Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity

Though it doesn't really have to do with my work in Admissions, I wanted to mention a project that my wife and I have been involved in. We volunteered, through our local Thrivent Office, with Habitat for Humanity on a home that was build in a neighboring town. On this day, we were there for the dedication with Pastor Dan Senter (PLTS '91) presiding and presenting the family with a Bible as a reminder of the stories of ancient people struggling for a better life. May it be the story of the family moving into this house.

Pictures

An Update about pictures: Instead of clogging up this webspace with pictures, I've moved them to another site (see http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=ij9vmbt.1cqb511h&Uy=-w3x6zm&Ux=1) and kept this space for journaling/reflection. Check out the pictures . . .

Day Fourteen

On Thursday, January 18th we watched a video on globalization and militarization called “Guns and Greed,” which was followed by a session with Pastor Kim called “Globalization and the Gospel.” After lunch, I assigned a paper to the group and we met by seminary groups to discuss our individual and collective Action Plan for taking what we’ve learned back to the US. Here is the PLTS Crew. After some free time, shopping, packing, picture taking, etc, we had our Closing Worship Celebration.

Day Thirteen

On Wednesday, January 17th we went to the city of Xochimilco, the last vestige of Aztec culture in the Valley of Mexico. Here, transportation is still largely via the city’s waterways, which is how people got around when this was a lake. There, we visited the Community Center of Enlace, Communicación y Capacitación (Connection, Communication, and Training). They run many programs, about which I will write when I have my notebook in front of me. Afterward, we took a boat right, which is where I encoutered this little guy!

Day Twelve

On Tuesday, January 16th we heard from Pastor Kim about the “Liberating Role of Our Lady of Guadalupe” before heading out to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to tour the Basilica and its grounds and have some time for meditation. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has an interesting story. On 9 December 1531, Juan Diego (not his given name, but his Christian name) was traveling between Tlateloca and Tepeyac and heard music that led him to an encounter of an apparition of the Virgin Mary near the road. She told him that this spot should be a place of worship. She continued to speak to him over the course of the next 3 days and finally, on the 12th, she appeared in the middle of the road, told him that his uncle who had been sick would survive, and told him to climb a particular hill to pick some roses, which would have been out of season in December. When he did, he loaded them up in the front of his cape and took them to the church, dropping them at the bishop’s feet. To their great surprise, the image of the virgin was imprinted on Juan Diego’s cape!

There is, of course, much debate about the validity of this claim. Was it really an apparition? Was it a hoax by the church to convert the indigenous? There is a saying here of the “Mexico Profundo,” or the “Deeper Mexico” that lies at the root of Mexican history. In this case, the images in this story are quite symbolic of Mexico, including the use of music and flowers to bracket the story, because a word that indigenous people use for Truth is, literally, flower-music. The message about Juan Diego’s uncle is symbolic of the inheritance that passed from uncles to nephews in this part of the world. And, the image of Mary herself is one of dark skin, standing before the Sun, standing atop the moon, with stars on her cloak. These are all local images of native people. In other words, God speaks to them through their own people. To remember this, I bought a brown-thread rosary at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. By it, I’ll be reminded that messages from God are couched in our own experiences and our own realities. (By the way, one sees the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe by passing by it on a conveyor belt in the basilica!)

After time at the Basilica of OLG, we left for the Ancient City of Teotihuacán, about 30 miles northeast of the city, for a picnic lunch among the cactus and a tour of this ancient pyramid site. The most striking thing to me here was that it, unlike many other ancient temples and things in Mexico, was not built over by a Christian church. The reason is that it is pre-hispanic in origin . . . it was built about 1500 years ago. It was abandoned in the 7th century, though no one knows why, and was inhabited by various tribes including the Mexicas (me-SHEE-cas), after whom this country is named. It was discovered some 500 years after its most recent inhabitants died so there was no culture to conquer and it was left standing by the Spaniards.

We returned to the Lutheran Center for dinner and an introduction to “Solidarity Economics” with Sister Elba Flores Nuñez, a Missionary of the Immaculate Conception who works at the Centro de Estudios Ecumenicos. Sr. Elba talked about the goal of an economy in which we think about tomorrow and the needs of our descendents. In Solidarity Economics, every created thing has a right to exist. The principles of harmony, necessity, and relationship are key to the ways that a Solidarity Economic is laid out. In it, people things of the producers and the consequences of their purchasing power. For example, if someone, in desperation, is trying to sell something for much less than I know it is worth, the right thing to do is pay them what it’s worth . . . buy justly, sell justly. In Mercado Economics, I look for the lowest price to buy and the highest price to sell. Solidarity Economics is an effort to raise the consciousness of consumption, and it is (according to Sr. Elba) urgent, necessary, and possible.

