One of my favorite quotations by Oscar Wilde (inevitably recalled every Lent) is the line from "Lady Windermere's Fan" known to all of us I’m sure: "I can resist anything except temptation." Certainly a salient observation of the human condition, with which we all are challenged. There is a cartoon that has two characters talking with the one lamenting: "How come opportunity knocks only once, but temptation beats down the door every day?" And the revered Doctor of the Church St. Augustine of Hippo, observed in "Confessions" (his autobiography, as it were): "Give me chastity and continence, but not just now." Let's face it, temptation is part of everyone's life. The test to overcome temptation toward evil will always be an inescapable part of our earthly journey. Our Scripture lessons this first Sunday of Lent may provide insight into finding our way out of the wilderness.
In the story of the great flood in Genesis we are told of God’s covenant with God’s people and all creation. This important event and promise is certainly a cause for celebration. Celebration may sound a bit odd this first Sunday of Lent, but we are asked to make an offering of ourselves and to celebrate with Eucharist as a way of remembering our covenant with God. So, what is the answer to our desert moments? During our Lenten journey, which itself symbolizes our lifelong journey; how do we prepare ourselves to overcome any inclination toward self-important, self-indulgent, self-centeredness and find our way out of the wilderness?
Temptation will always be part of our human experience, but it is not there to lead us away from God. In fact, just the opposite is true: it is meant to give us a clearer vision of God, because rather than weakening and enfeebling us; temptation's ultimate purpose is to empower and strengthen us. That may appear strange at first, but we must remember that temptation is not a penalty we receive from a mischievous God; it is a privilege and gift we are given by a gracious God to bring us into spiritual maturity and ultimately bring us closer to God.
I saw a bumper sticker a few years ago that read: "Eve was framed." Well, believe it or not, this is the "joyful season of Lent" because Jesus is framed with our fallen nature and yet He remains at the center as our Savior. If we keep focused on the eternal truths we are reminded of during this season then this can be a joyful experience even when we honestly face the pride, envy, and false identity to which we are prone. To be prayerfully honest does not mean being negative, depressed, or dropping out of the journey. Our Lenten journey must be a generous one, extending graciousness and forgiveness as such is extended toward us by a gracious God; a time to put aside all differences and distinctions, whether they be religious, political, or personal.
African American theologian and civil rights leader, Howard Thurman, wrote in his book The Inward Journey, "There is nothing more exhausting for the person than the constant awareness that life is being lived at cross-purpose. At such moments the individual seems to ever to be working against himself. What he longs for is the energy that comes from a concentration of his forces in a single direction, toward a single end." Thurman is correct - our capacity to live and act with a sense of competence grows out of our self-understanding, hopefully a goal for us this Lent and throughout our spiritual lives.
Our Gospel lesson relates Jesus being led into the desert wilderness immediately following his baptism when it was confirmed that His life had a purpose in God's plan. It was there that Jesus reflected upon and clarified the meaning of His life. Mark’s Gospel does not detail the temptations Jesus was subjected to in the wilderness. But from the other Gospels we are told Satan tempted him with turning stone to bread, proving that He was God’s Son by throwing Himself off a high place and not being harmed, and by being offered authority over all the kingdoms of the earth if He would but worship Satan. We fight some of our greatest battles when we are alone. Being alone and in a desert place seems to be an unavoidable experience if we are to seek not to live our lives at cross-purpose. When we are in the wilderness we are forced to focus upon ourselves – our needs, desires, failures, goals, and preferences.
Jesus was tempted to shift His attention away from the question of identity and purpose to basic human needs and desires: food, dependency, loyalty, and power. The temptation is not in being hungry, feeling dependent, wanting power; it is in the manner in which we may choose to be fed, deal with dependence, give our loyalty, and use our capabilities. We need bread to live and survive; but we also hunger for things that bread alone cannot satisfy. These are hungers of the spirit and mind. How we cultivate the spirit of God within us and nurture our mind contributes to the kind of persons we are and become. We cannot live without being dependent upon other people and God. We have to pay attention to where in our lives we defy our dependence upon God. A healthy dependence on God and others can help us fulfill our potential. We are also tempted to give our loyalty to people or situations that promise to give us power in return.
Whatever god we worship is the god who will hold us accountable. God who was revealed through Jesus Christ gives us the capacity to hold onto our own souls and not sell them for the delusion that power can create. Our power is delivered from the moral initiative that has laid claim upon the way we live and our integrity flows from the clarity we have about our commitments and how we understand, use, and value power.
