Why I serve on the Sister Parish Inc. Board of Directors

Posted on September 9, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Mike Spellman

In a world that seems to be spinning out of control with so many people engaging in ethnic, cultural, religious or national hatreds, one special group is doing what it can to engage in the active pursuit of peace, love, justice, and respect for others.  That’s Sister Parish.

I serve on the Sister Parish Board of Directors because their program of two-way international travel to Central America brings me into direct contact with people whose lives I could otherwise never have imagined.  I’ve discovered that more can be accomplished over a Guatemalan farmer’s kitchen table than around the negotiating table.

When the privileged and the oppressed walk side by side in solidarity, both are enlightened and empowered.  Differences evaporate.  Solutions are discovered.  And friendship and love triumph.  I’m glad that in my own small way, through service on the Sister Parish Board, I’ve been able to slow the spinning just enough to matter.

Sister Parish is looking for new people to join our wonderful Board of Directors team.  If you are interested or can recommend someone in your community, please contact Carrie Stengel for more information.

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Mike tables at a regional synod assembly to help get the word out about Sister Parish.

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Opening minds, transforming hearts

Posted on September 2, 2016 by sisterparishinc

Originally published in the Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi bulletin.

28844705531_67eac0f03b_bAs part of our “Summer of Mission and Mercy,” five parishioners took time out of their summer last month to journey to Guatemala to bring good tidings to our “sister parish” in a remote village called Las Margaritas II. This special linkage was formed with the village in 1993 and since then, representatives of our parish have been traveling there to live, work, pray, and play with this community. Although the purpose of our relationship with Las Margaritas II is not to provide relief but to open our minds and transform our hearts through the experience of cultural immersion and solidarity, this particular visit by parishioners Liz and Ayden Mosler, Jim Mong, Drew Begin, and Kyle Solomon also offered opportunities to work on the building project of a new village Catholic church. It’s very difficult to convey in words and images the transformation that happens when we move out of our comfort zones and meet another “brother” and “sister” in faith, but the following reflections capture some of this.

28815802392_cec4f326d9_oLiz Mosler
This experience was beyond anything that I could have imagined and the fact that I was able to share it with my son Ayden makes it even more meaningful. This was a journey like no other I’ve been on before. We spent countless hours together building the church, making tortillas, carrying water, preparing meals, playing games with the children, tie-dying shirts & bandanas, playing soccer, shucking and grinding corn, laughing, crying, sharing stories and worshiping. Although we live in two very different worlds, we are all God’s children and we all have the same basic needs and desires. This trip helped me to understand that on a deeper level.

28305090933_c3dbe05e25_oAyden Mosler
This trip was fantastic! The people of Las Margaritas II are probably the most content and loving people I have ever met, and throughout the trip, we all had at least 2 children hanging out with us. My favorite part in the village was just hanging out with my host family, who were so giving and wonderful. This trip was the best, and I think that all teens should do something like this. It really opens your eyes.

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I have recently returned from my fourth visit to our sister parish.  Each time I grow ever closer to my Guatemalan family. Their struggle has become my struggle. They continue to rise above the fray of our material world that has bound me for so long. They have taught me that God and family is all we really need for happiness and fulfillment.  I am forever grateful.

28889139936_340356bca6_oDrew Begin
The trip was an amazing experience for me. It was my first time out of the country and it was absolutely life-changing. The sights we saw were breathtaking, but more importantly the people were all so loving.When we arrived in Las Margaritas II, I immediately felt as if I was meant to be there.

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Ricardo Choc from Las Margaritas II
When they came here to visit us it was such a pleasure.  So much time had passed since the last visit and they were not able to come for awhile. But the time came and we were reunited. It was one of the best delegations we have had together. Playing soccer together, the trip to the Laguna Lachua nature reserve, and  when they helped us with the construction, the whole community was able to share with our brothers and sisters. Thanks to our brothers and sisters for the donation they gave to the construction project as well. We will always have them in our hearts and minds and we await the next time we are able to share with them the joy of our partnership.

