Joining What God Is Already Doing in Chile

By Rod Nuñez

They say that real friends can be separated by time and distance, yet step right back into a trusted, honest, and joyful relationship as if no time had passed at all. This has been our exact experience over the past ten years of collaborative ministry with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Santiago, Chile.

Our tradition at Christ Church Vienna (Vienna, VA) is built on joining what God is already doing through the church in Chile. In alternating years, we either serve alongside our sister congregations in Santiago, or we welcome Chilean teams to join us for two weeks of mission here in Vienna and McDowell County, West Virginia. By sharing our homes, meals, and lives, we have forged deep, family-to-family friendships. It is a beautiful, real-life picture of the Kingdom of God.

On July 10, we took a team of 34 high school and college students and adult leaders for a week of collaborative mission in Santiago, Chile, for the first week, and to Concepción, Chile, in the south, for our second week.

During our first week, we stepped into an incredible opportunity that the Lord has been developing over the last four years: a student exchange at a Chilean public school. Each morning, we entered Leonardo Da Vinci School to help the Chilean students with their English and build meaningful friendships. We connected deeply through conversations, shared lunches, and break-time fun playing fútbol, volleyball, and basketball.

At the end of each school day, we invited our new friends to meet us at a massive city park just two blocks away. These informal afternoons were filled with teaching and playing American flag football, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse. We also set up English practice stations and prayer tables to engage with people from the community. God was so faithful in opening doors for us to answer the question most often asked: “Why did you guys come all the way down here?” I am incredibly proud of our students and leaders for stepping up to answer this question and for lovingly praying over so many people.

We wrapped up our first week in Santiago with a closing pizza party hosted at our sister church, La Trinidad. It was a joy to host so many of our new and old friends, share the Gospel of Christ, and gently invite them into the life of the local church! It was an amazing first week of seeing the Lord challenge our students to serve, grow, and take bold chances, proving once again that God is so real.

During our second week, we relocated with a clear purpose: to show the love of Christ through tangible acts of service. Our hosts at Iglesia Anglicana Lomas in Concepción, Chile, were absolutely incredible. This was our first time partnering with this wonderful new church plant, and the task ahead of us felt daunting. Yet, through opportunities clearly orchestrated by the Lord, we were connected with an under-resourced elementary and middle school—Jorge Montt School—which had survived devastating wildfires the previous year.

Our mission? To prep and repaint two floors of hallways and entryways. The catch? We had to do it while school was actively in session! After extensive planning, prayer, and training for our amateur labor force (our enthusiastic Vienna High School team), we jumped right in. Along the way, we had the joy of interacting with many of the sweet students and teachers, and we miraculously finished all the prep work and two full coats of paint in just three days. We were deeply humbled by the immense gratitude shown to us all week, which culminated in a whole-school assembly to honor our team. Even the Mayor of Penco, the town where the school is located, attended to express his thanks.

Our two weeks in Chile were intense and incredible. While we served through direct ministry and construction, the true impact lay in experiencing God firsthand. Stripped of distractions—including our students’ phones—we encountered the Lord deeply during times of weakness, study, worship, and prayer. By intentionally stepping away to join in what the Lord was doing through our Chilean family of faith, we were and are encouraged, strengthened, and have grown profoundly. Thank you, Jesus.

Rod Nuñez is the Student Ministry & Missions Pastor at Christ Church Vienna, Vienna, VA.