tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13820239570680911632024-03-14T01:07:01.428-07:00Cielo Azul Fund and Cielo Azul Study TripsCielo Azul Fundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17747788923663956965noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-55434716172060445252013-12-02T14:01:00.001-08:002013-12-02T14:01:10.207-08:00Find us at a new address!We have transitioned to a new blog site. Please find us at www.cieloazulfriends.blogspot.com.<br />
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For the most up to date information, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/friends.cielo.azulCielo Azul Fundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17747788923663956965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-40091035841738376672012-09-21T11:31:00.005-07:002012-09-21T11:36:25.608-07:00Alex Orantes art show and solidarity requestCielo Azul has received great news that Alex Orantes has been invited to do a one man show of his paintings in December in the turn of the century Santa Ana Theater adjacent to the City Hall in the city's main square.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiazrzz5-0Jhzdt_ZVPYTSJ2f2R1qY_e1ZUILb1VssBN_qI8cJofQ684fN0O91V12T84lKYbAXy9S26VJR8HWHaCxyYpV7K5Crallfd_DXwbmR4-6K2iOul0bsOlwU5mge0Cu4Q9tsjGL5/s1600/alex+palette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiazrzz5-0Jhzdt_ZVPYTSJ2f2R1qY_e1ZUILb1VssBN_qI8cJofQ684fN0O91V12T84lKYbAXy9S26VJR8HWHaCxyYpV7K5Crallfd_DXwbmR4-6K2iOul0bsOlwU5mge0Cu4Q9tsjGL5/s320/alex+palette.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Alex writes of his excitement and his concern: "I have some problems and wanted to ask for solidarity from all of you. To make my show I need to buy brushes, acrylic and oil paints, spray fixative, linseed oil and turpentine. I need to buy canvas for the paintings paintings that I need to paint; and more complicated, I need to frame each of the paintings that will be exhibited.... As you all know, I have had rheumatoid arthritis for maybe 20 years and each year makes it somewhat harder for me to work because of the continual, permanent pain. But I see in art my best future. (My dream would be to have a drawing and painting workshop where I can paint, exhibit and teach drawing and painting to children and adolescents with limited resources; but to do that I need an investment that is presently out of my reach.) Returning to the theme of the exhibition in December, frankly I am not in a position to do this alone, I ask for your cooperation and solidarity in order to make this my dream."<br />
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You can help Cielo Azul to support Alex. Go to the Cielo Azul Fund http://cieloazulfund.blogspot.com/ to donate.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-45054892271766140232012-09-01T08:01:00.016-07:002012-09-13T08:08:32.727-07:00Ruth Orantes sabbatical hosted by Cielo Azul and The Simple WayFor updates and photos about Ruth Orantes' sabbatical during Sept and Oct, be sure to "like" the Cielo Azul facebook page at<a href="http://www.facebook.com/friends.cielo.azul" target="_blank"> www.facebook.com/friends.cielo.azul</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5bZyplZHNvN44cahLm5-IF0IKcXPMIFRoUF0HRUWnzMMckVIvg2RTqFFV1keQqblydoEinpAkbm_JyGsV-oHWKdPewZoEg7vffPJqP9-o0tfkOaR4d4TEXyeSKoUZjqWYNLWeKm2QAi4/s1600/418609_154270034711043_1572794580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5bZyplZHNvN44cahLm5-IF0IKcXPMIFRoUF0HRUWnzMMckVIvg2RTqFFV1keQqblydoEinpAkbm_JyGsV-oHWKdPewZoEg7vffPJqP9-o0tfkOaR4d4TEXyeSKoUZjqWYNLWeKm2QAi4/s400/418609_154270034711043_1572794580_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ruth began her sabbatical with a warm welcome from many friends in Philadelphia, including Shane Claiborne from The Simple Way.</div><br />
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-48113926020352059352012-04-11T10:00:00.000-07:002012-04-11T10:00:51.808-07:00Photos from March 2012 Study TripGreat photos from the March 2012 Study Trip! Be inspired....and consider joining us in June or Nov for the next trips on the schedule.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LAOei22zOx9d9OS8Mey0YkFKDY5jeQwkSTiflD_0KM92QwvgK4VN1OVrAB8fDZ4wreb-8m57geOsZq4YeljqXKWswALDRyieYEZfnGt_9XyNlUyGIcVswYSd6jt39mmr4T1Hv5LwWEiS/s1600/Cielo+Azul+Study+Trip+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LAOei22zOx9d9OS8Mey0YkFKDY5jeQwkSTiflD_0KM92QwvgK4VN1OVrAB8fDZ4wreb-8m57geOsZq4YeljqXKWswALDRyieYEZfnGt_9XyNlUyGIcVswYSd6jt39mmr4T1Hv5LwWEiS/s400/Cielo+Azul+Study+Trip+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For more photos, check out the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Great%20photos%20from%20the%20March%202012%20Study%20Trip%21%20%20Be%20inspired%20and%20consider%20joining%20us%20in%20July%20or%20Nov%20for%20our%20next%20trips.%20%20http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150661727187582.399030.636677581&type=1" target="_blank">March 2012 Study Trip Facebook album.</a>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-72775957017472988532012-04-04T12:58:00.000-07:002012-04-04T12:58:08.806-07:00An invitation -- two more Cielo Azul study trips in El Salvador this yearWe're offering 2 more study trips to El Salvador this year -- one in July and another in November. Check out this video invitation from The Simple Way and Cielo Azul, and join us for a life changing experience! Share with friends who might be interested.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MiYjJmfyitc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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<u><b>Official dates for the next 2012 study trips:</b></u><br />
July 27th - August 4th (application deadline is June 1st)<br />
Nov 23rd - Dec 1st (application deadline is Oct 1st)<br />
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Download the study trip brochure here and fill out the online application form here: <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> <a href="http://cieloazulfund.blogspot.com/p/cielo-azul-study-trips.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>cieloazulfund.blogspot.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>p/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>cielo-azul-study-trips.html</a></span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-68322863742131855272012-02-22T06:32:00.001-08:002012-04-02T19:11:01.189-07:00Find us on Facebook!<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">We're launching our new Facebook page for Cielo Azul! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cielo-Azul/242613472483488" target="_blank">Check it out here</a>, and be sure to "like" the page.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> While we're updating information and making this transition, you can still find out about us at <a href="http://www.thesimpleway.org/friends/cielo-azul/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.thesimpleway.org/friends/<wbr></wbr>cielo-azul/</a> and <a href="http://www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com</a>.</span></span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-8487536870303598922011-10-19T09:05:00.000-07:002011-10-19T09:05:55.178-07:00Shekina responds to national emergency in wake of record-breaking flooding and landslides in El SalvadorOver the past week, El Salvador (and all of Central America) has been hit with disastrous flooding from a tropical storm. We ask you to join us in prayer for our friends at Iglesia Bautista Shekina and all people affected by this record-breaking natural disaster. <br />
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A record rainfall of more than 4 feet (with the rain still falling) has been measured since the rains began in El Salvador on October 11th. This is the greatest accumulation of rain since record-keeping began in 1960, surpassing the previous record set during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. There have been hundreds of landslides and mudslides which have closed roads. Flooding has wiped out bridges. Homes have been destroyed. Access to many communities has been cut off. Earlier this month, many farmers were expecting that this year would be their best harvest in years; however, much of this crop will now be lost. <br />
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Reports in the past few days include:<br />
<ul><li>150,000 people have reportedly been affected in some way by the rains. </li>
<li>The official death toll has risen to 32. </li>
<li> More than 32,000 people have been evacuated from 149 communities. </li>
<li> Some 21,500 are living in 223 shelters across the country. </li>
<li> More than 18,400 houses have been damaged by floods and landslides.</li>
<li>At least 576 landslides have been recorded</li>
<li>10 bridges have collapsed. </li>
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In the midst of this overwhelming situation, Iglesia Bautista Shekina has been responding to immediate needs in their community. They quickly began collecting clothes and basic food supplies to deliver to an emergency shelter in Santa Ana for families who have lost homes and been evacuated from marginal communities threatened by mudslides.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEc1ksgYIhuw6vhDvcFLbJxJQdfoFRUPEjf0uqU54EgUDK-k-W49f7h5yzypfFhUQ-2Af75bOQNGR7bRmr7cPfltpj0HWx26VJP-S3Sgy3jxHm49HiwqXCPgmN0eo8KM3VTYvN88jeJ0i/s1600/disaster+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEc1ksgYIhuw6vhDvcFLbJxJQdfoFRUPEjf0uqU54EgUDK-k-W49f7h5yzypfFhUQ-2Af75bOQNGR7bRmr7cPfltpj0HWx26VJP-S3Sgy3jxHm49HiwqXCPgmN0eo8KM3VTYvN88jeJ0i/s320/disaster+4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-1PrPjKlrhl0BEQAZMn0riJ2HQoBh1NcGX039F-r_0ph3oPzic8gD8OBybz17sW-tQiLd1OSGHvwqrsZv8aa17h6ZGrulHio9QiQIU1ZHm5eEHusloardbnMRvvy8YZLH6zCBoqS4EWi/s1600/disaster+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-1PrPjKlrhl0BEQAZMn0riJ2HQoBh1NcGX039F-r_0ph3oPzic8gD8OBybz17sW-tQiLd1OSGHvwqrsZv8aa17h6ZGrulHio9QiQIU1ZHm5eEHusloardbnMRvvy8YZLH6zCBoqS4EWi/s320/disaster+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Using their experience leading children's outreach programs in their neighborhood, Shekina's young adults stepped up to organize games and activities for children who are staying in one of the municipal shelters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqzNCSavEgq7-8WnLBHM4loWyUmeHbG-xgATm7MBUggiYDw7Xar-d0BHSIxOxg3NgZ3ZnHsw_xDIQgQftbz6tzzMCkqGwgc2K06lWc0pOuFlhjDR3SMheRL8TJJHTPX3brrUQZOnHaqUN/s1600/disaster+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqzNCSavEgq7-8WnLBHM4loWyUmeHbG-xgATm7MBUggiYDw7Xar-d0BHSIxOxg3NgZ3ZnHsw_xDIQgQftbz6tzzMCkqGwgc2K06lWc0pOuFlhjDR3SMheRL8TJJHTPX3brrUQZOnHaqUN/s320/disaster+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table> To view additional photos of Shekina's volunteer work helping the affected community, visit their Facebook<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.152552518174660.33063.100002597392637&type=1"> photo album</a> here. For more news about people and events at Shekina,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/ibShekinaSantaAna"> http://www.facebook.com/ibShekinaSantaAna</a>. <br />
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Please join us in celebrating the strength, confidence, faithfulness, and resilience of the people of Shekina, even as we pray for the many victims of this natural disaster. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKqGySeiGqr6xvb5-hOlC1UUFQki3kXsHrRUYrJuQyVn_FmUCZXyv6beNB9Mz1kv1HPG1v0Cw5Cd7GsMaS5APXppiJ-J9jTTQ8eEIhSdAAC-DZNTfLK5e3xZSkCG1TIKr8CRxPYlRqzQV/s1600/disaster+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKqGySeiGqr6xvb5-hOlC1UUFQki3kXsHrRUYrJuQyVn_FmUCZXyv6beNB9Mz1kv1HPG1v0Cw5Cd7GsMaS5APXppiJ-J9jTTQ8eEIhSdAAC-DZNTfLK5e3xZSkCG1TIKr8CRxPYlRqzQV/s320/disaster+team.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>If you would like to make a donation to support Shekina's community outreach programs and other ministries, please use the secure form in the sidebar on the blog to pay via PayPal or credit card. To donate by check, please make payable to "TSW / Cielo Azul Fund" and mail to: Cielo Azul Fund / PO Box 211 / Wayne, PA 19087Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-18701137161215392452011-05-19T15:01:00.000-07:002011-11-30T16:22:38.582-08:00Packing Recommendations for El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ngthAUBjheiGuLfYP55Imp24R0Xq7bFWIXquRG1mazpo4rQN7bUVU7-BUo2SeDcCFxWflpOtrfZXlz7EmB6_Ko8R-cH1CxYFn2N4BNvY-5AXmRpqw5s2lQFI2PK9WJTfLsfdvZBQCgF6/s1600/IMG_6015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4EIw7o33nn10wmvBWyjiVdOsBX-c1i23Yk1JPbAjS3iA8zRXLQxaLfD6ZBuO1DHk3AxzdelzraeWleF5fLsgleDjIgzF3LIPixD46vsbA3EipC3sAshKSQsTkoQv8pSS3JYAE19dYjqs/s1600/IMG_5996.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4EIw7o33nn10wmvBWyjiVdOsBX-c1i23Yk1JPbAjS3iA8zRXLQxaLfD6ZBuO1DHk3AxzdelzraeWleF5fLsgleDjIgzF3LIPixD46vsbA3EipC3sAshKSQsTkoQv8pSS3JYAE19dYjqs/s200/IMG_5996.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680947286223092818" /></a><br />One of the challenges of traveling overseas is packing. Some people are able to pack in a minimalist way and only take a carry on even when traveling for multiple months, others pack a whole lot of stuff. I wanted to post a blog entry about what all I thought was worth bringing and share how it was used. Hopefully you might find this helpful. You can click the link to read more.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a><br /><div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1. Bags</b><br />For this trip I wanted everything to be exclusively carryon. I packed a tiny gym bag that I could have loaded with my clothes should I have found things I wanted to bring home. It's worth noting that my carry-on was packed to capacity. My bags consisted of a rolling duffel bag that fits the carry-on size and my small <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incase-Nylon-Campus-Backpack-Black/dp/B005VQB1HY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1322691548&sr=8-4">Incase Campus backpack</a>. I highly recommend the Incase bag because it is slim and does a good job of forcing you to pack smart. Whenever I have a large backpack I always seem to weigh myself down by carrying things I don't ne</div><div>ed...this bag will prevent you from being upset about that. Also, should you be traveling with a laptop or books, you definitely want two straps for your shoulders. Go with a backpack!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvDWLLpf2lbVqv4Ooprd0M-ciC1AnI6FxwIzM7bDxA9KgLOZZpe7FKCyQVu5H8zDda6S1o2QVt8ANxmYJb2Jmd4hTbCXV8LqIseKE4SrlJMNZRjNVYAIhfujeuo6QtggOeYZrOl__rtG1/s1600/IMG_5998.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvDWLLpf2lbVqv4Ooprd0M-ciC1AnI6FxwIzM7bDxA9KgLOZZpe7FKCyQVu5H8zDda6S1o2QVt8ANxmYJb2Jmd4hTbCXV8LqIseKE4SrlJMNZRjNVYAIhfujeuo6QtggOeYZrOl__rtG1/s200/IMG_5998.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680948091899329090" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><div><b>2. Clothing</b><br />After this trip I became interested in sink washing clothing and I wish I had done that during this trip. El Salvador has a great climate for drying your clothes! For this trip I brought enough clothes for every day. So let's go down the list:<br /><br />• 2 Bandannas<br />• 2 Pairs of Zip off pants (yes they are silly but you want to wear shorts when you can)<br />• Tank tops for every other day. I </div><div>can wear one two days in a row without smelling bad. Make sure you check with someone that the clothing is appropriate for whatever culture you are visiting.<br />• 3 T-Shirts for sleeping after a shower<br />• 3 Quick-Drying/Moisture-Wicking shirts<br />• 3 Pairs of Socks (I wore flip-flops most days)<br />• Bathing suit (if recommended)<br />• Shorts for sleeping in<br />• Hat for blocking the sun during long days outdoors<br />• Pair of flip flops for walking<br />• Flip flops for showers (you will be fine with one pair probably...)