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The message of Sister Parish…

Posted on July 19, 2016 by sisterparishinc

Originally posted on the St. Joan of Arc blog.

Last summer, we hosted a delegation from our Sister Parish in Tierra Nueva II in Guatemala. We spend ten days together sharing our journey of faith and friendship, and one of our days together always includes the celebration of mass at the Church of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis. This incredible service integrates elements of Native American spirituality and ritual, and our delegates  – many of whom are indigenous people themselves – are very moved by it.

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Visit with Gichitwaa Kateri community in 2015.

Recently, one of our delegates – Maria – sent some notes and gifts to her host families and others at SJA, and a gift to Deacon Joe at Gichitwaa Kateri.  It had been clear when we were there that María, a woman with indigenous roots herself, felt a connection with the people of Gichitwaa Kateri.

I decided to catch Deacon Joe after mass to deliver his gift.  I arrived as mass was being celebrated, so I lurked out in the hallway so as not to disturb anyone.  Having only visited the church twice before, I did not feel familiar enough with the Ojibwe language or rituals of the mass to participate.  But lurking in the hall as an outsider did not last.  The people of Gichitwaa Kateri are so welcoming that I was greeted with the water blessing, communion and tobacco ritual right out in the hallway!  An elderly parish member came out to offer me a sign of peace, a hug, and to hook her elbow with mine to lead me into the sacred space of her church.  She cleared a spot for me to sit with her and the other elderly women of the church.  She shared her hymnal with me and encouraged me to sing with her, in Ojibwe!  When she complimented me on the beautiful Guatemalan cloth I carried, I told her it was a gift from Maria in Guatemala.  She immediately insisted that I present the gift to the entire parish at the end of mass and flagged down Father Mike Tegeder. I did my best to convey María’s heartfelt message:

For: the Lakota church of Minneapolis Minnesota,
From: Maria Eufemia Contreras Alvarez
My brother, continue professing the faith in the living God that loves every living thing and that created us for love  and that cares for each of us.  Blessings and greetings to all.  God bless you and guard you always and the same for all around you.
Merry Christmas!
-Maria

The whole room of parishioners was overwhelmed with gratitude and love.  The gift of the cloth was draped over the pulpit (see picture). I was embraced by the parish with hugs and thanks, and I left feeling like María’s act of kindness, all the way from Guatemala, had helped bring me closer to my own neighbors and brothers and sisters right here in Minneapolis. Our Sister Parish relationship changes so many people, in so many unexpected ways – bringing us all closer together in the love of God and one another.

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Sister Parish changed the direction of my life… What has changed yours?

Posted on June 28, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Alejandro Alfaro and Maria Van Der Maaten

Alejandro

“This experience changed my life” or “It’s a life changing experience” are common phrases that I do believe are overused. However, I do not hesitate to say that Sister Parish changed my life for the better.

There are many ways in which Sister Parish had a big influence in my life, one of those influences had to do with my calling as a pastor. Sister Parish taught me that it is possible to be a person of faith and be progressive. It is because of Sister Parish that I ended up attending the Iliff School of Theology and I’m seeking ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

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Long story short, I went from being an anthropologist working on development and human rights projects in Guatemala to being a United Methodist pastor working in a multicultural congregation in Iowa and the United Methodist Church worldwide.  I went from being a former Christian (Catholic and then non-denominational) who had been hurt by the church’s actions towards poor people, indigenous people, LGBTQI people, etc, and who was very vocal about these wrongs, to a newly committed Christian (United Methodist) who works from within the church to help the world, and the church itself (i.e. LGBTQI acceptance). I used to like Jesus, but I did not so much like organized religion.  Sister Parish taught me about the importance of community. While organized religion is not perfect it is capable of doing a lot of good, yet it needs to do some things better.

Sister Parish taught me to work WITH the people instead of FOR the people and that I will only be free when ALL people are free.  Working to make the world a better place for every being is a slow, difficult, but rewarding and a process worth engaging in. So, Sister Parish changed my life and I want to invite you to collaborate in making the world a better place by making sure Sister Parish continues spreading understanding, solidarity, and love.