Day Eleven

On Monday, January 15th we began the day by watching “The Mission,” a movie with Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons on the Jesuit mission activity in the Americas. Following that us, we heard a lecture called “Indigenous Cosmovision: Hope for a New World Order” by Dr. Carlos Lenkersdorff, professor of linguistics at UNAM (the National Mexican Autonomous University), based mostly on his work in the indigenous language of Tojol abal. Then, after lunch with Dr. Lenkersdorf (Hermano Carlos, as he calls himself), we heard a lecture called “Mother Earth Theology” by Dr. Rebecca Montemayor, a pastoral theologian with the Baptist Church of Mexico and the first (and so far only) ordained Baptist woman in all of Mexico. She talked about the importance of caring for the earth, saying that “What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves” and asking “La tierra es una inherencia o una mercancia? (The Earth is an inheritance or a commodity?)” She also talked about the Cycle for the World: Recibir, Defender, Perder, y Volver a Luchar (Receive, Defend, Lose, and Return to Fight). Following this, 9 of us went out to Chapultapec to Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd) Lutheran Church, where PLTS Student Lara Janssen is serving her internship. We had a tour of the place and Holden Evening Prayer in the Sanctuary, followed by a bus/subway/bus ride back to San Angel for dinner and margaritas (the first we’ve had since coming to Mexico!). Side note: Being back in the big city has its disadvantages: my breathing is labored again . . . 25 million people produce a lot of pollution!

MLK Day in the US

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up... live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will they be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.

With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that, let freedom, ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tenneessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside.
Let freedom ring,

And when this happens,and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Day Ten

On Sunday, January 14th we had breakfast with our host families and then went to the colony’s chapel for Community Reflection and Celebration of the host-family program. Following that, we met with Agustina Reyes, who is the leader of the Christian Base Community in Santa Fe and who talked to us about the history and methodology of the Christian Base Community Movement. After saying goodbye to our dear families, we returned to the CCIDD for lunch and a sale by a local Artisan’s Cooperative. Many of us spent quite a bit on the beautiful, hand-made things that these folks had to offer. And, even if one didn’t want to buy, the artists were still proud to show us what they’d made. We departed Cuernavaca after a Eucharistic Celebration in the CCIDD chapel, in which we remembered the interweaving of our lives with those of people of all times and places. We returned to Mexico City for dinner and the Ballet Folklorico, which is a world-famous experience of traditional Spanish dancing . . . not to be missed!

Day Nine

On Saturday, January 13th we had a lecture on Liberation Theology and a tour of the Cathedral of Cuernavaca. Afterward, we left for Santa Fe, where we met our Host Families! Santa Fe is a community built into a ravine in Cuernavaca. We walked up and down over ¼ mile of stairs four times to reach our host family’s home! Three students and I were to stay with the Familia Garcia-Hernandez. We arrived too early at the home and, instead, walked back up out of the ravine and visited for a few hours with some other folks, who also fed us lunch. While out for a walk (more stairs), we did meet our host-mom, and she took us to her home, after we first walked down the stairs to get our things at the other house, then back up to where she was waiting, then down other stairs to her house. There, she, Evelina, and Antonio Garcia-Hernandez welcomed us into their home and, together with their daughters Ana and Adriana and their son David, made us feel like part of the family. We began the evening by sitting out on the patio visiting for a few minutes and then decided to go for a walk (more stairs!) around the community (Colonia Popular). While out, a neighbor (the one who fed us) asked our hosts if he could cut some sugar cane from their yard. That seemed like a good idea so, when we returned, we did the same, standing outside in the stairs (which function as the sidewalk) eating fresh sugar cane. Afterward, we walked up to the house where some other students were staying and brought them a taste (then walked back down again, stopping at the store for micheletta supplies!). We sat in the back yard of this four-room home drinking micheletta, which is beer and lime juice. We made tortillas for dinner and sat in the yard laughing, talking, eating, drinking, showing pictures, exchanging gifts, looking at a scorpion on the wall, and getting to know one another. Of the 4 of us, only one student and I speak Spanish, so we were the official translators, which is exhausting! After hours of talking and laughing, we went to bed . . . all four of us in one room, while the rest of the family shared the other bedroom. Let me describe this house: It is cinder blocks and concrete, built into a ravine, with two bedrooms for five people, one bathroom with no door and no running water (showers involve a bucket, water drawn from barrel, and a drain in the floor, while flushing the toilet involves the same bucket and same water drawn from the barrel being poured into the toilet), and a beautiful backyard with a shrine to Nuestra Señora de (Our Lady of ) Guadalupe. Humble digs, for sure. But, the hospitality and generosity of this family was amazing.