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ngthAUBjheiGuLfYP55Imp24R0Xq7bFWIXquRG1mazpo4rQN7bUVU7-BUo2SeDcCFxWflpOtrfZXlz7EmB6_Ko8R-cH1CxYFn2N4BNvY-5AXmRpqw5s2lQFI2PK9WJTfLsfdvZBQCgF6/s1600/IMG_6015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ngthAUBjheiGuLfYP55Imp24R0Xq7bFWIXquRG1mazpo4rQN7bUVU7-BUo2SeDcCFxWflpOtrfZXlz7EmB6_Ko8R-cH1CxYFn2N4BNvY-5AXmRpqw5s2lQFI2PK9WJTfLsfdvZBQCgF6/s200/IMG_6015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680948425674448770" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>3. Toiletries</b><br />Here is where things sometimes pile up. I'm just going to go through the list.<br /><br />• Small toiletry bag<br />• Toothpaste + Travel Toothpaste<br />• Deodorant<br />• Two Rolls of Camping Toilet Paper<br />• Three packs of bathroom wet wipes<br />• Travel Mirror (you might not have one in your house/room<br />• Travel Towel<br />• I brought a tiny silk sleeping bag but never used it because it was so hot...<br />• Travel pack of bandaids<br />• Blister bandaid pack<br />• Advil Cold & Sinus w/ Sudafed (in case of flu-aches)<br />• Migraine headache medicine<br />• Pack of Kleenex<br />• Headlamp (your nights will be pitch black and it's good to have a flashlight you can wear!)<br />• Bunch of anti-bacterial wipes<br />• 2 packs of anti-bacterial wet-ones<br />• Trashbag for dirty/smelly clothes<br />• Bandanna with built-in bug repellant<br />• Some kind of bug repellant<br />• Water Bottle (Not too big...you don't want it to weigh you down)<br />• Ear Plugs (you never know if your roommate will snore...or if they will be upset with you)<br /><b><br /></b><div><b>4. Snacks / Food</b><br />It might seem strange to take snacks but you don't know when your meals will be and you want to have some healthy snacks for energy and in case your stomach doesn't respond well to things. You can make two types of nuts/fruits/chocolates bags to take every other day and you will want to take some cliff-bars or other energy/granola bars with you. Here are a few recommendations:<br /><br />• 5 Small zip-locs filled with walnuts and dried fruit<br />• 5 Small zip-locs filled with m&m's, raisins and salted peanuts<br />• 3 cliff bars<br />• 3 kudos (sweets are nice though not the best...)<br />• 3 power bars<br /><br /><b>5. Electronics</b><br />For my trip to El Salvador I was invited to document the trip which required me to bring a few more things. You want a journal to jot things down and a computer you can travel well with. I would highly recommend a netbook for something like this.<br /><br />• Macbook Air + Charger (the built in SD card reader was great for collecting everyone's pictures each day)<br />• Small Camera + Charger<br />• Mouse + Mousepad<br />• Slim External DVD burner to compile everyone's images at the end of the trip<br />• <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=grid-it&x=0&y=0">Grid-It</a> in whatever is the smallest size you need for your pens, cables, batteries etc. These truly are brilliant!<br />• <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Technology-GC17097-USB-Mini-Cable/dp/B003T5KXJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693230&sr=8-2">Griffin USB Mini Cable Set</a> (These will allow you to connect to any cameras or other devices which you might have forgotten a cable for.<br />• Tiny USB Hub<br />• Screen Cleaner + Micro-Fiber rag<br />• Mini-Flashlight<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkMbHVjTJ9xZJCyyvqL7ck581KfxrytWaBxn8jaY8UsRnw7hTgAFr6_sHoVd2O91ZfN2pypGMwYSBGQWsI-FO8i8R5DeZiVE3JNDmw2bObcQEmIxW1DBaHkrGTnrLhFvmj7haW7ouyLbC/s1600/IMG_6001.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkMbHVjTJ9xZJCyyvqL7ck581KfxrytWaBxn8jaY8UsRnw7hTgAFr6_sHoVd2O91ZfN2pypGMwYSBGQWsI-FO8i8R5DeZiVE3JNDmw2bObcQEmIxW1DBaHkrGTnrLhFvmj7haW7ouyLbC/s200/IMG_6001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680944901161029714" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>6. What to keep in your backpack ALL THE TIME</b><br />• Photocopy of Passport page with your info on it!<br />• Small Flashlight<br />• One energy bar<br />• Two bags of snacks<br />• Notebook + Pen<br />• Laptop in sleeve<br />• Grid-It<br />• Extra zip-locs in freezer AND normal size for whatever might happen<br />• Sunglasses<br />• Bandanna<br />• LCD Cleaning Spray + Micro-Fiber Rag<br />• Earplugs<br /><br />That's everything I took with me! I hope this helps you plan for the future. These days I would highly recommend getting a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Do-Rubber-Sink-Stopper-STOPPER/dp/B000DZD3QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693818&sr=8-1">sink stopper</a>, a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dial-Corp-04303-Fels-Naptha-Laundry/dp/B001B32NVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693733&sr=8-1">bar of laundry soap</a> for $1.50 and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Travel-Clothesline-White/dp/B000PWIQKO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693765&sr=8-2">a travel clothes line</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Clothesline-Size/dp/B003MU9JZC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693765&sr=8-3">this one is cheaper</a>) so you can take less clothing with you. A cotton t-shirt can dry out in 2 days and the new "moisture-wicking" stuff can dry out in 6 hours or less! These days I would only need <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ExOfficio-Give-N-Go-Boxer-Charcoal-Medium/dp/B001M0MMYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322693860&sr=8-1">two pairs of undies</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Hardwear-Double--Classic--xx-large/dp/B0036TD3ZQ/ref=sr_1_sc_18?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1322693905&sr=1-18-spell">three light-weight moisture wicking shirts</a>.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-42448423937173263212011-05-17T08:43:00.000-07:002011-05-17T09:20:44.342-07:00Day 7 [Oscar Romero]<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUby4DbAWz4h_5-RVeEi9mZ_ji2xMvFopvh-ZEXcBOa0vpdJVtmzfMznFPIAhxTKDMYT6rOEdK-wUTR9f3mbxs4W1eKeBw3mPehXRGtBAY0pft3p1oZ0ayyfcjozwRdMwhfdjFgDLtsTR/s1600/100_0159.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUby4DbAWz4h_5-RVeEi9mZ_ji2xMvFopvh-ZEXcBOa0vpdJVtmzfMznFPIAhxTKDMYT6rOEdK-wUTR9f3mbxs4W1eKeBw3mPehXRGtBAY0pft3p1oZ0ayyfcjozwRdMwhfdjFgDLtsTR/s200/100_0159.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607712183008830290" /></a>We spent the last day celebrating the life of Oscar Romero and visiting the major locations where he impacted the world. Our journey began at the small chapel where he lived even after he was promoted to Archbishop. Sister Mercedes gave us a tour of the famous chapel where Romero was assassinated while leading Mass and invited us to the platform where he stood and looked at his murderer. She described in detail what part of the Mass he was and how a red Volkswagen pulled up to the front doors that were open. As we were educated about what happened the sister invited us to share our word that defined how we remember Oscar Romero. We remember him to be a champion, a prophet, pastor, a true follower of Jesus and someone who is not afraid to cross borders.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrWjSIcIh8gkFwi-nkUjyFsOlg1qcBDeso9o09kIDObqJfDqNmWXPTKjrYwm0vc-rQrk6GUgqjwwrbIoyUmGq__GPY7Y_sWoMpDMBmpOMlOA3Yn02zW91pSlCw5BT7v3znKBjbBQg4iRg/s1600/IMG_4264.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrWjSIcIh8gkFwi-nkUjyFsOlg1qcBDeso9o09kIDObqJfDqNmWXPTKjrYwm0vc-rQrk6GUgqjwwrbIoyUmGq__GPY7Y_sWoMpDMBmpOMlOA3Yn02zW91pSlCw5BT7v3znKBjbBQg4iRg/s200/IMG_4264.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607712914710210914" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ChbDY8XK9Zax-b9CLCdr_voWASle2uVLS-hjxOvsqx4rMlmfs45D-RY0D9i24zrZ7PMT0hAEa0ZI3kBi6bSjBLeA2ihmak_1i6ccQ4TSqvPLUVMgUsUY_qCGaASwYkDV4_XP_1Te2UW5/s1600/IMG_4271.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ChbDY8XK9Zax-b9CLCdr_voWASle2uVLS-hjxOvsqx4rMlmfs45D-RY0D9i24zrZ7PMT0hAEa0ZI3kBi6bSjBLeA2ihmak_1i6ccQ4TSqvPLUVMgUsUY_qCGaASwYkDV4_XP_1Te2UW5/s200/IMG_4271.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607713083041442018" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyTDeu3EriCxcFhmzsJsFddjLZWlOy6LupDJBlkTRvildheo_D4Tx-YOlyBeti8BrMBN3r0zVxjtA9HvGdyv35i20ksTSOQk8onylYyjPfJlkll41TXcRnycBaXX3A8O2Y0U-i-ymRMD2/s1600/P1170521.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyTDeu3EriCxcFhmzsJsFddjLZWlOy6LupDJBlkTRvildheo_D4Tx-YOlyBeti8BrMBN3r0zVxjtA9HvGdyv35i20ksTSOQk8onylYyjPfJlkll41TXcRnycBaXX3A8O2Y0U-i-ymRMD2/s200/P1170521.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607715200591348082" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTSn1T0qrZk1bpwHQ14qxzPenrMO59JFoh6Z39h3oVyX-CodXNG47vzoqjDNWeex1jSCgbpfmh7RylK38xez0bRWDUyfLR4RJQahVlz9_1uoAC9PNyFOZ4hHICIGqiTiCx1g3OhfIgFca/s1600/P1170535.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTSn1T0qrZk1bpwHQ14qxzPenrMO59JFoh6Z39h3oVyX-CodXNG47vzoqjDNWeex1jSCgbpfmh7RylK38xez0bRWDUyfLR4RJQahVlz9_1uoAC9PNyFOZ4hHICIGqiTiCx1g3OhfIgFca/s200/P1170535.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607715399069868754" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6699tjZPTczZYkZU92fktC3cLG2hQ1pceHN4Zf6tRm2cwGZIiw647R5c-c4MKeYk40iJ0EvMUv5R1pIJbnKVQuFvNerzdq7HyP0tajB5IaJBHJciz7K-t3pJcUjTlEu5_2R0ZjUIrQ5pI/s1600/P1170538.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6699tjZPTczZYkZU92fktC3cLG2hQ1pceHN4Zf6tRm2cwGZIiw647R5c-c4MKeYk40iJ0EvMUv5R1pIJbnKVQuFvNerzdq7HyP0tajB5IaJBHJciz7K-t3pJcUjTlEu5_2R0ZjUIrQ5pI/s200/P1170538.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607716101197405330" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRQbgz-w1SQo0i3b7VmyBXmTeaMiCBOd_QOmmhdkkcO-VnmqzsGDRdpKqCADI4whBZF9JOn-q_CjaEwOeZarYYYxrC71fu-lCuDT8cDYr-CpHHMxKKLNhGQ61juNLf-B-YgkxdJ4bIDXh/s1600/P1170568.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRQbgz-w1SQo0i3b7VmyBXmTeaMiCBOd_QOmmhdkkcO-VnmqzsGDRdpKqCADI4whBZF9JOn-q_CjaEwOeZarYYYxrC71fu-lCuDT8cDYr-CpHHMxKKLNhGQ61juNLf-B-YgkxdJ4bIDXh/s200/P1170568.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607716426317584546" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0to4ETHR_D3NHHNLS45SUIz1eX0RnucQlS_dVYGxISj8jlaaHGMb7N1rjZHHHxo5xFpOX-PRgspooAe4fwWmzqg8YXcqfdiOKh3NLcdu7fiwBVl1sKHsGDrCm5wivFinkkDpMFSuboAF/s1600/P1170603.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0to4ETHR_D3NHHNLS45SUIz1eX0RnucQlS_dVYGxISj8jlaaHGMb7N1rjZHHHxo5xFpOX-PRgspooAe4fwWmzqg8YXcqfdiOKh3NLcdu7fiwBVl1sKHsGDrCm5wivFinkkDpMFSuboAF/s200/P1170603.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607716743220870898" /></a><br /></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8VeSpCXhYiRlY00F4DrpaaRo1HQ03RIMN5-YxubhIp1UXpGu6vlOnyEIkNBRJ-b832Sv_UAHjcqSvd7FxXOp2pn1otwQ5-jT7xrvClpxOVIcC8ShMEG9IkBLK1bI-HLBr63ZlMnhevMe/s1600/P1170604.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8VeSpCXhYiRlY00F4DrpaaRo1HQ03RIMN5-YxubhIp1UXpGu6vlOnyEIkNBRJ-b832Sv_UAHjcqSvd7FxXOp2pn1otwQ5-jT7xrvClpxOVIcC8ShMEG9IkBLK1bI-HLBr63ZlMnhevMe/s200/P1170604.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607717929916215938" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfcvjcPV4Yr4u7-HR7f8UZZyo_2vHzNFYqE5yCMi2PLxzLFT1u56md4GhXScrDFVvyhGoGowTrMLb6IQLMhmwFre6A22E4_1FRw0TXgpffBmwlKtwS6AJORsT5RCGptunnSPYneMf6x12/s1600/P1170611.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfcvjcPV4Yr4u7-HR7f8UZZyo_2vHzNFYqE5yCMi2PLxzLFT1u56md4GhXScrDFVvyhGoGowTrMLb6IQLMhmwFre6A22E4_1FRw0TXgpffBmwlKtwS6AJORsT5RCGptunnSPYneMf6x12/s200/P1170611.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607718164553954914" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Sister Mercedes told us a variety of stories about how Monsenor Romero would not be persuaded to favor the rich by dwelling in a mansion that was provided by the wealthy. He always chose to stand beside those who had little and were not able to defend himself. The videos that I will post offer a great deal more information then I will be able to post. Oscar Romero’s voice was hated by the rich and the military. He denounced greed, the idolatry of power and death. The defended the rights of all that were marginalized and it was during his homily the day before he died that he called for the military to give up their war against the people of El Salvador.<br /><br />During Romero’s time as Archbishop there were projects to rebuild the cathedral, but he vowed that a penny would not be spent on the cathedral while the people were living in poverty. He believed in justice and believed in improving the lives of those that had not. Being shot in the heart is a very beautiful testimony to who Oscar Romero was and proof that his heart belonged to the people.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdvOcYRfCkEerH_6YGdfPdE9ZV_XGBJpFhqpBSzfjpT6icwiIkf862iwmb2k_-vodNPyw4eL7UFl_mgLtG8N3OB-nDLbUUAVwqjtMr3WgchL-2dD4h2aLnpxRHX4GvgpMLHOhMkOjnu2S/s1600/IMG_4329.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdvOcYRfCkEerH_6YGdfPdE9ZV_XGBJpFhqpBSzfjpT6icwiIkf862iwmb2k_-vodNPyw4eL7UFl_mgLtG8N3OB-nDLbUUAVwqjtMr3WgchL-2dD4h2aLnpxRHX4GvgpMLHOhMkOjnu2S/s200/IMG_4329.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607718522773535506" /></a>During the middle of the day Barrett and Chava led us in a time of communion. Barrett invited us to share the things that we mourn. I mourned the laziness and complacency of my own people. We mourned forgetfulness, the weariness of the woman with her child at the market and the loss of life.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8Rq63ZqxVWJ8FfnI04yCUbaEfXXWsuGE440dTXgDuEvPrXyhTUUfsVZFVd9S2iKfhy2VRmaIcXWxWL93_TNYSC5QkDFQ08I5OlL2BQOVAEGbxgn_q81KFp1gHsbzpo4f1YqNTcb8GdCN/s1600/IMG_4356.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8Rq63ZqxVWJ8FfnI04yCUbaEfXXWsuGE440dTXgDuEvPrXyhTUUfsVZFVd9S2iKfhy2VRmaIcXWxWL93_TNYSC5QkDFQ08I5OlL2BQOVAEGbxgn_q81KFp1gHsbzpo4f1YqNTcb8GdCN/s200/IMG_4356.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607718784509578498" /></a>Our evening was spent celebrating with the community of Shekinah. We sang songs, shared hugs and tears and broke bread together. Small treasures were given to each of us so that we could remember our time in the land of El Salvador and so we could remember our dear friends living on another continent. This was indeed one of the most profound journeys I have ever been on. It didn’t have to do with providing volunteer labor, it didn’t have to do with building structures for people of faith to meet under, it didn’t involve building places for orphans, it was a time of listening. We had the blessing and opportunity to listen to the stories of a persecuted and wounded people who had risen from the ashes and could celebrate the resurrection of their king in the context of their own story. These people know a Jesus that walks with them, that encourages them and provides for them when times are more difficult then our pampered American minds can comprehend. I am blessed to have shared the foot steps of such beautiful and wonderful people. May these opportunities carry on for generations. Thank you for who you are, may we always be friends even though are hearts are so far form one another.<br /><br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVNVJeKgZK6XkExn98hfIxem0Z0ZHMNzoGqL-Q5fhv3wLA7imPAOV0qVgCOgjpdmyUho2wxwz4vpT34Mrs1_hpZvMP_0UCmEXYFXyy0TLoQkigdU_4YvUSTJRa0-i45ZfXoF5YnIzwC_V/s1600/P1170636.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVNVJeKgZK6XkExn98hfIxem0Z0ZHMNzoGqL-Q5fhv3wLA7imPAOV0qVgCOgjpdmyUho2wxwz4vpT34Mrs1_hpZvMP_0UCmEXYFXyy0TLoQkigdU_4YvUSTJRa0-i45ZfXoF5YnIzwC_V/s200/P1170636.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607719833851348610" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8FGj-sDHjna-MpdjIb9pyiwqiKjoxkmlvBpzpTV_B5VQO0IPgh9t6SouKim03deXfxW3RCD_sLtZ9awIKdo207rBwWraDp4x_g4EN4aEArFWY5SRalgu0_M_6TWvDtz-zQ5dpSXqJ2MD/s1600/P1170620.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8FGj-sDHjna-MpdjIb9pyiwqiKjoxkmlvBpzpTV_B5VQO0IPgh9t6SouKim03deXfxW3RCD_sLtZ9awIKdo207rBwWraDp4x_g4EN4aEArFWY5SRalgu0_M_6TWvDtz-zQ5dpSXqJ2MD/s200/P1170620.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607719948485697538" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUkrPKFPD_93XcPFvpB6cgEoUlCR9eBhsBjtJ6uE5I7Nb8O9EIVJSAYsIgrruw1nJLiZupaWz-mVknfyTktLNWrtZsebGdFhlqDaIKyZgeUP63gyS4Zbu2lejYVe071sfmfLx9-1eOJzS/s1600/P1170629.