Grace Lutheran member René García's spiritual journey to El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church in Usulután, El Salvador.
The community of faith at El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church in Usulután, El Salvador, taught me the material things in life that we value so much do not matter. I left the United States during Spring Break dreading having to "rough it," while at the same time, I wasn't sure how I would be received. Since returning home I realized how blessed I am for what I have. and I terribly miss my Salvadoran brothers and sisters that I have come to know and love.
New Hope Lutheran Church in
Missouri City (Houston), TX has been a sister congregation with El Buen Pastor
for nearly 20 years. Since 1995 they have sent delegations to El Salvador to
visit. This year I was invited to be a part of the delegation.
El Buen Pastor is located on the
northern side of Usulután, a city of approximately 70,000 people in
Southeastern El Salvador. The congregation meets in what was formerly a
home of five rooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and a center patio. During
our time in Usulután we slept on mats on the sanctuary floor and took cold
showers, only the very rich in El Salvador have hot water and air conditioning.
On the third day of our visit we participated in a field day with approximately 80 youth from Usulután and the surrounding communities which are ministered by El Buen Pastor. This is where I met Isabel, a 34 year old male farmer who plays guitar for El Buen Pastor. During our time together at the field day we had the opportunity to get to know each other.
The following day we traveled to
Llano El Coyol, the community where Isabel lives. In this community, like
others, I witnessed extreme poverty. Following worship we met with the farmers,
it was then I saw Isabel in a totally different light. He was no longer
the cool 30-something guy leading the youth, but an impassioned child of God
explaining to us the harsh realities of being a farmer in El Salvador.
The last two years had been filled
with agony for the farmers, thanks to hurricanes and floods, they have had
nothing. All of their crops have been destroyed, yet they still have to
eat. For half an hour we heard the stories of farmers who had either used
money saved from former harvests or took loans to try to buy seeds, fertilizer,
and pesticides with the hope of a successful crop and money to pay back the
loan or put money aside for the next season and perhaps even get
somewhat ahead. Since the last two years yielded no crops, many were
stuck in situations where there was no money to eat.
When the meeting was over I was
numb. I felt horrible and knew that I had to say something to Isabel. I
went up to him and shared with him the pain I felt, but I also expressed how surprised
I was upon seeing his happiness; he always wore a smile. We concluded our
brief conversation by stating the fact that we are both brothers in Christ.
Being fully aware of the "macho" dynamic among men in Latin American
countries, I literally asked him permission to hug him. He immediately laughed
and we embraced.
Around that same time I was called
to go to the front of the church, a plaque had been installed and I was asked
to translate. A wife of one of the delegation members had died from cancer a
year ago. She had left money in her will to Llano El Coyol for
improvements to the church. As a result, the local community named the
church in her honor.
I could barely get the words out,
my tears began to flow. In the van on the way back to Usulután I continued
weeping, I felt the presence of God. I had a feeling come over me, I realized I
still had work to do in El Salvador.
The following day we said good-bye
to Usulután and traveled to San Salvador. We spent the next two days in
meetings with the wife of the Salvadoran Lutheran Bishop and a gentleman from
Grupo Maiz, a non-profit that focuses on social justice issues, including
issues pertaining to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, who gave
us an interpretation of the recent national elections, and another gentleman
from a gang prevention organization who debriefed us on the gang reality in the
country. We later had the opportunity to visit the University of Central
America, where six Jesuit priests were assassinated in 1989, and the Divina
Providencia Hospital Chapel, where Roman Catholic Bishop Oscar Romero was
assassinated while celebrating Mass in 1980.
Our final night was spent at a
resort on the Pacific coast near the airport. Pastor Julio, his son, and one of
the church leaders, joined us. During this time I came out to both Pastor
Julio and the church leader. To my surprise I was received with open
arms!! Pastor Julio told me that there are gay people in his congregation
and that this is a topic that needs to be addressed. I was able to give
him LGBT resources in Spanish which he joyously received and
complimented. He stated that he would like for me to give an hour-long
presentation on homosexuality when I return to El Salvador.
To say that I was in shock would be
an understatement, I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams receiving
acceptance from STRAIGHT men in El Salvador!!
The following day I got on the
plane back to the US with mixed feelings. I found a niche within the El Buen
Pastor community. Now I have to figure out how God wants me to use my
hands to do God's work.
