Piñatas, Church, Land, and Cows

I´m exhausted, but I´m going to muster up all the energy I have to give you a quick update.

 

It has been so HOT the past couple of days. Even the Salvadorans think it has been hot, so it´s not just me complaining.  I would really enjoy some weather where the temperature is somewhere in between freezing cold and boiling hot.

 

Wednesday afternoon and evening and today, Julie and I were with Pastors Matias and Martina.  As always, it was wonderful spending time with them.

 

Today was a very long, but wonderful day.  It took forever for everyone to get ready and get in the truck, but we were on our way by 11.  We made a few stops along the way, but we finally made it to the little community of San Jose Buena Vista.  When I was in El Salvador last summer, they were working on building a church there.  I got to see the progress throughout the time I was here and I even got to help with the construction a little.  Well, the church is now complete!  The church was dedicated in January and I saw pictures from this celebration, but the pictures just didn´t do justice to how beautiful the church is.  They have a large sanctuary, two other rooms for meetings or Sunday school, and they even have bathrooms in the church.  It looks so nice and new and I know that it has already gotten some good use.  The people in Buena Vista are so blessed to have such a wonderful place in which to worship and meet.

 

We brought a piñata for the kids at the church and they had a great time with that (even the process of getting it hung up was pretty entertaining). 

 

We then left to go to the community of Colon.  The church in Colon is a sister church with Julie´s church in Schaumburg.  Thanks to donations from people at Julie´s church, my church, and our family and friends, the people of Colon will very soon have a piece of land where they can build a church.  For more than 10 years, the congregation in Colon has been looking forward to the day when they will have their own church in which to worship.  Buying the land is a big step toward this.  We went to Colon to celebrate with the Pastors and with the congregation of Colon.

 

The kids (little ones and teens) prepared some super cute and funny dances.  We had two piñatas, one for the boys and one for the girls.  Salvadorans really know how to do piñatas.  Everyone got so excited and the kids were pretty much experts in hitting the piñta and making sure to get every last piece of candy out of the poor mutilated piñatas.

 

We did all this at the place where the church meets now, in the yard of one of the church members.  After this, we went down the street a little bit to the piece of land where the church will be.  Right now the land is empty, but it was easy to imagine a church there, a church a little like the one that we had just visited in Buena Vista.  We met the nice old man who was selling the land and the kids ran all around the land.  After some time we gathered in a circle and prayed.  We thanked God for the blessings of the church community in Colon, for the land, for the churches and the people who helped raise money for the land.  And we asked that God would grant that one day there will be a church constructed on the land.  What a beautiful and blessed time.  Truly God is good!

 

And then some cows came down the road and they came through the gate and onto the land.  Apparently the cows like to come and eat and hang out on the land.  Someone will have to tell the cows that if they want to come on the land and eat that they will first have to go to church. 

 

Tomorrow (Friday) is our last day in El Salvador.  We are going out to the eastern part of El Salvador, the department of La Union, to meet with a pastor there.  I´m excited to go, but it will be a long trip in the car, about 4 hours each way.  It should be a good last day though.

Everything is closed on Monday

Yesterday, Monday, Julie and I went on an adventure where we learned that everything is closed on Mondays...well, not everything was closed, but close to everything was closed.  We went out to the western part of the country to visit a hotel where Julie might bring one of the church groups she is leading this summer.  We wanted to find some fun things that the group could do while they are out there.  We looked at the El Salvador travel book and found some things to go check out.  We went through 3 little towns that were supposed to be touristy towns, but not much was going on.  We went into a few little stores that were selling arts and crafts types of things and they were very nice.  But you can only spend so long looking in these shops.  Many shops were closed, the churches were closed, a little cultural house was closed.  We were told that stuff was closed because it was Monday.  I guess tourists aren´t supposed to come on Mondays.  If only the book had told us this.

 

We had a very lovely lunch at the hotel which was beautiful with gardens and flowers.  The weather was much nicer there, it was much cooler than here in the capital.  We headed back to San Salvador.  Then Julie and I went with a couple of university students who live at the Casa Concordia to see El Salvador´s national university.  It was a huge campus and there were students all over the place outside hanging out (and some were studying).     

 

Today, we went to the University of Central America (UCA).  Julie and I saw on the UCA website that there was a special exhibit during the month of March for the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.  However, the exhibit was no longer there.  I guess they decided to take it down early to put up a new exhibit.  Oh well.  I´ve been reading a biography of Romero and I am continually amazed by what a faithful and courageous man he was.  Reading it while I´m here in El Salvador visiting some of the places where he traveled to and worked, makes it so much more real.  It has been 31 years since Romero was killed by the Salvadoran army for speaking out against the violence of the Salvadoran government, but Romero´s legacy lives on.  There are pictures, murals, t'shirts, posters of him all over the place.  The people remember his work and many, especially those at the UCA, continue his work.  When President Obama was in El Salvador last week, he visited Romero´s tomb.  Although Obama did not make any sort of official statement about his visit to Romero´s tomb, it was indeed a very symbolic action for him to pay his respects to a man who fought for justice for the poor and the oppressed.  If only U.S. foreign policy would express more concern for the poor and the oppressed. 