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUkrPKFPD_93XcPFvpB6cgEoUlCR9eBhsBjtJ6uE5I7Nb8O9EIVJSAYsIgrruw1nJLiZupaWz-mVknfyTktLNWrtZsebGdFhlqDaIKyZgeUP63gyS4Zbu2lejYVe071sfmfLx9-1eOJzS/s200/P1170629.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607720084690680610" /></a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-87062745803996161662011-05-17T08:21:00.000-07:002011-05-18T14:43:00.384-07:00Day 6 in El Salvador [Gold Mining]<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX8OYLV0ecIy8q5W_Ppgro3GFohqXqEzCbZJsgDXyUllfAp7YsoTufQUyZKVOfKYrpCy8JOgOLHOFtpEdAZGIAKaaUzN_S8B24ZQWiRYphSLQp19AJeEfDL4oNEikDBCT3leb7iPmHE9M/s1600/IMG_4232.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607706613444879554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX8OYLV0ecIy8q5W_Ppgro3GFohqXqEzCbZJsgDXyUllfAp7YsoTufQUyZKVOfKYrpCy8JOgOLHOFtpEdAZGIAKaaUzN_S8B24ZQWiRYphSLQp19AJeEfDL4oNEikDBCT3leb7iPmHE9M/s200/IMG_4232.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>We spent day six being educated about the struggle to keep gold mining out of El Salvador. Our time was spent in San Isidro where the Canadian based mining company, Pacific Rim went in without permission and began exploring for gold after the 1992 Peace Accords. They successfully found the precious metal at a value around 200 million US dollars. The organization we were able to sit with is called ADES which stands for, The Association for Economical Development.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslR_e9NWjTJKF-rCRnpDvw1dNtrsC8_G3qcrehSClUZoy5IppC5yAu7J0fsZjPz-arO9JyD0pQWCTKrXER-fVb-esZ250I6ZxLl9sMWaMWN41BrAzGtNd_fMt_G6g-4jX1dSSBDWO5ZAc/s1600/P1170412.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607707125303252258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslR_e9NWjTJKF-rCRnpDvw1dNtrsC8_G3qcrehSClUZoy5IppC5yAu7J0fsZjPz-arO9JyD0pQWCTKrXER-fVb-esZ250I6ZxLl9sMWaMWN41BrAzGtNd_fMt_G6g-4jX1dSSBDWO5ZAc/s200/P1170412.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>It is important to understand how the end of the armed struggle after the signing of the Peace Accords benefited the mining companies. Essentially the companies are allowed to enter communities without their permission, this means that they can walk right onto private property, and begin drilling. The owners of the land have the opportunity to kick them off but as you will read later, the mining companies are pretty smart and tell lies about how they have the government’s permission to be there. Once the company succeeds in its exploration of precious metals, it can then sue the government if they are not allowed to make back the money they invested in the exploration mining. Currently Pacific Rim is engaged in a lawsuit with the government of El Salvador and as of 2010 was suing for 77 million US dollars or the right to continue mining. You may not know it, but El Salvador does not have that kind of money. The Peace Accords work in favor of these multi-national companies and they are able to twist the arms of communities and governments in the name of capitalism and greed.<br />
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Around 1998 the community became very vocal about stopping the mining work because they found that their animals were dying and people were developing allergies that had not occurred before. The community complained to the mining company who told them that they should speak with their government. In that time the government was being secretive about everything. Our educator, Antonio Pacheko, who is the executive director of ADES described that the people were completely illiterate in regards to mining. He told us that if you understood the laws surrounding mining, that you would be horrified.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkX8zRsHIPpHj88Ge2V2BrpzptVaynvOAoO5cSSXkTfj8d17zQqHujzrwPXF3P-OXdjyrlh1Ov38IS9BGt9BCWGoD5n_JNl6aRL5jetapcipYT_YNyC4bedRIUVTHQikCG35OGw-pYgtgo/s1600/IMG_0143.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607706782151992914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkX8zRsHIPpHj88Ge2V2BrpzptVaynvOAoO5cSSXkTfj8d17zQqHujzrwPXF3P-OXdjyrlh1Ov38IS9BGt9BCWGoD5n_JNl6aRL5jetapcipYT_YNyC4bedRIUVTHQikCG35OGw-pYgtgo/s200/IMG_0143.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>Antonio told us that if the mining continued then the Lempa River, which provides 60% of the water to the area, then the river would be completely contaminated and would not be drinkable. Many servants and farmers grow food with that water and many fish there. After the mining exploration had been completed samples were collected by ADES and sent to different labs. Some of the labs came back saying the water was fine, and one lab, that didn’t have all of it’s certifications, found arsenic and other toxins in the water. A member of our team pointed out that it is very common for labs to have mixed findings. The people of this community want a decent quality of life. If the water was to be contaminated it would impact everyone and everything!<br />
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Fighting the mining company has been a very slow and difficult battle that has even resulted in the loss of life. Marcelo Rivera was found lifeless with evidence of torture in a well after the conflict had reached a particular amount of tension. It is very common for governments and politicians to use intimidation as a means of getting their way. Just this week (May 10th 2011) there have been a number of death threats against Radio Victoria which is a station committed to sharing political information in a timely manner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dgOWaV9uEMAKA_9Jme_7_JC4HeEGJpIy0X4st9GnHoKfzwMUAXCK_lS9HM1Ghp2Bq5Ia6mmy_SPJ341XIif5a98VsrZaCL9CMLNWsVpOrfpyMEtzNvUE3TL4aKdYpicgpHLJl85T88ST/s1600/IMG_4161.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607707464706273490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dgOWaV9uEMAKA_9Jme_7_JC4HeEGJpIy0X4st9GnHoKfzwMUAXCK_lS9HM1Ghp2Bq5Ia6mmy_SPJ341XIif5a98VsrZaCL9CMLNWsVpOrfpyMEtzNvUE3TL4aKdYpicgpHLJl85T88ST/s200/IMG_4161.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>Our group enjoyed lunch at a local co-op run by women which served us some incredible food! The chickens and other ingredients were all grown in the area. Our money is then used to help develop the area. I am always impressed by the co-op business model.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESQ_BTub5FTnPwTwXtJr0pTeVPiHfvhL7g7TtEO_yb1XAKk53_2n9CPj6_8KqEBP9Ljk2XxKLN6osY5AjQpzKoR8fGNyELakamEsIHbqkDBrCzO3NkcKqipzFZLE2CXspVcfMIcwiS2Lr/s1600/P1170438.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607707717280850914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESQ_BTub5FTnPwTwXtJr0pTeVPiHfvhL7g7TtEO_yb1XAKk53_2n9CPj6_8KqEBP9Ljk2XxKLN6osY5AjQpzKoR8fGNyELakamEsIHbqkDBrCzO3NkcKqipzFZLE2CXspVcfMIcwiS2Lr/s200/P1170438.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 150px;" /></a>The rest of our day was spent visiting one woman whose livelihood is in jeopardy after the exploration drilling. She told us how her father had built the home where we were meeting and that she grew up raising pigs. She told us how there always used to be enough water but that these days everything is drying up. We were told how if a neighbor has their water running that her water barely runs. It is possible that this is isolated from the exploration drilling but it is also entirely possible that the drilling interrupted and changed the underground streams of water. As the water dries up more and more this woman risks losing everything that she has had her entire life. It is very difficult to imagine being in her circumstance but we are reminded how the suffering of many often benefits the few.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQc7AZ0BCK1f4M8Vy7hvYUUBUTSMZchXZSZZJozhgV1uxYsBdxHkNLh4YohoGaOxUVSHxDQnKZ8vtHzcPEbD98OYcn-ToBI-Ts_2Y1dnOU21ZO8mwLJornSOsVeTBBSMvOb8cLP4vWq2S/s1600/IMG_0181.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607709176804141842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQc7AZ0BCK1f4M8Vy7hvYUUBUTSMZchXZSZZJozhgV1uxYsBdxHkNLh4YohoGaOxUVSHxDQnKZ8vtHzcPEbD98OYcn-ToBI-Ts_2Y1dnOU21ZO8mwLJornSOsVeTBBSMvOb8cLP4vWq2S/s200/IMG_0181.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzN4cTzqyZBvbo4E4cvOwZbfMO-I6AMKKl0K4QZwxGRh7AVAhbXj_TmLtM3GvurAwbM3427BaK9DSbyZH1Njx9RqOwGAQ_jK9Lk8Ypz0BIFL98akf2lF0-grGK4SYMNosalkZfYaZWLIK/s1600/IMG_0182.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607709375989133602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzN4cTzqyZBvbo4E4cvOwZbfMO-I6AMKKl0K4QZwxGRh7AVAhbXj_TmLtM3GvurAwbM3427BaK9DSbyZH1Njx9RqOwGAQ_jK9Lk8Ypz0BIFL98akf2lF0-grGK4SYMNosalkZfYaZWLIK/s200/IMG_0182.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4Lq1ryNRRMobTXVGPdYYqM2bkX1uO2PM-BOv5TX9lcCdwE7YUW5yB4Pp9_CcVnIUEdZpl_LDjLriZyzQ9r-v3U85MK5qphABSVxFdEOEosw_shj3zzpiau2JUfNUmdAX5ztaKjg3GKk/s1600/IMG_0193.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607709744561834386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4Lq1ryNRRMobTXVGPdYYqM2bkX1uO2PM-BOv5TX9lcCdwE7YUW5yB4Pp9_CcVnIUEdZpl_LDjLriZyzQ9r-v3U85MK5qphABSVxFdEOEosw_shj3zzpiau2JUfNUmdAX5ztaKjg3GKk/s200/IMG_0193.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDiXrQr4kE7qUX1-TCLYpMr4YlKZr5m8aWD-XkSnBeRGZhqPHst0gxKsYXUtrPw80FX6ZsKAUVom-EduI6tme1r569Bn_zNNEe3sOhSzwPxV08RnGUMMNx4VLhh6zbOK5kTiB0eYr6g9F/s1600/P1170428.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607710027801526834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDiXrQr4kE7qUX1-TCLYpMr4YlKZr5m8aWD-XkSnBeRGZhqPHst0gxKsYXUtrPw80FX6ZsKAUVom-EduI6tme1r569Bn_zNNEe3sOhSzwPxV08RnGUMMNx4VLhh6zbOK5kTiB0eYr6g9F/s200/P1170428.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOe5VqO08D5ISrrQMWrA2sAFHERAOfgijyeKdOKEa9W9FpQNm-wpXZ6EXzAy8MRRYehkUbBvIQ5804kwmmfOoDkoZEQqTEY7eLgdm9qL_h0p6-H4pTav9BLsqgnB9QYHWVsPHLgUMISyo/s1600/P1170466.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607710427469128482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOe5VqO08D5ISrrQMWrA2sAFHERAOfgijyeKdOKEa9W9FpQNm-wpXZ6EXzAy8MRRYehkUbBvIQ5804kwmmfOoDkoZEQqTEY7eLgdm9qL_h0p6-H4pTav9BLsqgnB9QYHWVsPHLgUMISyo/s200/P1170466.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcheZi1emKeDUe6c9TKmQsuf-KX5qv7LKfJ6M3PYpEIyYC3rsyznSe7wUBr2gulEDRz9excZO4K7-QiXZE5bXvjvEu5QO4jR-otu_2n_tRZS3_xtQjFklkxycuyy8VqeDjGKwR0Bz82a_Z/s1600/P1170474.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607710620569778466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcheZi1emKeDUe6c9TKmQsuf-KX5qv7LKfJ6M3PYpEIyYC3rsyznSe7wUBr2gulEDRz9excZO4K7-QiXZE5bXvjvEu5QO4jR-otu_2n_tRZS3_xtQjFklkxycuyy8VqeDjGKwR0Bz82a_Z/s200/P1170474.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a></td></tr>
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Our evening concluded by visiting a local ice cream shop! I have to say, if you ever find yourself in El Salvador make sure you check out Pops!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYHhQ7Ypeb9PJ-XeCrAH5WWGq6gcx6f03muPZrQgrnmMWzPl0-naqpL-Bppym40ppBMuQ1AgyxzirdMkvSTLvnnnZzmHwMxabO2YGjmpe3rmEm6BCyzss5YrQQXa86JibBEx7rQx7xkEd/s1600/P1170489.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607710829593706802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYHhQ7Ypeb9PJ-XeCrAH5WWGq6gcx6f03muPZrQgrnmMWzPl0-naqpL-Bppym40ppBMuQ1AgyxzirdMkvSTLvnnnZzmHwMxabO2YGjmpe3rmEm6BCyzss5YrQQXa86JibBEx7rQx7xkEd/s200/P1170489.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-32379147483533743172011-05-11T12:39:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:27:57.316-07:00Day 5 in El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVpzFmCHQxKWLfkGo2rcD7Rg9p_zXHwlY_q-koZiBR-q5uWfAVIbZl9iMpHaTt5fvOMzDLmReqZRkX-7nYGAbpIA_TcrJch-vkR7bb-Tu7pRjtR2UcnPsAe2nKdX3kZq_7Epoq6CkcAU1/s1600/IMG_3945.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVpzFmCHQxKWLfkGo2rcD7Rg9p_zXHwlY_q-koZiBR-q5uWfAVIbZl9iMpHaTt5fvOMzDLmReqZRkX-7nYGAbpIA_TcrJch-vkR7bb-Tu7pRjtR2UcnPsAe2nKdX3kZq_7Epoq6CkcAU1/s200/IMG_3945.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605559974790855010" /></a>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.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3WG0y7qJB5U9IVzRpFQOcODK2iNf0CvzvFnvlhPhejtbfOwgKV-2X6NKH1GTZO9_v392nuBKZl-31pfB3esWvQtVK2Ug1yb3rna8cpBVgs6J9HwAsYw2r55t30Q_puj8JwtTHBD7_lDz/s1600/IMG_3960.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3WG0y7qJB5U9IVzRpFQOcODK2iNf0CvzvFnvlhPhejtbfOwgKV-2X6NKH1GTZO9_v392nuBKZl-31pfB3esWvQtVK2Ug1yb3rna8cpBVgs6J9HwAsYw2r55t30Q_puj8JwtTHBD7_lDz/s200/IMG_3960.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605560879269600258" /></a>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.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM7BCFTtuMb6c0cSuRH_raBQPcqADb779Hgl7eU7fQqEs33JAjLgITQfUrnrgLx5PQtY7mx8VXGomaBoPaVAWpJ5PkkAWyrVprupypBRh5ca_5PQCHCtuTM6-PmhD1DUMfjMHnyH1wH1O/s1600/IMG_3964.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM7BCFTtuMb6c0cSuRH_raBQPcqADb779Hgl7eU7fQqEs33JAjLgITQfUrnrgLx5PQtY7mx8VXGomaBoPaVAWpJ5PkkAWyrVprupypBRh5ca_5PQCHCtuTM6-PmhD1DUMfjMHnyH1wH1O/s200/IMG_3964.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605561032673047666" /></a>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.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn7fNi8EYY14G6ODchfrIAJ-rPMQ-OSe2TsBdvfuvEh51BxAkNmnjFH4_vYRntDC5Tg12Jq_sSI4JQJW4C0w8J_SL-IBPrNNK85ysTmcJirPWWJ_6D3I9kZZUnINO3FA22DUHDjJbhcVq/s1600/IMG_3973.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn7fNi8EYY14G6ODchfrIAJ-rPMQ-OSe2TsBdvfuvEh51BxAkNmnjFH4_vYRntDC5Tg12Jq_sSI4JQJW4C0w8J_SL-IBPrNNK85ysTmcJirPWWJ_6D3I9kZZUnINO3FA22DUHDjJbhcVq/s200/IMG_3973.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605562272284467826" /></a>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.<br /><br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iVyf3mZ01DA2mhm_VoKv82mCPpSuHMmiyf4zuJMixff9NcCdrSS_DsCJn5s9G09fJbzhfy4lAPjMsXXMTohg2Tw0zpEFSm6gkQ_gj75uLwn0SShkbIhOXND74Pw09JHBBfnqjL22AL7r/s1600/IMG_3981.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iVyf3mZ01DA2mhm_VoKv82mCPpSuHMmiyf4zuJMixff9NcCdrSS_DsCJn5s9G09fJbzhfy4lAPjMsXXMTohg2Tw0zpEFSm6gkQ_gj75uLwn0SShkbIhOXND74Pw09JHBBfnqjL22AL7r/s200/IMG_3981.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605564261177793410" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYpAY725MeypFRa9JsaHs-kYWe0WSQmilatybRIdjCkOY4utR0FvgJdJ3APdJ0VMUnPbIzVl6kwezb3PWlygQt6XkPFJe-ymHaWb7DpYFPj62raDwUYoZvE2Eo-jJgzZGt5y3D_kkBpOQ/s1600/IMG_3988.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYpAY725MeypFRa9JsaHs-kYWe0WSQmilatybRIdjCkOY4utR0FvgJdJ3APdJ0VMUnPbIzVl6kwezb3PWlygQt6XkPFJe-ymHaWb7DpYFPj62raDwUYoZvE2Eo-jJgzZGt5y3D_kkBpOQ/s200/IMG_3988.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605563974875551730" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxbvb72nWEBiCMDWAHlWTBxbWs7xffZTthwBxzm6PI6tTeMCtWPH-wxwnzbrdeErekuwlRNeY4CsNCR-pjx0aP-C1geGIPQQjDT5wsjBDXM8riMRVVZsNLKMRUALzy2tbOz42SNWQQkfE/s1600/IMG_3997.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxbvb72nWEBiCMDWAHlWTBxbWs7xffZTthwBxzm6PI6tTeMCtWPH-wxwnzbrdeErekuwlRNeY4CsNCR-pjx0aP-C1geGIPQQjDT5wsjBDXM8riMRVVZsNLKMRUALzy2tbOz42SNWQQkfE/s200/IMG_3997.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605564559773572914" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCAmUhJA1PHzIxAvA9i0J51Opoa6z2-VZwA3fyeHYDJkcIOZwOf9P7sPWWrAGrKrr908mXI4Vq9-Xk4Zgjr1Vm2A_FdKVHysM855Hpa09s4L4r7yy2RJnw-k8Q44MEGMGKKOVh26qgDlD/s1600/IMG_4027.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCAmUhJA1PHzIxAvA9i0J51Opoa6z2-VZwA3fyeHYDJkcIOZwOf9P7sPWWrAGrKrr908mXI4Vq9-Xk4Zgjr1Vm2A_FdKVHysM855Hpa09s4L4r7yy2RJnw-k8Q44MEGMGKKOVh26qgDlD/s200/IMG_4027.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605564924562765858" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PLlzNb0ZS5fwyIuIGJNAdlHyt8DmMPnPRQJKJPeeXfQLxOGw1vPDcCSR-bjnppY8mlxxvzbnQ6k38cC84_cZLdLCeyfStOzqP_XJLphY2-DyE2SPuLNChB7Qp9D_DNE4QJAswENiuXU3/s1600/IMG_4028.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PLlzNb0ZS5fwyIuIGJNAdlHyt8DmMPnPRQJKJPeeXfQLxOGw1vPDcCSR-bjnppY8mlxxvzbnQ6k38cC84_cZLdLCeyfStOzqP_XJLphY2-DyE2SPuLNChB7Qp9D_DNE4QJAswENiuXU3/s200/IMG_4028.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605565491672378242" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfD01WUWBb0wMHewtCeJEYof3c3qYdE42KhEPXUHowrDXDHyB451OGG8kfUHDEyQVuqR887P9CVDkmL665Re1hUSMk7g4rVDbuDq3cWhGwQLvEeH1csdqSUxzDcKYEJkEcIGOFXb7rEqm/s1600/IMG_4018.