Henri Nouwen in his book, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership interprets the three encounters Jesus had with Satan in the wilderness as the temptations to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. It is not enough to just say no to the temptations that present themselves in a dramatic fashion; we must also seek to discern the small ways we are distracted and tempted. It is difficult being in the desert wilderness, but it is good to know that we are led there by the Spirit of God that will do us no harm. Jesus sought clarity about His life's mission in the wilderness following His baptism. Soon after His wilderness experience He began to invite and attract people to a new way of life. After all, people are compelled by what is clear and resourceful.
We too can foster faithful living in others through our own wilderness experience. Faithful living is more than just assuming a certain role in society, on the job, or in the Parish; it is the way we understand and attempt to live our lives. Faithful living may take many forms but our genuine love of God guides our petitions and nurtures and develops our vision of life. Then can the temptations of our wilderness experience become the occasions for clarity, creativity, and strength.
Amen.
Holy Week Services
8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Procession of Palms, Passion According to Luke, and Eucharist.
12 noon Misa del Domingo de los Ramos
4 p.m. Blessing of the Streets. We join our friends at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church for this traditional procession through our neighborhood.
Tenebrae, Wednesday, April 4th
7:30 p.m. Tenebrae (from the Latin word for “darkness” or “shadows”) is a dramatic, candlelight service using the Psalms and Lamentations, and providing an extended meditation upon, and a prelude to, the events in Jesus’ life between the Last Supper and the Resurrection.
Maundy Thursday, April 5th
6:30 p.m. A simple supper of soup, salad, cheese, bread and wine in the Parish Hall. Bring a pot of your favorite soup to share.
7:30 p.m. Choral Eucharist, washing of feet, and stripping of the Altar in the church (bilingual).
8 p.m. All Night Vigil keeping watch in the church.
Good Friday, April 6th
7 a.m. Liturgy of Good Friday
12 noon Stations of the Cross with special music.
1 p.m. Liturgy of Good Friday: Passion According to John, homily, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament
6:30 p.m. Via Cruces: in the Latin custom, we take turns carrying a large cross to 14 stations of suffering and struggle in the inner city. We return to the patio for concluding prayers. (Bilingual).
Easter Eve (Saturday), April 7th
7:30 p.m. The Great Vigil (in English). This ancient liturgy is the principal Easter celebration. We begin in the patio blessing a new fire and a new paschal candle. We process into the dark church bearing candles with the Christ light. We listen to the promises of redemption from scripture lessons. We baptize new members into the family of Jesus. With the Easter acclamation, we ring the bells we have brought. Lights, incense and glorious music acclaim the resurrection of Jesus and we celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter with the Parish Choir and a Brass Quartet. Festive champagne reception follows in the Parish Hall.
Easter Day, April 8th
8a.m. Easter hymns and Eucharist
10:15 a.m. Festive Easter Eucharist with Parish Choir and Brass Quartet
12 noon Misa de la Pascua
Prosperity - Year of the Dragon
We’re planning for a fabulous, festive evening filled with great food, lots of merchandise and events, and your Messiah Family coming together for an exciting time. We’ll be accepting donations of objects and events (and just plain cash) for the auction... more information.
February 12, 2012 - Father Mark D. Stuart
“If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose.’”
Jesus touched him… the leper in the Gospel typifies the untouchable. Touching the leper is Jesus’ risk and the leper’s greatest need. And Jesus knew the risk must be taken. The Gospel tells that Jesus was moved by compassion toward the leper. This was no intellectual decision. There was no consideration given to the political consequences of identifying with a social outcast. There was no theological reflection on the liturgical correctness of the act. There was not even any concern given to Jesus’ own physical/medical safety. He moved in a reflex action from the very center of his being.
“Compassion,” the contemporary author and theologian Frederick Buechner writes, “is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it’s like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you.” Often anger arises as a natural response to compassion. Another translation of this passage has Jesus indignant or angry when he saw the leper Not angered by the request but angered by the ravages of the disease, angered by the cruelty of social isolation, angered at a religion more concerned about its law than its people. Anger and compassion energize us to cross the barriers that separate us from the hurting and the outcast of the world. Anger must flow with compassion: it does not stand alone well. Otherwise we war against concepts, institutions, and structures rather than for the people who are being offended by them. Without compassion binding us to the feelings of the ostracized, in our anger we slip into noting our own feelings and begin to take offense from all those who thwart our just intentions. Without compassion our righteousness indignation soon becomes bitterness and in our bitterness we isolate all those with whom we disagree. We become as cold and oppressive as the most narrow religious or the worst authoritarian regimes.
