My apologies for any typos that may appear in this blog. I am rushed to get it posted while I have an internet connection that works before we get on the plane.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Today, we took a bus trip to Perquin. We heard it was going to be “a three hour tour.” Six hours and forty-five minutes later, we finally arrived at our destination and painfully ourselves from the bus seats. On the way we had a 70’s sing-along, Pollo Campero and a brief but enjoyable stint with Wi-Fi (pronounced, wee-fee). I’ve never wanted to be off a bus so bad in my life.
We arrived at the Perquin Lenka hotel, a nice establishment with an American owner. We found out later that he has also built a school in the area and is trying to help the communities around Perquin. We had several hours to simply walk in to town and look around before enjoying our reflection time and a dinner of chicken smothered with tomato salsa (not quite like we have in America). Surprisingly little of the food here has been particularly spicy.
After that, we had a reflection the week: More details of the trip after the daily reflections:
For myself, after all the days we have heard about oil, it’s been nice to be in a different environment. When I look at what these people have been through it gives me new perspective on what I go through in my luxury life.
This is our fifth mission trip. Pastor diane inspired us. We realize that we must go out and reach others for Christ. When we look at his great commission, then the showing of love on his behalf is the most important act that we can do.
It not only helps the children, but invests us in their lives bit. It has made me more aware of what needs to be done.
I was thinking that things aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. I’ve been to India, Egypt and South Africa and I’ve seen worse. I say that because this is the only place that I’ve seen with people with as much pride as they have.
We think about helping children and the poor, but yesterday as we were leaving, one of the teachers (Maestra Delores) spoke to me and I couldn’t understand her. But I understood her body language. She said that we touched the hearts of the teachers as well as the students. I wasn’t thinking about that.
Two thoughts. First I think we have seen some madness in the world with all this killing. We also have seen the problem of poverty and education. There are so many more to be reached. This takes me back to a statement by Rey Santos on a previous trip. We were removing nails from boards and he said, “This is impossible. How can we do
this? How can we remove all these nails from this wood?” One nail at a time. That’s exactly how we can deal with these problems
I’ve been blessed by this opportunity and it makes me want to recruit more people. Who wouldn’t want to come down here? The more we can bring back to work with us, the better.
We’ve now extended our repomsibility and our community.
That will be the challenge. Our first time to the Phillippines, upon our return they were surprised. Because most don’t come back. It won’t be easy to come back. I challenge you all to overcome your schedules that will collapse on you that you will make a commitment to return and to love the Salvadorans right by us.
They were already asking when we would be back.
That is the challenge… building sustained relationships that you have begun here. We have the luxury if being able to step in and out of peoples’ lives. Houston has one of the largest El Salvadoran communities. Sustaining relationships are the key here. Glocal relationships.
I have been dealing with an issue in my mind. I think I continue to deal with it because I see a conflict in my old thoughts and this liberating new experience. The classes at the churched asked, are we going to a Methodist church or Protestant community. I wrestled with how do we reconcile the deniminational thinking people have about going on missions where there is also a difference in what we think of as denominational lines. This is the first place where we have had community beyond our usual contact. The universal aspect of church and love is at work here. We just gave and loved these people. There is an element of usually not crossing lines. We must be aware of this and take the opportunity to say there are no Jews or Greeks for all are recipients of God’s love. The universal aspect of the body of Christ confronts us here. We must speak about all of that.
Your point is so appropiate here. The priority of influence isn’t the denomination, its the importance of responding to human need regardless. This began with the work of Romero with “Diacolina” where he called on all denominations to respond to those in need.
If people ask, tell them to read about the life of John Wesley. The church at his time was not addressing the needs of the poor. He was about sharing the love if God with the poor.
From John Wesley – I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation. This is the work which I know God has called me to; and sure I am that His blessing attends it. Great encouragement have I, therefore, to be faithful in fulfilling the work He hath given me to do. His servant I am, and, as such, am employed according to the plain direction of His Word, ‘As I have opportunity, doing good unto all men’; and His providence clearly concurs with his Word; which has disengaged me from all things else, that I might singly attend on this very thing, ‘and go about doing good.’”
