Chile

Mapuche Population: 1.4 Million

Official Language:   Spanish

Native Language:   Mapudungun

Occupation:  Farmers and Fishermen

Main Religion:  Animism

Location:  The south central part of Chile with a portion entering into Argentina. 

We entered Clarita’s cold and musty wooden shack with sacks of potatoes and wheat laid across the floor.  She owned six chairs, a bed of blankets and clothes hanging from the rafters.  As the wind and sun penetrated the seams of the wall boards, we could see her tender eyes and warm smile.  It was hard to believe this woman was previously controlled by evil spirits.  During Clarita’s first encounter with Christians, she furiously swung a stick at them to leave.   They prayed for her and returned the following weeks.  One week, Clarita’s uncle gathered the Christians because Clarita was flailing on the ground under a Mapuche alter shouting “Death”, “Kill”, and more.  The Christians continued to pray over Clarita, her house, her land and possessions.  When Clarita escaped her trance of madness, she told her uncle that she did not want those Christians to ever come again because “All those who were with me left after they came.”  After several months of prayer and teaching, Clarita has finally come to trust in the mighty power of Jesus Christ.  No longer is she controlled by spiritual darkness but lives in the light of Christ.  Her face says it all as it glows with the joy of freedom in Christ Jesus.

This is just one life that was changed among the Mapuche people.   Our vision is to see the Mapuche nation saturated with worshipping, serving, sending and disciple-making churches that reproduce themselves and transform their societies for God’s glory.   The challenge among the Mapuche is their animistic beliefs system, pastoral lifestyle and that they are an oral society.  If you have a passion and desire to work among indigenous people then we are looking for you.  United World Mission is actively seeking additional cross-cultural workers and partnerships to

realize this vision. 

Jerry & Jan

Leaving our farm, grown children and jobs as an engineer and teacher behind, we moved to Chile in May 2003. We discovered a need for churches in 300 Mapuche communities in the Temuco region alone. Jerry has been using Church Planter Training material to teach people to plant churches. Along with our Temuco church we also started a church in a nearby Mapuche community. Jan found that the Mapuche churches have no children’s classes (i.e. Sunday School) even though the churches are ½ children. So along with a Chilean partner she started a ministry to teach how and why to evangelize and disciple children. We have received a warm and welcome response from the Chileans and Mapuches, but the needs are great. Will you help? 

Chad & Ruthanne

Personal Website

Ruthanne and I have been called to God’s missionary journey for several years.   Ruthanne started her journey at the age of 13 with the first of many cross cultural experiences.  We took the ‘Perspectives on the World Christian Movement’ class which helped clarify our understanding of God’s purpose for the nations. Through this exposure and Ruthanne’s prior missionary experiences, we knew that cross-cultural ministries would be a part of our future.

Shortly after getting married, Ruthanne and I took a short-term mission trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa. Here, Ruthanne had previously spent a year training nurses at a mission hospital. During this trip, we continued to support the missionaries with our professional skills (nursing and computers).   After this experience, we felt God’s confirmation on our lives towards a cross-cultural ministry.

Even though we had the desire, it still took several years and three kids later to see our dream fulfilled.  We are now ministering among the Mapuche people of Chile.  The Mapuche are an indigenous people with a strong tie to animism.   It is here among the Mapuche that God has called us to facilitate a church planting movement.  By God’s grace and mercy, we pray that He will use us to fulfill His purpose.   May we seek His agenda and not our own!