Transcript

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ryan Geertsma.

Voice 2

And I'm Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for
people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Thirty-three men lived through a terrible crisis. These men were miners at the San Jose Mine near
Capiapo, Chile. Together, these men worked deep under the ground. Every day, they dug valuable
copper and gold out of the ground. But on August 5th, 2010, the ground above these miners
collapsed. Large rocks fell and filled the paths back to the surface. These 33 miners were trapped.
And they remained trapped under the ground for 69 days.

Voice 2

You may have heard another Spotlight program about the San Jose Mine Crisis. This program
described how the men lived under the ground. And it told the story of their amazing rescue.
However, the miners' story did not end with their rescue. For all of them, life continues after the
crisis. And for many, life after the crisis is very different than before. Today, many of them travel and
tell the world about their experience. They also use their experience to inform the world about
issues that are important to them. Today's Spotlight is on life after the San Jose Mine Crisis.

Voice 1

Since the mining accident, organizations all over the world have invited many of the miners to visit
and speak at events. In February, 2011, 13 of the miners went to an event in the state of Florida in
the United States. The event raised money for the United Mine Workers of America Miners Aid
Fund. At the event, the miners talked about what they hoped to do in the future. Some planned to
go back to mining. And one man talked about becoming an ambassador for mine safety. Many of
the miners have spoken at these kinds of events.

Voice 2

But two miners in particular are using their frightening experience to do good. Because of the
crisis, Jose Henriquez and Mario Sepúlveda are traveling the world. And they are telling people
about what is most important to them.

Voice 1

Jose Henriquez is a Christian. While trapped in the mine, he talked about his faith with the other
miners. As a result, Henriquez became known as the pastor, or religious leader, of the group. He led
the men in prayer and told them about God. Many of the miners say his faith helped them think
positively while they waited to be rescued. Henriquez told the news website, "This is
Gloucestershire",
Voice 3

"Our experience shows that no matter how bad things seem, there is always hope. We never lost
faith during the days we were trapped...It was a terrible situation to be in. We were frightened. But
even with everything that happened, we put our trust in God. We knew he had the power to save us."

Voice 2

Henriquez continues to tell people about God. He always tells about how he believes in a God who
answers prayer. He talks about the 22 miners that decided to follow Jesus as their Lord while they
were in the mine. He believes this story of crisis is a message of hope. He told "This is
Gloucestershire",

Voice 3

"Since we were rescued, it has been my purpose in life to tell people my story. I believe God had a
design for our accident – to help spread a message of hope. Our experience shows that there is
always hope, no matter how bad things seem.

Voice 1

Another way Henriquez tells his story is by going on speaking tours. He travels to one area of the
world and speaks at many places in a short period of time. In January and February, 2011,
Henriquez travelled around the United Kingdom. He visited more than 14 places in England and
Ireland. He called this tour "The 34th Man" tour. Mike Judge works for "The Christian Institute", in
the United Kingdom. In a short film, he asked Henriquez about the name of the tour. There were
only 33 men trapped in the mine. So Judge asked Henriquez, "Who is the 34th man?" Henriquez
answered,

Voice 3

"He is the one we are talking about. He is the friend who is always near us. You cannot see him but
you can feel he is present in your heart. We believe in a power that is not seen. It cannot be
touched. But it can be felt in the heart. That is our God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us the
gift of the Holy Spirit. And he has given us the sure faith that he is real, that he is a true God and
that he does answer prayer."

Voice 2

Mario Sepúlveda is another rescued miner using the crisis for good. Like Henriquez, he travels on
speaking tours. But he speaks about the importance of working together to help people recover
from crisis. Sepúlveda saw how people from around the world came together to save the trapped
miners. He believes this unity, or oneness, was important to the recovery. So he started a not-for-
profit organization called Miner's Miracle. He hopes that Miner's Miracle will help him spread a
message of international unity.

Voice 1

On February 27, 2010, about five months before the mine accident, an earthquake destroyed many
areas of Chile. The government worked hard to assist the families who no longer had homes. But
Sepúlveda says that even with this help, many earthquake victims still do not have basic shelter.
Through Miner's Miracle, Sepúlveda is raising money to build new homes for the earthquake
victims in Chile. He hopes to build two hundred houses by June, 2011.
Voice 2

Sepúlveda's goal grew even bigger in March of 2011. This is when a major earthquake and tsunami
destroyed many areas of Japan. He believes international unity helps countries recover from crisis.
So he decided Miner's Miracle would also help raise money for Japan. On the Miner's Miracle
website, he stated,

Voice 4

"I am strongly affected by the suffering and damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami. I feel
sympathy for the victims of this terrible crisis and to Japan. I understand what they must be going
through and my heart is sad for them. I feel as if I am still trapped in that mine. I feel that I must
make efforts to help Japan in this struggle. I not only wish to build homes in Chile but I also wish to
bring aid to Japan in the spirit of international unity."

Voice 1

The mine collapse in San Jose was a terrible crisis. It changed the lives of 33 men forever. Each of
them was given a second chance. And many of the miners, like Jose Henriquez and Mario
Sepúlveda, are using that second chance to bring hope out of crisis.

Voice 2

The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you
heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find
this program and many others on our website: www.radioenglish.net. This program is called "Life
After Crisis." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!