Homeward Bound

As we board our final flight for home it's good to reflect on our pilgrimage to Chile and recap some of the things we will and will not miss. Not surprisingly, the list of things we'll miss about Chile is quite long, just like their country. This is a testament to the wonderful people we met and the natural beauty of this long, narrow country. 

So here's our list of things that we'll miss about Chile. Starting with food, we'll miss eating the empanadas made of meat and cheese, sopapillas served with salsa, and all of the fresh fruits and vegetables, including new fruits that we've never had before (sorry, but I can't remember what they were called). We'll miss the variety of fresh fish, the 'la agua con gas' (carbonated water), Nescafé coffee, the variety of teas, the smooth red Chilean wines and the sweet, but potent little Pisco sours. In general, we loved the food in Chile and we enjoyed dining at the outdoor cafés too.

Chile is a lovely country and many of our hosts were eager to show us it's natural beauty. We loved the temperate climate, seeing the majestic, and sometimes snow-capped, Andes mountains in the east and the expansive Pacific Ocean to the west. We enjoyed the garden-like feel of the country with the stately Araucaria trees, the blooming bushes, the variety of garden annuals and the abundance of potted plants that decorated nearly every patio and deck. The night sky in this Southern Hemisphere country gave us a new perspective of the constellations, not unlike how the Chileans themselves gave us a new perspective on life. 

Despite the short time that we spent in Chile, we observed that Chileans by in-large have a strong sense of family and community. This sense of community was apparent in their overwhelming passion to fight against injustices for those suffering around them. Whether it was aiding those without adequate food and shelter, providing access to quality day care and education for "at risk" children or fighting for cleaner water and air, our Chilean brothers and sister in Christ were there. We were both humbled and inspired by their desire to live out their faith. 

We appreciated that the Chileans are very expressive. When I asked Pastor Carlos if this was true he emphatically stated, "Yes!" Throughout the cities of Santiago, Valparaiso and Concepcion, we encountered many, many walls and buildings covered with colorful graphiti/art screaming at us to take notice. Some of the walls depicted political messages as they clearly stated their position but others were just artistic expression or random graphiti. At times, the walls were used as a creative way to raise public awareness and provide some education on issues like domestic violence and obesity. We even encountered artisans in the streets such as jugglers, stilt walkers, etc., that routinely entertained us while we waited for the stop lights to change at busy intersections and then went car-to-car looking for donations.  We took notice of the variety of architecture and statues we saw throughout the cities too. Artistic expression seemed everywhere. 

Overall, we had an amazing pilgrimage and most of all, we will miss the warm hospitality of the Chileans exemplified by their traditional embrace and kiss to the cheek. This will be a hard habit to break when we return home and I for one, hope that this catches on here too. So this is you're fair warning to be prepared for the next time we greet you!!

As I stated earlier, we had a relatively short list of things that we will NOT miss about Chile. Of course topping that list was the congested traffic, toll booths, crazy drivers and numerous near misses while traversing the cities. I think it's fair to say that we Iowans much prefer our quiet, two-lane highways and two or three-stoplight communities! (Arlyn, we will never sing our national anthem again without thinking of our dedicated bus driver, Jose!) We will also not miss all of the homeless dogs, Nescafé coffee, the smog and needless-to-say, we will not miss the "terromotos" (earthquakes) either!

Even though many scars remain from the Pinochet dictatorship and the devastation following the 2010 earthquake and tsunami, we were encouraged by the healing that is starting to occur. In both instances, it will take time but we were inspired by those working on the 'front lines' for change. We will continue to support them with our prayers. 

My last reflection has to do with a sobering and haunting sign posted next to a silhouetted figure throughout Chile which states, "Lo que veo inca vi. ¿Me olvidaste? ¿Si or No?" (What I see I never saw. Will you forget? Yes or No?) Obviously, it is referring to those who were tortured and/or killed during the dictatorship. And like the Chileans themselves, our collective response is that we will not forget.... We will not forget those who suffered but additionally, we will also not forget those for whom we now affectionately call our brothers and sisters in Christ. May God richly bless our friendship and companionship for many years to come. Ciao and Amen! 