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To lead delegations where everyone stays in people’s houses and eats the same food that people eat daily, where the things that you built are relationships instead of buildings, where the only thing painted are smiles on people’s faces instead of paint on buildings is something truly remarkable. Instead of charity and paternalism, Sister Parish promotes solidarity and equality. It is a slow, but very necessary process in order to foster understanding between people from the global North and global South. That’s why today I invite you to help this movement grow by donating whatever is in your possibility, that cup of coffee you were going to buy tomorrow or that meal out, Maria and I did! Every dollar counts, because there are no grants for building relationships or for love, but that’s exactly what the world needs.

Maria

I traveled as a Sister Parish delegate for the first time when I was 17, as part of the first youth delegation from my church. While I don’t remember feeling unprepared for travel or overwhelmed, I remember being in awe of the differences between life in rural Iowa and life in rural Guatemala. I was transformed, by the experience, the opportunity, and more importantly, the people. I started my senior year of high school confident that I would study Spanish in college (which I did).

During my second year of college, Decorah First UMC traveled to Potrerillos, El Salvador for the first time and I had the opportunity to join the delegation, which included my dad. The delegation was amazing; we were so welcomed and immediately adopted into the community and households. We’d gone together to the river, hiked to a cave, visited the local compost project (which was then still in its infancy), shared meals, and shared stories. I returned from this delegation interested in development work.

size_550x415_comalapaMy dad surprised me a few weeks later having found a study abroad program based in El Salvador. In spite of stereotypical negative news about Central America, my dad felt safe knowing I’d finish my Spanish degree near family! During my masters work (in international development) I had the chance to spend significant time in the SP community for my thesis fieldwork. It was fantastic to have more than a week with the friends and family I’ve developed relationships with and, while difficult, wonderful to learn more about the details and history of Potrerillos, especially as a strategic location during the armed conflict. During one of my interviews my friend, Herberth, introduced me to his new vegetable and produce farm, which helped me make my latest professional leap: rural and agricultural development through agroecological farming practices.

Since starting my PhD program I haven’t had the flexibility I previously did to visit often outside of scheduled delegations, but thanks to globalization and social media, I’ve been able to stay in better contact with my Salvadoran friends and family… I’m anxious to celebrate the end of my schooling with them soon, they definitely deserve a lot of credit for their encouragement and role, even if they weren’t aware of it at the time!

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I have so many important relationships that formed as a result of my experiences with Sister Parish. If you were to ask me I would say my giant Salvadoran family is my favorite part of the organization. But it’s not just the relationships I’ve formed with people in Potrerillos, El Salvador, this is true among my relationships with other members of First UMC in Decorah, my Sister Parish colleagues…, and the larger Sister Parish community. Because I’ve attended regional meetings, I have friends from Maine to California and everywhere in between, all because of Sister Parish! While the relationships we might most promote or describe are North-South relationships, Sister Parish supports relationships in all directions and at all levels!

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Solidarity is a value we both have embraced in our work and our lives and when I saw this quote by Archbishop Romero of El Salvador, it resonated with me all of the reasons why Sister Parish is important to me. Romero said, “Peace is a product of justice, but justice is not enough. Love is necessary, the love that makes us feel that we are brothers and sisters is properly what makes for true peace.”

As a result of the relationships we form through Sister Parish, we are able to be in solidarity with one another; charity supports justice, but solidarity stems from love and supports true peace.

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Posted in El Salvador, General, Guatemala, United States | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A simple act of solidarity

Posted on June 28, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Sarah Jerde

On Sunday June 12th, members of the newest Sister Parish linkage, People of Hope Church in Rochester, MN and ACOMUJERZA women’s cooperative in Zaragoza, El Salvador, participated in their monthly Skype call.  What sounded like static to the participants from People of Hope was actually the sound of rain on the roof of ACOMUJERZA’s community building.  A few minutes into the call, the electricity went out in Zaragoza.  We decided to move immediately into a time of prayer, so the call could be concluded early due to the severe weather in Zaragoza.