He went where they were and where there was need. Our bishop is very ecumenically minded and this is a great time to do this work. We can lead the way.
It is okay to risk and fine to risk failure. The issue isn’t that we are going to completely redeem the poor in Salvador or Houston. But we are called to risk and make a difference and keep ourselves in that place where we can make small differences. If we change one child’s life, what a difference we have made. It is beyond these customary
boundaries that we put up.
For me it is important that the moment of God’s disclosure came from a heretical person (in the telling of the Good Samaritan). Their suffering should move you to action. All the structured statuses fall away in the face of that need. You are moved to mercy because you can’t stand the suffering.
I’d like to ask for your help. As I move to this new position, I need you to stand behind me as we try to encourage the conference to include this place in their mission work. Bellaire needs to lead the way.
We represent several groups within the church. We can speak to so many places with this video that will touch them. One thing we need is to be able to give people specifics. How can I help if I can’t go?
One thing people in El Salvador (ES) face is that the migration to the U.S. is very risky. These kids move from at risk to at risk in the U.S. These children remain at risk. I’ve worked with these kids from low to high grades. We must engender children that can grow to continue these programs. That kind of remediation is important. A child moved from ES to Washington, D.C. He was deaf and theologically, that was seen as a divine justice against the family. His father shunned him, so he and his mother created their own language. And now they are in D.C. and a person I know is part of deaf culture, so we talked to her and asked for experts to meet with them and get him
examined and get in a program. So they did, and there was nothing wrong with his mind. The only problem was the limited world that he had been forced into. Issues like that are around all the time. We can provide mentoring programs where we are today. Providing resources like that. We have cultural captal that can be used. Exploring partnerships like that are important.
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After we finished the dinner and reflections we travelled the 800 meters (about half a mile, uphill) into the town of Perquin to meet with Father Ponselee, a Belgian priest who has been living in El Salvador since 1970 and hopes to die here, as well. He spent the early part of his tenure in El Salvador as a priest to the guerillas, packing clothes enough to travel with them for what he thought would be a three month war. It turned out to be more than ten years later that the war finally ended. The commandantes that led the guerillas fled the country, many of whom have not been seen again, but Father Ponselee stayed, suffering alongside the Salvadoran people. He continues to be with them and help them to deal with the economic, social, agricultural and financial crises the country now faces.
The most amazing thing that we have seen this week (to me) is that for all the pain and horror that these people have seen here, that this country has endured, their sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow surpasses all of that.
We returned to our hotel and slept while the rains pummeled the outside of our un-air conditioned cabins, many of us awakened by the sound of the roosters at 2:00 a.m., and again at 4:00 a.m. One of them sounded like a ghastly monster; it was awful. Several of us wished we could have put it out of our misery.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday we began our return trip to San Salvador, stopping in the very important town of Mozote. This town was important because of the massacre that took place there. The town refers to it as “the Lightning Bug Night of Mozote.” More information is in the link.
We drove back to San Salvador; another 6 hour tour. By the end of the trip, several of us in the back of the bus were wishing we were dead, and the people in the front of the bus agreed. We flopped onto our beds at our fantastic hotel, and rested.
Dinner was a wonderful chicken cordon bleu, with veggies and rice. Oh, the food here… For the last time, we reflected on the trip, summing up our week together:
I think in terms of listening to the story today about the massacre of Mozote, it reminded me so much of the Japanese and Nazi atrocities in WWII, they were just as bad as that.
My reaction is, what a waste, what a lose lose situation for everyone.
And yet there is hope. The children that we are visiting, remembering, there is hope in us coming here and being able to spread the word to those that we know, our friends at home. To be a witness to it. The countryside is green and the children seem to be healthy that we see. They don’t look malnourished, they dont have the cleanest of circumstances, but… I think the kids that we have been around appear to be healthy. There seems to be almost a baby boom here in reaction to the war. And where there are children, there is always hope.