Ready to come home

We have packed our bags, tearfully said our goodbyes and boarded our plane to fly back home. But we are taking home so much more than we left with in terms of new relationships and new insights. We leave Chile changed pilgrims ready to share our journey to whomever is open to hearing about it. As we tell our stories you will hear things like 'We are one in spirit.' or 'We felt so loved.'

When we came to Chile we didn't understand anything. Now we understand so much more, but we still have more to learn. We will pray for and keep all those who we met in a special place in our hearts....

I must admit, it's hard to leave and I pray that we will see each other again. Que Dios los bendiga - May God bless you. 

The Beauty of Chile

As we spend our last few days in Chile I thought I would focus on the beauty we have found here. So much of our time in Concepcion has focused on the damage and recovery efforts following the 2010 earthquake and tsunami therefore, it was refreshing to see why Chileans love this country.

Our hosts today, Veronica and Carlos, a couple with German ancestry who are members of Congregation Martin Luther, led us to a beautiful beach where the Bio Bio River meets the Pacific Ocean. It was breathtaking to walk along the shore, feel the softness of the black sand on our feet and hear the sound of the crashing waves. Some of us climbed the rocks along the craggy shoreline and soaked in the sun as it began it's descent to the horizon. It was almost surreal as we sat there and had a traditional Chilean snack of 'cafe' or 'te' with bread and cheese while overlooking the ocean. "We are in Chile," I kept reminding myself. It struck me that even though we are very far from home, and that we and the Chileans are from very different places in the world, we are all one in Christ and one in the priesthood of all believers.....and that it the most beautiful thing of all!

It's a Dog's Life

For today's blog I think I'll focus on a slightly different topic....the prevalence of dogs in Chile. They are literally everywhere we look and many of them roam freely down the narrow, dusty streets. Some are young, some old, some are big and others are small, some are well-taken care of and many of them could benefit from a good bath, some are full of energy and some are sadly barely limping along.....frequently during the night we'll hear them fighting in the streets. One day, while we traveling in Concepcion, I counted seeing over 100 dogs. That's a lot of dogs and our hearts go out to them....so I am dedicating this blog to all of the Chilean dogs for a better life and who better than Chilean's favorite poet, Pablo Naruda, to do so.

Ode to a Dog by Pablo Naruda

The dog is asking me a question

and I have no answers.
He dashes through the countryside and asks me
wordlessly,
and his eyes
are two moist question marks, two wet
inquiring flames,
but I do not answer
because I haven’t got the answer.
I have nothing to say.

Dog and man: together we roam
the open countryside.

Leaves shine as
if someone
had kissed them
one by one,
orange trees
rise up from the earth
raising
minute planetariums
in trees that are as rounded
and green as the night,
while we roam together, dog and man
sniffing everything, jostling clover
in the countryside of Chile,
cradled by the bright fingers of September.
The dog makes stops,
chases bees,
leaps over restless water,
listens to far-off
barking,
pees on a rock,
and presents me the tip of his snout
as if it were a gift:
it is the freshness of his love,
his message of love.
And he asks me
with both eyes:
why is it daytime? why does night always fall?
why does the spring bring
nothing
in its basket
for wandering dogs
but useless flowers,
flowers and more flowers?
This is how the dog
asks questions
and I do not reply.

Finding Hope

Well this morning four more members of our group left for Punta Arenas to visit the other EILCH churches in that area - Bishop Prois, Chris Prois, Cindy Wells and Gail Bauler. We look forward to meeting up with them in Santiago Sunday night!

At the end of each day while we've been in Chile, we've taken time as a group to share a 'high' and a 'low'. This morning we had both at the same time. 