Day Eight

On Friday, January 12th we visited the Community Center and Families of the La Estación neighborhood of Cuernavaca. First we visited with a young family of 6 who live in a house that the wife constructed out of cinder blocks while the husband was working in the United States for a year. He crossed the border with a visa and was able to work at a country club in Houston and make enough money to send home. In Mexico, minimum wage is 48 pesos per day, which is about $5.00 per day . . . per day. In the US, minimum wage was just raised to $7.25 per hour. So, a minimum wage worker in the US makes in about 45 minutes what a minimum wage worker in Mexico takes all day to make. The thing is, prices are not lower here. In other words, milk, bread, and utilities cost the same (if not more) than they do in the US. So, a person would have to work for 5 days to buy a $25 pair of shoes. The second family we visited was a single mother and her children. The mom works from home preparing corn for sale to provide food for the family, the boy takes out people’s trash in the neighborhood for tips, and the girl makes beaded jewelry so that she can have money to go to school. In the afternoon, we watched “Zapatismo,” a video on the indigenous struggle in Chiapas and the Zappatistas there, who named themselves after Ermilio Zapata who, with Sancho Panza, led a revolution in 1917, which resulted in a New Constitution. Later, we met a woman from an organization called SERPAJ (Servicio/Paz/Justicia or Service/Peace/Justice) to talk about People’s Movements in Mexico. After dinner, we had a free evening to enjoy all that Cuernavaca has to offer.

Day Seven

On Thursday, January 11th we watched a documentary produced by Pastor Kim, the director of the ELCA Center here in Mexico City. The film is called “The Wall and the Desert” and takes a close look at immigration from Mexico to the United States. Pastor Kim and his colleagues spent time on the border, interviewing people and learning about the conditions in which people put themselves for a chance to cross into the United States. After the film, we had a Biblical reflection on Jesus and the Disciples “Crossing to the Other Side.” After lunch we departed for Cuernavaca, the Land of Eternal Spring. What a beautiful city it is! We stayed at the Centro Cuernavacense Intercultural de Dialogo sobre Desarollo (the Cuernavaca Intercultural Center for Development Dialogue). There, we participated in a dialog with the rest of the documentary team, Professors Armando Villegas and Pablo Gleason from La Salle University, a Christian Brothers school here in Mexico. We heard of their passion for the subject matter, their hopes for the immigration policies of the US, and their hope that people would make pirate copies of their film so that it would be seen by very many people.

Day Six

On Wednesday, January 10th we watched a very informative and interesting video on global trade and food security called “Global Banquet.” Afterward, we went to a Campesino Organization called – Unión Nacional de Organizaciones Regionales Autónomas (UNORCA) to talk about the Impact of Free Trade on the Countryside. After lunch back at the Lutheran Center (the food here is absolutely fantastic, by the way!), we had a great time of fellowship and reflection with some Mexican Lutheran seminary students, together with games, Biblical reflection, and dinner. In the evening, we watched the film “Romero” on the prophetic witness of Monseñor Oscar Romero in El Salvador. I also went over to the local Farmacia to get some drugs to clear up my nose, head, and chest. All of us are suffering from the altitude (7300 feet) and the fact that this is the most polluted city in the world. But, my nose is now clear . . . This was a great day!

Days Three, Four, and Five

On Sunday, January 7th we visited the Historic Center of Mexico City including a tour of National Palace and its magnificent murals of Mexico History by Diego Rivera, the Mexico City Cathedral, and Templo Mayor, an ancient Aztec temple which was built and rebuilt 7 times because of the sinking of the center of the city. For years, the Aztecs had walked around the Valley of Mexico looking for an omen: an eagle sitting on a cactus with two colored snakes in its beak (see the image in the center of the Mexican flag). In 1325, when they finally found it on an island in the middle of a lake in the valley, they built the city of Tenochtitlán. This temple was their ceremonial center. Check out the link to the right to see more pictures! After lunch, we returned to the Lutheran Center before departing for worship at San Pedro Martir Parish. The ELCA group was introduced and invited to sing a song for the congregation! Afterward, we returned and had pizza for dinner!!