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Monthly Skype call between ACOMUJERZA and People of Hope.

My heart was heavy going into the Skype call, because of the recent news of the mass shooting in Orlando.  The victims and families of the shooting were lifted up in prayer.  I felt the weight on my heart lift as the inspiring women of ACOMUJERZA joined their hearts and expressed their concern for the tragedy.  ACOMUJERZA was lifted up in prayer, with concern over some obstacles and barriers the cooperative has been facing.

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I was encouraged by the women’s dedication to show up for the meeting, despite the severe weather.  I continue to be inspired by the women of ACOMUJERZA because of their hope and perseverance.

The act of sharing in prayer together was a simple, but profound act of solidarity.  The genuine concern and love expressed between People of Hope and ACOMUJERZA is remarkable, especially given the infancy of the linkage.  (The linkage’s first delegation was a North to South in April 2016.)

Thank you for your ongoing support of Sister Parish, Inc, so these acts of solidarity can continue to transform individuals, communities and our world.

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First delegation between People of Hope and ACOMUJERZA.

 

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We are creating community

Posted on June 27, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Luis Cuyun

As some of you may know, for the past few years my family and I have been active in Saint Joan of Arc’s Sister Parish committee, which has maintained a successful  relationship with the parish of  San Marcos Evangelista in Tierra Nueva II, Guatemala, for over 20 years!

We began our journey with Sister Parish on Easter Sunday, at Saint Joan of Arc, four years ago. On our way into mass, our attention was immediately grabbed by the unexpected appearance of a colorful alfombra (sawdust carpet) – traditional in Guatemala – right here in Minneapolis, of all places. It created an immediate connection to home.

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This small interaction quickly became a meaningful commitment that summer, as we participated in activities during a delegation from Tierra Nueva II to Minneapolis. Sister Parish found a regular place in our family’s calendar of activities – a way to teach our children, as well as ourselves, the value of Solidarity and Social Justice, regardless of location and distance. For our children, Sister Parish is yet another way to maintain their connection to Guatemala. We have met delegates visiting Minneapolis and we have visited our friends in Tierra Nueva II, when we travel to Guatemala.  We are now part of a larger community that encompasses both Minneapolis and Guatemala – a larger “village” in which to raise our children.

Sister Parish is about building relationships, with a focus on social justice, in collaboration with our brothers and sisters in Guatemala. Traditionally, partnerships between faith communities have worked on the model of “charity,” or “mission,” with one partner assuming the role of benefactor providing aid and support to the other.  Sister Parish does not follow this framework – we are not about charity, we are all about SOLIDARITY – and there is a major difference.

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We are creating community – a community that reaches beyond our borders bridging our two parishes in a relationship of mutual respect and friendship. This relationship goes on, day in and day out, throughout the year, culminating in delegations that go both ways – North to South and South to North.  During these delegations, not only do we have the opportunity to see our friends from far away in person, but we also share the incredible opportunity to learn from one another and support one another in our celebrations, as well as in our tribulations. It is solidarity.

We are building bridges, binding us together, working toward a common goal for a common future – a better future, a more just and equitable future – here in the United States, as well as in Central America. Because it was never us and them, it has always been WE.

Currently, Luis participates in the Board of Directors and Zamara helps organize activities to highlight social issues and build community within our church and across countries. The kids go back to help make the alfombra every Easter.

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What I’ve learned from Sister Parish

Posted on June 27, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Nancy Wiens

This June, I am energized thinking about a loving community that is coming together from coast to coast to raise funds to support Sister Parish, Inc.

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Tierra Nueva Dos members visit St. Joan of Arc in 2015.

