AS THE world was gripped by the dramatic rescue of 33 miners in Chile, the country's president praised the faith of the men who, remarkably, surfaced in good spirits after being trapped underground for 69 days.

Speaking to the nation at the mine's entrance, President Sebastian Pinera said: “The miners are not the same people who got trapped on the fifth of August. They have come out stronger, and they taught us a lesson. But Chile is not the same either. What ended up as a real blessing from God started as a possible tragedy. But the unity, the faith, the compromise, the honesty, the solidarity of the Chileans in those 69 days makes us very proud.”

The operation to free the miners took 22 hours and saw each man being winched up in a narrow capsule. The rescue was successfully completed October 13.

Many of the miners have developed health problems as a result of living in the dirt and darkness of the mine. One was diagnosed with pneumonia; but his condition was not thought to be serious.

“They're all wanting to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ,” the President's chaplain,  Alfredo Cooper, told Premier Radio.

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He added: “All 33 of them are saying that they found God in the mine. Five or six were already Christians and held services down in the mine. Many went down with no faith at all, but they all say this: ‘We were not 33, we were 34 because Jesus Christ was with us down there.’”

He said it was clear that faith was a big part of this whole drama, with many miners “finding God.”

Cooper asked Premier supporters to rejoice and praise God that “out of the depths came this wonderful testimony for Christ” – and asked listeners to pray for a true revival to rise up in Chile and spill out across the world.

The rescued miners were treated in two wards at the hospital in nearby Copiapo. The rooms were darkened to allow the men to adjust gradually to daylight.

– Peter Wooding, Assist News Service

November 2010