I was impressed with the Governor. I thought he… I liked what he had to say. I think that particular area (Morazan) is under good leadership and that he is providing leadership with a reason to feel positive about their chances.
I have been extremely touched by all of the people that you have selected for us to hear. From the little Sister Rosela to the Governor today. What has impressed me is that they all seem to have found peace in their hearts over all of this. Because they are people of God, I think that is what helped them through this terrible time. They all seem to have been able to get over it. Not to forget, but not to have hatred or bitterness in their hearts. I thank you.
The tour guide today was very open to me. Through all she’s been through she says I want to do this, and this, and learn English and had so many positive things to say. Nothing negative came out of her mouth. Yet she lost six siblings and was with her mother and father in the coffee fields. Her father is still alive. He has cancer and she is taking care of him, but she was very hopeful in everything that she said. I think that’s one thing… I don’t leave here with sadness because ES, what a perfect name. Hope in the Lord, and that is what we are leaving knowing that they have. They have hope in the Lord because they can see the change.
As I have said before this is our fifth and last mission trip. But from the first mission trip that we joined with Dick (Costa Rica) this is the most unbelievable situation where children and families are massacred as innocent people. It’s hard to accept what happened to them. Sometimes why these things happen to people who are innocent? What is our role to make them live again? Those who are left behind as the remnants, the victims… This mission trip really is a mission. When we do missions for other people and we show them the example that we are loved first by Christ and we are then loving. It was demonstrated to us by Jesus Christ. So we will be with them in prayers and try to support the coming mission trips that you have. There are no regrets. It is a fulfillment of what we have done. The first time I joined the trip to Costa Rica, Rey was pushing me to go, go, go. And I said, what am I going to do there? Am I going to sing? I have found I can do many different things. When you do it for the Lord and with the Lord, it becomes meaningful beause you can move beyond what you thought you were capable. I thank Pastor Diane for giving us this opportunity to go on this mission.
I want to give thanks to God first. Then to Rey and Pastor Diane for including my name in this team. Each person that we came to see, we came with all of our hearts. I got a lot of experience and some situations moved me too much. My heart everyday was saying, this makes me a little smaller. A lot of experiences like today, the lady said the people that massacred everyone, they are still alive. They come and see what has happened since. It’s too much. We have a God that his power is so great and he helps those people and everything that we an do for them maybe in the future we can do that. Please put my name on the first list. I will be able and ready to come back on the nxt mission trip.
Since this is going to be our last session together reflecting… I want to say the same note that others have said. The appreciation for this very touching and life-changing experience that we have felt. I felt like this trip is so much different from all the rest that we have. But I also say that there is a presence here that I feel like we are an actual walking university or walking Perkins and with your presence we have a professor with us… Helping us put these things together in perspective. The whole thing obviously has been planned very well and I appreciate you and appreciate Edwin who did a lot of dirty foot-work to make this happen. Pastor Diane saw the dream, the vision, she heard the, “Thus sayeth the Lord,” and we were invited… I feel like an intonement to the Texas Conference, it is just the Lord picking up and saying, you are the perfect person for this perfect need that we have in the Conference. I cannot thank her enough for the vision that passion that is there that really inspired all of us to go ahead and join this and again unlike the other trips this is too colorful. The bloody part of it, the revolution, the feelings of going there into Mozote, what in the world, are we doing the things… Are we are not imbued with the passion to really see inside where it happened and reading in books and hearing other speakers or seeing the movie that we saw… Just seeing Mozote as the climax of our experience, relating to the priests and Romero, there is a certain finality focusing all of us to the challenge before us. And I am thankful to be part of that vision and dream that we have all seen. The blending of the talents that each one of us offered and gave really there is a richness and a teamwork here that I believe in all of the trips, these things work to help us be a team and be more effective.
