm so they can maintain their Word and Sacrament ministry but also reach out and care for the thousands of people who are victims and are trying to rebuild their lives.”

“We’re thankful for Disaster Response and the long experience they have of supporting our churches in Latin America, especially in Chile,” said Krey. “We’re thankful for the good people of the Synod … [who] support those they don’t know or haven’t seen. We have a common tie that binds us in Christ our Savior.”

Read an update to this story.

Posted March 4, 2024/Updated April 2, 2024