After breakfast, several representatives from the EPES center here in Concepcion shared their mission and goals for the needs in this community. It was very evident that EPES was especially instrumental in assisting families following the 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Following their presentation they took us to the coastal city of Penco which was heavily damaged from the tsunami and which left many families displaced. We were shown the 'parking lot' that served as a temporary housing site for several years after the tsunami and then later to the new 400-home development where families moved in just six months ago. (That's a long time to be displaced!) We also saw first hand some of the beach reclamation that they are working on there. The aftermath work following a disaster of this size must feel so overwhelming, but it was wonderful to see some progress like the excitement and joy on the face of Juan as he showed us his new home. He was one of the community leaders that pushed for this development. He is a real rock star, but he was so humble.

But the story that nearly broke out hearts was an encounter with a beautiful woman that I will call Hope. The EPES staff introduced us to Hope when she came to meet us on the beach in Penco. She was so excited for us to come to her home. Her original home had been destroyed in the tsunami and she was currently living in a small, 2-room shack made of reclaimed wood with a metal roof. Fragmented pieces of styrofoam were being used inside for insulation. Despite her living conditions, she eagerly welcomed each of us into her humble home with the traditional Chilean kiss on the cheek. I think we were all shocked beyond words at her living conditions....This was our 'low'.

Then Hope began telling us her story of how she had lost her home, how she had suffered from domestic violence, how for three years she has been separated from her husband and that today her divorce was going to be finalized. She expressed heartfelt thanks for the EPES center for their emotional, spiritual, financial and legal assistance. Then with a big smile she explained that when her divorce is final, she will qualify for better housing. Her eyes began to well up in gratitude and so did ours. Because of the help she received from EPES and her new faith in Christ she feels like she has a new life, a new hope and a new future....We circled around her and offered her our prayers of support. This was our 'high'. 

What a beautiful example of living faith and finding hope in a hurting world. Amen.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40

Congregation San Pedro

Early this morning four members of our group flew to Punta Arenas to visit several EILCH congregations licated at the very southern tip of Chile. We will miss them but it will be excitung to hear their stories when we're re-united in Santiago on Sunday. 

Today started like most our days since we arrived in Chile by visiting one of the EILCH congregations. Today we spent the day with Pastor Oscar visiting the Congregation San Pedro, their two satellite congregations and a domestic violence center that they support. Like their Chilean brothers and sisters that we've met, they passionately expressed their faith and how it motivates them work against various injustices in their communities. They always graciously serve us coffee or tea and a snack.

Our first stop today was a domestic violence center where the director, Marta, warmly greeted us. The area where it is located is in a very delinquent area that has a high incidence of drug and alcohol abuse. Their goal is to provide a safe place, counseling and support for both men and women who are hurting. Marta succinctly described, "We are located in a place where there is much pain and where there is, at times, no hope. Our mission is to ask our clients, 'What is it that I can do for you?'" as we strive to be a place of hope." On average, they work with 3-4 families per month and it is independently funded by the church and private donations. 

A satellite of Congregation San Pedra is next door. This way they are able this to support the at-risk families by giving them a faith community. "The church's influence greatly increases the success of the patient's recovery," stated the center's psychologist who is also a member of the congregation. "We are a church of open arms." Several of San Pedro's members volunteer at the center including Maria who comes every Tuesday to pray for the needs of the center and emphatically stated, "It is the best way, the only way, for the church to work together for families." 

We met Hosea, one of many community monitors who are trained to raise awareness in the community to try to prevent abuse before it occurs. Edith is a social worker at the center, who is a Mapuche (native Chilean), and who works directly with the Mapuche community which have unique needs and suffer from much racism. 

Other highlights of the day included:

~ Hearing Sebastion play the vibes. (There was no school today since the students had been given an "earthquake day" (Chile's version of an Iowa "snow day" I guess) and singing songs while Pastor Oscar played guitar.

~Hearing Hosea's powerful testimony at our devotional this afternoon where he stated, "A church that serves, works. But a church that does not serve, does not work." and "God is not looking for super humans but instead sons and daughters who are made in his image." He shared how he learned skills while in prison during the Pinochet dictatorship. He was tortured and it tore his family apart but now he is using those skills to help others. He challenged all of us with the statement, "The only way to affect change is to feel the pain of the mother whose son is a drug addict or in prison." Carry the cross!