I do not intend to directly speak to you today about the disease of leprosy in the ancient and modern world, or even the obvious comparison to the AIDS epidemic. Rather, I identify in Jesus’ compassion, anger, and healing of the leper in St. Mark’s Gospel the larger issue of confronting society’s scapegoating. This is not a matter relegated to ancient Judean treatment of lepers, along with Samaritans; or to the medieval treatment of Jews; or to the Puritans burning witches. Today’s Scriptures contain an interesting reflection on the notion of “social acceptability.” When people are different from us, those with the most features in common band together and single out the “other.” International wars have been started over these differences, too. Meanwhile, at home the “different” continue to be harassed. The majority limits its range of social contacts with “those people.” Their contacts with society as a whole are restricted, or if forced to interact with the majority, they are sent constant reminders of their unacceptability.
People who are different simply do not “fit in.” Their differences are viewed as “defects” invested with a social stigma the majority does not want to “catch.” The acceptable majority avoids them and above all avoids touching them. Until the Civil Rights Movement, African heritage was such a social disability that white shop keepers would slap black customers’ change on the counter to keep from touching their hands. In some eateries, if African Americans were allowed in, they were allowed to sit only in designated spots and the dishes they eat off of were kept separate just for their use. Public restrooms and drinking fountains were all segregated and if a black person happened to violate the rules they were considered criminals; if a black person happened to swim in a public or hotel swimming pool, it would be immediately closed, drained, and disinfected. Even in many Episcopal parishes in the North (and certainly in the South) until Civil Rights, African Americans were either routinely denied the Sacraments, or required to wait until all the white parishioners had received the chalice before presenting themselves at the altar for Communion. This is the way things went until one day in 1955 in Montgomery, AL a little black lady named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus… and a movement began that could not be squelched by police dogs, fire hoses, beatings, and bombs.
Despite the oppression and prejudice of his society 200 years ago, a former slave named Absalom Jones was ordained the first African American Priest in the Episcopal Church, and the first black American to receive formal ordination in any denomination. Tomorrow, Feb. 13th, is his feast day now on the calendar of the Episcopal Church. He led a wonderfully full and active life working against every form of oppression and slavery, but according to Holy Women, Holy Men, “it was his constant visiting and mild manner that made him beloved by his flock and the community.” He was an activist. He was a leader. Like Jesus, he got people’s attention. But, like Jesus, it wasn’t to point to himself that he did these things; it was to show others what it really meant to live in the kingdom of God.
Through today’s story of the leper, we clearly see how Jesus is calling us to re-examine the barriers we create to ensure that only the “right” people come into our fellowship. But most of all the Holy Spirit is calling us to remember that the systems of power do not limit the power of God’s action to heal and transform the world. The Scriptures teach us, time and time again, that Jesus comes into the world not to support the “centers” of power but to touch and heal the people on the “margins” – the powerless, abandoned, excluded, degraded, exploited, and disregarded. These are those with whom “right” people do not associate but “righteous” people recognize as fully God’s own. The challenge of the Gospel is not to “include” them into “the circle” but to allow God to expand that circle until it most fully reflects the richness that God alone has created.
Many may comment that racial justice in this country has been attained since the days of the Civil Rights movement. True, there are more official laws to protect the rights of racially diverse citizens. True, Jim Crow segregation is now illegal. True, cultural and ethnic sensitivity is more cultivated than before. But it is also true that we, living in metropolitan Southern California, are in a much more tolerant and privileged enclave (for the most part); than most of the rest of the country. Some of you have relocated here from other cities and states for that reason, so you know what I mean. But having had the experience of living in the Deep South for too long, I can attest without hesitation to the fact that racism, along with misogyny and homophobia are still alive and thriving in America today. There is much work left to be done!
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away at its vital unity. Hate destroys one’s sense of values and one’s objectivity. It causes one to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…” Jesus came to include. Sin divides, perpetuates alienation. Jesus came to save humanity from sin. He looks at us as individuals and as groups with eyes of love that invites us back into the inner circle, which is a movement rather than a place. This movement is outward, inclusive, and compassionate toward the “them” or “others” who have been sinned against. There are many forms of social leprosy around which need to be healed… we need to be healed and we need to heal… the excluded and marginal, the ostracized and hidden, you and I, await the touch of our compassionate Lord.
Amen.
Jesus touched him… the leper in the Gospel typifies the untouchable. Touching the leper is Jesus’ risk and the leper’s greatest need. And Jesus knew the risk must be taken. The Gospel tells that Jesus was moved by compassion toward the leper. This was no intellectual decision. There was no consideration given to the political consequences of identifying with a social outcast. There was no theological reflection on the liturgical correctness of the act. There was not even any concern given to Jesus’ own physical/medical safety. He moved in a reflex action from the very center of his being.
