Cauquenes

On Tuesday, March 9th, we made a trip to Cauquenes, a town 5 hours south of Santiago. Cauquenes is located 63 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake that took place on February 27th, and was seriously affected by it. Many of the buildings in Cauquenes and the surrounding areas were made of adobe, and very few of those constructions, if any, were left standing after the quake.

We traveled with a friend who wanted to distribute food to the people from the mountain areas, who were not receiving as much attention and aid as the population from the coastal areas, but were just as needy.

On the way there we began to see with our own eyes the magnitude of the disaster. Highways built just a couple years ago had been ripped apart by the forces of nature. Houses that had stood for decades reduced to a pile of rubble. Nevertheless, the greatest effect was in the people from those areas. Some of them were spending their days and nights in tents outside their houses, in cars, or in wood and tin structures that had been left standing.

Our purpose was not just to bring them food, but to aid in the healing of their soul and to show them that Someone cared, that God cares for them

and that His love was the reason we were there.

After arriving in Cauquenes and preparing the packages we headed for the hills, through unpaved roads, loaded with the some basic supplies and a message of hope. While people appreciated the packages we took to them, what they appreciated most were the songs, company and prayers. We distributed a total of 100 packages of food in about 30 different locations in the hills surrounding Cauquenes. In each place we took some time to sing to the people, pray with them and leave them a message of faith and hope.

To see a slide show of the visit click here.