I have had… [gets choked up]
I am very thankful for spending this week with all of you. It’s been awesome. I knew everyone but David and it’s great to get to know you. With everyone, especially the young peple and who gave us vacation weeks, etc. These are big sacrifices for people and it’s very impressive.
I would like to commend everyone on the team. I haven’t heard a cross word all week (you weren’t at the back of the bus). Other than the bad 70’s music, everything has been fine. (everyone laughs)
It’s a lot harder to spend this much time thinking about an ongoing commitment and what this society has endured and it’s been much more mentally taxing than a normal mission trip is physically taxing. It’s easy to parachute in, work and go home. This, not so much. While it’s been hard, I appreciate it. And it will continue to come back to me; I will never leave it behind. It’s been really hard to hear at times, but I appreciate the knowledge and the imperative to do more. I’d also like to say something nice to the young people. You’ve been in school all week and you haven’t whined even once. (again, you haven’t been at the back of the bus)
I thought it was neat that everyone got to say what they did for a living. He (Father Ponselee) showed an interest in us as people, too.
This for me has been an extraordinary meaningful time with you. And I really am deeply grateful for your missionary spirit. And I think you have an extraordinary pastor in Diane and you are an extraordinary group of Christians with a church that has a vision for mission and making a difference int he world. It has left me this week with a real knot in my throat. I’ve been going back and forth from ES and have been here with students, primarily. To see the church at work in loving kindness, not one of you has to be here. To begin this kind of relationship with a society that John Sovrino, a theologian referred to as “an open letter from God to the rest of the world.” This was a place of crucifixion. But the extraordinary faith that you have seen here in people, this is a place of a life of hope. It embodies and gives flesh to the notion of the pastoral mystery, from death comes life. Death is never the last word, life is. (that is reassuring). We are a part of that life and part of the life of the people of ES and we have contributed to that in the same way that they have contributed to deepdning our understanding of our relationship to God and one another. When I heard that Father Miguel Ventura was the governor, the invitation that he made to be a part of the vision of Morazon, reinvisioning the economic development of the area that isn’t political rhetoric. The decision of his that we can look at their plan and give them advice is very serious and he will send it. I think that is just the sense, it grows form the deep Christian values that you see in this society. The fundamental categories of thought are religious categories. Can one stand as a Christian? That isn’t the question here. The question is clarifying the values around which we build life together and that those values should be life-giving. It’s in every area, economic and political and cultural as well. The other things that has really impacted me was when Father Ponselee made references to the sense of abandonment that the people of Morazan feel. The remark that only thing that wins in war is sorrow is very appropriate. He pointed to the fact that the commandantes are gone and who is walking with the people in Morazan? The church. Ponselee, Ventura, the church is now there walking with the people in the face of the crisis that they are confronting. It is that element that we join as a Christian community, this wider body of Christ trying to make a difference and bring more life. And especially those places where we need to bring life to a different level. That’s the first time when I’ve been in Mozote where there has been a school field trip. That’s reassuring. That they are saying, let’s not forget what happened in our country. They have to write a reflection and they were taking notes today. It was wonderful to see that happening.
It was also wonderful, too that our guide had a much broader audience than she expected. (all agree)
Rufina Amaya who passed away a few years ago and is now buried at Mozote always told her story and she felt that God had saved her life so she could be a witness to the world of what took place in Mozote. She travelled about, in the US and Europe simply stating what happened there. It is what gave her a sense of life and hope although she was profoundly broken because she lost her husband and four children. Her youngest was 9 months old. You don’t recover from something like that; it’s an impossibility. Her sister spent time in a refugee camp in Honduras and had a small child (an infant). She said, raise her as your daughter. That is the kind of [self-]disinterested love that we see on the cross and the kind of disinterested love that we are asked by our Lord to express when we are invited into a discipleship of carrying a cross so that there can be life in situation of darkness, like in this society. I do believe that this is a very different time is ES despite the crises and the difficulties; it is a time of real hope and change in this society. It is, having known how this place was in its darkest moment and seeing it now, that hope is with the children and young people that they bring a very different vision of what is possible for ES. There are other elements that have to be in place for that to continue to move forward.