“Compassion,” the contemporary author and theologian Frederick Buechner writes, “is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it’s like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you.” Often anger arises as a natural response to compassion. Another translation of this passage has Jesus indignant or angry when he saw the leper Not angered by the request but angered by the ravages of the disease, angered by the cruelty of social isolation, angered at a religion more concerned about its law than its people. Anger and compassion energize us to cross the barriers that separate us from the hurting and the outcast of the world. Anger must flow with compassion: it does not stand alone well. Otherwise we war against concepts, institutions, and structures rather than for the people who are being offended by them. Without compassion binding us to the feelings of the ostracized, in our anger we slip into noting our own feelings and begin to take offense from all those who thwart our just intentions. Without compassion our righteousness indignation soon becomes bitterness and in our bitterness we isolate all those with whom we disagree. We become as cold and oppressive as the most narrow religious or the worst authoritarian regimes.
I do not intend to directly speak to you today about the disease of leprosy in the ancient and modern world, or even the obvious comparison to the AIDS epidemic. Rather, I identify in Jesus’ compassion, anger, and healing of the leper in St. Mark’s Gospel the larger issue of confronting society’s scapegoating. This is not a matter relegated to ancient Judean treatment of lepers, along with Samaritans; or to the medieval treatment of Jews; or to the Puritans burning witches. Today’s Scriptures contain an interesting reflection on the notion of “social acceptability.” When people are different from us, those with the most features in common band together and single out the “other.” International wars have been started over these differences, too. Meanwhile, at home the “different” continue to be harassed. The majority limits its range of social contacts with “those people.” Their contacts with society as a whole are restricted, or if forced to interact with the majority, they are sent constant reminders of their unacceptability.
People who are different simply do not “fit in.” Their differences are viewed as “defects” invested with a social stigma the majority does not want to “catch.” The acceptable majority avoids them and above all avoids touching them. Until the Civil Rights Movement, African heritage was such a social disability that white shop keepers would slap black customers’ change on the counter to keep from touching their hands. In some eateries, if African Americans were allowed in, they were allowed to sit only in designated spots and the dishes they eat off of were kept separate just for their use. Public restrooms and drinking fountains were all segregated and if a black person happened to violate the rules they were considered criminals; if a black person happened to swim in a public or hotel swimming pool, it would be immediately closed, drained, and disinfected. Even in many Episcopal parishes in the North (and certainly in the South) until Civil Rights, African Americans were either routinely denied the Sacraments, or required to wait until all the white parishioners had received the chalice before presenting themselves at the altar for Communion. This is the way things went until one day in 1955 in Montgomery, AL a little black lady named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus… and a movement began that could not be squelched by police dogs, fire hoses, beatings, and bombs.
Despite the oppression and prejudice of his society 200 years ago, a former slave named Absalom Jones was ordained the first African American Priest in the Episcopal Church, and the first black American to receive formal ordination in any denomination. Tomorrow, Feb. 13th, is his feast day now on the calendar of the Episcopal Church. He led a wonderfully full and active life working against every form of oppression and slavery, but according to Holy Women, Holy Men, “it was his constant visiting and mild manner that made him beloved by his flock and the community.” He was an activist. He was a leader. Like Jesus, he got people’s attention. But, like Jesus, it wasn’t to point to himself that he did these things; it was to show others what it really meant to live in the kingdom of God.
Through today’s story of the leper, we clearly see how Jesus is calling us to re-examine the barriers we create to ensure that only the “right” people come into our fellowship. But most of all the Holy Spirit is calling us to remember that the systems of power do not limit the power of God’s action to heal and transform the world. The Scriptures teach us, time and time again, that Jesus comes into the world not to support the “centers” of power but to touch and heal the people on the “margins” – the powerless, abandoned, excluded, degraded, exploited, and disregarded. These are those with whom “right” people do not associate but “righteous” people recognize as fully God’s own. The challenge of the Gospel is not to “include” them into “the circle” but to allow God to expand that circle until it most fully reflects the richness that God alone has created.
Many may comment that racial justice in this country has been attained since the days of the Civil Rights movement. True, there are more official laws to protect the rights of racially diverse citizens. True, Jim Crow segregation is now illegal. True, cultural and ethnic sensitivity is more cultivated than before. But it is also true that we, living in metropolitan Southern California, are in a much more tolerant and privileged enclave (for the most part); than most of the rest of the country. Some of you have relocated here from other cities and states for that reason, so you know what I mean. But having had the experience of living in the Deep South for too long, I can attest without hesitation to the fact that racism, along with misogyny and homophobia are still alive and thriving in America today. There is much work left to be done!
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away at its vital unity. Hate destroys one’s sense of values and one’s objectivity. It causes one to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…” Jesus came to include. Sin divides, perpetuates alienation. Jesus came to save humanity from sin. He looks at us as individuals and as groups with eyes of love that invites us back into the inner circle, which is a movement rather than a place. This movement is outward, inclusive, and compassionate toward the “them” or “others” who have been sinned against. There are many forms of social leprosy around which need to be healed… we need to be healed and we need to heal… the excluded and marginal, the ostracized and hidden, you and I, await the touch of our compassionate Lord.