 

After we went to the UCA, we went to the Casa Esperanza, the Hope House, which is the Luthera´n church´s ministry to the homeless.  Julie and I helped make tortillas.  I felt bad for the people who had to eat the tortillas that I made because they weren´t as round as they should have been.  We got to join the people for a mini worship service and then helped serve lunch.  We served a full room and some people didn´t even get a seat.  There were many more children there this time than I have seen in past times that I have gone to the Casa Esperanza.  This afternoon we went to the military museum (I´ll tell you more about this later), we saw the U.S. embassy here (it´s HUGE), and we went to a botanical garden.

Day One

I slept well last night and woke up to the neighborhood chickens, dogs, and Pastor Matias´ pet birds. I´m not sure what time it was that these creatures woke me up, but it was early. Salvadorans wake up early, probably because of all the noisy creatures. I stayed in bed for a couple more hours and slept a little more. This morning we had a lovely breakfast with Pastor Matias.


We went to the little town of Guaycume for church this morning. It was a lovely service and the church was pretty full. I got to read the Old Testament lesson (I really hope that my unpracticed skills in Spanish didn´t prevent people from understanding the reading). There were some people there that I recognized or knew well from my previous trips. It is always nice to see a familiar face and to be welcomed so generously. At the end of the service, there was a time to share peace with others. This can be a time of awkwardness in any church. How do you greet people and share the peace? With a hand shake? a nod of the head? a hug? a kiss on the cheek? an all out full embrace? I went with the handshake for those I didn´t know and this seemed to be working pretty well. Then a precious little girl who was probably about 6 or 7 came up to me. I extended my hand to her, but she came right up to be and gave me the biggest hug. Here I am a complete stranger from a strange country and this little girl ignores all this and shows me some great love.


Today has been a day of remembering how Salvadorans deal with time. Things happen when they happen, and it seems like things take forever to happen. To a certain extent the time on the clock dictates some things, but the clock is more of a guide, something to take into account. But clocks don´t dictate life in El Salvador as they do in the U.S. People get ready in their own time, and if you are late for something, it´s not the end of the world. I haven´t really been keeping track of the time (just going with the flow), but I´m pretty sure that we were late for church this morning. It´s one thing if a congregant is late, but for the pastors to be late is something else. But there was no problem with being late. Can you imagine if your pastor showed up 30 minutes late to church (on a regular basis)? Things would not go well for that pastor. But here in El Salvador, time matters less and it is the relationships with other people that matter more. If you are talking with a person, that matters more than getting to something on time. It´s a different way of doing things and it is requiring me to be patient, but I like it.


This afternoon, Pastor Matias brought Julie and I into San Salvador and we are now staying at the Lutheran Guest House, Casa Concordia. There are lots of friends here! Once again it is great to see familiar faces and to see the amazing people and friends that have been so good to me in my past trips. Julie and I are still trying to work out our plans for the next few days, we´ll see how it goes.

I´m in El Salvador!

Just a quick note to let you know that Julie and I made it to El Salvador safe and sound.  Our trip was good except for a little mix up with Julie´s bag.  Someone else accidently pick it up and took it home, but we will be able to get it back tomorrow.  Pastor Matias and and his son in law, Jorge, picked us up from the airport.  We are now at Pastor Matias and Martina´s house.

I´m tired after a long day of traveling, but it is so good to be here. I can´t wait for the adventures to come.

I hope I'm ready...

My awesome friend Julie and I leave TOMORROW for El Salvador.  I'm trying so very hard to get everything together and get my bags packed, but I thought I'd take a few minutes to let you know a little about my trip.  

When I left El Salvador last summer, I wasn't sure when I would be returning.  I didn't have any doubt in my mind that I would be returning, I don't think I will ever be able to stay away from my friends there for long.  For a long while, I thought I wouldn't go back until the summer, but then Julie came up with the idea to go during her spring break and she eventually talked me into it- without too much convincing. 

