Learning And Loving

I've been learning new things through work and I'm trying so hard to use them for our Salvadoran coffee hour, to show people what it's like in El Salvador and what our church does there.  Though people talk about it, I think that videos and such really help.  So I thought I'd show you a little preview.  There will be audio and the first photo is not the one I'm using.  Also, the quote is from the bishop and I had his name pop up, but it's not working at the moment.  I need to edit the second part of the quote so you can see the girls eyes as well.

But here's what I'm working on!!

(P.S.  Please pray for El Salvador and Guatemala [as well as Honduras and Mexico] during this time of great flooding.  We know a family in Guatemala and we've met so many wonderful people in El Salvador.)

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who let me know of their opinion on the post below!

Funny thing, the quote that was chosen both by my blogging friends and by the "Walking With El Salvador" community on Facebook was the same quote I had chosen in the first place!  I started to have doubts about the quote I picked and thought the second one might be better, but even a person who has been to El Salvador 14 times thought the first one was best.

So thank you!  I appreciated your help :)

Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world
- Father Oscar Romero

A Quick Opinion Poll

I have a quick question for everyone.  A little background first.

I'm making a video for our El Salvador coffee hour.  I want to open with a quote by Father Oscar Romero, a man much beloved in El Salvador for his heart for the poor and his willingness to live his life for God.  Our mission trips to El Salvador are often about friendship and about walking with the church there and showing them they are not forgotten.  I have about 5 quotes that I am looking at.

With that information, which quote do you think would best open the video?

1) Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world


2) ...the joy of sharing and the feeling that all are one's family does not pass away


3) Where there is "what is noble, what is good, what is right," there is God.


4) How do I treat the poor? ... The way you look at them is the way you look at God.


5) When we struggle for human rights...we are not departing from God's Promise.

If you want to vote, could you please leave a comment with the number you prefer in the comments section?  Or, I can tell you that I'm leaning towards the second quote...do you think, knowing what I stated above about walking with El Salvador, do you think this quote is appropriate or inappropriate?

Thanks for your help!!

A Light In The Darkness

Serving food at Casa Esperanza in El Salvador.  It's the Hope House in English and it's a homeless shelter/soup kitchen.

When we were in El Salvador, a lot of what we did was to visit what the Lutheran church is doing in that country.  One of the places we visited was Casa Esperanza, also known as the Hope House.  It's in a rough part of town and helps those who are homeless by giving them meals, medical care, teaching them skills and, when possible, giving them items to use for personal hygiene.

Maria Trinidad is a beautiful woman who has been through so much.  Two of her children were murdered, as was her husband.  Her husband and child were murdered by the government during the war and her one son was murdered by gangs about a year ago. 

She runs Casa Esperanza and also works at Casa Concordia (where the missionaries stay) and IS.  NOT.  PAID.  She is not paid for what she does running both houses (but this is a whole different blog post).  With her at Casa Esperanza are two German missionaries.  We sat down and spoke with them.  All three spoke about the hardships of keeping Casa Esperanza open and of the help of the churches that we all come from.

Helmut, the name of the German missionary said to us, "I would rather light a candle than complain about the darkness."

We had devotionals in the evening and, one of the first nights, the power went out and we had our devotional by candle light.  Our group decided to stick with the candles.  After Casa Esperanza, one of our members was talking about how hard it would be to be here and he felt at a loss about what he could do to help.

I know that feeling too.  How I feel like I should be there, how I feel that I am less loved because I live in America.  All the thoughts that I know aren't true, but that find their way into my thoughts anyway.

I thought about it for a moment and said, "Maybe it's not our job to light another candle, but maybe it's our job to help make their candle brighter."

I often find myself trapped by the idea that I am not doing enough.  In the end, none of us can ever do "enough."  And we are not saved by that "enough" either.  I always have liked the story of Zacchaeus.  Jesus loved Zacchaeus where he was and when Zacchaeus said that he would give half of his money to the poor, Jesus didn't say, "Come on, you know you could do better."  Jesus says that Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham.


We are one body in Christ and where would we be without all the parts?  I often forget these things and I find myself panicking, thinking that I am not worthy or worthwhile.  But generosity is a spiritual gift and that is something that I need to keep in mind.  In this time and this place, it is not my job to light another candle, but it is my job - and my honor - to help make someone else's candle burn brighter. 

