Alex Orantes is the husband of Ruth who is the pastor of the Shekinah community. Ron described Alex as the best teacher he has ever had because Alex takes him to see what Alex is talking about. One piece of wisdom that I may always hold onto was how Alex described that Ruth is the pastor for the people of Shekinah, but he feels called to the people of their city outside those walls. In America we have a very difficult time with religious language. Pastors are sometimes considered the person you see on the stage addressing a crowd, or the visionary leader who is responsible for entire communities, the person who makes decisions, the leader etc. However, in my understanding I have learned that pastors are the leaders who walk with the people in their journey pursuing Jesus. They listen and share in conversations and love well. Alex feels called to walk with the people outside of the building. What a beautiful expression of “Body Life”, two theologically trained individuals who are reaching out in different ways. This is something I have loved seeing.
In the past Alex has been responsible for a cemetery in Santa Ana, afterwards he was promoted to managing the major market in town because he showed a great ability to solve problems. During our trip Alex was promoted to being in charge of all three markets in Santa Ana, the meat processing and the cemetery! This is a blessing because in his twenties he developed severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. You can see that he has a great deal of difficulty getting around and his new job will serve his condition a lot better.
The first part of our day was spent walking around the main market of Santa Ana. Alex explained to us that there is a major national problem that did not begin with the government, it’s not even from El Salvador. He taught us that the problem of selling in the streets is a problem all across South America. He believes that it is due to the economic problems of South America. There is a lot of red tape that industries and businesses have to follow which causes a lot of people to lose their jobs. The few jobs that exist have low wages and no benefits. Since most citizens are unemployed, as soon as someone complains about their rights, they are fired and anyone from the street is hired to take over their work. After losing a job the majority of people take a loan and begin selling items on the street, where it will continue to be a struggle to survive. Sometimes street selling grows around a wealthy and nice area. This becomes a problem when people can’t get into their homes. The government typically responds by kicking the sellers off the streets which further represses those that are struggling. Alex told us that the FMLN doesn’t want to repress the people, but to create a balanced coexistence with the people so the government can listen to the struggles of the people. Alex personally wants to make sure no decisions get made behind desks.
One of Alex’s struggles and blessings includes the people he has the opportunity to work beside. He told us a story where he was working on a plan to celebrate Mother’s day in the market and he met with an ex soldier who tortured citizens, a guerilla rebel who was tortured and two protestant women who didn’t like working with catholics. During the tour of the market we got to taste many treats, enjoy coconuts and even got to bear witness to the multi-generational sellers. One woman was carrying twenty-five day old daughter while she sat at her booth trying to sell food. Alex was quick to point out that it is very common for people to raise their children in the markets and for their children to raise their children the same way. One of the major economical problems of El Salvador is that everyone living there has someone supporting them from America. One third of all the money in El Salvador is from people working in America who send part of their wages to friends in family in South America.
The importance of loving the people around you and empowering them to make changes was another topic that Alex was very passionate. It is such a blessing to share conversation with him. He explained how you have to strengthen what people think of themselves. “Organizing isn’t bad, and it doesn’t mean manipulating a group to say what they are told. It gives people an opportunity to voice what they feel.” Alex describes that he sees everyone as beautiful and deserves an opportunity to share their feelings.
Later that day Alex told us a little about his journey and why he pursued being outside a “church” building.s He talked about how being outside the “church” allowed him to be free of the straight jacket that says “don’t do this” and “don’t do that” or “don’t hang around these people, they will soil your image”. He doesn’t visit with faith gatherings very often, but he says that he loves being with the people.
We spent the later part of the afternoon visiting one community development project and even got to paint on some walls that surrounded the area. I was definitely fascinated with this opportunity and the fact that we actually had permission to paint! This is where we spent most of our time talking with Alex.
During the evening we all met back at Shekinah for one of their Bible studies that was being taught by Ruth. One of the most interesting points I heard was how Ruth talked about how Jesus never taught about himself. He always talked about the Kingdom or how there was a different world. We are the ones that teach about Jesus. Ruth also pointed out that Jesus didn’t teach rules. Ruth was walking everyone through a passage from Luke 13 and was asking why Jesus was even allowed to teach. Jesus was at a synagogue and evidently it is common for a traveler to be invited to teach! Ruth reminded us that Jesus was often invited to teach and that he was not afraid to step on toes. Jesus addressed prostitutes and women in a way that gave them honor and invited them to stand up as people. Ruth asked us if in our gatherings if people are encouraged to bow down, or stand up. Do we give people value?