I am so blessed to be friends with Julie for a lot of reasons.  She first brought me to El Salvador and she has nurtured my interest and love of El Salvador.  It is so wonderful to have a friend who thinks about El Salvador all the time life I do.  Whenever we get together, our conversation eventually leads to El Salvador (if it isn't the main topic of conversation).  We both feel a pull that makes us want to go back to El Salvador.  I wrote about this in a previous post (it's one of my favorite posts that you should definitely read if you haven't).  There is "something" that I felt in El Salvador that I don't feel while I'm home.  It is a sense of being fully alive, full of hope, along with a sense of consolation.  When I came home in July this "something" lingered with me, but it has worn off.  Life since I got back from El Salvador last summer has been filled with so many wonderful days and opportunities (yet not without struggles and stress).  Despite life being good, I have gradually felt a greater and greater sense of emptiness, a sense of not being truly and fully alive.  I viscerally felt the need to return to El Salvador, to see the people that I miss so much and to once again be filled with that "something" that makes life seem so real and hopeful.  I long to feel that "something" that reassures me that God is present and to experience life in a clear and raw way that I just do not experience here at home.

So, I guess what I'm saying it that it shouldn't surprise me or you that I'm going back.  

Julie and I have a full week planned.  We get there Saturday evening and we leave the following Saturday morning.  It's going to be a little crazy trying to fit in everything we need/want to do while we are there.  We sketched out an itinerary and managed to fit stuff in.  However, I'm just positive that our itinerary will change once we get there, so I'm just going to tell you what we do after we do it and tell you where we go after we go.  It will be more exciting that way- you'll just have to anticipate my blog posts.  ;-)

What I can tell you for sure is that I am SO excited to see my Salvadoran friends, to spend the week with Julie, and to be in the warm and sunny weather.

Please keep Julie and I in your prayers next week.  Pray that we will be able to do the things we need and want to do and pray for our safety as we travel around.  I'll do my best to post every other day or so while I'm in El Salvador.    

Exciting El Salvador News...

I have some exciting El Salvador news...

You might remember me writing about the community of Colon that I visited many times this past summer. They have a flourishing church community led by Pastors Matias and Martina. For years they have been meeting in the yard of a church member because they do not yet have property or a church building in which to worship. They are lucky to have a roof to shelter them from the sun and rain, but they have been waiting and praying for more than 10 years to have a church they can worship in.

Here is where the congregation in Colon worships

Here's the exciting part: over $5,000 has been raised to buy the land and we are only about $1,000 short! While buying the land is just the first step, it is vital to have a good piece of land on which to build the church. The land that Pastor Matias has picked out is a great piece of land, and the landowner has agreed to sell it at a good price, but the landowner wants to sell the land asap (before the end of March).  

And here's my other bit of exciting El Salvador news: I'm going to be there from March 26-April 2 with my amazing friend Julie! If all goes according to plan we will be able to bring down a check to buy the land for the church in Colon. Now this is just a really selfish thing, but I think it would be so amazing for me to be there when Pastor Matias signs the papers for the church in Colon to buy that land. What could be cooler and what could be more evident of God's presence in the world than to see God's church growing in such a tangible way?

But this will only happen if there is enough money to buy the land. So, I ask YOU to join me in making a donation to help buy the land. Whatever you are able to contribute WILL bring us closer to buying the land!

Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Schaumburg has been raising money to buy land for the church in Colon. Please prayerfully consider making a donation to help buy the land in Colon. All money for the land should be sent in the form of a check made out to "Lord of Life" and put "El Salvador Land" on the memo line. Please send checks before March 15th to:

Lord of Life
Attn: Julie Roy
119 W. Wise Road
Schaumburg, IL 60193

The people who belong to the church congregation in Colon have already had an incredibly positive impact on their community. I can only begin to imagine how much more they will be able to do for the community when they have a building where they can welcome others in, gather for fellowship, and worship.

I keep thinking about the verse from Ephesians 3:20: God is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." God can do so much more than you or I can imagine, but God works through you and me in very concrete and practical ways. Join me in discerning how God can work through you.

Martin Luther King Jr. and El Salvador

The more I learn about Martin Luther King Jr., the more I find the man and his work incredibly inspiring.  In the years since his death, MLK's image and legacy has been watered-down to the point that we have almost lost who MLK really was.  For example, a mattress store has been running commercials on TV promoting their Martin Luther King Jr. Day Mattress Sale.  How absurd is it that MLK, an incredible peace-promoting, love-giving, and life-sacrificing man has been reduced to a reason for a mattress sale?!?  Remembering and celebrating the life of MLK warrants much more than a mattress sale.

So what does MLK have to do with El Salvador?  Quite a bit, I think.  MLK's life and teachings have helped me think about the injustice in El Salvador and what will have to be done by me and so many others to bring justice to the people of El Salvador (as well as many other countries of the world including the US).

Here are some excellent bits of teaching from MLK...