In fact, it is the concept of community that hooked me on this organization so many years ago. Here’s what my Sister Parish experiences have taught me about creating a global  community:

  • Think of no one as “them”
  • Talk to strangers
  • Notice the workings of power and privilege in your culture
  • Visit people, places and cultures – not tourist attractions
  • Learn people’s history
  • Watch films with subtitles
  • Understand the global economy in terms of people, land and water
  • Question military/corporate connections
  • Honor indigenous cultures
  • Choose curiosity over certainty
  • Think South, Central and North – there are many Americans
  • Assume that many others share your dreams
  • Know that no one is silent though many are not heard – Work to change this

* With thanks to the Syracuse Cultural Workers for their “How to Build Global Community” poster.

Why Sister Parish?  My husband, Rick, and I love this organization because it builds relationships across borders. We have been involved with Sister Parish for many years through St. Joan of Arc Church, which is engaged in a 22-year hermanamiento  (sister parish relationship) with Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Tierra Nueva Dos, Guatemala.  We have visited each other many times, stayed in each others’  homes and experienced our Guatemalan friends’ incredible friendship, faith, hospitality, hope, love and commitment to family.

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Tierra Nueva Dos members visit St. Joan of Arc in 2015.

Also, Sister Parish is aligned with our values of justice and peace-building. In Sister Parish, we build community by journeying together in mutual respect, dignity and understanding.  Both Rick and I believe in Sister Parish and support it in many ways. Rick is past chair of the Sister Parish committee at St. Joan of Arc Church and I participate on the national board of Sister Parish, Inc., the umbrella organization that fosters and enables these church-to-church relationships.

The way I look at and interact with the world has been transformed because of Sister Parish. It is why I’m contributing to the future success of the organization by participating in the ‘$16K in 2016’ Year of Encounter fundraising campaign. Thanks to all the devoted and caring Sister Parish community members who are joining me!

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Tierra Nueva Dos members visit St. Joan of Arc in 2015.

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God’s voice in my ears and in my heart

Posted on June 27, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Greg Huang-Dale

Traveling is great fun and one of the best learning experiences I can think of. But why would anyone choose to travel to Guatemala and El Salvador, two countries still struggling to recover from violence and poverty? In 2000, I first went on my delegation to visit friends Jose and Maria (Joe and Mary!) in the highlands of the Ixil region in rural Guatemala. The country was so beautiful and the people were so generous, I knew I had to visit again. Sister Parish is about going again, learning more, finding common ground and building long term relationships.

Jose was my first Guatemalan teacher. He let me sleep in the only bed in their home. He taught me how to say “Chuu” and how to use it!  The Chuu is a traditional Ixil sauna that I had to crawl into to enjoy.  Jose also brought me to his corn fields and suddenly I was transported to my own home garden. There together Jose and I were no longer distant foreigners, we were neighbor farmers looking after each others’ crops.

Decorah United Methodist delegation to Nebaj, circa 1999

Delegation from Decorah United Methodist visiting Nebaj in the 1990s.

Sometimes the walk with Sister Parish has been joyous and celebratory, sometimes frightfully tragic, but always a walk together in solidarity.

Today I want to invite you to walk with me in the rose garden at the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is a beautiful stroll through red and pink blooms opening in the sunshine, though beneath fragrant petals is a memory of thorns and sorrow.

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Memorial garden at the UCA in San Salvador.

It’s November and the trees have shed their leaves in Maine. Days are shorter and Thanksgiving will arrive soon, but in El Salvador it is warm and sunny and students walk about the campus on their way to classes. I’m wearing a hat and sun glasses, but not shorts. I have on long pants because shorts are too casual in this strongly Catholic country. We’ve come to a museum at the UCA to see the memorial to 6 Jesuit priests and their housekeepers. Eight people summarily executed by the Army for speaking out against the repressive government in 1989. They were teachers like me, trying to help their students understand a complex and confounding world. They had no defense but their books and their faith. They are remembered with a rose garden – a cemetery and a living memorial of their convictions in the face of violence. I wonder where I was on Nov. 16, 1989; probably sitting in a college classroom analyzing Russian classics or arranging music for our band, not at all worrying about safety and security for myself or my professors.  25 years later, I walk with Marleny, Carlos and Salvadoran friends through this garden and I know that pain and hope are intertwined.