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfD01WUWBb0wMHewtCeJEYof3c3qYdE42KhEPXUHowrDXDHyB451OGG8kfUHDEyQVuqR887P9CVDkmL665Re1hUSMk7g4rVDbuDq3cWhGwQLvEeH1csdqSUxzDcKYEJkEcIGOFXb7rEqm/s200/IMG_4018.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605565961864738562" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0L4Q86aaqoTLbnWUGBVBsRyjc2QKyjxOeAjy5o0yApUo-Jh8h1klnFyOR16oJ4aAUCCuIkBC5Ze5t-A4kvAA7Oj-RSo8FS3Scze_OkmvYAZOPLzZspavAzYnPG6B4JguD3DIJsPHA5tF/s1600/P1170394.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0L4Q86aaqoTLbnWUGBVBsRyjc2QKyjxOeAjy5o0yApUo-Jh8h1klnFyOR16oJ4aAUCCuIkBC5Ze5t-A4kvAA7Oj-RSo8FS3Scze_OkmvYAZOPLzZspavAzYnPG6B4JguD3DIJsPHA5tF/s200/P1170394.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605566536509907730" /></a>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.<br /> <br />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.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsEgLJ3VCIouBTIURy1gigqTpr914WBcqQYytTk-2T5qdtD3bt5pghSM7Tp4nv6uhNs_pwg8TqkpplWtZx_i8RlH6pX9IHAbeOkVEJgGZh1JN2eFKVOWOLXh0i_AkcCiZEJdpYfSrAtpi/s1600/IMG_4096.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsEgLJ3VCIouBTIURy1gigqTpr914WBcqQYytTk-2T5qdtD3bt5pghSM7Tp4nv6uhNs_pwg8TqkpplWtZx_i8RlH6pX9IHAbeOkVEJgGZh1JN2eFKVOWOLXh0i_AkcCiZEJdpYfSrAtpi/s200/IMG_4096.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605566914782549090" /></a>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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL-haO7HCYscFuoNYzQxnymK3Q9J8Nw1xW9RNlAtwszr3y1_34TbMcOyc_E1jA2moaeMK6E8afMXJM0ulRPn7phC93pRPuXcx5vvx33Vti_1FonvxDx_sSwOjqgF42_1W8gtaMGAaZTDd/s1600/IMG_4055.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL-haO7HCYscFuoNYzQxnymK3Q9J8Nw1xW9RNlAtwszr3y1_34TbMcOyc_E1jA2moaeMK6E8afMXJM0ulRPn7phC93pRPuXcx5vvx33Vti_1FonvxDx_sSwOjqgF42_1W8gtaMGAaZTDd/s200/IMG_4055.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605567635781863106" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpawzxnfkZ_tDPLWQF0MygkEK0VRBPiHVV_hsMXLaejOtrhFpmIRjBVnuHaCCnsbi-vJ6nzTuJErhlXd9SKs6g0PgqG8Rpqf5xsuNfyUTXk6yS_miTAdx4eO5LH8COuiNCFE2RsZYRlRL/s1600/P1170401.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpawzxnfkZ_tDPLWQF0MygkEK0VRBPiHVV_hsMXLaejOtrhFpmIRjBVnuHaCCnsbi-vJ6nzTuJErhlXd9SKs6g0PgqG8Rpqf5xsuNfyUTXk6yS_miTAdx4eO5LH8COuiNCFE2RsZYRlRL/s200/P1170401.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605573615690716466" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUOPnIG2zvFxyzg13J0TepniVMFvc7RfybRu-C5CZ7SELNQCSV0rdRwHVDSmEZPwgZ7NlFEc2r6nCDw-vpVLdcawcGZM4oQrtEKsnPLXXPvcNimdz5EsiY0uyYznlHbMaeVcwGMuSSRwN/s1600/IMG_4118.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUOPnIG2zvFxyzg13J0TepniVMFvc7RfybRu-C5CZ7SELNQCSV0rdRwHVDSmEZPwgZ7NlFEc2r6nCDw-vpVLdcawcGZM4oQrtEKsnPLXXPvcNimdz5EsiY0uyYznlHbMaeVcwGMuSSRwN/s200/IMG_4118.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605568184990808466" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjESIxFS-XXJs8nfYFekhDQvMHkGRv0a5QXK1zAAiJS132ybatSTVCgtGgHnMnLhpfMyJ6zHSuW1ywbge2C1yOVFsh3Rt7L_UfSvtXDjoGkWjkiefwyoMFhGw1Of_vIK7XHUlD7YZEYl2/s1600/P1170384.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjESIxFS-XXJs8nfYFekhDQvMHkGRv0a5QXK1zAAiJS132ybatSTVCgtGgHnMnLhpfMyJ6zHSuW1ywbge2C1yOVFsh3Rt7L_UfSvtXDjoGkWjkiefwyoMFhGw1Of_vIK7XHUlD7YZEYl2/s200/P1170384.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605573854086017810" /></a>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?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-54169521719160049042011-04-26T17:26:00.000-07:002011-04-26T18:17:47.662-07:00Day 4 in El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfbcq27kGtXWIfcamjCVxY_-q4rGgmNwlBtcsFxn1qdzWilComC2oJRB2gAowbhaXD5ZZd461y90I3G02UdmgukaEYVM5Rc7nIok1WwPe9MlcS0z_8nWVv8SZVOB-w_PvHoodcwOQEl9_/s1600/IMG_3938.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfbcq27kGtXWIfcamjCVxY_-q4rGgmNwlBtcsFxn1qdzWilComC2oJRB2gAowbhaXD5ZZd461y90I3G02UdmgukaEYVM5Rc7nIok1WwPe9MlcS0z_8nWVv8SZVOB-w_PvHoodcwOQEl9_/s200/IMG_3938.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600062640418779394" /></a><b>Visiting Nueva Esperanza<br /></b>Today we visited a community of resettled Salvadoran refugees in the Lower Lempa region. It means a great deal to Chava that these women are living a religious life and are regarded as nuns to all those around them when they are not under the umbrella of the official catholic church. Essentially they felt called to do what they do and they didn’t wait to receive approval or direct orders.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Soledad, the woman who spoke first was a member of the community who lived through it all and was here to share her story.<br /><br />Hermana Noemi is a member of the Pequenia Communidad, who were 4 women that felt called by the Holy Spirit to not be teachers to the rich and instead reached out to those suffering. They found each other and their parents didn’t approve of the lives they felt called to. They invited Padre Pedro to teach them about the Bible, Mianmi (I am very confident that my spelling is wrong) and the Vatican ii. One note I want to include is that Chava is very passionate about closing the Clergy, Laity divide. She is all about us being equal, which is a theme we see throughout El Salvador!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IbmnjrxUv4YgxWYNzPPslPngdyDV8vVQX_r-Krj1CeWjVQZTc1aoC1D0vghn7L5Vd09P2oEs0pHYea0xSNkWZSP5g5sSQmIPndgZR7Qx2qM9ilfxrH8G-7kmMRN3NIt7aUOLl1jwq4S_/s1600/100_0147.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IbmnjrxUv4YgxWYNzPPslPngdyDV8vVQX_r-Krj1CeWjVQZTc1aoC1D0vghn7L5Vd09P2oEs0pHYea0xSNkWZSP5g5sSQmIPndgZR7Qx2qM9ilfxrH8G-7kmMRN3NIt7aUOLl1jwq4S_/s200/100_0147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600065034376653282" /></a>Soledad is the main person I heard from. They just celebrated their 25th anniversary of them returning to their land. During the war between the rebels and the military, the soldiers put up a sign by their barracks that read, “Scorched Earth Plan”. Most of the people were peasants and couldn’t read. A man visited and told them the plan was to put an end to all the people on the country side. The military was going to eliminate all people and animals from that entire area. Large military vehicles began driving around the country side and murdered countless people. At the time, there were very few guerillas on the countryside, most of them were in the mountains. On Soledad’s mother’s side, 50 people were executed at the Sumpul River Massacre. The people talked to the Bishop hoping to find a place to survive and find sanctuary. He told them that all the large Parishes were full but there was room at a small faith community in San Roque. There was a basement at the parish where 400 Salvadorans hid from the military who was going to kill them all. The only belongings they had were the clothes on their backs.<br /><br />At the time of the massacre, Soledad was giving birth and was able to leave on a bus. At the parish there was only one bathroom and one faucet. All of the families had small children. Soledad had a 4-year-old boy, a 2-year-old boy and a new born girl! There was no food. They cried alongside their children while the military surrounded the parish with death squads. Slowly the members of the parish brought them food and a gas stove. Candies and food were given to the children. Bathing was a giant obstacle because there was so little water.<br /><br />One evening at 1am the military performed a raid on the tiny parish. During the night there was a problem with the toilet and it had started to overflow. The people were moving around trying to fix the problem and the military was alerted to the activity thinking they were training guerillas. During the raid they were able to continue hiding themselves. Other problems included typhoid and measles spreading amongst the youth. Blindness also afflicted a number of the children since there was no sunlight for them to see!<br /><br />After six months some soldiers from England came. Their second in command said it was the worst refugee camp he had ever seen. He offered England as sanctuary but they said it was too far. The soldier from England secured them sanctuary in Nicaragua, he made arrangements for them to fly and even paid out of his own money to make it happen! This man went on all four plane trips to make sure all the people were safe. After eight months of living inside a refugee camp in Nicaragua, the people began to ask, “What are we going to eat?”. They had grown tired of the military rations and had a desire to work. The following caught my attention because I have a love of agriculture. These refugees in Nicaragua decided to develop a farming co-op. They were all women and knew nothing about taking a machete into the field. For nine years they worked the land in Nicaragua without any sign that the war was going to end.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGtl3V4aXULWXtUwrQT_ZUT6gW648Ird37crneGoc1Ii0u8e1JB5VQlyfcbGT-DGpp_mmfEvneUUPuz4wvUpVqMINRpnF7Bq9OP2wXTvOkaTQ_xisWLEIwFQDWQcD_HTYS-RslVMEGX03/s1600/100_0150.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGtl3V4aXULWXtUwrQT_ZUT6gW648Ird37crneGoc1Ii0u8e1JB5VQlyfcbGT-DGpp_mmfEvneUUPuz4wvUpVqMINRpnF7Bq9OP2wXTvOkaTQ_xisWLEIwFQDWQcD_HTYS-RslVMEGX03/s200/100_0150.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600065201770131762" /></a>On March 20, 1991 the women of El Salvador finally returned to their homes. After flying in, they were escorted in secret to keep their entrance a secret. Some Christian based communities were waiting outside the fence chanting to have them released. My notes become a bit confusing, probably because I was paying particularly good attention to what we were being told. What I do remember is that these people had to sneak in and that they were followed very closely. Once they were in El Salvador they celebrated mass in Santa Ana. Afterwards the women chose to stay together since they felt like family. Together they drove back to the land they had been kicked off. The military used machine guns to shoot out their tires. The women got out of their vehicles and passionately approached the soldiers saying, “Senores, we are NOT taking one step back”. These wild and brave women pushed the barricade out of their way; that day 320 women walked passed 600 armed and threatening soldiers. After the Peace Accords were signed January 16, 1992 the women of La Pequenia Comunidad were able to breathe easier. 54 homes were sponsored for construction by the Canadian ambassador. The first 10 homes were built for the families with the youngest children. As time passed they built a kindergarten through middle school, a computer center and a high school!<br /><br />Today there is a health clinic in their community that helps assist the people of La Pequenia Comunidad. After we spoke with Soledad, we were introduced to Don Pilar. He gave us some background on the co-op. It was founded in 1993, there are 101 members; 55 women are members there are 138 families involved. There are 980 acres for them to work. They care for 35 cows, 130 acres of sugar cane, 49 acres of coconut trees, 35 acres of cashews. Lemon trees and mango trees are also grown. 100 pounds of cashews are sold to a processing plant in San Nicolas for $25. The milk is used to produce cheese, sour cream and other cheeses.<br /><br />Some interesting facts about the farm is that the land had to be worked by hand in the beginning with men working alongside women. Members of the co-op are given pieces of land that they can farm themselves for extra money. Compensation corresponds to the amount of time they work on the public land. They have leaders in the community, but major decisions are made by popular vote.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDYNYN3AqZljE8fDTBhGp5VDEnPLYV2QABuCFU3VL9sHKR-8YP23lqNmq_Sz7b8-grC3zH-i22NIMJaHUhgAgXt_-buxu_CW2Zk2b1ZRxlyxauVZ-BOLmflTRtHNwus_mXHkRrMR7Ra0x/s1600/IMG_3904.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDYNYN3AqZljE8fDTBhGp5VDEnPLYV2QABuCFU3VL9sHKR-8YP23lqNmq_Sz7b8-grC3zH-i22NIMJaHUhgAgXt_-buxu_CW2Zk2b1ZRxlyxauVZ-BOLmflTRtHNwus_mXHkRrMR7Ra0x/s200/IMG_3904.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600065355257454322" /></a>Sister Noimi was one of the original four women that banded together to serve the women of Nuevo Esperanza. She graciously began telling us her story by describing how she and the three other women were raised in Christian homes. As they were growing during their teens, the women discussed with one another how they wanted to live their lives differently then everyone else around them. The catalyst that held them together was their passion to serve women and they saw an opportunity to live an alternative to the consecrated life. After earning a secretarial degree, Noimi decided she wanted to pursue a life focused on spirituality. During this time a Danish Priest began teaching them and the women helped him learn Spanish. Slowly, these special four began developing a heart for evangelism and as they reflected on their lives they began asking questions of the trajectory they would take together. One option was to become teachers for the wealthy children, but they quickly decided that they wanted nothing to do with that option.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDtvGgiIKH8zs0_tp-f0gdyKnqMhldoCyoNS6NZAqvxV7C_3TYTzEXiyLANULOmsasT-whjOhhEpIaZzcZtEosVV1V7ZD5c0UI0z9F3JTvtl3ld6tLDaSNfRqQ7Mn26qvWUJ0EHjol5PJ/s1600/IMG_3927.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDtvGgiIKH8zs0_tp-f0gdyKnqMhldoCyoNS6NZAqvxV7C_3TYTzEXiyLANULOmsasT-whjOhhEpIaZzcZtEosVV1V7ZD5c0UI0z9F3JTvtl3ld6tLDaSNfRqQ7Mn26qvWUJ0EHjol5PJ/s200/IMG_3927.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600065581754721586" /></a>They may not have had a clear idea of what they wanted to do, but the sisters knew they wanted to serve the poor and to live a life of community. For 25 years they reached out to the people living in the margins of San Salvador. During the way, the exiled people began returning and the four women asked, “how will we support them?” Sister Noimi gave herself to help the people returning from Nicaragua and Honduras. The first thing Noimi worked towards was finding the people land to live on and she successfully found them 5,000 acres that they could live on and work. It’s important to point out that it is incredibly difficult and rare for the people of El Salvador to support themselves with jobs in their country. There simply isn’t enough money and opportunity for it to work. The co-op that the people formed is incredibly successful because individuals don’t own it and they can’t sell it if times are tough.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_H24b7FGqzvs3meVnNDGCggfheygiev6TswYrBnFycV3AeHAiK1Gk3dX9dmmQyTybwOIfXwPMESXIRQ-dT9pJZ02bN4lj7Ydk6iYx2Z3jdL2-XOj1g2Tcbj7h91hSzpAZq1noJ1zn2Am4/s1600/P1170325.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_H24b7FGqzvs3meVnNDGCggfheygiev6TswYrBnFycV3AeHAiK1Gk3dX9dmmQyTybwOIfXwPMESXIRQ-dT9pJZ02bN4lj7Ydk6iYx2Z3jdL2-XOj1g2Tcbj7h91hSzpAZq1noJ1zn2Am4/s200/P1170325.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600065770187216258" /></a>Today all these people and their families have roofs over their heads and have been able to educate their children on their own without help from the government. What struck me the most from this entire day was that Sister Noimi is growing more concerned that her people will become too comfortable in their current situation. She told us that you no longer need an army to control people, you just need media that is good enough to put everyone to sleep. Noimi told us that it is important for the elders to re-tell their story so they always remember who they are and where they came from. I asked Sister Noimi how the components of their community spread and she described how a political project is needed to change the system. She described how we need to feed incarnate faith and how it is incredibly difficult. “They worship God with their hand in the air and not with their feet on the ground.” Their concern is to not pound people over the head with tradition and the Bible, but to struggle and walk with the people around them.