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people." -MLK

We tend to focus on the harmful words and actions of bad people (think terrorists, Tuscon, the criminals on the nightly news, etc.), but we forget about the silence of millions of people who stand idly by as injustice rules the world.  These silent bystanders may not be doing anything to actively make the world more unjust like those "bad people," but MLK tells us that their silence is just as horrific.  People may be silent because they do not know about injustice.  They may be silent because they think they do not know what words to use to speak up about injustice.  People may be silent because they believe their words will not make a difference.  People may be silent because they are afraid of what might happen if they break their silence.  For whatever reason people are silent about injustice, it is wrong.  Injustice continues in El Salvador in large part because of silence- the silence of Salvadorans AND the silence of Americans.  People in the US have access to information about injustice in El Salvador, we have the words to use, and we power to make a difference.  And thus we have the obligation to break the silence about injustice.       

"Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." -MLK

Even though the people of El Salvador are thousands of miles away from me, the injustice they face daily indirectly affects me, just as the injustice faced by people all over the world indirectly affects me.   God created humanity and all of creation to be intricately connected and to be connected with God.  Even though it might be easy for me to ignore the needs of my brothers and sisters in El Salvador and around the world (out of sight, out of mind), I cannot because I have come to feel that connection.  I do not feel whole, I am not complete unless my friends in El Salvador are whole and complete.  Because of this interconnectedness, I need Salvadorans just as much as they need me.  I will never be completely who God created me to be until my Salvadoran friends are free to be who God created them to be.  We have a long way to go before we are who we are created to be, but we still have the obligation to work toward better relationships with our brothers and sisters around the world.   

"Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" -MLK

Pretty convicting.  Out of all the questions I often ask myself, this one is one that causes me to think deeply and then to feel guilt and shame.  It seems that no matter what I do I will never be able to do enough to bring justice to my friends in El Salvador.  The little that I have done for Salvadorans seems insignificant compared to the injustice they face.  There will always be more I could do, something more I can give, something else I could give up, more I could sacrifice.  Yet, I think (and hope) that MLK did not say this to make us feel guilty or inadequate, but rather I think he said this so that we could put our priorities in order, put things into perspective, and take steps in the right direction.  I don't have to "fix" the injustice in El Salvador, but I am required to do what I can for others.  I can visit my Salvadoran friends, I can continue to learn about their lives, struggles, and suffering, and I can educate others about the injustice in El Salvador.  I am required to do what I can and not what I can't.  But at the same time, I don't think it's unhealthy to question if I am called to do more for others and specifically if I am called to do more for Salvadorans. 

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." -MLK

There have been many Salvadorans who were more than fit to live because they lived and died for things they were willing to sacrifice their life for.  I think of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the Jesuit priest martyrs at the University of Central America, the thousands of people who died during the civil war, the anti-mining activists who were assassinated, and Jorge who died for standing against the gang violence.  And this begs the question: have I discovered something that I will die for?  Have you discovered something you will die for?  I can't answer the question for you, but I think that I have found something that I am willing to die for: working for peace and justice in El Salvador.  However, I think finding that thing that I willing to die for and actually being willing to die for it are two different steps.   

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -MLK

This quote again shows us the interconnectedness of the world.  If injustice prevails in just one small town for just one person, that injustice threatens to takeover where justice has been established.  I also think the reverse is true: Justice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere.  Wherever people are working to establish justice, injustice takes note.  I have this bizarre image of "injustice" cowering in the corner crying because it has just seen justice prevail.  There will not be justice everywhere until the Kingdom of God is once again established on earth, but there is still much we can do with God's help and guidance to bring about justice.   

“There was a time when the church was very powerful… In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” -MLK

When MLK wrote this in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," he was referring to the beginning centuries of the Christian church when the church and its leaders were daily making significant changes in the lives of individuals and of society in general.  Today many American churches have become "pansies" (as my friend Julie once said) that rarely challenge the status quo with any significant efforts.  While there are certainly exceptions to this statement, American Christian churches mostly serve as thermometers that record and reflect the values of popular society.  We (all Americans, but especially churches) must seek to be a thermostat that is set to "justice."  We must be thermostats that are programed to work for justice.

The Lutheran Church (and many other denominations) in El Salvador has been an excellent example of what it means for a church to be a thermostat that transforms society.  The Salvadoran Lutheran Church has always been an organization that stands up for the rights and the needs of those without a voice.  When the government and army were massacring innocent Salvadorans during the civil war, the Lutheran Church stood up for the victims and provided support for those fleeing the violence.  In a society marked by gang violence, the Lutheran Church stands for life.  The Salvadoran Lutheran Church daily acts as a thermostat that is working to transform the values of individuals and society.  Even when it's unpopular, the Church does and teaches what Jesus would have done and taught.  We can learn a lot from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.