“God allowed this situation, and the miners are alive by the grace of God…I think the most important fact was the glory of God in this situation.”

As 33 trapped miners in Chile stepped out of a rescue capsule to greet the world again Oct. 12-13, many wore a T-shirt with ¡Gracias Señor! (Thank you, Lord!) printed across the front.

Christian Maureira, national director of Campus Crusade for Christ in Chile, provided the T-shirts to the miners, who were trapped 2,300 feet underground when a partial collapse blocked the mine exit on Aug. 5. Rescuers worked more than two months to free them from beneath a half-mile of rock.

“When I saw the miners on TV [wearing the shirts], my heart was like this … really fast,” Christian Maureira said about watching the rescue. “I was really excited because a lot of people around the world were looking at that. They gave the glory to God — wow!”

Maureira suggested his T-shirt idea to José Henríquez after meeting Henríquez’s daughter, Hettez, at Camp Esperanza (Hope), where many of the miners’ families were holding vigil. Henríquez, one of the trapped miners, became the spiritual leader of the group and conducted nightly Bible studies for the men.

“[The miners] received the [T-shirt] idea with rejoicing,” Maureira said. “They had decided to say thank you to God.” They even gave input on the design of the shirt.

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