<br /><br />During our reflection of the day I discussed how amazing it is that a woman who had suffered as much as Sister Noimi would be concerned that her people were becoming too comfortable. Is it possible that we as Americans should mourn our own complacency? I’m reminded of my conversations with twenty-somethings who have described how they too have heard the gentle whisper of America to solely pursue safety and comfort and have wondered if there is something more that they can do with their short time in existence. Another interesting thought is that God does desire for us to be safe and comfortable, but we get in the way by creating that safety and comfort for ourselves.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-38661858104686979212011-04-11T19:08:00.000-07:002011-04-11T20:12:42.859-07:00Day 3 in El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzX3aYEBMVRrK0PCyHfnyLLY0pa3ZJ8pZTN_eR7yRhmghaX6jUW-f6XtUGMDnH0Of4qEPlF_poaW5H9xFyXNZUXZIb-rH6bqhwKT7k-dCWBa_y1QgLlct8nHZDKNSCBiMatVLrmBDxc8y/s1600/100_0139.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzX3aYEBMVRrK0PCyHfnyLLY0pa3ZJ8pZTN_eR7yRhmghaX6jUW-f6XtUGMDnH0Of4qEPlF_poaW5H9xFyXNZUXZIb-rH6bqhwKT7k-dCWBa_y1QgLlct8nHZDKNSCBiMatVLrmBDxc8y/s200/100_0139.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594518775708316594" /></a><b>San Salvador</b><br />On November 16, 1989 six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and her daughter's lives were taken by the Salvadoran military. This travesty occurred on the campus of the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador. The Jesuits were targeted for speaking out against the oppressive socioeconomic structure of the Salvadoran society. The lives of these priests were taken for their steadfast defense of the poor. On this day we honored their memory by visiting UCA. As visitors we visited the garden where the priests were martyred. We heard stories about how many people’s lives were taken and there was no one recording the deaths. Photographs were taken of their bodies and the entire scene so the government could not cover up the death of the priests. Those photos are preserved at the school. Oscar Romero was shot in the heart for his love of the poor. The priests were shot in the head for their intelligence. There is a small museum dedicated to their lives where you can see the blood-stained clothes they wore and see the pictures of their deaths. Turning the pages of those albums is very difficult. During the military’s raid of the school, they used napalm to burn a picture of Oscar Romero and shot the painting through the heart, just as Romero was.<br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYecru804Pg71IO3XGdw8q4oTfW-eunTpNwFEmwwlyIXeQIADP0RNWkxLwFt1rk6L3ZaahwBVzBbcFdHEvYCXoZgF9au-IZnDccafS3_uoYmbN_pJWPEfy75VNEx59dG1FhkERDt2fLWvv/s1600/IMG_3810.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYecru804Pg71IO3XGdw8q4oTfW-eunTpNwFEmwwlyIXeQIADP0RNWkxLwFt1rk6L3ZaahwBVzBbcFdHEvYCXoZgF9au-IZnDccafS3_uoYmbN_pJWPEfy75VNEx59dG1FhkERDt2fLWvv/s200/IMG_3810.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594521205829551010" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaExUUioin67ljQzYk5fM3SAsNE4Vrpe8AM1vtuz_hfrNjTnRCtMI5NOf-LqCWCnr33dyR89jC9NbHDLoveaga-G-nD_bRwqNoEb9gnW03WfaSya4JJGhPnf3eZTg3XOtSvg2bcQQYuRJ/s1600/IMG_3819.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaExUUioin67ljQzYk5fM3SAsNE4Vrpe8AM1vtuz_hfrNjTnRCtMI5NOf-LqCWCnr33dyR89jC9NbHDLoveaga-G-nD_bRwqNoEb9gnW03WfaSya4JJGhPnf3eZTg3XOtSvg2bcQQYuRJ/s200/IMG_3819.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594521362878798290" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c5yjhVZ6wCvY-Fbj6T8YofJYZhJdBe9PTMtqR_5a7P72D6w6VFjUUSquCyI5Hud0rM1gjrEKryftDYFbeH8VNlXoJESFtmWvIRqkUUz38p4X-mm7Vw2uLE6f2SLVbV86FgMBjJ2WmUd4/s1600/IMG_3829.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c5yjhVZ6wCvY-Fbj6T8YofJYZhJdBe9PTMtqR_5a7P72D6w6VFjUUSquCyI5Hud0rM1gjrEKryftDYFbeH8VNlXoJESFtmWvIRqkUUz38p4X-mm7Vw2uLE6f2SLVbV86FgMBjJ2WmUd4/s200/IMG_3829.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594521476888243090" /></a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf65XQRoW8fBnx9bYDvKPa2SgumnvarhAgmQBAbddiqbTowAfcOyPR8_Jp4gvBW5SQQ_PyoqKn8PpHl1AI3I-2IJuhyphenhyphenmjjaBAfJmCi9Vfw26QAcdR0m4djSjxXpi82ARj5Lf3ZsgVgTA_/s1600/P1170214.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf65XQRoW8fBnx9bYDvKPa2SgumnvarhAgmQBAbddiqbTowAfcOyPR8_Jp4gvBW5SQQ_PyoqKn8PpHl1AI3I-2IJuhyphenhyphenmjjaBAfJmCi9Vfw26QAcdR0m4djSjxXpi82ARj5Lf3ZsgVgTA_/s200/P1170214.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594523406411033538" /></a>After visiting the museum, we met Soyapa Perez who is a feminist theologian and is in charge of the extension school that educates lay-people. This school is mostly attended by women. Soyapa discussed how the school invites people with any beliefs and thoughts. There is a plurality in the theology department and nothing is prohibited. All focuses are optional but Liberation Theology is emphasized. Each program teaches national reality. For liberation theology to be relevant, the faces of the oppressed must be seen. Soyapa is passionate that the paradigm of liberation theology includes everyone. One fear of hers is that as students pursue different theologies, they will forget what has happened and what shaped who the students are. Everyone we spoke to described a fear that they young people would forget what happened to the older generations. At UCA there has always been students with different Christian backgrounds from all over the globe. We shouldn’t ask the question, “is the Church founded on Jesus” but “what should the Church be like if it is founded on Jesus”. She says that we should not be focused on the Church, but focused on the Kingdom! “Another Church is possible” is a quote that deeply moves Soyapa.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />The UCA is based on the needs of the people. Chava briefly spoke about how we the Church should not be focused on power and money which are common trappings. She described how it is most important that we focus on love and community. Students are taught that each problem of the people is something to be done by the lay-people. Following their focus of the needs of the people, the UCA even spends time educating their students about raising children. They want to see their students thrive as local leaders in their communities. Soyapa is troubled that sometimes lay-people spend years working and developing relationships, opening people’s minds to the community around them and building the kingdom. However once a priest shows up they will begin saying “yes father” and all the authority will be placed upon those masculine shoulders. This is indeed a traumatic problem facing the Church today.<br />Barrett asked our new friend how one works toward this utopian vision. Soyapa described that the inspiration stirs from the depths of primitive Christianity. A inclusive Church that includes everyone and serves is what our speaker dreams of. She tells us that we must see each other as equals. “Neither Greek, nor Jew, nor woman, nor man. We must see each other as equals. We are all equal in baptism.” Soyapa offers the possibility that Jesus was the last prophet as the fulfillment of prophecy. Is it possible that in the new covenant all followers of Jesus are considered prophets? “Christianity has become more Greek today, we need to liberate theology” says Soyapa. She says that we have rationalized Christianity the same way the Greeks did. They thought to believe you had to understand and come to conclusions that fit what they believed. We have put the Gospel back on the shelf and said it is too crazy and radical to live today. Our teacher says that if the early Christians could do it, then so can we.<br />Our time with Soyapa ended with a small discussion between her and Chava. “You need to believe in the poor which is not characteristic of leaders” said our female Priest. She continued to explain that most people want a theology with no problems. Liberation theology is different. The government wanted the poor to be docile and quiet, added Soyapa. She continued to explain that “those ideas were the same with white racism before Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The Gospel is not associated with the white person or those with power, it is looking from the cross. That’s the perspective of Jesus. Whenever you question values and try to move against the grain, it’s always painful and difficult.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9eKey-G8krTxSNv-xm_HdLHDgU5_uGpQTqOYp6yHtQirvObvfVbMeb4y9MPHMFMnUWXKc-9hZ-kwG4tPXNDHukPnus1LdjraAp_vuTuMinJZaqFtOWUwTpHhY-IFUtMgWmNpJr4d3HyX/s1600/P1170277.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9eKey-G8krTxSNv-xm_HdLHDgU5_uGpQTqOYp6yHtQirvObvfVbMeb4y9MPHMFMnUWXKc-9hZ-kwG4tPXNDHukPnus1LdjraAp_vuTuMinJZaqFtOWUwTpHhY-IFUtMgWmNpJr4d3HyX/s200/P1170277.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594524073024098114" /></a>After meeting with Soyopa we traveled to Maria Madres de los Pobres, a urban parish with a long history of work with people on the margins of society. This Parish began serving the community by taking in the children of single mothers and offering daycare. Next the developed a health clinic followed by a primary school up to third grade. Today they are able to welcome children from greater distances, there is a library, the communities’ elderly are invited during afternoon and community banks are helping to give small loans to locals who are working to get out of poverty. These banks are even self-sustainable!<br />While we visited the parish a young man named Danny translated for us and gave us a tour. Our first stop was to visit a small group of students, they performed a dance for us and showed us some of their crafts! Afterwards we visited the elderly who were exercising and working on some crafts. During the tour of the neighborhood we were told that this would be the most under-resourced area we will see of El Salvador. If you have traveled to any third-world countries and visited a slum, then these photos will look very familiar to you. As I looked into the distance I saw these red dishes on many of the metal shacks and asked Danny what they were. He informed me that they were satellite dishes for cable. “Cable in the slums!?” I exclaimed. He informed us that roughly one third of all money in the hands of the citizens of El Salvador comes from America. Even more odd is the statistic that says one third of all people born in El Salvador are living in the USA. Almost everyone in El Salvador has a family member in America who is sending money to their family in central America. It is also somewhat shocking to understand that this is a country separate from the USA, however their currency is the American dollar. The Salvadorans don’t even have their own money.<br />During our reflection in the evening Eli asked us who was the person we met that we had a connection to and helped motivate us to actively “live” our faith. Perhaps this is a good question for you to entertain.<br /><br /><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbYD11hWk-0TfADG1YcR5X-OmFHXk50qpuR4ae5WfN4IkOiU8q_ePs0zgyuYGs0sjdZpR-QPmEVFL2f2xhUPkjTvLoTrbINsvLv1AcqvEjs47oKOCdWX5_hCH5Xa28aCFPe1envJoBD3F/s1600/IMG_3843.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbYD11hWk-0TfADG1YcR5X-OmFHXk50qpuR4ae5WfN4IkOiU8q_ePs0zgyuYGs0sjdZpR-QPmEVFL2f2xhUPkjTvLoTrbINsvLv1AcqvEjs47oKOCdWX5_hCH5Xa28aCFPe1envJoBD3F/s200/IMG_3843.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594525038893537170" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ-9eME5VJin170b-_-STA9e9yFdeMRJgnG1wXD8HbQlS_5jB2Nq5RW83EudMj7kK6MqLR9seDcRaIb8PiIL5AFKvpnVTe5NgV7taextbWWHB7LfwNcO0gEAj_r9L15RkrZFszsFZWpZY/s1600/IMG_0084.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ-9eME5VJin170b-_-STA9e9yFdeMRJgnG1wXD8HbQlS_5jB2Nq5RW83EudMj7kK6MqLR9seDcRaIb8PiIL5AFKvpnVTe5NgV7taextbWWHB7LfwNcO0gEAj_r9L15RkrZFszsFZWpZY/s200/IMG_0084.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594525033048223378" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5HrRckaf2CVEdFejZukctIZv2hHRbPcf7D3smjGznLnbjlwvfSYJO-qw3E6qax9R2tRBPPh3F3H3If1oSnxSpMaWoiQthuKuqurn2PxBm8wIBY47usYr8rRJjJRnLntBPMFd9BQosbLl/s1600/IMG_0087.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5HrRckaf2CVEdFejZukctIZv2hHRbPcf7D3smjGznLnbjlwvfSYJO-qw3E6qax9R2tRBPPh3F3H3If1oSnxSpMaWoiQthuKuqurn2PxBm8wIBY47usYr8rRJjJRnLntBPMFd9BQosbLl/s200/IMG_0087.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594525027357135410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UlBFLsrSHRI3_DLGmec-No4PG4-m2YplR4qZH0sr0LXycYxN-j6gqUaK_8Zp5o4fjm6W19W9i7ZjAXyVv0Ch_XarytzfgrNKSq3wSZzVzkZBEaCuZ6zqJrct2_MUWe-0zvNl2CghFtk-/s1600/IMG_3869.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UlBFLsrSHRI3_DLGmec-No4PG4-m2YplR4qZH0sr0LXycYxN-j6gqUaK_8Zp5o4fjm6W19W9i7ZjAXyVv0Ch_XarytzfgrNKSq3wSZzVzkZBEaCuZ6zqJrct2_MUWe-0zvNl2CghFtk-/s200/IMG_3869.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594526206588098162" /></a><br /></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bM8v5cOlf3iqeNmxZSZaUssyr9qt1H89RjHtLDN2HgJ9L1vHFDCXpgSyCXEvNBIGmAyVMdfRKIkz9ufuZp4IKIgLd85ZX9RZolHDe81HFO_9j9M_rPQ1985Ci8NiDvUvyfjKXDytg-1Q/s1600/IMG_3885.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bM8v5cOlf3iqeNmxZSZaUssyr9qt1H89RjHtLDN2HgJ9L1vHFDCXpgSyCXEvNBIGmAyVMdfRKIkz9ufuZp4IKIgLd85ZX9RZolHDe81HFO_9j9M_rPQ1985Ci8NiDvUvyfjKXDytg-1Q/s200/IMG_3885.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594526421963121842" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wXjcT9k-PROuAgZe7LtfKCbPGsB7jvVSPRSqwcckbgYJTvUni_ECfb16kIRq5EUMP5iJFOrPbX8nZRwdGFGwN5xi-WAUB_ACOo6c_huaUpH3vXzFY8C1zo3Wk9ARY2oEMob_7BwWPhxN/s1600/P1170283.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wXjcT9k-PROuAgZe7LtfKCbPGsB7jvVSPRSqwcckbgYJTvUni_ECfb16kIRq5EUMP5iJFOrPbX8nZRwdGFGwN5xi-WAUB_ACOo6c_huaUpH3vXzFY8C1zo3Wk9ARY2oEMob_7BwWPhxN/s200/P1170283.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594526622365055426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0CWqDhRPUILn73j5CccM0nX5rqvSJyBGQShcTTb-jvHs0vTICiJu76jGRA5ciDAul73n1Uv14OJcOYFMab4BKdnHXfYVcT82tGkT8Hj7qvQaLSDzRo6K6jBb3gim_wVh0qpB4Zmsf_-U/s1600/P1170291.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0CWqDhRPUILn73j5CccM0nX5rqvSJyBGQShcTTb-jvHs0vTICiJu76jGRA5ciDAul73n1Uv14OJcOYFMab4BKdnHXfYVcT82tGkT8Hj7qvQaLSDzRo6K6jBb3gim_wVh0qpB4Zmsf_-U/s200/P1170291.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594526849113762642" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1l05f_vY46idvF_u42EtoWx-9s8Lgvm-uJIKGzjJ7KH0ETGf_qEfyiV6m2cnXMe_HkK3-leA8HebVX5gnADCBMrEBS88xNauKjHopIdrOjEWQrTq-2OrvMI4F2Gg6Tut8jZoRg3xhiiC/s1600/P1170303.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1l05f_vY46idvF_u42EtoWx-9s8Lgvm-uJIKGzjJ7KH0ETGf_qEfyiV6m2cnXMe_HkK3-leA8HebVX5gnADCBMrEBS88xNauKjHopIdrOjEWQrTq-2OrvMI4F2Gg6Tut8jZoRg3xhiiC/s200/P1170303.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594527094059167954" /></a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-36767386119656833502011-04-03T21:03:00.000-07:002011-04-12T20:14:48.105-07:00Day 2 in El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfb36q_fraxZX4dXXUiIhPtTJUrgp2Z47y5ZsUJUEaggLxxDSY6J0AB_xUNaRSbwJTUvQfJw_EtviHdrBGb4aNAdk57fFyzEygFRJXLDt7JL7k3q5b8kcf3OjhtT9-I_OVpmR_punuHfw/s1600/P1170108.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfb36q_fraxZX4dXXUiIhPtTJUrgp2Z47y5ZsUJUEaggLxxDSY6J0AB_xUNaRSbwJTUvQfJw_EtviHdrBGb4aNAdk57fFyzEygFRJXLDt7JL7k3q5b8kcf3OjhtT9-I_OVpmR_punuHfw/s200/P1170108.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594886239540687138" /></a>At 8am we began our day by sharing breakfast with our host family. This consisted of chicken tamales, sweet bread and orange juice. Sleeping was somewhat challenging because you can clearly hear all of the street noise, if you come here I highly recommend ear plugs! At 9am we drove to Shekinah where we enjoyed their faith gathering. The music was spectacular. I even managed to record one hymn that they had added drums to, and I have to say, they totally breathed new life into what can feel like aging songs. One interesting moment was after announcements where everyone got up and said hi to each other and gave wonderful hugs to all of us! It was so unique to spend the time hugging every single person in the room.