~ Seeing the church and meeting members of the Congregation San Pedro, which is located in a fishing community. Many members are fisherman and they expressed their fears about the future of their livelihood. It is becoming very apparent that part of the Chilean way is to 'fight back' which is what they are trying to do.

~Meeting members of the new Congregation Maria Magdelena which started after the 2010 earthquake and tsunami. It started with Pastor Oscar visiting the temporary camps for those whose homes had been destroyed. Recently they were able to purchase one of the new homes in the re-developed area as an outreach. It was exciting to see the young mothers there who showed a deep passion to reach out with the gospel in this new development. When asked what gives them the motivation for this outreach one mother stated, "Before I didn't know anything about the Bible but know I know more. I have learned to value myself as a woman, it's been good for my family and I want to share this love of Christ with others too."

Well, that's what we want to.....to share the love of Christ!

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Psalm 33:1-5

Taking up our cross....

We started our day by visiting the Martin Luther school for students pre-K to 8th grade. We learned that the school was started 30 years ago originally as a daycare mission project of the Martin Luther congregation during the dictatorship. In 1997 the school transitioned itself into a primary school adding a grade each year until they now have reached 8 grades. They have 250 students with approximately 80% of the them in the 'very vulnerable' category. They also serve students with special needs. While it is a private school, it is totally funded by the government. 

After lunch we visited the Congregation Martin Luther. Like the other Lutheran churches in Chile, it was founded by German immigrants. We met Veronica, Carlos, Vicar Andreas, Ullrich and the congregational president, Roland. Ullrich, who is in his late 70's, shared with us the history of their congregation but also his vision for a united Lutheran church once again. "It is necessary," he frankly stated, "in order for the church to continue it's mission in Chile."  Words of wisdom from a wise man.

Lastly, we visited another of the Martin Luther church's missions, a child care center in a very impoverished area, called, "Centro Communitario." It serves 130 children and it was started 37 years ago. You could see pride in the faces of the staff when they explained that there are several two and even three generations of families who have used the center. Like the other centers we have visited, they work closely with the families in this community. We were particularly touched when we sang first to the staff and then they sang back to us. ¡Muy bien! 

We have been so overwhelmed with the church's fight against past and present injustices here in Chile. It is truly a picture of discipleship that we all can learn from..... Jesus told the disciples, and I believe he is telling us even today, to "take up our cross" and follow Him. 

Que Dios los bendiga. (May God Bless you.)

We are fine in Chile

We just heard about the 8.2 earthquake off the coast in northern Chile. We are fine and in fact, we did not even feel anything. In Concepcion, we are 1,430 miles from Iquique where the earthquake occurred and currently we are staying in a part of the city on higher ground that was not affected by the tsunami in 2010. Our hosts assured us that we will be OK. We'll keep in touch.

The Concepcion Connenction

After a late night dinner at the EPES Center in Concepcion, we all settled in for a good night's sleep at the center's dormitory. It will be our home for the next week. 

Concepcion is a city located where  the Bio Bio River meets the Pacific Ocean and has a population of approximately 500,000. It is heavily industrialized and in 2010 it suffered much devastation from an earthquake and tsunami.

Our day started by meeting our Lutheran hosts in Concepcion - Carlos, Oscar, Mario, and Maria. It was very evident in the places they took us and the stories they told us, that they were very passionate about environmental issues affecting their community. And we were all inspired by how they lived out their faith as advocates for various social justice issues affecting the most impoverished and vulnerable In Concepcion. 

Our hosts shared both their actions and frustrations while trying to create a green space next to the river and near their church in order to protect the area's ground water supply. It had been a community dumping ground for garbage and construction waste and they had worked hard to clean up the area. Unfortunately, the dumping has started again. In fact, a dump truck came to empty its contents on the property while we were there. We could sense their pain, anger and feelings of powerlessness. We also visited a heavily industrialized area where they were working as advocates against air pollution since a large, but poor, neighborhood and school were nearby. These issues help define the church's mission here and Maria stated that their motto is, "We are the resistance." 

