Next time you vote...

In the States many of us take for granted the right that we have to vote. In fact a small percentage of those who are eligible to vote actually do. I remember the first time I voted, in the Baptist church in Northfield, Minnesota during the Clinton election. I registered and then voted… and then vouched for someone else that I knew could vote. It felt a lot like the first time I gave blood to the Red Cross in my highschool’s wrestling room… fulfilling some sort of civic duty, exercising freedom…

Last week in the communities, members were talking about voting here in Guatemala. Many who suffered under the policies of the FRG… the Scorched Earth program of Rios Montt for example which lead to the massacre of thousands and the fleeing into the mountains, into the City or into Mexico of many more… vote for the FRG and even voted for Rios Montt after he had the constitution changed to allow someone who staged a coup to run for President of Guatemala.

They vote… many out of fear, some out of ignorance, and some… well I do not understand why. The FRG, the members of the community told us, give out T-Shirts during their campaigns telling people that if they take the T-Shirt that they have to vote for the FRG. Many take the T-Shirts, after all it will most likely be their only T-Shirt for the year. Then they vote for the FRG, once again some out of fear. Many are told that there are cameras in the voting booths and the FRG will know if they do not vote as they promised. Lack of education is a problem as well. They believe, as the FRG told them, that since they took the T-Shirt they are obligated to vote.

Another technique is misinformation. People who are against the FRG are told to mark FRG on the ballot with an X so they do not win… when in fact this would be voting for the FRG. We thought that hanging and dimpled chads were frustrating!

He left…

The spouse of one of the women in La Esmerelda, who was a Minister of the Word in the Lutheran parish, left his family—wife and between 4 and 8 kids… I am not sure how many there are exactly—a few weeks ago. She did not know that he was leaving, abandoning his family, his land, his church. Maybe he went to the States, he may know the route by foot, or through Mexico since he has Mexican papers from his time as a refugee. But for his wife, children, family and church… he is gone and they are without father, spouse, brother and Minister of the Word.
I do not and could not know why he left; I just know that he left.

TLC/ CAFTA

I do not know how many of you know about TLC/CAFTA. It is the Central America Free Trade Agreement… think NAFTA but with Central America instead of with Canada and Mexico. We have had a lot of protests this last week in Guatemala because the Congress and President are discussing whether to ratify the agreement; they probably will, if they have not already The schools were closed for two days for the children’s safety along with many businesses for fear that the protests could become dangerous… just like in the States. Many feel that TLC/CAFTA will only benefit the United States and the rich in the Central American countries… that the gap between the poor and the rich will only grow. The thing is while the majority of Guatemalans know about this agreement, how many citizens of the US know about it?

Death and Resurrection for the whole family

The Body of Christ was joined by the five children of Valeriano Melgar Marroquin and Nicolasa de Melgar in their baptisms two weeks ago. The night before the baptism their father, Don Victor and a few others were up until 2am getting the church building of the parish of El Divino Salvador del Mundo in El Mirador. They removed the dirt and trash from the floor of the church building that had prevented us from worshipping in the church. The adorned the church with palm branches and flowers and covered the floor with pine needles. On the altar was placed brand new white candles and the cross. The worn blue benches were brought over from the clinic/ library where we had been worshipping along with plastic chairs, and were ready to receive worshippers.

When the morning of the 5 adult baptisms dawned, the baptized arrived dressed in their best dresses and suits. Walking on the dirt road into the colonial, past the gang signs spray painted on the cinderblock walls, they entered the church whose doors were open for the first time in I do not know how long. Family, those chosen to be Godparents, members of the parish and members of the community filled the awaiting benches and chairs.

As soon as the Pentecostal church a few doors down saw that the doors of the Lutheran church were opened, they began to sing… amplified for all to hear and to drown out the Lutheran worship. In Guatemala… the different denominations consider one another different religions and many try to undermine other religions with propaganda or load singing as was the case this time. It made the service a bit challenging but thinking this would happen the Melgar family brought some sound equipment to the service as well.

They were baptized, with tears in their eyes, in the eyes of their parents and of several in the congregation that day. Don Victor and Doña Lupe, two members that had walked with the parish in the valley of dry bones, held the Christ candle from which their light, the light of Christ, was taken and given to each one. When it came time to commune, they looked at me… can we? Can we eat and drink? Yes, you are invited… to invite in Spanish means that you will pay as well… and it is true with Holy Communion, Christ invites us to the table and pays the ultimate price for this Last Supper.

Afterwards all who were present were invited to the home of the Melgar family to celebrate the baptisms.

Pastoral Training… can you imagine.

In Nicaragua, the pastors get together for biblical and other training. I believe once a month all the pastors try to come into Managua… others are able to come on a weekly basis. In this time they study the texts for the up-coming Sunday to aid them in preparing their sermons and to hear some theology and history behind the given texts and also hear the ideas and thoughts of their fellow pastors.

Time was also taken to discuss some difficulties with the work ethic of the pastors. The afternoon session was put together very well in a non-threatening way while still naming some of the problems that are occurring with the pastors… especially those who have not been attending to their communities. We split up into 5 groups, each given a song and a word to discuss. Each group was to discuss where they saw there word active in the church, find scriptures to support why it was not a good thing to have in the church and then rewrite their song to instruct as to why it was not good. The words were… Intriga, Burla, Irresponsabilidad, Egoísmo, Mal Carácter… It was a very good way to discuss these difficult topics. I cannot imagine a group of pastors in the states willingly participating in such an activity… but that does not mean that it could not be helpful.

For me, my experience in Nicaragua was great. It felt good to study theology again and to know another church, its people, its blessings and its challenges. It gave me perspective on the differences between the church as well.

Nicaragua and Guatemala

It is so tempting to list one after the next the similarities and differences between Nicaragua and Guatemala… the people, the history, the presence of the Lutheran Church.

The Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope in Nicaragua will have its 15th anniversary this summer. They have a lot to celebrate. 42 parishes, 30 some lay pastors… mostly women, a female Bishop. They were born amidst the refugees from the war in El Salvador and the now Bishop Victoria Cortez came to Nicaragua in 1983 to work with the refugees… and was later asked by them to stay. The ILAG in Guatemala began in 1991… it also had some of its roots amidst the refugees from El Salvador. In Guatemala however the peace was not signed until 1996 and the majority of the people who make up our membership did not return from refugee camps until about this same time.

So even though both countries share this same isthmus their histories, their cultures, their peoples and even how they express their Lutheran confession cannot be expected to be mirror images of the other. Just as the mountains and “cooler” weather of Guatemala City give way to much flatter ocean landscape of Managua, the two churches express their liberty to worship in the manner that fits their people in different ways. In each, I have heard the freeing and binding of the Word given to the people… even while in Nicaragua the politics of the day were discussed with equal attention as was given to the church service.

Our Freedom… and our temptation.

Allow each to be unique. To be the part of the Body of Christ that they are, and not compare and contrast to the other parts of the Body… after all you cannot compare the right ear to the left eye… or the lungs to the heart. Allow each to be who they are resting in our trust of whose we are… we are members of the Body of Christ. Children of the same Heavenly Father.