Amen.
Svetlana Smolina Piano
Sunday, March 4 at 4 p.m.
“Svetlana preformed in concert in Encinatas and it was one of the finest concerts I have ever attended” says Messiah’s Director of Music, Jim Gilliam. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic and at Carnegie Hall. She lives in New Yourk City and will be in California on tour. We are fortunate to be able to host such a fine musician to begin our new season of concerts here at Messiah.
“Svetlana preformed in concert in Encinatas and it was one of the finest concerts I have ever attended” says Messiah’s Director of Music, Jim Gilliam. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic and at Carnegie Hall. She lives in New Yourk City and will be in California on tour. We are fortunate to be able to host such a fine musician to begin our new season of concerts here at Messiah.
Pancake Supper
Join the Family Reunion!
67th Annual Pancake Supper
Shrove Tuesday
February 21
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
in the Messiah Parish Hall.
Welcome returning parish alums and enjoy the great food of this annual Altar Guild Benefit.
Lent Events to Help You Grow In Christ
- Wednesday Morning Eucharist and Discussion, 6:30 a.m., Eucharist from the New Zealand Prayerbook with homilies by parishioners, light breakfast and group discussion.
- Wednesday Noon Eucharist, Brown Bag Lunch and Discussion, 12:05 p.m., Eucharist with meditation followed by a discussion over a brown bag lunch.
- Tuesday Evening Contemplative Prayer, every Tuesday at 7 p.m., in the Upper Room. Spiritual Director Karen Goran leads this exploration of varieties of Christian prayer.
- Men Seeking God, a spirituality support group for men, meets at 6:30 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in members’ homes.
- Women’s Bible Study, meets the second Friday morning of the month from 9:30-11:30 in the Upper Room.
- Lenten Film Series meets Wednesday evenings, Feb. 29, March 14, 21 and 28, at 7 p.m. in the Upper Room
- Wednesday’s Women, a women’s spirituality group, meets the first Wednesday of every month at Linda Barnhurst’s home.
- Intercessory Prayer, meets in the Upper Room every Wednesday morning at 9:30 to pray with special intention for those in our own community and the world as a whole.
- Sts. Aelred and Hildegard LGBT Ministry meets in the members’ homes the third Sunday of each monty at 6 p.m. for Evening Prayer and a potluck dinner.
And click here for information about our Holy Week Services.
Parish History Day
Former Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin once said: “Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.”
Every Sunday, we hear stories from Scripture about God’s people being called by God to new journeys and experiences. A parish History Day is an opportunity for a parish community to come together to tell the story of God’s call to the parish in the parish’s past journeys and experiences.
On March 3rd, 2012, from 9 a.m. to after lunch – when the every person has a chance to share their story, “History Day” will come to Messiah. During the History Day festivities, and in the days and weeks leading up to History Day, members will be invited to share their memories and perceptions of the life of the parish, and how God has been present at Messiah and in their own lives. On History Day, Father Mark Stuart will lead an interactive activity regarding those shared memories and perceptions. Each and every member of Messiah, from the longest term member to the newest, has something to share and add to the History Day discussion. The purpose is not only to share the historical record, but also to gather different perspectives and personal experiences of that history. Therefore, your participation is needed! Please set aside March 3rd on your calendar for this exciting event as we prepare for the future of our parish family. Once we have shared the past with each other we are better prepared to discern where God may be leading us in the future.
Nancy Whitehead
Help Connect Us!
Auction Committee
says
“Help Connect Us!”
We need names of prospective donors for the auction. For companies and businesses, it is helpful to have specific names and contact information. Contact Ann Liu.
Nicaragua Mission
We’re back – and full of amazing experiences! I don’t know about the rest of the team (“The Nicaragua Thirteen”), but I can’t even believe I did it – it was hard (as in, physically and emotionally), but oh, so worth it! I hardly know where to begin... I think Kitty said it best when she commented, “I’ve spent lots more money on vacations in my time without having nearly as much fun!”
First of all, I have to say I was SOOOO impressed by the mission itself – it’s called AMOS and is run by the American Baptists – and without ONE hint or incident of proselytizing. (In fact, they report that other missionaries get upset with them because they don’t proselytize. They live St. Francis’ admonition to “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.”) AMOS uses a collaborative model, going into communities to listen and empower leadership and help the communities themselves work to promote their own health and solve their own problems... slow, but an important process. At this point AMOS is working in 28 remote communities, each with a “Health Promoter” (who receives six weeks of intense training) and Health Committees who have real knowledge of the community census and have the trust of the residents of the communities they serve. With AMOS, each community now has a small clinic and the residents are gradually getting home water filters.