 

Our focus now turned to viewing the devastating affects of the 2010 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. We slowly traveled up the winding road to a lookout area that gave us a panoramic view of the bay and city. On this warm, serene morning with the ocean's blue sparkling waves gently coming to shore, it's hard to imagine how awful the events of that day must of been. But even four years later, one can still see the scars on the landscape. We listened to their recollections of that day and from our vantage point we were shown where the the worst damage had occurred. With pain in their eyes they stated things like, "We had no warning," "557 persons were confirmed dead, not counting the missing," "We were misinformed," etc... There still are emotional scars too. Later in the afternoon we toured the low lying area where the tsunami did the most damage and we could still smell the stench in the muddy fill dumped there during the clean up process. Some new row houses have been erected with government aid for the residents who decided to return but the partial skeletons of former businesses still remain....

In the distance of the bay we could see the island Quiri Quina which was used for "very dangerous" political prisoners during the dictatorship. Pastor Oscar shared with us that he was detained there for 6 months when he was only 17 years old. Old wounds.... Healing comes slowly.

The rest of our day was spent meeting, getting to know and worshiping with members of the congregation San Pablo. We had a moving devotional in the home of Diaconico in Santa Clara and then we visited the San Pablo church and we were intorduced to a new fruit. It tasted something  like a peach once we peeled back it's green skin. God's creation is amazing!  

One of the highlights of the afternoon was singing songs of praise at congregation San Pablo. We were honored to hear the debut of there new worship band comprised of guitars, drums and an accordion! They were great!! (You know, we really should think about adding an accordion player to our own praise bands when we get back to Iowa.)

Once again, our hearts were filled with the love and hospitality of our new brothers and sisters in Christ here in Concepcion. 

Communion with our Companions

Our cups were filled today as we worshiped and communed together in a beautiful bilingual service with our sisters and brothers at Congregation La Tinidad in Santiago. We rose early this morning at the camp in Tabito, quickly (well kinda quickly) loaded our things and started our two-hour return trip to Santiago. Our goal was to make it back in time for the 11am worship service at La Trinidad. The race was on! (It seems that keeping track of all of us is a little like herding cats, but we're so thankful for our very patient hosts. We love you Carolina. So please pray for her as she continues to coordinate all of the details inherent in hosting group of our size!!) 

Thankfully, we arrived at La Trinidad with about 15 minutes to spare!! It's a good thing God loves and accepts us just the way we are because we may have looked a little rough!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the worship service at La Trinidad was beautiful! The service was led by Pastor Marcello, who serves at La Trinidad, and assisted by Pastor President Alveraz and Bishop Prois. We sang, prayed, and read scripture together alternating between Spanish and English. Bishop Prois preached the sermon and several from our group participated by reading scripture and leading prayers. It was so moving to commune with our new brothers and sisters in Christ here in Chile. During the service the Congregation La Trinidad and St. Mark Lutheran in Storm Lake, along with the Church of the Damascus Road Prison Ministry, shared gifts with each other and signed a congregational partnership. 

When I asked members of our group for a highlight of the worship service, they had the following responses, "The presentation of artwork from the Church of the Damascus Road to the Congregation La Trinidad," "Communion with sheep from another flock,"  "Feeling a oneness of the Spirit singing songs together in different languages," "Sharing the peace by kissing each other on the cheek," "Hugging Pastor President Louis," "Communing by common cup with our Bishop and their pastors serving together," and lastly, "Seeing the excitement on everyone's  face when the congregational partnership agreement was signed."

As you can probably tell, we felt very welcome and right at home at La Trinidad......and being invited to a potluck meal in the fellowship hall after the service certainly helped too!! It's nice to know that no matter where you find Lutherans, you'll find a great potluck!!