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<br />After the gathering our team was invited outside to share in a conversation about the history of their community. It was a fascinating story beginning with a dream. The women of the group all felt that they were equal with women and wanted to belong to a group that agreed. Unfortunately in many Christian circles women are seen as people who should be quiet and allow the men to control things. The women of Shekinah dreamed of a gathering where their voices could be heard and their leadership could be encouraged, they wanted their children to to have more interaction with the adults and they longed for a gathering that wasn’t so structured so that they could allow the Spirit to move and to leave room for their friendships. This led to many discussions at their early community of faith and later led to a painful separation. The women of the group told us that there are no bitter feelings when they see their old friends. They smile and hug one another but share a deep sorrow that they are no longer close like they once were.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6Ye8OVsWFEv_CZGe7tpWtfj5O2n4iu8ZAd0GwkPrpz-R24Vd1TZ7z7ElbHOPRIuglfmcJqvz6mYItycuoFa_d2J6Zv1OmfzfCngdyqgF3sVrJIpIcNHaREvufb0Uf_58ij_74s2PxvAy/s1600/IMG_3688.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6Ye8OVsWFEv_CZGe7tpWtfj5O2n4iu8ZAd0GwkPrpz-R24Vd1TZ7z7ElbHOPRIuglfmcJqvz6mYItycuoFa_d2J6Zv1OmfzfCngdyqgF3sVrJIpIcNHaREvufb0Uf_58ij_74s2PxvAy/s200/IMG_3688.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594886594622082306" /></a>During the conversation Ruth, the pastor, and others told stories about how they began in a living room and the children ran all around during their services. This freedom and closeness allowed them to feel like family. Something resonates inside me as I reflect on the letters of the early church and how they were a family who cared for one another.
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<br /></div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJHAf3L_BUuZ2DMAPhE-qnQ8St-lFFHMUKZonWBOguiwKSmK05oo04fUGwmmBCZiQBDaiBHPBXyx9B4_oKy0xPt9HqtLWSWIgVqNSfjxBj50L8BA_yhTLEn1kA64d85Z9dl2kCkxfcL2D/s1600/IMG_3687.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJHAf3L_BUuZ2DMAPhE-qnQ8St-lFFHMUKZonWBOguiwKSmK05oo04fUGwmmBCZiQBDaiBHPBXyx9B4_oKy0xPt9HqtLWSWIgVqNSfjxBj50L8BA_yhTLEn1kA64d85Z9dl2kCkxfcL2D/s200/IMG_3687.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594888304357983346" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a><div>Today Shekinah is 19 years old and those young children are now in their early 20’s. Something unique about this group of people is their passion for one another and the fact that after all these years they are all still committed to one another. Ron discussed with us about how most teens in America do not attend the original gathering of believers that they attended as children. Now they meet in a beautiful facility that is in process of becoming something like a community center.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJHAf3L_BUuZ2DMAPhE-qnQ8St-lFFHMUKZonWBOguiwKSmK05oo04fUGwmmBCZiQBDaiBHPBXyx9B4_oKy0xPt9HqtLWSWIgVqNSfjxBj50L8BA_yhTLEn1kA64d85Z9dl2kCkxfcL2D/s1600/IMG_3687.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtvDqoyhSt8cnETWvqB_9NEuUvZliuJM7NMhycti8OW1QrG8oh_w8mh1Uooi6hRL8tefdSTie4P2Ja4yoVaG7TdIEQV1SO-KXbaecBjWWIJ3KhfTBNI2ByEsJij8W4rxGJSQ_iB9u6VkA/s200/IMG_0010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594887767524785298" /></a><div>Pizza Hut was our destination for lunch! The honest truth is that El Salvador's Pizza Hut shames America's! Their food was infinitely better.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEae2sH9PHqwsLoAhYLmaAoK9Iq-sEWTg_pMTmPTtQoAFY1RpEZIG2lw9ZUcVkUFhyfFu_aQ_BkrAjZ7CGnMEanf9gd0Ng-TGx4aSvLnq5837tlgn_jIXb3_eaI18WmgUZmnFXaz_imUvA/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEae2sH9PHqwsLoAhYLmaAoK9Iq-sEWTg_pMTmPTtQoAFY1RpEZIG2lw9ZUcVkUFhyfFu_aQ_BkrAjZ7CGnMEanf9gd0Ng-TGx4aSvLnq5837tlgn_jIXb3_eaI18WmgUZmnFXaz_imUvA/s200/IMG_0017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594887383811116258" /></a>After our conversation we went on a tour of some ruins that are around Santa Ana and then traveled back to Shekinah where we shared a time of reflection. My reflection was about how wonderful it was that a group of people were willing to step into the unknown in order to live out the truth that they had heard God whisper to them. I talked about how excited I was that a group of people heard a truth that very few in America are willing to listen to.
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<br />Eli was touched by Yani speaking and almost crying during the conversation with the members of Shekinah. He was loving how the people of different generations were all taking on roles in the community. Eli was also encouraged that as the people of Shekinah lived out their faith, it brought them closer and closer to the poor.
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<br />Barrett loved the stories that Ruth pointed out from their life together as Shekinah and was touched by how they told the youth, “This is who we were”. His faith community is made up of people who live on the fringes of society and are transient in his life. Once people get off the streets they tend to stop coming because they don’t want to be reminded of where they were. Barrett was particularly touched that the people speaking had shared a life together of 19 years and even their children were a part of that legacy.
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<br />Caroline was moved by how close she felt to the Salvadorans. She has known the children for 10 years which is at least half of most their lives so far! She described how they are able to share in one another’s daily lives by being Facebook friends. Caroline also told a story about a undocumented friend in Philadelphia who is at risk of being deported to El Salvador and Caroline is thankful for the people of Shekinah because she knows there is a community that will lovingly invite this stranger to join their family.
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<br />Leslie’s reflection was short as she described how there is something very contagious about the people of Shekinah!
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<br />Chava is greatly appreciating not being in the driver’s seat for once and as a introvert is able to just observe and listen to the community. The story of the women standing up for their equality brings tears to her eyes as she shares their pain in her own story as a woman who was ex-communicated for being a priest.
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<br />After our reflection we all went to our different homes to eat dinner and get some sleep before tomorrow! I’ll post tomorrow :)</div></div><div>
<br /></div><table border="0" bordercolor="#0033FF" style="background-color:white" width="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_ORfs2YiyHCv-CjfFyw4HUXnw9e-9oBTu2brQhIf0c32s-ss7f602kd5Kefyarvkca_dSdmeAk_0wPEK7bW5Nt6C0tdnaRrz7P2xGpdkLrMslPFKGldAaVbgeQ2J3idjO7JPd-3ZdQWe/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_ORfs2YiyHCv-CjfFyw4HUXnw9e-9oBTu2brQhIf0c32s-ss7f602kd5Kefyarvkca_dSdmeAk_0wPEK7bW5Nt6C0tdnaRrz7P2xGpdkLrMslPFKGldAaVbgeQ2J3idjO7JPd-3ZdQWe/s200/IMG_0020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594898522845762178" /></a>
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<br /></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqtSGXzEFYApuJ1roXzpKJZicxdWdH2s8dFbXTrRFWvJte93Yr2ypdRgMj2ViWC0X7hSKoJmQTpIH5aqyNSXK0JUbz5UbbiEr_Azt1eeu4cLJtTU8n0ZZaW_7j-DmYeyfx4FmcAJRFlPF/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqtSGXzEFYApuJ1roXzpKJZicxdWdH2s8dFbXTrRFWvJte93Yr2ypdRgMj2ViWC0X7hSKoJmQTpIH5aqyNSXK0JUbz5UbbiEr_Azt1eeu4cLJtTU8n0ZZaW_7j-DmYeyfx4FmcAJRFlPF/s200/IMG_0025.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594898536507076898" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyru4n0u9I5Q1-KfpJ53cbjX3GgF0QCVSHbVJzy9nMwIUYcL-DMPKGBV4etRdWz8elwQ8-8L_ba_RixDSRDpYikgg8C_2oBWsoO1SvNEYDQNtrn73PIdBTOsY8HrIR4Hb_9umnj_dY0tAb/s1600/IMG_3793.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyru4n0u9I5Q1-KfpJ53cbjX3GgF0QCVSHbVJzy9nMwIUYcL-DMPKGBV4etRdWz8elwQ8-8L_ba_RixDSRDpYikgg8C_2oBWsoO1SvNEYDQNtrn73PIdBTOsY8HrIR4Hb_9umnj_dY0tAb/s200/IMG_3793.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594899986965059394" /></a>
<br /></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAobOPM07O_YLt1yzjG5zElhpvkYeGx4r-Xc6XmLYPpJZl6fjf5qoJosQBwyEtkwSa8GhajCgatcnm3LxJ00ZuxRLbFboluRi82WyhgY5ZMEkimPhLbcmIMRc50J6WJEk26b4nzMZaBkSt/s1600/IMG_3787.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAobOPM07O_YLt1yzjG5zElhpvkYeGx4r-Xc6XmLYPpJZl6fjf5qoJosQBwyEtkwSa8GhajCgatcnm3LxJ00ZuxRLbFboluRi82WyhgY5ZMEkimPhLbcmIMRc50J6WJEk26b4nzMZaBkSt/s200/IMG_3787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594899980570463826" /></a>
<br /></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCCTdqLhb-DD72Xnn8cSvnOCc9Y-SkTiOtvhB-3U5K0fyVaHgWoc0_hekDqbqceoSWhxkQ1JdBUuX0RyNvXHmy7yeYOx_smOZxyrQ3KVhbqG0efReuz0beHmoHFiekoNPf6RnDsBSM4pj/s1600/IMG_3735.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCCTdqLhb-DD72Xnn8cSvnOCc9Y-SkTiOtvhB-3U5K0fyVaHgWoc0_hekDqbqceoSWhxkQ1JdBUuX0RyNvXHmy7yeYOx_smOZxyrQ3KVhbqG0efReuz0beHmoHFiekoNPf6RnDsBSM4pj/s200/IMG_3735.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594899964962315138" /></a>
<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-6592415320640763342011-04-03T20:36:00.001-07:002011-04-11T18:50:11.050-07:00Day 1 in El Salvador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgRPm4Z21nf46HTTfBlryffPYNSQRBb_O1a0_AyQZDs4KVN1SvGSAx-nUZxlye85D3VAUvfDzc3x_cVOKZnVvQTY1twpynvZ9AwOAFSsKCIk3ax4iCKIxLYsSl4A7yqscq9KZDwbkqV_l/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-03+at+11.53.32+PM.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591571858641568482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgRPm4Z21nf46HTTfBlryffPYNSQRBb_O1a0_AyQZDs4KVN1SvGSAx-nUZxlye85D3VAUvfDzc3x_cVOKZnVvQTY1twpynvZ9AwOAFSsKCIk3ax4iCKIxLYsSl4A7yqscq9KZDwbkqV_l/s200/Screen+shot+2011-04-03+at+11.53.32+PM.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 110px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 73px;" /></a> <style type="text/css"><br /> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} <br /></style>
<br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">My name is Jon McClay and I will be posting about the April 2nd trip to El Salvador that was partly organized by the Simple Way. Today Caroline and I both woke up at 3:30 am and began our journeys which united us in Houston Texas. There are 7 members of our team and we have all come from different parts of the country.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I am from Greensboro NC where I work for the Habitat for Humanity Affiliate there doing home repairs. This trip attracted me because I wanted to learn more about the events of El Salvador’s revolution and I wanted to hear stories about how the church united to care for those in need and how their communities banded together in order to survive! The idea of Liberation Theology is also completely new to me. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">
<br /></span></div><meta charset="utf-8"><div class="p1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3P4P22MQro37TT9Ut1cMmIHOCGdRPr1uPkBpHMthm1qlP6ztvcGO8C5sMH9j-EDlRIIoM8vygLFpMTyuQHa5LcTU0wnirhsEwEoQ42A2lzfFKlK-jnHnNuOhsnnnpDZ6gyKX-lmM8Mkg/s1600/SNC13474.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591572974035613394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3P4P22MQro37TT9Ut1cMmIHOCGdRPr1uPkBpHMthm1qlP6ztvcGO8C5sMH9j-EDlRIIoM8vygLFpMTyuQHa5LcTU0wnirhsEwEoQ42A2lzfFKlK-jnHnNuOhsnnnpDZ6gyKX-lmM8Mkg/s200/SNC13474.jpg" style="text-align: right;cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; width: 200px; " /></a></span></div><div class="p1"><b>Day 1:</b> We all met in San Salvador the capital city of El Salvador. We met at the Shekinah faith community with Ruth the Pastor. I should introduce the members of the team and include photos of them.</div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="s1">
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<br /></div><div class="p1"><a name='more'></a></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="s1">Ron Morgan is leading our trip and was a college professor before he discovered his passion for furniture! </span></span></div><span class="s1"> <div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span> </div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Caroline is co-leading our trip and she is representing Cielo Azul.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span> </div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Eli is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and is currently working at the St. Joe’s Catholic Worker Community in Rochester, New York. </span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span> </div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Chava is the Chaplain at St. Joe’s and is a ex-communicated female Priest! She told me that she is probably one of approximately one hundred on the planet</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span> </div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Barret is a Minister at Carpenter’s Church in Lubbock Texas.</span></div><div class="p1">Leslie is our fantastic translator.</div><div class="p1">I am a guy who engages college to students to rethink what life is and how they want to spend it.</div><div class="p1"><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; "><b style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></i></b></span></div><div class="p1">
<br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3P4P22MQro37TT9Ut1cMmIHOCGdRPr1uPkBpHMthm1qlP6ztvcGO8C5sMH9j-EDlRIIoM8vygLFpMTyuQHa5LcTU0wnirhsEwEoQ42A2lzfFKlK-jnHnNuOhsnnnpDZ6gyKX-lmM8Mkg/s1600/SNC13474.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></div><div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">After we met at the airport we then drove a few hours to Santa Ana where the Shekinah Faith Community is located. This will serve as our home base. One of the unique parts of this journey is that we will be sleeping with members of this community! Instead of being together the entire time, we have the opportunity to share life daily with true Salvadorans.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">
<br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> <title></title> <style type="text/css"><br /> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px} <br /></style> </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Once we finished our meeting, we then met the different families we would be staying with and traveled to our new homes. Eli and I were paired together and most of my night reflections will be shared with him. We will be staying with the Baides family. I would say that I already feel as if Eli and I are brothers and I am very pleased with the pairing! We got to the house at approximately 6pm, got showers and then took naps. Sometime around midnight I woke up and realized I had missed dinner! Which is completely fine because we were told to bring our own snacks. Some filtered water and a snack was all that I needed and I returned to sleep. It is amazing how much energy travel will take out of you. Ron and his team have done a great job of recognizing that and have scheduled our trip around such factors.</span></div></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></div></span>
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<br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-72045077052433934732011-03-23T06:51:00.000-07:002011-03-23T09:18:32.120-07:00Study Trip Reflections: Oscar Romero<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">During yesterday's visit in El Salvador, President Obama lit a candle at the tomb of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero in the cathedral in San Salvador, which our group will also visit during our upcoming study trip. From the moment of our arrival in the airport (where Salvadoran President Funes last year unveiled a mural between Gate 8 and Gate 9 depicting Romero) we'll begin to see Romero's image all around us -- in photographs and posters hanging on walls in offices, in hand-drawn pictures reproduced on pamphlets and book covers, and in larger-than-life-sized multi-colored mosaics and vibrant murals on buildings we will pass on busy city streets and in quiet villages. If we're really paying attention, we'll also see his face in men and women we meet, and we'll be surrounded by his presence alive in the Salvadoran people who continue to work for justice, end poverty and oppression, and call for peace. -- CAROLINE<br />
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This brief video(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vtMx-ijQOY">Romero by Romero1</a>) includes archival footage of Oscar Romero among his people, as well as testimonies from people who witnessed the power of his presence and his message. Note - This is a trailer for a documentary by director Evarardo Gonzalez.</div><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8vtMx-ijQOY?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Our third pre-departure reflection, posted below, is the bulletin insert Chava Redonnet wrote for this past Sunday at the newly formed Oscar Romero Inclusive Catholic Church where she says mass each week. Chava is a Catholic woman priest who serves as chaplain at <a href="http://www.stjoeshouse.org/">St. Joseph's House of Hospitality</a> in Rochester, NY. Founded in 1935, the St. Joe's Catholic Worker community provides food, clothing, shelter and spiritually-centered care to its guests. </div><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;">Oscar Romero Inclusive Catholic Church<br />
Bulletin for Sunday, March 27, 2011</span></tt><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;"> </span></tt><br />
<tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;">3</span></tt><tt><sup><span style="font-family: Monaco;">rd</span></sup></tt><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;"> Sunday in Lent<br />
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Friends,<br />
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This week in El Salvador President Obama will visit the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero, after whom our church is named. It is said that Romero, who had been elected in the expectation that he would be the sort of bishop who would not make waves, had something of a conversion experience over the body of Fr. Rutilio Grande, the first Salvadoran priest to be martyred. Some people believe that when he realized that his friend had given his life for the poor of El Salvador, he became aware that he, too, had to stand with the poor. After that, his voice grew stronger and stronger. He made many enemies as he fearlessly began to walk with oppressed people and speak in their defense. He said things like, “The church that does not unite itself to the poor in order to denounce from the place of the poor the injustice committed against them is not truly the church of Jesus Christ.” The whole country listened to his sermons. On Sunday morning you could walk down the street and hear his voice coming out of every house, as he spoke about the truth of the situation in El Salvador. Finally on March 23, 1980, he spoke a direct challenge to the soldiers who were torturing and killing people. He told them that God’s law outweighed orders from their superiors. “In the name of God,” he told them, “I beg you – I ORDER you – STOP THE OPPRESSION.”<br />
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The next day an assassin shot him through the heart as he stood at the altar at the Divine Providence Hospital offering Mass. <br />
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Before he died, Monseñor Romero said, “If they kill me, I will rise again in the Salvadoran people.” And it turned out he was right. His memory is alive and life-giving. There are statues, memorials and murals in his memory all over the country. His name is like a code word for caring about the poor.<br />
