4 of July… Proud to be an American?

Padre Horacio, Horacio, Kristen (a friend of mine from MN) and I visited Santa Elena 20 de Octubre in early July in order to prepare them for a delegation visit. They have had a difficult year… or more. In May 2006 Padre Horacio brought seeds to help relieve the hunger caused by Hurricane Stan. About a month later a week of rain caused the river to rise and destroy much of the disaster relief.

These are the moments in which it is clear that our call is to keep walking with the people of God, to keep telling them about the faithfulness of our Lord and to share their story with others. Their faith remains steadfast even as their means of life is washed away.

During our meeting with the church members, 4 Americans (US citizen) entered the church. One had been a peace observer in the community three years before and was returning to visit and bring her friends to see. Since the community was victim of a massacre, they had peace accompaniers as part of the peace process.

Padre Horacio welcomed them and told them they were welcome to attend activities if they were around. Upon asking if they were Lutheran or from another church, they responded with blank stares until finally one responded that they did not belong to any church.

As we continued with our meeting we talked about how the church members could make humble crosses out of wood to give to the delegation members. As the members were nodding in agreement, the 4 Americans were visibly laughing.

After our meeting Kristen and I went up to them to greet them—American to American. It was the 4 of July after all. They were not interested in talking to us until I said that I was a missionary here in Guatemala.

This small comment opened the floodgates… one of the young women very rudely told us that what I was doing was wrong and that the church should not be coming in trying to change these people, that they had hope before us and our “charity” was just an attempt to buy their consciousness and that the history of mission only proved that the church is wrong.

Trembling, I responded that we are in solidarity with this community and bring the hope that only Christ can bring, we do not buy anybody (after all Christ paid the ultimate price for us!)

She persisted. I told them that I was sorry that they felt that way but that they were welcome here in the church while we were visiting.

I gave Padre Horacio and the church leader a heads up… we would be leaving the next morning and these 4 would be there another week. People listen to the discontented who are disposed to try to plant seeds of doubt. Thankfully the text of the day, Matthew 8:23-27, allowed for a sermon stressing solidarity in Christ, hope in Christ alone and not in any material possession that we may have the opportunity to provide them.

It was a day in which I mourned the hatred that entered the church as a welcomed guest and left equally welcome despite the venom that it tried to strike with.