Even though it was hard leaving Santiago after getting to know these new friends, we were compelled to journey onward to our companion congregations in Concepcion. So we once again loaded up our stuff and hit the road, the Pan American Highway to be exact, for the 7-hour journey south. The views were breathtaking as we gazed upon the fertile valley vineyards and corn fields bathed in the warm late afternoon sunshine while watching the Andes mountains rise in the east and the sun set in the west. Oh, the beauty if God's creation.....

It is now dark and we have finally arrived in Concepcion.... God is with us and we pray for communion with our new companions here too. Amen.

Coastal Adventure

Rolling hills, vineyards, clear blue skies and a landscape reminiscent of Wyoming.....Just a few of our observations as we left the densely populated and hazy skied city of Santiago and traveled west towards the Chilean coast. 

The smell of fresh fish and the moist, salty air piognantly confirmed that we had arrived at the ocean. We were in the port city of Valparaiso, a quaint and colorful city nestled into a bay on the west coast of Chile. Our first stop was the beach front and fish market. Many unfamiliar species of fish were being filleted around us, admittedly, not always an appealing site. Those seemingly most eager for the fish market were a group of "sea wolfs" who fought over scraps frequently dumped over the side of the pier. I must say they did not appear to be under nourished!

While on the boardwalk we stopped for a delicious lunch, with many of us choosing fresh fish, while overlooking the ocean. We were entertained watching families with young children on the beach, listening to roving musicians and observing a submarine lurking quietly through the bay.   

While in Valparaiso, we took the opportunity to visit the eclectic home, "La  Sebatiana," of Pablo Neruda, famous Chilean poet-diplomat and Nobel Prize winning writer. Neruda took three years to finish the home and it was inaugurated in 1961 but when he died in 1973, shortly after the coup d'état led by Pinochet, the home was looted. Now restored, the home is a museum and a testament to the Chilean's love of their native son.

Navigating the narrow, steep cobblestones streets was well worth the effort for us to visit we the Lutheran church, "La Santa Cruz,"in Valparaiso. We were overwhelmed with the beauty of a traditional German Lutheran church complete with carved wooden pews and railings, an impressive bell tower and a magnificent  pipe organ built in 1897. It stands as a testament to the Chilean Lutheran's love of God then and now. 

Our day ended by visiting and staying at the EILCH's Bible camp at El Tabito. El Tabito is a small summer vacation community on the coast. The camp consisted of several modest dorms, chapel and dining hall. We feasted on homemade tacos for dinner which highlighted the culinary abilities of Bishop Prois! Even though it was a bit rustic, we all felt the warmth of God's love in this place. Our tummies and hearts are filled. Buenos noches y que Dios los bendiga.

Reunification and Mission

Today we focused on the Lutheran church of Chile's past, present and future. 

We started our day with an overview of the history of the Lutheran church in Chile to help us appreciate it's start in the early 1800's by German immigrants and it's challenges and hopes for the future. 

The Germans we're invited to Chile to help populate the southern part of the country. Due to language and religious barriers the Germans were isolated from other Chileans so in 1863 they called the first Lutheran pastors from Germany to establish churches and schools for the growing German communities. Since that time there has been a close relationship between the Lutheran church in Chile and Germany. 

The military coup in 1973 was a divisive issue for the Lutheran church and one that ended up divided it in 1975. One of the Lutheran pastors, Helment Frenz, was openly critical of the Pinochet government the their human rights violations. This political unrest not only divided the country but it also divided the Lutheran church. Unfortunately, differences in congregational representation issues, controversy over Frenz's actions and differing opinions on the church's involvement in politicics the Lutheran church divided into two denominations, ILCH and IELCH.

Now in 2014 the two denominations are re-unifying. They recognize that now there are more common interests and reconciliation is needed to unify their overall mission and resources. Today, the challenge of many of the Lutheran congregations is that they can no longer rely on membership from German descendants. Due to many Chilean/German marriages (which are largely Catholic) and a cultural apathy for religion, congregational attendance is declining. The recognize that they need to reach out to more Chileans in order to grow. 

