Breaking ground...

Just got back from one of our rural villages with a delegation from Texas. The community now calls me Doña Amanda and use usted with me. I preached twice while I was there... first time I preached in the rural area. For Day of the Saints I used the twin towers as an illustration of both terror and to proclaim to them then even if our loved ones are dust and cannot be found by us Christ will resurrect His child, He finds them and us and brings them and us home. After all many of our community members had to leave their loved ones in the mountains after massacres as they fled knowing that they would be eaten by animals.

Later that day about 10 of the male members of the congregation came up to me and we held court if you will... they first asked me what terror was... they did not know the word. Then the questions kept coming for nearly two hours... is it true about free trade, will they be able to survive, will they be able to plant the same kind of corn they always have planted, what about what the radio was saying about a new war coming, how can the Lutherans in the United States really help us, will they really remember us, what I thought about a group of Germans who have be coming around saying that if they paid Q.600 (nearly $80) to join an association they would one day receive $300... I counseled them not to sell their land to have faith that God will continue to provide, and I was catechized.

What stress but what joy.

Again and again we are seeing that no one knows the story, no one knows the Lord’s prayer, the ten commandments... yet another way that we are in the 16th century. We taught the children about the annunciation, nativity and visits of the shepherds and wise men... they did not know the name of Joseph! Postulating about this... perhaps their Roman Catholic background? My mom learned the Catechism rather than the bible stories growing up. The focus and importance is on the ritual and the priest... the bible reading and sermon become symbolic and secondary to the ritual. Perhaps too the lack of literacy has lead to lack of modeling that it is important, or humiliation that they cannot read. What work we have ahead to teach our brothers and sisters.