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In 2005 I visited his little house on the grounds of the Divine Providence Hospital in San Salvador. It is full of relics of his life – all his little possessions, lovingly preserved and on display. Most of them seemed strange to me, kind of foreign. But then something stopped me in my tracks. It was a pair of clip-on sunglasses, very ordinary. I could have bought them at the grocery store here in Rochester. I looked at those sunglasses and felt the immediacy, the reality and closeness of his life and work. His work is not foreign. His concerns are still concerns today. The poor still suffer, in El Salvador and all over the world. That horrible dichotomy between the people who have much materially and have the power to shape the world their way, and the voiceless, powerless poor – that’s still ours, today. What are we going to do about it?<br />
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The message of liberation theology is that such questions are appropriate for the church, are in fact crucial to the life of the church. We cannot claim to be following Jesus, and ignore the desperate cries of the people, the poor of Latin America, of Africa and India and our own cities. We need to ask hard questions about economic justice. We need to be willing to suffer, ourselves, to let go of the excess we take for granted. And first of all, we need to leave our comfort zones and walk with people who are different from us, and be in relationship, and learn, and see our sisters and brothers for the people that they are – God’s own beloved children, just like us.<br />
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Here at Oscar Romero Church we hope to do that in our small way by bringing Mass in Spanish to people who are not attending church because they are afraid of deportation. You are welcome to join us in that project, which will begin later in the spring.<br />
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My prayer for President Obama as he visits the tomb of Monseñor Romero this week is that he, too, will have a conversion experience, and be on fire for the poor. May we as a nation become aware of our neighbors to the South as our neighbors, as people with the same desires we have for life, for education and health care and houses, for hope --- and not as the possessors of resources to take for ourselves, or as a threat to our own well-being. May our relationship change, for better and for good. <br />
</span></tt><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvs5bU-3MXWLgtRxgfFCorhrsuDfW23Ksr7mnLbIvghsa9QWBbeJVj0-Kl3g4nQpnR7f1BA85K8JzYKi48adqwQ0WqKPD5SLEoxgnYUzxe-3APvjH94syk2DQUdt-6Uh9EBzwnUsX2kui/s1600/chava.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvs5bU-3MXWLgtRxgfFCorhrsuDfW23Ksr7mnLbIvghsa9QWBbeJVj0-Kl3g4nQpnR7f1BA85K8JzYKi48adqwQ0WqKPD5SLEoxgnYUzxe-3APvjH94syk2DQUdt-6Uh9EBzwnUsX2kui/s200/chava.JPG" width="140" /></a><br />
<tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;"> I am so grateful for the example of Monseñor Romero. A newspaper headline called him a “human rights activist” – which is kind of like calling Gandhi a community organizer. He was a priest, a bishop, a shepherd, a martyr and a prophet. Above all, </span></tt><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvs5bU-3MXWLgtRxgfFCorhrsuDfW23Ksr7mnLbIvghsa9QWBbeJVj0-Kl3g4nQpnR7f1BA85K8JzYKi48adqwQ0WqKPD5SLEoxgnYUzxe-3APvjH94syk2DQUdt-6Uh9EBzwnUsX2kui/s1600/chava.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;">he was a pastor who walked with his people, who gave them his voice, his energy, his life. Saint Romero, pray for us.<br />
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</span></tt><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvs5bU-3MXWLgtRxgfFCorhrsuDfW23Ksr7mnLbIvghsa9QWBbeJVj0-Kl3g4nQpnR7f1BA85K8JzYKi48adqwQ0WqKPD5SLEoxgnYUzxe-3APvjH94syk2DQUdt-6Uh9EBzwnUsX2kui/s1600/chava.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;">Blessings and love to all, <br />
Chava </span></tt></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><tt><span style="font-family: Monaco;">Oscar Romero Church<br />
An Inclusive Church in the Catholic Tradition<br />
Mass: Sundays, 11 am<br />
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14603</span></tt></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-76020419858465553022011-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:002011-03-19T08:00:09.143-07:00Study Trip Reflections: IncarnationRuth has been finalizing details of our itinerary with Ron, and our study group participants will take part in a conference call on Sunday evening to talk with each other for the first time. From Santa Ana to Philadelphia... From Rochester NY to Greensboro NC... From Lubbock TX to Takoma Park MD... the anticipation is building!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxJDFFO7XQbB-rKZQ-h2ZSQgjf2f6TY1Ry_cvEoARu4IQUyWxYF2tU7tH7JGI5gWc7roeDypmvohV2jCOwwF_we8i-hXNttoJkqLhJnw21TGG5iTDjOSc15xZQLpA-l0E_NOfVnZ9nzNu/s1600/barrett.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxJDFFO7XQbB-rKZQ-h2ZSQgjf2f6TY1Ry_cvEoARu4IQUyWxYF2tU7tH7JGI5gWc7roeDypmvohV2jCOwwF_we8i-hXNttoJkqLhJnw21TGG5iTDjOSc15xZQLpA-l0E_NOfVnZ9nzNu/s1600/barrett.png" /></a></div>Our second reflection posted below comes from Barrett Smith, missionary-pastor of the <a href="http://www.carpenterschurchlubbock.org/">Carpenter's Church</a> in Lubbock: "<i><span class="style">We are</span> a diverse group of people located mostly in the Overton area. We've been here since 1998 trying to be a place of belonging to <span class="style_1">all</span> who find themselves here. Whether we've been pushed to the fringes of society or find ourselves wandering there, we come together to find something different, something authentic, something divine. And we believe we're finding it together, on our journey with God."</i> <br />
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Mzungu Syndrome, I began to call it. A sort of coping mechanism perhaps. It became my term for the terrifying tendency that I encountered and perpetuated during a brief visit amongst the Giryama people on the east coast of Kenya. I was alarmed as we drove through the countryside - past a large group of children outside their cinder block school. “Ciao!” “Ciao!” They yelled with their hands raised as they ran after us longing for the candy that was supposed to come sailing through the windows. However, the reality of this syndrome penetrated most deeply as I talked with Christian Ministers in the area. They would often describe their difficult living conditions and then turn towards me. With a hint of a sparkle in their eye they would say, “If only I could be in America…” Flustered, I would scramble to defend their way of life and point out every American foible that I could think of while sharing all the good that I saw around me. Still, their pain was often too deep and the “good life” that I proclaimed by my presence was too tantalizing. This presence, despite my counter desires and efforts, tended to bring attention to their lack rather than their wholeness. It tended to point out their communal brokenness rather than their communal health. It tended to mark them as inadequate rather than God’s chosen people. Simply because I had the ability to be there for a short time.<br />
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Let’s make a VERY rough parallel and meditate for a few moments on the incarnation of Jesus. What does it mean for Jesus to “pitch his tent among us?” What does it say about who God is? What does it communicate to us, you, me, and the rest of creation?<br />
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God’s material, physical entrance as Jesus could not help but point out the difference between Himself and Creation. After all, God was the one who made the move. However, Jesus was determined to break through this false chasm between Creation and God. In Matthew 20 James and John come to Jesus asking to sit at his right and left in the kingdom. One could say that they wished to move to America as reward for the difficulty of life in Judea following Jesus. However, Jesus responds by calling on his disciples to become servants and slaves. After all, he didn’t take advantage of his equality with God. Rather, by his own humanity and his service to creation, he spoke to its goodness. He moved for its wholeness. We are reminded of this today each time that we take the mundane and earthy elements of the Eucharist – bread and wine. It is this world that God entered. It is this world that God served. It is this world that God works to redeem. And he calls all of us into participation in that activity. In so doing, he reminds us that we are all made in his image, and all of creation is good.<br />
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Now, I did say that this was a rough parallel! Our identity and action is far from that of God’s; unfortunately, in our world the movement can be interpreted similarly by some.<br />
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So, as we visit our sisters and brothers in El Salvador, may we seek relationships that affirm rather than critique. May we in our language, action, and attitude acknowledge wholeness rather than lack. In so doing, may we travel together as we all learn to more fully embrace God’s claim that we are His children, made in his image, loved, valued, and valuable.<br />
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Barrett Smith<br />
Carpenter's Church<br />
Lubbock, TexasCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-61844734240514936392011-03-12T15:00:00.000-08:002011-03-16T07:29:02.792-07:00Study Trip Reflections: Rutilio GrandeThe April 2nd departure date for the Cielo Azul Study Trip in El Salvador is drawing near! Our participants will be considering brief reflections each week to begin to enter into this experience prayerfully together. We'll be posting those here on our blog so that you can share this with us.<br />
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Our first reflection comes from Ron Morgan, whose enduring relationship with the people of El Salvador began in the late 1980s, during the civil war. Ron is a member of the Cielo Azul advisory board and member of Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhxo1JZJ7ph7cWYdR_SGIIFi5BnozGA5tGfhnoXUi7oMLrcuidyvUARTMIq2gU0ftzdSrHWMZ9-SOqueNHOoyjBfGDxaErRopc5bZlW9F0EcEWN_pwalwIlB8HSg9SrVeB4r8XAM06UmY/s1600/rutilio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhxo1JZJ7ph7cWYdR_SGIIFi5BnozGA5tGfhnoXUi7oMLrcuidyvUARTMIq2gU0ftzdSrHWMZ9-SOqueNHOoyjBfGDxaErRopc5bZlW9F0EcEWN_pwalwIlB8HSg9SrVeB4r8XAM06UmY/s1600/rutilio.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rutilio Grande memorial on the road to El Paisnal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This morning I attended a session of the <a href="http://www.alternativeseminary.net/">Alternative Seminary</a> here in Philadelphia. The subject was “THE CROSS OF CHRIST: A Justification for Redemptive Violence Or a Call to Gospel Nonviolence?” One of the themes of our discussion was the “scandal” as theologian Jon Sobrino put it, that by being nameless and faceless, poor people suffer--are ground to bits by structural injustices--without attention being paid to their lives and deaths. But, Sobrino continues, it was the contribution of murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero and Jesuit Ignacio Ellecuria that began to “give a name” to these hundreds of thousands when they referred to them as “Christ crucified in history,” or as “the crucified people.”<br />
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We also talked about the historical fact that Jesus was executed by Rome as a subversive threat both to the power of Rome and to the power of the Jewish Temple hierarchy, both of whose authority he undermined with his call to “announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to let the broken victims go free.” (Luke 4: 18-19)<br />
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As I have been anticipating our trip to El Salvador next month, I couldn’t help remembering that March 12th is the anniversary of the murder of the Salvadoran Jesuit priest Rutillio Grande. A friend of Romero’s from their student days, he was murdered for his advocacy of peasant workers and his attempts to “give names” to those who were being oppressed by landowners. Many people think that Rutillio’s death had a profound impact on the more cautious, bookish Romero, pushing him to begin to listen to the stories of the poor.<br />
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Here are some of the things people remember Rutillio Grande saying: <br />
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<ul><li>“Some people cross themselves in the name of the father (money), and the son (coffee), and the spirit (especially if it's cane liquor!). That's not the God who is the Father of our Brother and Lord, Jesus, who gives us the good Spirit so that we can all be sisters and brothers in equiality, and so that we, the faithful followers of Jesus, can work to make His Reign present here among us.”</li>
</ul><ul><li>“Don't be like fireworks—all noise and hullabaloo towards the heavens way up there! We have to fix this mess here on earth. Here on earth! God isn't in the clouds lying in a hammock. He cares about thte way things are going so badly for the poor down here."</li>
</ul><ul><li>“I've said many times that we have not come with the sword—or the machete. Our work is not that. Our violence is in the Word of God, the Word that forces us to change ourselves so that we can make this world a better place, the Word that charges us with the enormous task of changing the world.”</li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><ul><li>“Brother and sisters, I fear that if Jesus were to return today, walking from Galilea to Judea, which for us is from Chalatenango to San Salvador.... I dare say that with his words and actions, he'd never get as far as Apopa. They'd detain him around Guazapa, and they'd beat him up, even silence him or have him disappeared!”</li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><ul><li>“The orioles have the conacaste tree where they can hang their nests so they can ive there and sing. But the poor campesion is not allowed his conacaste, or even a little patch of land on which he can live or be burried. Those who have money and power organize themselves, and they have plenty of resources to do so. But campesinos don't have land, or money, or the right to organize so that their voice can be heard, so that they can defend their rights and their dignity as children of God and of this nation.”</li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><ul><li>“We are children of this Church and of this country which is named after El Salvador – the Divine Savior of the World. We can't just say: “It's every man for himself, as long as things go well for me!” We have to save ourselves together as a whole ear of corn, a whole cluster, a whole bagful. We have to save ourselves in community.”</li>
</ul><i>(quotes from </i><i><u>Memories in Mosaic</u> by Maria Lopez Vigil)</i><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVA54Gg2xuuSIkJ5_MJwR-srwUg1VtKos7zXK6K53k2pTnb7h_zJK3FvdQa3P6iC8OqTzIi7rkN6L-LPkAYO1reO4gXnmGjKqjFmAxtRXjFPKEylvL57SlIwRfsMIBOvaQGOhuqLjGCfX/s1600/ron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVA54Gg2xuuSIkJ5_MJwR-srwUg1VtKos7zXK6K53k2pTnb7h_zJK3FvdQa3P6iC8OqTzIi7rkN6L-LPkAYO1reO4gXnmGjKqjFmAxtRXjFPKEylvL57SlIwRfsMIBOvaQGOhuqLjGCfX/s200/ron.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron Morgan and Ruth Orantes<br />
during a meeting at The Simple Way</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>I can honestly say that it has been one of my greatest joys to help folks to visit “the children of this Church and of this country....” I am anticipating our time together next month!<br />
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Ron Morgan <br />
Cielo Azul Advisory BoardCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-79747988169956710922011-01-23T12:20:00.000-08:002011-01-23T12:20:55.313-08:00Updates for our Cielo Azul study trip! Join us April 2 - 9, 2011<div class="post-header"></div><a href="http://files.me.com/romorgan/i421i7" style="background-color: orange;">Click here</a><span style="background-color: orange;"> to access pdf brochure with complete information about the Cielo Azul study trip.</span><br />
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<div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Join us for our first study trip this April. Alex and Ruth will be planning our itinerary, and members of the Shekina community will be our hosts while we are in Santa Ana. We will stay in guest houses for the rest of the visit. The size of the group is limited to 10-12, so it is important to reserve your space. (Download the full study trip prospectus from our </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://cieloazulfund.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">blog</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">.)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"></div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><u><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Reservation deadline: $200 by February 15</span></span></span></u></div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><u><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Full land fees payment : $550 by March 15.</span></span></span></u></div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">You will be responsible for making your own airline reservations. Please schedule your airline arrival time for 11:00am to 2:00 pm on April 2.</span></span></span><br />
</div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">If you cannot join this trip, you can download a selection of texts that will help inform this group </span></span></span><span style="color: #144fae; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://files.me.com/romorgan/lif7ev" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">here.</span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="font: 11px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Please remember all of the participants in your prayers.</span></span></span></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more information, or to discuss your participation, call Ron Morgan 610 220 1317, or send us an email through our contact form in the sidebar of this blog.</span></span></span></span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-65924843823417831912011-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:002011-01-23T12:24:18.952-08:00Thank you to our contributors!Thanks to all our 2010 contributors for your support for the Orantes family and their ministries. Thanks to your response to our end of the year note, we achieved our goal. Soon you will be receiving a statement of your 2010 contributions from our fiscal sponsor, The Simple Way. Remember that you can now continue your support through an online contribution. Just use the secure donations form in the sidebar.<br />