Our team consisted of thirteen people, six of whom were parent-child combinations (Julie and David Chay; Christina and Julia Damian; and Jan and Luke Hightower), which was nice – and gave us some young people! Our age spread went from 19 – 70, with most of us in our 60’s and 70’s, and included three nurses and a microbiologist (Janet, who proved to be an invaluable resource, and she and Donna formed a team to test the water and filters in the home water filter systems). About half of our group spoke at least some Spanish, but everyone, medical professional or not, Spanish speaker or not, was utilized in some meaningful way.
Our team was headed by a delightful young woman from Cleveland, following in her father’s footsteps doing missionary work in Nicaragua, and by “Dr. Laura” – a Taiwanese doctor whose family immigrated to New York when she was six. Her father still struggles with the fact that they left a third world country so that she would have the opportunity for a better life – and now she CHOOSES to live in a third world country! She slept on the ground with the rest of us during our stay in the mountains of Cumaica Norte, and was a real inspiration to us all!
We traveled to Cumaica Norte, a remote mountain village of 98 families five hours outside of Managua, in the back of a truck. Although it was the dry season, it rained – and the roads were dirt. We arrived after dark, and it was quite a hike (about a quarter of a mile) down hill through the mud to the two-room school house which was to be our living quarters for the week. We groped around in the dark making our camp – blowing up air mattresses, assembling bug huts, etc. by flashlight! Quite a challenge! Of course, we all had to go to the bathroom, but first we had to “secure the latrine” – which had attracted a rather unfriendly scorpion. It kind of reminded me of that board game Clue: “Kitty Crary, in the latrine, with a shovel!”
There is no “center of town” – houses are spread out along dirt roads – so everywhere we went we had a hike! Our meals were on the porch of a house about half a mile from the school where we were staying. Some of our group went house-to-house, testing water filters and supervising their proper use. (Many people who had water filters didn’t understand the importance, for example, of keeping the receptacle clean, so the water would come through the filters clean – and then get contaminated in the receptacle when they “dipped” a cup of water instead of using the spigot, or when they cleaned the receptacle by washing it in contaminated water.) Others ran medical clinics in the school rooms (transformed from dormitory-at-night to clinic-by- day), working with people with chronic diseases, testing for diabetes, etc. or working with children, de-worming them or testing for anemia. Approximately half the children are malnourished and suffer from anemia. Some of our group worked with the Promotore and the Health Committee on nutrition education. Others distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste and gave lessons on dental hygiene. These last educational pieces were critically important, as we learned that the average family in Cumaica Norte consumes between 1–3 POUNDS of sugar a DAY!!! Several people, including Juana Cordova and Linda Barnhurst, were involved in what we referred to as the “Happy Station” – the final health station in which tears (from de-worming and poking and blood- testing) were turned into smiles as kids participated in various activities we had brought: stringing beads, coloring, making frames for the Polaroid pictures Linda took with a digital Polaroid camera, etc. David Chay had brought some soccer balls, and the kids had a great time playing ball, as well.
One day we spent with the youth in the community. AMOS had brought digital cameras, and we were divided into groups, each with about three youth. We taught them to use the cameras, and then we went out into the community. They were instructed to take pictures of what they felt was GOOD about their community – what gives them pride? (In my group it was the abundance of flowers.) Then they were to take pictures of problems or challenge areas; and finally, they were asked to take pictures of their hopes and dreams – either personally, or for their community. When they finished, they printed the pictures (using a generator for electricity) and the kids wrote the stories of their photographs. The wishes of the groups were consistent: better roads; a school (currently they can attend school to grade six; then they must walk on hilly, muddy roads over an hour to another town to attend high school. Not only is the trip long and difficult, attending high school comes at a cost: tuition, uniforms, books and supplies – and the cost of the $2/day they would otherwise get harvesting coffee.); a park; a latrine for every home (or, failing that, a community latrine in the park); a bridge over the river that floods when it rains; and, a cell phone tower so they could communicate with one another and the rest of the world. The last part of their challenge was a bit more difficult: what could they, individually, do to try to make these dreams a reality? (Their “default response” was “Ask the government...” which obviously wasn’t working!)
On the last full day of our stay in Cumaica Norte, we had a fiesta in which we cooked a meal for the whole community – “If you feed them, they will come!” – and presented the results of our findings – the water testing, the testing for anemia –and gave some more education. The youth also presented their project. We had a piñata for the kids and music and dancing. People drifted in all afternoon, wearing their finest clothes (as they did when they came to the clinic as well – it was “an event”!) and everyone had a great time! Kitty and Juana and I were on “cooking duty” – in a small kitchen- structure near the house where we ate our meals (about half a mile from where we were staying), but our wood-stove cooking experience is limited, and we were of use mostly in the chopping-vegetables department!