On Monday, January 8th we were at the Lutheran Center all day. We played a game called “Star Power,” which is a simulation exercise on power and decision making. This was followed by an introduction to Globalization by our host, Pastor Kim Erno. We talked a lot about the IMF and World Bank and the impact that they have had on Mexico. What is referred to here as Neoliberal Economics is a politically conservative, economically liberal approach to economics. Whereas Adam Smith believed in free competition based on supply and demand, and Marx believed that capitalism exploits the workers, and FDR in the New Deal believed that the state should intervene in economy for the common good (like setting minimum wage, imposing taxes and labor laws, paying subsidies, etc.), Milton Friedman believed that the market rules and that the government should stay out of it. It’s what we might call Reaganomics. It has attracted foreign investment to Mexico as well as trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), under which goods flow free of tariffs. What this has meant for Mexico (and the US, for that matter) is that cheaper goods come in at the expense of the local producers who can’t mass-produce. So, what ends up happening is that a giant corn producer from the US comes to Mexico with cheap corn and the people who grow corn here are put out of their jobs. They often resort to 1) moving to the “informal economy” of selling things on the street, or 2) moving to the United States. (The result is the brain-drain that Dr. Gandy mentioned on Saturday night.) After lunch we heard from Ben Cokelet of the Centro Solidaridad Sindical, who talked with us about “Labor Rights and Struggles in Mexico” as well as naming for us some companies that have high verification when it comes to labor practices, including The Gap, Nike, Levis, Limited, Express, Addidas, Reebok, and Volkswagen. All of these companies can be checked out online and they often have a public relations liaison for labor information. This day was capped off by a Biblical Reflection on the “Workers in the Vineyard: A Living Wage.”

On Tuesday, January 9th we spent the day in Ajusco with the people of Amextra (The Association for Mexican Transformation) and the Community Center they have established there. This center provides microloans to families, day care and preschool for children of working moms, values counseling for young women, and Peace Education, which is a non-violence training for families. We visited with the children in the school, as you can see here: After lunch with the Amextra staff, we visited the home of Vilma Fernandez, a political refugee and former Salvadoran Lutheran church worker who told us of the assassination of her brother (Pr. David Fernandez) by his government, about her family’s flight to Mexico with young children, and about the Lutheran ministry she has established here in Mexico.

Mexico Pictures

Rather than overload this Blog with pictures from the Mexico Trip, I thought I'd open a second page. So check out http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=ij9vmbt.1cqb511h&Uy=-w3x6zm&Ux=1 to see some more pictures like the one to the left, which is of some sun beams shingint through a window in the Roman Catholic Cathedral here in Mexico City!

Arrival in Mexico y El Dia de los Tres Reyes!

Greetings from Mexico City! Today is the Feast of the Three Kings (Epiphany) and we went out for a walk through the Bazar del Sabado (the Saturday Bazar), which has beautiful art and food. This evening we will have an introductory lecture called “Mexican History from the Revolution to the Present” by Dr. Ross Gandy, political science professor at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonima Mexicano). Among the very interesting things that Dr. Gandy talked about, he refered to Mexico City as an eco-catastrophe, along with Beijing and New Delhi, due to its 4. 5 million cars. We also learned that, because of the poor water quality, Coke replaces water (with 2x the sugar and caffeine) and, therefore, 1/3 of the Mexican people are diabetic. One half of all electricity in the country is stolen directly off the lines. It is ok with the government because they want people to be able to see television. Only 4% of Mexican people buy books and only 2% read newspapers. The taxes for services are equal to only 10% of the GDP, compared to 45% in Canada. Internet is a bit of a challenge, but I'll keep updating with pictures and commentary as often as I can. Blessings and Peace.

Mexico City - ELCA Center

From the 5th to the 19th of January, I will be leading a group of 16 seminary students (from PLTS, Luther, LSTC, Wartburg, and Southern) on a January term course to Mexico City! I'll do what I can to make regular posts here, including picutres, in case you'd like to keep track of what we're up to!