We share a deep connection and need for our Sister Parish family in times of violence. We share their sorrow and they ours. Our Central American sisters and brothers also walk with us as we survive and process the violence of Newtown and Orlando. They know our loss, confusion and pain, and they know that recovery is a process of communal healing. Let us keep planting gardens and keep learning together.

The sky darkens and evening may leave us before dinner is finished. The day was long and filled with meaningful moments of looks, laughs, and words of encouragement.  Under an open air pavilion outside San Antonio Los Ranchos, El Salvador, community members from the US, Guatemala, and El Salvador have been meeting for our 25th Anniversary. We’re looking forward to celebration later this weekend, but today was for listening. I was reminded frequently today of the gift our staff gives us as we navigate a maze of language and cultural differences to arrive at a common destination and understanding of our relationships, our history, and our future together.

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Working groups at a gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sister Parish and vision our future.

We sit down to eat under dim electric lights.  Members of the 3 country boards sit to share our thoughts on strengthening our partnership as organizational leaders.  I realize that I am here to listen. I’m here to include all as we envision a future.  A future in which our 3 boards continue this conversation through calls, letters, and prayers. A future which counts the people around this table as a linkage committed to one another.  A future which broadens our board membership and invites all voices to the table. As I listen in the darkness, I hear a voice, a soft voice of truth, of passion, of love.  It is God’s voice in my ears and in my heart.

Southern Encounter Group

Gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sister Parish.

Posted in El Salvador, Guatemala, United States | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Come and see

Posted on June 27, 2016 by sisterparishinc

by Vicki Schmidt

I traveled to Central America for the first time in 1984 and I went to change the world.  I went to bring my love and help the poor.   I went to do what I understood to be a gospel calling –  to bring the good news to the poor.  What happened to me was unexpected,  but I should not have been surprised. The Bible talks a lot about bringing Good News to the poor; the reality is that I did not understand what kind of “poor” the Scriptures were talking about.

At that time in my life I understood poverty as not having the finer things of life, to include all the stuff my culture entices me to surround myself with so I feel rich and full and complete.  It wasn’t long after spending a few days with new found friends in Latin America, my thinking began evolving.  I discovered that while I had riches and gratification of my physical needs, there was a poverty of my heart and soul  which was being defined for me by those whose lives were touching mine.

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Members of Faith Lutheran/Journey in Faith and Tierra Nueva I enjoy time together at the lake.

This new understanding was like the difference between night and day.  How could it be that I am the one living in poverty, a spiritual shabbiness and lacking a deep commitment to a God of grace and love of the purest sort.  How could it be that my sisters and brothers who suffered so deeply through civil wars and government oppression understood themselves as rich because they were followers of Jesus and had a depth of spiritual understanding beyond what I had known as a believer in Jesus!  I witnessed their rising above all the devastation of their lives to see their God giving them power and purpose in their lives.  I heard them testify to being carried in the arms of God, and lifted by the Holy Spirit always with them in their daily struggles.

What they had in spiritual riches far surpassed the value of all my physical amenities.  The experiences led me to a conversion to the poor, a conversion to the spiritual richness – the overwhelming flow of God’s grace and mercy and compassionate care into the lives of my sisters and brothers.   This is the God they showed me, the God they trusted.

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Serving a community meal in Tierra Nueva I.

Upon returning to my home I became passionate about inviting others into this same spiritual journey.  Because my changes were difficult to explain, I just kept asking people to “Come and See”.  “Come and see the richness of the poor!”  I continue to pray for those who have been transformed and those who will yet experience this.

Indeed the Spirit of God was at work in all this when I met Richard Fenske and together we began inviting people to enter relationships with our sisters and brothers in Latin America.  This is a work that must continue – the life changing transformative relationships that bring peace and justice to all God’s children.

Southern Encounter Group

Gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sister Parish.