The Universal Language - Live

Of course, there is always video of your most ridiculous moments.  And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share?! 

El Salvador In 60 Seconds

On the last day of our trip to El Salvador, we went to the ocean to really think about what we had witnessed and to talk it through with everyone.

One of our co-leaders told us that, when most people ask us about our trip, they really just want to hear one to two minutes.  So I wrote for one to two minutes...but then I realized that everyone was still writing, so I went back and wrote a second testimony.  But I really liked the first one better, so I thought I'd share it with you.

El Salvador is like Iglesia El Rosario.

Here it is.

To the outsider, it is ugly, dirty and unwanted, especially since it is so close to the National Cathedral.

Here's the National Cathedral:

The National Cathedral is a clean building and it certainly looks like what a church should be, unlike the Iglesia El Rosario.

But if you decide to take a moment to step inside the Iglesia El Rosario, instead of just walking past, you will be amazed.

The inside is still rough and somewhat worn, but you will be surprised by the unexpected beauty and the faith found there.

It is unconventional.  And many will judge it before the inside is ever seen.  But those who have seen it know what they would have missed if they had chosen the National Cathedral instead.

The Universal Language

Here's another post from El Salvador, while I'm in Hong Kong :)
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Sure, I couldn´t entirely understand what they were saying, but actions (and hand motions) speak louder than words.  And their laughter was contagious.

It was a pizza party for over 40 people and I was sitting at the end of the table with Caesar (our driver), his sisters Mari and Alba, his mother Marie Trinidad (an astounding woman) as well as Alex and Jeff from Lord of Life, Rosie and Sarah from Advent and a few children.  Mari and Alba, to use a phrase, are hell on wheels and their mischeviousness is evident, even if you don´t speak Spanish.  They were screaming down the table, breaking up conversations, trying to get Edwin - one of the teenagers here - to break dance.  Edwin had turned them down multiple times and, in the spur of the moment, I volunteered with, ¨If he break dances, I´ll break dance.¨

Let´s take a minute and pause here.  I am the whitest white girl you´ll ever meet.  Though I did classical and broadway jazz for something like 8 years, the only grace I have is from God and it certainly doesn´t involve my feet.  What I´m getting myself into, I´m not sure.

After a few minutes with Pastor Matias and Pastor Martina, our small group headed over to an area behind the Lutheran synod office where a boom box had been set up.  Edwin sits with his beanie and one black glove - he is prepared for this.  Rosie helps translate and I pump myself up.  I tell her that I want him to go first because I´m going to make him look bad.  It takes a few moments and he gets it.  He looks so intense and it seems that he believes that I can actually break dance.

The music starts and he is KILLING it.  I work for MTV and I often watch the shows and he could be on America´s Next Best Dance Crew.  He´s doing flips and it´s impressive.  He finishes and points for me to go.  I bring out the attitude, because that´s about all I have and throw myself on the ground and flop around.

From what I´ve been told, Edwin´s face was priceless.  There is video and I´m sure it will be shared at both of our congregations. 

Then Julie was pulled up and then Bill and soon, we were all dancing.  Not just the Americans, but also the Salvadorean children and the students that stay at Casa Concordia.  Kelly learned to salsa.  We found that Bill is a really good square dancer.  Edwin astounded us with the meringue.

Salvadoreans are dancing with Americans.  There is laughter.  It no longer matters that we don´t speak the same language.  What could be better than that?

Enviado soy de Dios

We sang this song in church on Sunday as a sending song for those of us who are going to El Salvador.  My favorite part has been an answer to a question, I think, from people who haven't understood our faith: Why does God allow bad things in the world?  The answer that this song gives is that the angels can't make the world a better place - only God's work through our hands can do that.  The angels can't fix it without our willingness, to put away the greed and pain of this world.

Here's the song:

Spanish:
Enviado soy de Dios,
mi mano lista está
para construir con El
un mundo fraternal.
Los ángeles no son enviados a cambiar
im mundo de dolor por un mundo de paz.
Me ha tocao a mí hacerlo realidad;
a yúdame, Señor, a hacer tu voluntad.


English:
Sent out in Jesus' name,
our hands are ready now
to make the earth the place
in which the kingdom comes.
The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O help us to obey, and carry out your will.