Alex Orantes is the husband of Ruth who is the pastor of the Shekinah community. Ron described Alex as the best teacher he has ever had because Alex takes him to see what Alex is talking about. One piece of wisdom that I may always hold onto was how Alex described that Ruth is the pastor for the people of Shekinah, but he feels called to the people of their city outside those walls. In America we have a very difficult time with religious language. Pastors are sometimes considered the person you see on the stage addressing a crowd, or the visionary leader who is responsible for entire communities, the person who makes decisions, the leader etc. However, in my understanding I have learned that pastors are the leaders who walk with the people in their journey pursuing Jesus. They listen and share in conversations and love well. Alex feels called to walk with the people outside of the building. What a beautiful expression of “Body Life”, two theologically trained individuals who are reaching out in different ways. This is something I have loved seeing.
In the past Alex has been responsible for a cemetery in Santa Ana, afterwards he was promoted to managing the major market in town because he showed a great ability to solve problems. During our trip Alex was promoted to being in charge of all three markets in Santa Ana, the meat processing and the cemetery! This is a blessing because in his twenties he developed severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. You can see that he has a great deal of difficulty getting around and his new job will serve his condition a lot better.
The first part of our day was spent walking around the main market of Santa Ana. Alex explained to us that there is a major national problem that did not begin with the government, it’s not even from El Salvador. He taught us that the problem of selling in the streets is a problem all across South America. He believes that it is due to the economic problems of South America. There is a lot of red tape that industries and businesses have to follow which causes a lot of people to lose their jobs. The few jobs that exist have low wages and no benefits. Since most citizens are unemployed, as soon as someone complains about their rights, they are fired and anyone from the street is hired to take over their work. After losing a job the majority of people take a loan and begin selling items on the street, where it will continue to be a struggle to survive. Sometimes street selling grows around a wealthy and nice area. This becomes a problem when people can’t get into their homes. The government typically responds by kicking the sellers off the streets which further represses those that are struggling. Alex told us that the FMLN doesn’t want to repress the people, but to create a balanced coexistence with the people so the government can listen to the struggles of the people. Alex personally wants to make sure no decisions get made behind desks.
One of Alex’s struggles and blessings includes the people he has the opportunity to work beside. He told us a story where he was working on a plan to celebrate Mother’s day in the market and he met with an ex soldier who tortured citizens, a guerilla rebel who was tortured and two protestant women who didn’t like working with catholics. During the tour of the market we got to taste many treats, enjoy coconuts and even got to bear witness to the multi-generational sellers. One woman was carrying twenty-five day old daughter while she sat at her booth trying to sell food. Alex was quick to point out that it is very common for people to raise their children in the markets and for their children to raise their children the same way. One of the major economical problems of El Salvador is that everyone living there has someone supporting them from America. One third of all the money in El Salvador is from people working in America who send part of their wages to friends in family in South America.
The importance of loving the people around you and empowering them to make changes was another topic that Alex was very passionate. It is such a blessing to share conversation with him. He explained how you have to strengthen what people think of themselves. “Organizing isn’t bad, and it doesn’t mean manipulating a group to say what they are told. It gives people an opportunity to voice what they feel.” Alex describes that he sees everyone as beautiful and deserves an opportunity to share their feelings.
We spent the later part of the afternoon visiting one community development project and even got to paint on some walls that surrounded the area. I was definitely fascinated with this opportunity and the fact that we actually had permission to paint! This is where we spent most of our time talking with Alex.
During the evening we all met back at Shekinah for one of their Bible studies that was being taught by Ruth. One of the most interesting points I heard was how Ruth talked about how Jesus never taught about himself. He always talked about the Kingdom or how there was a different world. We are the ones that teach about Jesus. Ruth also pointed out that Jesus didn’t teach rules. Ruth was walking everyone through a passage from Luke 13 and was asking why Jesus was even allowed to teach. Jesus was at a synagogue and evidently it is common for a traveler to be invited to teach! Ruth reminded us that Jesus was often invited to teach and that he was not afraid to step on toes. Jesus addressed prostitutes and women in a way that gave them honor and invited them to stand up as people. Ruth asked us if in our gatherings if people are encouraged to bow down, or stand up. Do we give people value?
No comments:
Post a Comment