AMOS did a wonderful job of supporting us: they brought bottles of water, a generator and gasoline for our times without electricity, their own cooks and food so that we didn’t have to worry about getting sick; an armed guard to make sure we were safe; and, constructed a “shower” for us (four poles; some plastic garbage bags for privacy, a large bucket of water, and some small bowls for pouring) – and surprised us with a padded toilet seat to put over the hole in our latrine! (We were quite grateful for the gift – although even so no one took a book with them when they went!)
We settled into the routine:
Friday morning it poured, and we broke camp, hiking out in the rain, on slippery, muddy roads that at least were now not unfamiliar. After a long trip back to Managua (again in the back of a truck) we regrouped and they took us to Granada for a brief tourist visit. Quite a contrast, but we got a bed and a HOT (yeah!) shower, saw some beautiful scenery, and then went back to AMOS headquarters to pack up and fly home. At that concluding, celebratory dinner we started sharing “high points” and “low points” of the week. For me, I think my “high’s” were the shared reflections during Morning and Evening prayer, and, surprisingly, those middle-of-the- night treks to the latrine, when I was alone outside in the great expanse of the night and the stillness, with only the quiet susurrus of the snores from inside the building in a kind of counterpoint to the lowing cows, the insect noises, the roosters...
Many thanks to all of you who supported us, both financially, and with your love and your prayers. It was truly a wonderful experience!
The Rev. Carolyn Estrada
First of all, I have to say I was SOOOO impressed by the mission itself – it’s called AMOS and is run by the American Baptists – and without ONE hint or incident of proselytizing. (In fact, they report that other missionaries get upset with them because they don’t proselytize. They live St. Francis’ admonition to “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.”) AMOS uses a collaborative model, going into communities to listen and empower leadership and help the communities themselves work to promote their own health and solve their own problems... slow, but an important process. At this point AMOS is working in 28 remote communities, each with a “Health Promoter” (who receives six weeks of intense training) and Health Committees who have real knowledge of the community census and have the trust of the residents of the communities they serve. With AMOS, each community now has a small clinic and the residents are gradually getting home water filters.
Our team consisted of thirteen people, six of whom were parent-child combinations (Julie and David Chay; Christina and Julia Damian; and Jan and Luke Hightower), which was nice – and gave us some young people! Our age spread went from 19 – 70, with most of us in our 60’s and 70’s, and included three nurses and a microbiologist (Janet, who proved to be an invaluable resource, and she and Donna formed a team to test the water and filters in the home water filter systems). About half of our group spoke at least some Spanish, but everyone, medical professional or not, Spanish speaker or not, was utilized in some meaningful way.
Our team was headed by a delightful young woman from Cleveland, following in her father’s footsteps doing missionary work in Nicaragua, and by “Dr. Laura” – a Taiwanese doctor whose family immigrated to New York when she was six. Her father still struggles with the fact that they left a third world country so that she would have the opportunity for a better life – and now she CHOOSES to live in a third world country! She slept on the ground with the rest of us during our stay in the mountains of Cumaica Norte, and was a real inspiration to us all!
We traveled to Cumaica Norte, a remote mountain village of 98 families five hours outside of Managua, in the back of a truck. Although it was the dry season, it rained – and the roads were dirt. We arrived after dark, and it was quite a hike (about a quarter of a mile) down hill through the mud to the two-room school house which was to be our living quarters for the week. We groped around in the dark making our camp – blowing up air mattresses, assembling bug huts, etc. by flashlight! Quite a challenge! Of course, we all had to go to the bathroom, but first we had to “secure the latrine” – which had attracted a rather unfriendly scorpion. It kind of reminded me of that board game Clue: “Kitty Crary, in the latrine, with a shovel!”
There is no “center of town” – houses are spread out along dirt roads – so everywhere we went we had a hike! Our meals were on the porch of a house about half a mile from the school where we were staying. Some of our group went house-to-house, testing water filters and supervising their proper use. (Many people who had water filters didn’t understand the importance, for example, of keeping the receptacle clean, so the water would come through the filters clean – and then get contaminated in the receptacle when they “dipped” a cup of water instead of using the spigot, or when they cleaned the receptacle by washing it in contaminated water.) Others ran medical clinics in the school rooms (transformed from dormitory-at-night to clinic-by- day), working with people with chronic diseases, testing for diabetes, etc. or working with children, de-worming them or testing for anemia. Approximately half the children are malnourished and suffer from anemia. Some of our group worked with the Promotore and the Health Committee on nutrition education. Others distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste and gave lessons on dental hygiene. These last educational pieces were critically important, as we learned that the average family in Cumaica Norte consumes between 1–3 POUNDS of sugar a DAY!!! Several people, including Juana Cordova and Linda Barnhurst, were involved in what we referred to as the “Happy Station” – the final health station in which tears (from de-worming and poking and blood- testing) were turned into smiles as kids participated in various activities we had brought: stringing beads, coloring, making frames for the Polaroid pictures Linda took with a digital Polaroid camera, etc. David Chay had brought some soccer balls, and the kids had a great time playing ball, as well.
