In response to massive forest fires burning in central Chile, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is joining efforts with other organizations to offer aid.
The Church is working with Chile’s National Office of Religious Affairs to coordinate assistance initiatives, along with the Red Cross and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Efforts include delivering supplies and providing temporary sites for children to attend school and receive food.
Members of several stakes in Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Valparaíso responded to the call for help by volunteering to distribute bottled water and supplies, as well as cleaning and removing debris.
The fires have affected more than 40,000 individuals, reported the Church’s Chile Newsroom. Authorities report 131 deaths and 14 missing.
Elder Ricardo A. Spencer, Area Seventy and communications director for the South America South Area, reported that more than 100 Church members’ homes in the affected regions have sustained damage.
The South America South Area presidency — Elder Craig C. Christensen, president, and his counselors, Elder Joaquin E. Costa and Elder Alan R. Walker, all General Authority Seventies — expressed their deep sorrow and solidarity in a statement.
“In these moments of pain and loss, we express our love, empathy, and prayers for those affected,” they wrote.
The Church has been contributing donations to support affected families and working to bring assistance and hope to those impacted.
“We invite individuals, families and congregations to pray for protection for the firefighters and to provide strength to the affected families, reflecting the love and compassion that Jesus Christ taught us,” the statement said.
Massive fires began in December 2022 in south-central Chile, also impacting Church members and prompting a response and relief effort from the Church to help all who were affected. Relief efforts continued into early 2023.
The Church in Chile
The latest statistics list 604,302 Church members in Chile in 74 stakes. Four of those stakes were created recently, according to a news release from December 2023.
The country has two temples — the Concepción Chile Temple and Santiago Chile Temple — and three that have been announced or under construction: the Santiago Chile West Temple, Antofagasta Chile Temple and Viña del Mar Chile Temple.