The woman telling us the story, I saw her as being passed the baton to tell the story and when I saw those school children (and her own) the baton was passed and it will live on in all of those people.
Lots more folks are speaking English to tell the story.
Emma read a book called When Helping Hurts. It’s really interesting book that everyone can read. It is about how to address poverty without hurting the poor and how to do ministry that is based on the assets of the community and not coming in with a blueprint and saying this is what we want to happen. Saying, this is what I have so it’s what you should have. It’s about keeping the poor in mind and not just feeding them, but teaching them to fish also. Everyone is energized for change for ES, but we need to keep in mind what we are doing and the best way to show people the kingdom without leaving them unable to fend for themselves once we are gone. Because we are short-term oriented.
That’s an important point and is in part what we heard from Miguel Ventura. The notion of walking with the community so they can learn to how to live and make better their own society. We are supposed to walk with them not for them.
I want to thank each of you again for coming. We prayed for God to put this team together and I believe he really did. And I have watched you and been deeply touched by your energy and openness and your willingness to come and do something a little different. Not only to work but come to hear the story. I needed you to hear it and it means a lot that now I have others who have heard the story and have a place in their heart where they struggle, too, with what they can do and how do we honor that story and continue to bear witness to it in a way that walks with this community into life. So… I know lots of you gave a lot of work and vacation time to be here and I believe He will multiply that time back to you and I am truly grateful that each of you came and thank you.
It’s a mission for more than the people that we are to mission to. It transforms us as well. Because we find out what we are capable of. It is good. You are amazing people. All of you.
I want to thank you again for being in mission here with us. The work that you have brought into this community is something that empowers it. The work that you have done is not only for the school but also for this marginal community, particularly for those selling notebooks and trying to carve out a subsistence. Also I want to thank Pastor Diane because when she confronted the reality here she had a reaction. I don’t know if she remembers the first time she came to this country, I drew at the church a stairway and talked about how one needs to confront reality. And the notion here was that in discipleship you confront reality or you run away from it. Obviously, she has done something. Thank you. I don’t like to speak very much because I don’t know if my thinking may be in disagreement with the ways that you think. Because there are many ways in which we interpret the meaning of Jesus’ mission here in the world. But the way we think about Jesus here is that he came into the world in order to change it. In this way since I follow Jesus, it is also my responsibility to follow by changing the world. Sometimes it is very difficult to embody this message in this context of crisis because sometimes it produces a theology of prosperity. Then we sometimes begin using categories like, what is happening is either attributed to the devil or to God. But we don’t need to supernaturalize our view of reality. Everything happens for a reason. We have to engage in analysis so we know how to act. That way, in the future in whatever way possible that I would like for all of you to continue to understand the reality of ES. Our everyday life. Because for one thing, we met Lutherans at work and like many they come and bring things into the context and they leave. That is not a meaningful relationship. Because if you bring something and you give it to me what you give me one day will be finished and that does not help me to continue to move forward. I don’t want to bore you. There are many things I don’t understand about your culture. And I would like to understand your culture more deeply. It would be interesting if sometimes in the future I could visit and work with your youth and understand how you do youth work there. This way it will permit me to understand how your reality and to understand the cultural identity of communities in your society. This notion of standing in the context of reality and attempting to understand it. Thank you.
When the kitchen is complete, they will send us pictures. The masons have to run the pipes, etc. The plumbers and electricians will do their work and then we’ll have photos. It might be nice for us to fund a fiesta for them to celebrate the installation.
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Everyone slept, probably like rocks, and awoke on Saturday morning, ready to come home.
So, our time here has come to an end. In this country of so many contradictions, we leave, finding ourselves with contradicting feelings. We are excited to return home, but sad that we must depart. We came to speak God’s word and are leaving speechless. We came to bring hope and are leaving hopeful. We came to show love, and are leaving more loving than we were when we arrived. Thanks be to El Salvador. Thanks be to God. Amen.