We had the opportunity to meet with the church's General Secretary who shared with us the advantages and challenges for the reunification of these two denominations. One of the biggest advantages for the reunification is to be a witness of unity in a country that desperately needs unity. 

In the afternoon we visited two daycare/preschools that are part of the EILCH denomination. These centers are one of their main mission commitments. The centers stive to serve many children and families who are very poor. We all fell in love with these beautiful children!  At one of the centers they offer training for women to help equip them for a future job in order to better provide for their family. We had the opportunity to see some women learning to sew. 

The Lutheran church is in action today and it was exciting to see it making a difference in the people's lives in Chile. We pray that God will continue to open our eyes.... We want to see Jesus! Amen. 

Memorials to Justice and Reconciliation

We started our day traveling through downtown Santiago to the museum, 'Museo de la Memoria y Los Derechos Humanos' (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). The museum is dedicated to commemorate the victims of human rights violations during the military regime led by Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. We viewed many videos, newspaper clippings and personal testimonies on the 3,216 victims who died, are missing or were executed and of the 38,254 victims of political abduction and torture. One example of a memorial (see picture) is for the 125 persons who disappeared after the coup and were found buried in a mass grave without any identification. We were at times horrified by what we saw and we could feel the Chileans unending grief. 

In the afternoon we somberly walked the grounds of Villa Grimaldi, a former center for abduction, torture and extermination between the years of 1974 and 1978. It is estimated that 4,500 abducted prisoners passed through this place, of which 229 disappeared or were murdered. In 2004 the site was declared a historical national monument. It was a very difficult place to visit where unfathomable events occurred but where now healing can take place instead. We prayed that while we cannot change the events of the past, we can move forward with what we know should never happen again. 

Later in the afternoon we met several men working with the Commission for Justice and Reconciliation. Many Chileans have suffered emotional consequences and therefore economic hardships as a result. The organization was established to help these victims. Even though there are many hurdles to overcome due to current anti-terror and amnesty laws, they have much hope for the church's role in providing much needed justice for so many.

We ended our day with a very moving testimony by Pastor Louis who himself suffered torture under the dictatorship. He also shared his faith story with us. It was the church who reached out to him and his love for Jesus that changed his life and became a pastor. We were inspired by his courage and his passion to end violence and torture in Chile even now! Dear God, we pray for those who suffer from injustice. Amen. 

Working for Health and Dignity

Hopeful, dedicated, joyful, inspiring, humbling.... These were just some of the words we used to describe the inspiring work of ordinary women who have been and are doing extraordinary things for their communities with the non-profit group EPES (Educacion Popular en Salud). 

Today we had the honor to meet and learn of the their work for health and dignity in poor communities in Chile. EPES was founded in 1982 as a health training project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile. The founder, Karen Anderson, was inspired by a vision of quality and fairness in healthcare for the poor. Karen came to Chile in 1981 as an ELCA missionary and EPES was started in 1982. It has now grown from a small, emergency-response team to a leader to improve health services and awareness in all of Chile.

We traveled to a community health center where we met several health coordinators and toured their neighborhood. They inspired us to use our gifts to make positive changes in our own communities. They have focused on issues related to HIV, violence against women, women and infant health, and environmental issues. Their use of theater, music and artistic murals to communicate good health was very effective. They offer training and workshops to raise health awareness, encourage empowerment and discuss educational strategies to improve health promotion. Their dedication to serve their neighbors and communities was inspirational. http://www.epes.cl

Later in the afternoon Rev. Marcelo Huenulef Ortega, pastor at Trinidad, gave us a presentation on the Lutheran ministry to and for immigrants. Pastor Marcelo shared with us his passion for developing a ministry to the immigrants in Chile. Sadly this also includes victims of human trafficking of women in this country. He was very excited to share with us the progress the church is making at developing a structured organization to better assist and minister to the immigrant's needs. 

