Day 7 [Oscar Romero]

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.

Day 2 in El Salvador

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.

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.

Day 1 in El Salvador

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.

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.

Day 1: 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.