An Interview with Carlos Parra Diaz, author of Hope Underground
Have you read Hope Underground? Are you inspire by the stories of the miners? Here's an interview with Pastor Carlos Parra Diaz that was sent to me by B&B Media Group. May you be further inspired.
Q : In Hope Underground, you mention several instances that suggest God’s intervention. Did you personally experience God’s presence while there and, if so, how did it affect you?
A : This recognition of divine intervention throughout the entire process of the rescue has been the consistent perspective of the miners, their families, the rescue personnel and millions around the world. For myself, I had always believed that God is real, a living God who chooses to be close to those who love Him. But during my weeks at Camp Hope, I experience for myself just how real God is and how deeply He loves the human beings He has created. And how directly involved He is in the daily lives of His children.
Q : Through no fault of their own, all 33 miners were thrust into the world spotlight. Since then, how have their lives been altered?
A : The miners have moved on with their loves. Some have taken new jobs. Others have retired from mining completely. Many of them have travelled extensively since their rescue, sharing their experiences with audiences around the world. While their lives have returned to some semblance of normalcy, they have all experienced a profound change, so that none of them will ever return to the lives they lived before.
Q : You made the decision to present the miners with a special gift while they were trapped in the mine. Could you tell us a little about that?
A : Yes. I had already presented Bibles to each of the families at Camp Hope, but I wanted to do more. In my mind was the thought that a Bible would be one way I could help the miners in the prolonged wait facing them. The comfort of God’s Word and His promises could help the miners bear up under the various physical, emotional or spiritual difficulties that were bound to appear.
Q : After visiting with the miners following the resuce, which of these visits do you feel had the greatest impact on you?
My visit with Jose Henriquez, the ‘pastor’ of the trapped miners, was a special pleasure for me. He was among those I’d been able to speak with while they were still underground. He’d shared with me about their difficult survival during those first 17 days when they had no contact with the outside. It was Jose who, from the beginning, proposed to the group that they set aside a certain time each day for prayer. All had accepted and when they came together to pray he would recite certain Bible texts he knew from memory. But his repertoire of memorized verses were soon exhausted. The group longed for a Bible so they might read more of God’s Word. Like all their other needs at the time, this seemed like a wish that would not be fulfilled. Then four days after they’d been found alive, the miniature Bibles arrived below. A direct answer to their prayers. Jose told me their communal prayer time at midday and 6 pm were greatly enriched because they were all able to read God’s Word for themselves at any moment of the day they felt a need. An those moments, he added, were many.
Q : What lessons in faith can be learned from the mine collapse?
A : God was able to get our attention and call humanity back to Himself. Through the miracle of the San Jose Mine resuce, witnessed by people all over the world through the media, God has issued a call to his creation, every human being, to make a decision while there is still time to do so. Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross as a substitute for sinful humanity, as a guarantee of salvation and eternal life, free of charge, to anyone who will receive this precious gift. By reminding the world of His reality and His love, even in the depths of the San Jose Mine, God is once again offering every human being the opportunity to make a very simple decision : Will you follow God? Or will you reject Him?
For most people, this spectacular rescue is already yesterday’s news. However, for the millions who prayed for a miracle, this event has become a spiritual heritage for the whole world, a stirring reminder that God listens to the pleas of His children.
http://www.hopeunderground.com/.
Q : In Hope Underground, you mention several instances that suggest God’s intervention. Did you personally experience God’s presence while there and, if so, how did it affect you?
A : This recognition of divine intervention throughout the entire process of the rescue has been the consistent perspective of the miners, their families, the rescue personnel and millions around the world. For myself, I had always believed that God is real, a living God who chooses to be close to those who love Him. But during my weeks at Camp Hope, I experience for myself just how real God is and how deeply He loves the human beings He has created. And how directly involved He is in the daily lives of His children.
Q : Through no fault of their own, all 33 miners were thrust into the world spotlight. Since then, how have their lives been altered?
A : The miners have moved on with their loves. Some have taken new jobs. Others have retired from mining completely. Many of them have travelled extensively since their rescue, sharing their experiences with audiences around the world. While their lives have returned to some semblance of normalcy, they have all experienced a profound change, so that none of them will ever return to the lives they lived before.
Q : You made the decision to present the miners with a special gift while they were trapped in the mine. Could you tell us a little about that?
A : Yes. I had already presented Bibles to each of the families at Camp Hope, but I wanted to do more. In my mind was the thought that a Bible would be one way I could help the miners in the prolonged wait facing them. The comfort of God’s Word and His promises could help the miners bear up under the various physical, emotional or spiritual difficulties that were bound to appear.
Q : After visiting with the miners following the resuce, which of these visits do you feel had the greatest impact on you?
My visit with Jose Henriquez, the ‘pastor’ of the trapped miners, was a special pleasure for me. He was among those I’d been able to speak with while they were still underground. He’d shared with me about their difficult survival during those first 17 days when they had no contact with the outside. It was Jose who, from the beginning, proposed to the group that they set aside a certain time each day for prayer. All had accepted and when they came together to pray he would recite certain Bible texts he knew from memory. But his repertoire of memorized verses were soon exhausted. The group longed for a Bible so they might read more of God’s Word. Like all their other needs at the time, this seemed like a wish that would not be fulfilled. Then four days after they’d been found alive, the miniature Bibles arrived below. A direct answer to their prayers. Jose told me their communal prayer time at midday and 6 pm were greatly enriched because they were all able to read God’s Word for themselves at any moment of the day they felt a need. An those moments, he added, were many.
Q : What lessons in faith can be learned from the mine collapse?
A : God was able to get our attention and call humanity back to Himself. Through the miracle of the San Jose Mine resuce, witnessed by people all over the world through the media, God has issued a call to his creation, every human being, to make a decision while there is still time to do so. Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross as a substitute for sinful humanity, as a guarantee of salvation and eternal life, free of charge, to anyone who will receive this precious gift. By reminding the world of His reality and His love, even in the depths of the San Jose Mine, God is once again offering every human being the opportunity to make a very simple decision : Will you follow God? Or will you reject Him?
For most people, this spectacular rescue is already yesterday’s news. However, for the millions who prayed for a miracle, this event has become a spiritual heritage for the whole world, a stirring reminder that God listens to the pleas of His children.
http://www.hopeunderground.com/.
I think it's a great And wonderful what God did in Chile In that dark mine Taking care of those miners And returning them safely to their families.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank God for this pastor Whose faith in God Mingled with the other's
Faith What a miracle It all Brought.
It's quite a story that's for sure! I saw that on television and also read about it in Significant living Magazine.
All glory to God for what He did in Chile