We have now come to the end of the day inspired and grateful for the Holy Spirit's work here in Chile and in our hearts. God is here with us and we have been blessed by these new brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. 

Getting Settled

We all arrived safely in Santiago this morning and were eagerly met by our dear sister and brothers of IELCH! After getting settled into our accommodations, showering and taking a much needed nap we were ready to go again. We met for an orientation at Iglesia Trinidad Church this evening where we had the pleasure of meeting several Chilean Lutheran pastors and congregational members. Afterwards we were served a delicious authentic Chilean meal including empanadas and some Chilean wine. It was all "muy delicioso"! Ciao!

Arrival in Chile!

Lo hermoso que son las montanas. (How beautiful are the mountains.)

"How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, 'Our God reigns!'" Isa 53:7

We landed safely in Santiago after an overnight (9 hour) flight from Atlanta, GA. We awoke inflight to a spectacular sunrise over the Andes mountains. I have a feeling that we are going to become quite attached to these "montanas". We look forward to meeting our hosts and getting our first views of Santiago. 

Ready to take off

We are patiently waiting to board our plane in Minneapolis as we begin the first leg of our journey to Chile. All of our bags are packed and we're full of excitement! One of the couples on our pilgrimage is Jim & Marilyn Fevold from Our Saviour's in Humboldt. When asked what they are looking forward to Marilyn replied enthusiastically with, "Warmer weather!"  (Since we encountered snow on the drive up here, temperatures in the 80's does sound wonderful!!) Then Jim added, "I'm anxious to meet the Chileans to love them and commune with them even though we are sheep of a different flock." Jim went on to say that he is ready for the Holy Spirit to guide our pilgrimage. "You never know what will be around the bend but I'm ready." And so are we! Vaya con Dios!

Sending Blessing

We recently held a service of sending and blessing at the WIS synod office with Bp. Prios presiding. to view the service go to: https://vimeo.com/88962992

As we prepare for our pilgrimage, we once again discussed our trip objectives which are to better understand the historical preceding events and ramifications of the 1973 Chilean coup out of which the IELCH evolved, the ministries of the church, and to build greater understanding and connectedness. Five companion congregation relationships have evolved within the WIS and the IELCH, all of which will have WIS representatives in this group to visit and get to know their special brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are blessed and ready to serve!

Beginning the pilgrimage to our companion synod in Chile

¡Buen Viaje (Good Travels)!  The Western Iowa Synod is about to embark on its first group trip to visit one of its companion synods, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (IELCH)! The travel dates are March 24 to April 8, 2014. We look forward to meeting and getting to know each other in the days to come.

The companion synod relationship between ELCA's WIS and IELCH began in 2012 and exists for the purpose of strengthening one another for life and mission within the body of Christ. It offers us the privilege of participating in the life of another church through prayer, study, communications, and exchange of persons and resources. We pray that it will open our eyes to the global challenges that Christ offers us today through an involvement with a church of another culture and it calls us to deepen our commitment and discipleship as individual persons and as a community of faith. 

Please pray for our travelers from the WIS and the Indiana-Kentucky Synod as we embark on this pilgrimage and journey of faith with our sisters and brothers in Christ in Chile: Bishop Rodger and Christine Prois (WIS); Pr. Rod and Renae Hopp (Immanuel, Forest City); Pr. Bob and Dee Vaage (First, West Okoboji); Mary Rippke (First, West Okoboji); Pr. Arlyn Norris (WIS Companion Synods Network Chair); Jim & Marilyn Fevold (Our Saviour's, Humboldt), Stan Bochtler (St. Mark, Storm Lake); Joy and Ronald Young (St. Paul, Treynor); Gail Bauler (Bethlehem, Cherokee); David Hickman (Bethlehem, Cherokee); Cindy Wells (WIS Director for Global Mission); and Pr. Chris Duckworth and Pr. Carolyn Lesmeiser (Indiana-Kentucky Synod).

"That they may all be One." John 17:21a