One day we spent with the youth in the community. AMOS had brought digital cameras, and we were divided into groups, each with about three youth. We taught them to use the cameras, and then we went out into the community. They were instructed to take pictures of what they felt was GOOD about their community – what gives them pride? (In my group it was the abundance of flowers.) Then they were to take pictures of problems or challenge areas; and finally, they were asked to take pictures of their hopes and dreams – either personally, or for their community. When they finished, they printed the pictures (using a generator for electricity) and the kids wrote the stories of their photographs. The wishes of the groups were consistent: better roads; a school (currently they can attend school to grade six; then they must walk on hilly, muddy roads over an hour to another town to attend high school. Not only is the trip long and difficult, attending high school comes at a cost: tuition, uniforms, books and supplies – and the cost of the $2/day they would otherwise get harvesting coffee.); a park; a latrine for every home (or, failing that, a community latrine in the park); a bridge over the river that floods when it rains; and, a cell phone tower so they could communicate with one another and the rest of the world. The last part of their challenge was a bit more difficult: what could they, individually, do to try to make these dreams a reality? (Their “default response” was “Ask the government...” which obviously wasn’t working!)
On the last full day of our stay in Cumaica Norte, we had a fiesta in which we cooked a meal for the whole community – “If you feed them, they will come!” – and presented the results of our findings – the water testing, the testing for anemia –and gave some more education. The youth also presented their project. We had a piñata for the kids and music and dancing. People drifted in all afternoon, wearing their finest clothes (as they did when they came to the clinic as well – it was “an event”!) and everyone had a great time! Kitty and Juana and I were on “cooking duty” – in a small kitchen- structure near the house where we ate our meals (about half a mile from where we were staying), but our wood-stove cooking experience is limited, and we were of use mostly in the chopping-vegetables department!
AMOS did a wonderful job of supporting us: they brought bottles of water, a generator and gasoline for our times without electricity, their own cooks and food so that we didn’t have to worry about getting sick; an armed guard to make sure we were safe; and, constructed a “shower” for us (four poles; some plastic garbage bags for privacy, a large bucket of water, and some small bowls for pouring) – and surprised us with a padded toilet seat to put over the hole in our latrine! (We were quite grateful for the gift – although even so no one took a book with them when they went!)
We settled into the routine:
- Can’t get soap out of your hair with that bowl of cold water with which you rinsed?
- Doesn’t matter.
- Pants muddy?
- Doesn’t matter!
- Three inch spiders on the walls?
- Well, we couldn’t quite say “doesn’t matter,” but at least the most squeamish in the group quit screaming!
Friday morning it poured, and we broke camp, hiking out in the rain, on slippery, muddy roads that at least were now not unfamiliar. After a long trip back to Managua (again in the back of a truck) we regrouped and they took us to Granada for a brief tourist visit. Quite a contrast, but we got a bed and a HOT (yeah!) shower, saw some beautiful scenery, and then went back to AMOS headquarters to pack up and fly home. At that concluding, celebratory dinner we started sharing “high points” and “low points” of the week. For me, I think my “high’s” were the shared reflections during Morning and Evening prayer, and, surprisingly, those middle-of-the- night treks to the latrine, when I was alone outside in the great expanse of the night and the stillness, with only the quiet susurrus of the snores from inside the building in a kind of counterpoint to the lowing cows, the insect noises, the roosters...
Many thanks to all of you who supported us, both financially, and with your love and your prayers. It was truly a wonderful experience!
The Rev. Carolyn Estrada
History Day: Save the Date!
SAVE the DATE
History Day at Messiah
March 3rd 9 a.m. until after lunch
Every Sunday, we hear stories from Scripture about God’s people being called by God to new journeys and experiences. A parish History Day is an opportunity for a parish community to come together to tell the story of God’s call to the parish in the parish’s past journeys and experiences. In the days and weeks leading up to History Day, members will be invited to share their memories and perceptions of the life of the parish, and how God has been present at Messiah and in their own lives. Please set aside March 3rd on your calendar for this exciting event as we prepare for the future of our parish family. Once we have shared the past with each other we are better prepared to discern where God may be leading us in the future.
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