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Your ongoing, regular support is greatly appreciated. In 2011, the Cielo Azul fund will able to provide scholarship funds to help cover a part of the costs for Victor Hugo as he begins study in a high school that focuses on architectural training. Also, in this coming year we will we help to channel two larger grants totaling nearly $10,000 towards ongoing programs and new facilities for ministry at Iglesia Bautista Shekina. But the heart of our mission is to give Alex and Ruth a secure, regular stipend for ongoing family expenses that they cannot meet in any other way. <u><b>Our goal is a minimum of $500 per month.</b></u>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-83429472031626282142011-01-20T12:42:00.000-08:002011-01-23T13:19:22.459-08:00Fiesta de Maiz -- Everyone Comes with a Special Gift<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The people of Iglesia Bautista Shekina have been working for several years towards their vision for building a community center on land adjacent to the church to enable them to expand their ministries to serve children, youth, and senior adults in their neighborhood. They are making steady progress in deliberate stages – clearing the land, building a wall around the property, installing a drainage system to prevent flood damage during the rainy season, and constructing a large kitchen space. The next phase includes plans for adding bathrooms, which will be funded in part by the 2011 Bridges of Hope grant from the <a href="http://www.allianceofbaptists.org/">Alliance of Baptists</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8pPdyOZ1L48ehuYEKUTJOfOuoSQh1hH2pZ119cmIas5_XpwyOOSSlIKzzw_H-ZcpwrTyD2WGEREvUIzJogApOJKO_dVOkfur2hdjSmaZeYU0S8FSKdmPz6cuhg7mVk4RRrnICXoEIl5C/s1600/talleres2+405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8pPdyOZ1L48ehuYEKUTJOfOuoSQh1hH2pZ119cmIas5_XpwyOOSSlIKzzw_H-ZcpwrTyD2WGEREvUIzJogApOJKO_dVOkfur2hdjSmaZeYU0S8FSKdmPz6cuhg7mVk4RRrnICXoEIl5C/s320/talleres2+405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Shekina's community center space is already being put to good use for fellowship gatherings, youth meetings, outdoor worship experiences, and the church's highly successful annual community outreach program “Puertas Abiertas” in which teenagers and adults from Shekina offers a month of workshops and provides safe space and healthy relationships for neighborhood children.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This fall, thanks to the vision of a recent church member, Shekina celebrated a totally new experience in the community space. Never had anyone dreamed of using the community space for planting corn – but all of that suddenly changed after Pablo Rodriguez married a member of the church last December and joined Shekina. When Pablo, who was from the countryside, saw the space at the side of the church where the community center is being constructed, he announced that he would like to plant corn. And so began the big new adventure. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">People recognized that planting corn was a way for Pablo to feel like a part of the church community, and his idea was quickly embraced even though most of the members of the urban church had no experience with gardening. The youth were especially enthusiastic about getting started, so Pastor Ruth Orantes canceled regular Bible school classes one Sunday morning and sent them outside with Pablo to begin tilling the soil and planting the seeds.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> And finally, in September 2010, the people of Iglesia Bautista Shekina celebrated their first harvest of corn from their property by throwing a day-long party and inviting friends and neighbors to join in both the work and the fun. Everyone, from youngest to oldest, men and women, teenagers, boys and girls, divided responsibilities to spend a full day helping with the harvest, with cooking, and with clean up. All the guests at the “fiesta de maiz” feasted on freshly prepared <i>tamales, elotes locos </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(grilled corn on the cob)</span><i>, riguas</i> (sweet corn dough mixed with fresh cheese and beans and cooked on a hot skillet in banana leaves), and <i>atol de elote </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(a traditional ground corn, cinnamon, and milk </span> beverage).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzD79Ab6rnNI7Jj8r15deek9AFAU7xGf-WeeqOth4K6i_beIhf2MFCje2fE7hjPFwPb3iJr30Vn_r_UXNykQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Enjoy this slide show of photos from the day of the fiesta! Thank you to Bernhard Voegeli for the pictures.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Reflecting on the experience, Pastor Ruth feels great joy to know that Shekina is a church where everyone can feel comfortable and where new people are welcomed into the church community:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5cSsWYnDBLVWvzzjrUd8MtuPEJ54_b6mhK2mkDN05W042_XIBzCgpiB86AIhoCtYhJFtskMF3lDQs5TI9gC24PwLc1HXsEUswphyr3QCyRX8arRadLHuR_DM9ARvFELNh8GydjoX8yuK/s1600/corn13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5cSsWYnDBLVWvzzjrUd8MtuPEJ54_b6mhK2mkDN05W042_XIBzCgpiB86AIhoCtYhJFtskMF3lDQs5TI9gC24PwLc1HXsEUswphyr3QCyRX8arRadLHuR_DM9ARvFELNh8GydjoX8yuK/s320/corn13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <i>“I think about the first Christian community described in Acts, and how people began to notice and say 'Look how they love!' At Shekina, everybody wants to be involved in church life, and that picture is good for the community around us to see. Neighbors and visitors see how we share life together, and they say, 'We want to be with these people!' It is good that Shekina is a church where everyone feels comfortable and welcome. We are a place where everyone can increase our friendship and we can improve our our life together. And everyone comes with a gift to share with the community.”</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>--- Ruth Rodrigues de Orantes </i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-59075983762256414672010-10-28T06:20:00.000-07:002010-10-28T06:23:41.224-07:00Cielo Azul study trip! Join us April 2 - 9, 2011<a href="http://files.me.com/romorgan/i421i7">Click here</a> to access pdf brochure with complete information about the Cielo Azul study trip.<br />
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<u><b>The Invitation</b></u><br />
This is an opportunity for people in the United States who have themselves been part of “communities of resistance” to meet with Salvadorans who have been engaged in a similar struggle--expressly to learn from each other what are the sources of hope and renewal that each has found. On the trip we will be in dialogue with our hosts--about their histories and ours, about their strategies and ours, about their futures and ours.<br />
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It is not our goal to arrive as “helpers” of people in need, but as seekers who want to understand the lessons that people of El Salvador have learned in their years of struggle.<br />
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In addition, a goal of our meeting these people will be to encourage further dialogue by inviting those we meet to visit our communities in the US to further deepen the connections we make on our trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEyKkWtXN9BNYorh_2uSxtCvVo5RmL5xRp1FlepbCLU0txYaqKLy_2eR4zym2ZWxaWNC4yM-s4EHCDQG_bHniUdEfOGsD2zuSuKKb8Eo9lXDX5hKNZt4EI7BG9oBcREmr4xNOgxoVEvMj/s1600/ES-Jan08-0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEyKkWtXN9BNYorh_2uSxtCvVo5RmL5xRp1FlepbCLU0txYaqKLy_2eR4zym2ZWxaWNC4yM-s4EHCDQG_bHniUdEfOGsD2zuSuKKb8Eo9lXDX5hKNZt4EI7BG9oBcREmr4xNOgxoVEvMj/s320/ES-Jan08-0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<u><b>Trip Themes</b></u><br />
• The theology of liberation, bible study and praxis-- visits, conversations and scripture reflections with various faith communities and pastoral workers.<br />
• The arts in a social revolution--visual arts, music, performance, community murals,“popular education” publications, and folk culture.<br />
• Preserving the environment--global economics, local politics and human rights as they impinge on a community where international firms want to extract gold.<br />
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<u><b>Our Method</b></u><br />
Our trip will combine home stays and lodging in simple hostels with travel to communities where we can hear the stories of folks who can illuminate our themes. We will be accompanied by an accomplished translator, so Spanish proficiency is not required.<br />
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<u><b>Additional Details</b></u><br />
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Study group limited to 12 participants. Cost will be $1350 - $1550 per person, based on minimum of 10 participants and airfare. To reserve your place, send us an email using the contact form in the sidebar at right. Or contact Ron Morgan at 610 220 1317.<br />
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CIELO AZUL will coordinate the travel details for the group. Pastors Ruth and Alex Orantes are the study trip coordinators in El Salvador. Our hosts for the trip are families of Iglesia Shekina Bautista, where Ruth is pastor. The church is a progressive, socially active community with a long history of welcoming visitors from the United States. For some parts of the time, we will be staying in guest houses that often welcome international travelers.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-84548209380685737992010-07-25T12:28:00.000-07:002010-07-25T12:28:03.731-07:00Light to Live In -- Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshOzdPFUuJA0scH7BzkVz9dkC7t75WpY6UqzpjQw9DnyjdlL9Gt47SUniPlEs406nltywXBq3kFfER6AoaxMaAAhdy6jba7NGgbNQVpvgdGYO7spvsgnb8Yxlvv2cPxGMyjcgBx0uIDGZ/s1600/light+to+live+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshOzdPFUuJA0scH7BzkVz9dkC7t75WpY6UqzpjQw9DnyjdlL9Gt47SUniPlEs406nltywXBq3kFfER6AoaxMaAAhdy6jba7NGgbNQVpvgdGYO7spvsgnb8Yxlvv2cPxGMyjcgBx0uIDGZ/s200/light+to+live+in.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>The annual summer gathering of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America provided a great opportunity to network with a number of longtime as well as new friends of Ruth and Alex Orantes and the Iglesia Bautista Shekina. <br />
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With a theme of “Light to Live In,” this year's summer conference was held July 12 to 17 on the campus of Keuka College in the Finger Lakes region of New York . More than 350 progressive Baptist activists, peacemakers, pastors, students, teachers, families, and organizers from Canada, the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Burma and beyond came together to celebrate the BPFNA's mission of “gathering, equipping, and mobilizing to build a culture of peace rooted in justice.” (See <a href="http://www.bpfna.org/" title="www.bpfna.org">www.bpfna.org</a>)<br />
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The conference schedule included an afternoon screening of the documentary film "Return to El Salvador," which features Alex and Ruth expressing their commitments to building a new vision of peace and justice in their country. A number of people left the BPFNA conference with copies of the "Return to El Salvador" DVD in hand, planning to spread the story in their own communities back home.<br />
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In the discussion following the screening, several of the BPFNA participants attending the film spoke about their own experiences accompanying the struggles of the Salvadoran people. Some reflected on their participation in the repatriations of villages from refugee camps during the war in El Salvador. Others have been outspoken critics of oppressive economic policies like CAFTA (Central America Free Trade Agreement) and longtime advocates in the call to shut down the School of the Americas.<br />
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Participants in the BPFNA conference who have connections with Ruth and Alex talked about the importance of sustaining the work of these two talented, visionary leaders whose transforming work in their communities has been a cherished model and inspiration for many North American communities of faith. (*** Check out <a href="http://thesimpleway.org/friends/cielo-azul/" title="http://thesimpleway.org/friends/cielo-azul/">http://thesimpleway.org/friends/cielo-azul/</a> in addition to this blog for information about the “Cielo Azul Fund” created by a network of individuals, congregations, and groups inspired by Ruth and Alex's commitment to faith-based community development, justice, peacemaking, and healing.) And everyone agreed that the Orantes Family would be excellent to invite as participants in a future BPFNA summer conference!<br />
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We appreciate director Jamie Moffett's work to share the complex story of El Salvador's history, as well as to highlight some of the rays of hope for a new future. For more about the film, go to <a href="http://www.returntoelsalvador.com/">www.returntoelsalvador.com</a>. Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-87421057664811002892010-07-24T10:11:00.000-07:002010-07-25T07:21:38.123-07:00Cielo Azul to offer study tripsIn partnership with the congregation of Iglesia Bautista Shekina, Cielo Azul is planning a series of travel study trips to El Salvador starting in late 2010. Alex and Ruth Orantes will be the trip coordinators in El Salvador, helping visitors to see the Salvadoran reality by focusing on such themes as:<br />
<ul><li>The Revolutionary Church: The Salvadoran experience in history, theory and praxis</li>
<li>Art in a Revolutionary Community</li>
<li>Immigration, Hope, and Despair: the impact of immigration on Salvadoran economic, family and community life</li>
<li>The Impact of Dollarization and CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreements) on Salvadoran Life</li>
<li>Third World Environmentalism (deforestation/reforestation, seasonal flooding, potable water, extractive mining)</li>
<li>Women in Post-revolutionary El Salvador.</li>
</ul>The central idea is that dialogue with the people who have been engaged in work around these themes can<br />
provide North Americans involved in the struggle for justice, peace and human rights with a valuable lens to view their own lives. More information will be available soon on our blog, or send us an email using the contact form in the sidebar for an update.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1382023957068091163.post-17909925964428328862010-04-15T10:10:00.001-07:002010-04-15T10:42:07.369-07:00Painting the Salvadoran Reality -- Reflections by Alex Orantes<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The whole history lived by Salvadorans is a combination of shadows and light, hope and despair, death and life. Those who have often dominated the story and wanted to take over the “painter’s” brush have reinforced the disaster of the poor, trying to break their spirit. These “painters” have humiliated the poor, shaping their identity merely as servants, forcing them to live out a fate that-–as they have made them believe—has been determined in a divine, sacred realm. For many, that is all they have known. Their poverty and misery have been part of God's will, which they have had to accept. They also have had to comply with the arrogance and humiliation that comes from the powerful, because they too are products of a divine will. So no one can interfere with or change what the gods have decided. That is untouchable, sacred. </span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">There are others who have “painted” out of a collective life in solidarity with the poor--history seen from the bottom. These have painted without permission. They were never given the brush to paint, but created their own, a subversive brush, one that exceeded the official work. They painted with other shapes and colors, giving importance to the faces of the people. Servants were portrayed with dignity and their future was painted in decency and justice. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span> </div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Alex Orantes painted this piece (see image below) in November and December of 1989, and gave to the Central Baptist Church, where he was visiting when the six Jesuits and two women were murdered at the Jesuit University. </i></b></span></div><div lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Yiq9Iy3DiuzNLie17LrBP5iXawS35Kfjtx7912gkygE3nsRGIflTqK1gPJeFBGDDMsEkrJBzC6o18opw-qsak23CyX2BhSc5O_B0p-Yt6A3HceKmSuPpb31-AoQnhDKALFUZfeUCzgAP/s1600/alex+ptg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Yiq9Iy3DiuzNLie17LrBP5iXawS35Kfjtx7912gkygE3nsRGIflTqK1gPJeFBGDDMsEkrJBzC6o18opw-qsak23CyX2BhSc5O_B0p-Yt6A3HceKmSuPpb31-AoQnhDKALFUZfeUCzgAP/s400/alex+ptg.jpg" width="362" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Yiq9Iy3DiuzNLie17LrBP5iXawS35Kfjtx7912gkygE3nsRGIflTqK1gPJeFBGDDMsEkrJBzC6o18opw-qsak23CyX2BhSc5O_B0p-Yt6A3HceKmSuPpb31-AoQnhDKALFUZfeUCzgAP/s1600/alex+ptg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">These daring underground painters destroyed theologies and made gods and lords collapse. They played down the voices of priests and pastors who tried to impose shadows in the lives of the poor, justifying their beliefs and preaching that violence and injustices all come from “above.” Thus, a new work and a new thought was being created. People decided to take charge of their own destiny even if their names were not well known. No longer seeing themselves only on the margins of the great work, THE POOR now see themselves with dignity; they want their own future, know their rights, are changing their old patterns of thought. Every day they are removing their chains; and now everyone wants his or her own brushes; they all want to paint in their own touches, their traits, creativity, their ideas. </span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What we hope for in the end is a collective work, a beautiful work, a new history for Salvadorans. We will remove colors like gold and silver, which painted crowns and royalty, oligarchs and military laurels. Instead, we will paint people, land, education, clear blue skies, beautiful sunrises, tiles, ceilings, new walls, good foundations for new homes. We want our landscapes to celebrate peace and justice in the everydayness of the simplest, of the poorest. How beautiful it is that this work, our large mural, our history, is being painted with the participation from all of us! <br />
</span></span> </div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">We acknowledge that there are strong critics, educated and cultured people, who know about good art and sponsor museums and artists. They are not satisfied, do not like the socialist touch, the solidarity touch, do not understand why we celebrate the fact that the servant, the ignorant, the tattered, the homeless, the barefoot, the social activist, the revolutionary are painting methods of dialogue, consensus, inclusion and broad participation. They do not understand, will not understand. They will conspire against this work; they want to destroy the mural; they will leave their marks of violence and their names will be marked as those who hate folk art and folk life. “The people” never existed according to them. If people existed, it was just them, their circle of bourgeois exploiters, who think that they coined the word "Salvadoran people" to refer to their own.</span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span> </div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">To all these and their strong bulls of Bashan, we will give the consolation of a place, only if they want to paint in the new style. But if all they want is to be masters of all the brushes and all decisions, they will lose the opportunity to be part of the work. And in the exhibition in the galleries of every district, neighborhood, village, marginal zone, in communities everywhere, where the poor have lived ignored, when the work is shown, history will judge these dominators for being headstrong, for their selfish hearts. </span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span> </div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></div><div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">And this great painting will be signed by all the Marías, the Josés, the Carlos, the Romeros, and the Shaficks, who are part of the people. Those who participated will be immortal; their memories will be eternal. Those who were above, might want to buy and own the artist. But everyone knows-- it is in everyone’s mouth and conscience-- this new work and its artists are not for sale, nor is their fate or their determinations. <span lang="es-ES">Never again, God willing. </span></span></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alex Orantes</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santa Ana, El Salvador, January 6, 2010</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Translated by Laura Miraz, edited by Ron Morgan</span></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15232615709099518093noreply@blogger.com0