Thursday 3 February 2011

What Really happened down in the Chilean Mine



Jose the Chilian miner I met and prayed for amen.


note on Facebook by Elaine Waterfield on Wednesday, 02 February 2011 at 23:35.


This last Tuesday I went with some good friends to Cheltenham to hear Jose Henriques give testimony of Gods grace and mercy and miraculous power at his rescue and 32 other Chilean miners trapped in a shaft for 69 days, 720 metres underground.

Jose explained that the 32 other miners were in complete despair as to how they would get out of the mine and felt that all was lost. The men talked amongst themselves and were very aware that even though they weren’t men of faith that the only way out would be by the hand of God. Knowing that Jose was a man of God they appointed him to pray to God. Jose said he would but they all had to pray to a living God not a dead one. During this time God spoke to Jose and told him that they would all survive and to call them altogether. This encouraged Jose as in the other accidents he was involved in other miners had died and were badly injured and so this is what he did he called all the miners together.

As time went by the men would form a circle and each one would take turns to pray with in the circle, with many men getting on their hands and knees and as they got into the presence of God having simple Bible studies and fellowship God healed one man who was injured with a spinal injury and people began to be healed emotionally.

Some miners began to panic as time went past and began to write wills and contemplated death but Jose soon stopped this as it was a negative attitude that could see them all give up and die. Why they were all of one accord and of the same democratic mindset sharing a faith and praying for many hours at a time for Gods mercy and also praising God.

They had very little food and each man had a half teaspoon of tuna fish which they out in their water to make it into soup which was more filling, but during this time they had so little food and air it was quite desperate conditions.

In the meantime the president and his cabinet gathered together to pray, school children began to pray and churches
gathered together and prayed it brought the whole country together in one accord praying to God for their rescue, whilst it gripped not only this nation but in fact the whole world were praying as it were around the world.


The first attempt to drill a tunnel to where they were trapped failed as it was no where near where the miners were. This was obviously going to cause anxiety and despair amongst the miners but they continued to praise and worship God and pray.


However a few weeks later when things were at a crucial and difficult state of emergency, the drill was placed as near to where they thought the miners were and as it entered deep into the ground it hit a rock and veered off slightly and success it was the hand of God that found them. Everyone was ecstatic as the world and Chile heard the first words of the 33 miners “ we are all alive and well,” Jose was able to speak to his wife the first time in 67 days, His words were “ this is the longest shift I have ever been on,”

Andre and engineer who was the brains behind the rescue said “ in the drilling process things happened that held no logic with engineering ,” despite no being a man of faith he attributed all of this to energy generated through prayer and good will.

Jose knew that before he and the other miners came back to the surface they had to hold a prayer meeting and thanks God as they the hand of God was upon them. Before this accident happened only 5 men had faith and now 22 had given their lives to Christ underground. All 33 came to the surface one by one wearing T –shirts proclaiming “thank you Lord “in both Spanish and English in a capsule praising God for what he had done. No man could have saved them 4 million people round the world witnessed a miracle and Gods handy work,


Jeremiah 33 v 3 says “if you call upon my name I will hear you and show you some amazing things,” This also was a call to the church to come together in unity and pray and be in one accord.

The president was so in awe that he called for a time of praise and prayer .The President commented that “the unity, the faith, the compromise, the honesty, the solidarity of the Chileans in those 69 days makes us very proud”.


After the talk I went up and prayed for Jose and Chaplain to the president of Chile who were going to see President of America Barack Obama with their presentation. What and honouras friends asked me to go and what a privalidge to pray for them it was awesome



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Elaine Waterfield likes this..
Chris Welch It was obvious something more than the media were saying had gone on....but this is incredible, and so cool that you had the honour of praying for them. I feel so proud for you.
52 minutes ago · LikeUnlike.Elaine Waterfield thanks Chris
28 minutes ago · LikeUnlike.Elaine Waterfield it was one of the worse days and had to go into work and through going into work I got to go to this place God is amazing even on our worst days I never knew I was going until the last minute or what I was going to
25 minutes ago · LikeUnlike.Chris Welch another Cinderella Kingdom story
22 minutes ago · LikeUnlike.Julie Willcox Wow - i did feel that God was powerfully with them - fantastic testimony, thanks for sharing.
20 minutes ago · LikeUnlike.
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