Posted in El Salvador, General, Guatemala | Tagged , | 1 Comment

La primera visita de Gente de Esperanza – Entrevista con ACOMUJERZA

Posted on May 31, 2016 by sisterparishinc

English

Gente de Esperanza y ACOMUJERZA formaron su hermanamiento el año pasado.  Recientemente hablamos con dos miembros de ACOMUJERZA sobre la primera visita de sus hermanos de Gente de Esperanza.

12993339_1088061211234979_1468827441189214869_nMi nombre es Ana Morales y llevo 10 años con ACOMUJERZA y he vivido en Zaragoza por 12 años.  Estoy en la Junta Directiva de ACOMUJERZA y soy miembro del Comité de Hermanamiento.

Mi nombre es María Julia y he vivido en Zaragoza toda mi vida y yo soy una de las fundadoras de ACOMUJERZA.

El año pasado nos informaron que nos habían escogido para hermanarse con la iglesia Gente de Esperanza.  Cuando Julieta nos dijo estaba muy contenta. Les dijimos a todos los miembros de la cooperativa y todos estábamos emocionados.

El año pasado participamos en nuestra primera actividad con Iglesias Hermanas – la Caminata de Solidaridad. Fuimos 13 personas de Zaragoza a Los Ranchos. Fue una experiencia muy bonita.  Estábamos emocionados al ver la organización de la comunidad y todo lo que las comunidades han hecho.

La próxima experiencia fue con el Comité de Hermanamiento.  Lo confirmamos.  Somos 7 personas ahora (6 mujeres y un hombre, con 5 miembros de la cooperativa y 2 miembros de la comunidad).  El Comité será el enlace entre Gente de Esperanza, Iglesias Hermanas y ACOMUJERZA.

La primera delegación de Gente de Esperanza nos visitó este año. Nos reunimos con el Comité para organizar la visita, así que no hubo problemas.

La delegación estaba acá por 9 días.  Se realizaron muchas actividades. Compartieron con la cooperativa y visitaron diferentes lugares comunitarios, como la unidad de salud, el colegio donde la mayoría de los hijos de las socias va, y la radio local. También hicimos un encuentro deportivo con el colegio. Les enseñamos a los delegados como hacer el bordado – tenían que planificar lo que iban a coser y luego hacerlo, así aprendieron más acerca de nuestro trabajo y nuestra realidad. También se organizó una fiesta de despedida el 7 de abril.

12923089_10154116617074322_2019578116231790071_nLa experiencia de la delegación fue muy interesante. Compartí con linda gente. Desde la llegada en el aeropuerto, sin conocer, estábamos emocionadas. Para su primera experiencia en El Salvador, los llevamos a comer pupusas. Eso siempre es lo primero que quieren hacer los extranjeros. Luego fuimos a la casa de huéspedes y para la cena, comimos comida típica: tamales y frijoles. Estábamos contentas al compartir la comida.

El domingo 3 de abril tuvimos otra experiencia bonita con el grupo. Fuimos al Parque Cuscatlán, donde está plasmado un mural dedicado a las personas que murieron aquí de los años 77 en adelante. Hay un montón de personas en el mural.  Es ser testigo de la cantidad de personas que se murieron. Todavía estoy muy impactada por el mural. Trae muchos recuerdos. Tengo presente que vivimos en otros tiempos ahora, pero todavía recuerdo a nuestros mártires. Nos ayudaron a defender nuestro país.

12933064_697901083684998_6453347932440629824_nDespués llevamos el grupo a la catedral donde está nuestro máximo pastor Romero. Hicimos mucha oración. Me quedé muy impactada. Nos trae tristes recuerdos, pero también esperanza.

Ese domingo por la tarde, fuimos a misa y participamos en una procesión al monumento Romero.  Las personas de Gente de Esperanza siempre andaban con nosotros. Fue una experiencia muy emotiva.

Hemos recibido muchas delegaciones, pero nunca como Gente de Esperanza. Los sentimos más cerca a nosotros, como ya conocidos durante años.

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