wfn.org | God's hand in Colima: A letter to the PC(USA) from El Salvador

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #5904 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

19-May-2000
00201

	God's hand in Colima: A letter to the PC(USA) from El Salvador

	by Julie and Robert Dunsmore
	PC(USA) mission co-workers in El Salvador

COLIMA, El Salvador -- It has been a great privilege to witness the
celebrations honoring Archbishop Oscar Romero and other martyrs.  A list of
Salvadoran martyred religious clergy and laypersons which the Bishops of El
Salvador are preparing for the Vatican this jubilee year now numbers over
one hundred pages long.  Thousands of people from around the World made the
effort to be present.  There were no acts of violence, only the words, the
songs, the dreams of a new day.  So fine.  So may it come to pass.

	We have had delegations and other visitors here steadily now for two
months.  It has been a happily busy time.  There is so much work to do.

	Any day now the swimming pool at the Hacienda in Colima will be inaugurated
as hundreds of Colima residents gather in and around it, following an
ancient tradition of bathing during Holy Week.  This time the water they
bathe in will be clean, unlike the nearby rivers and lakes.  Thanks to
several of you, the public bathrooms will be ready for use, too.

	Funds raised will be re-invested in the restoration of the Hacienda as we
further prepare it to receive church retreat groups, conference groups,
delegations from other countries, and tourists.

	We now have a hammermill donated by the Presbyterian Hunger Program that is
 shredding the sugar cane bagasse so that we can use 100% of it in making
fuel logs.  Thanks to funds from the Lutheran World Federation, a new
workshop for the fuel log machine is half finished.   Tomorrow we will
transport more than five tons of bagasse for our first all-day test runs. 
Interest in this fuel is growing quickly.  We are all excited.

	The milling of organic sugar cane is still at an impasse.  We wonder if any
friend of the Earth is interested in helping the organic sugar cane growers
purchase and manage the sugar mill to assure the success of eliminating
chemicals from the soil, stopping the burning of the fields and stopping the
incredible downward cycle of death and decay we are witnessing around us.

	We'd like to share with you two recent experiences in the lives of women,
experiences in which God's hand is moving among us, moving us, in Colima.

	First, we'd like to tell you about the group of nine Presbyterian women
from all over the U.S.  who came to Colima last month to explore firsthand
the status of women and children in Central America today, by talking
directly with them.

	We had paired up each of the U.S. women with a woman from Colima for one
special day, and in just the one day,  we bonded together more powerfully
than any of us could have imagined.

	In one of the activities the women, Salvadoran and U.S., had an opportunity
to share  personal experiences regarding single parenthood, domestic
violence, poverty, unemployment and other struggles they face daily.

	We then attached two thirty-foot long strips of  paper to the wall in the
big veranda, one strip above the other.  Our plan was to create a  mural by
inviting the participants to paint themselves, standing in Colima.  As the 
whole  town of Colima took shape under our paintbrushes, the churches, the
trees, the houses, the hills and reservoir, the fishermen and  the sugar
mill, we rejoiced and celebrated together the beauty and life of this place,
and all of us as real people, God's children, in Colima, in solidarity with
each other, women and children of Colima and our U.S. visitors.

	We asked all the participants to paint the same thing twice, once on each
strip,  so that one mural could be taken to the U.S. (Louisville!), and the
other one could be enjoyed at Colima, in San Salvador, and other spots as
well.

	Later in the day we swam and ate dinner together, and had devotions and
singing in Spanish and English.  Tears flowed as women shared words of love
and caring for each other, and expressions of faith in God's plan for
redemption and healing.

	The tour by the Presbyterian women had covered Costa Rica and Guatemala as
well as El Salvador, where the group was hosted by Presbyterian mission
personnel and local partners in mission, like Alfalit and the Reformed
Church of El Salvador.  They plan to share their findings about the status
of women and children in Central America with the church at large, as part
of the PC(USA)'s celebration of the Year of the Child -- to be focused on
issues and needs of children around the world.  We pray this will have
impact on future decisions by the General Assembly about the ministry and
mission of the Church.

	In other happenings, nine women who live in Colima's worst housing, "El
Mesón," are now raising funds to install three latrines.  In El Mesón there
is no electricity, running water, or bathroom facilities.  One family lives
in each single room.  People use the nearby sugar cane fields as a restroom.
 Conditions are so crowded that small children are constantly trespassing on
neighbors' property,  causing unending conflicts between families.  When
people in Colima mention El Mesón, they think of dirty people who are
endlessly feuding among themselves.

	But the nine women have given their building a new name, "Viviendas
Solidarias San Juan Colima*" (Solidarity Housing St. John of Colima).  They
want to change the image of their dwelling and of themselves, and they are
seeking to overcome bitter resentment in order to create a better future for
their children, starting with three humble latrines to be shared among
the nine families.   

	We are working to provide tools for communication and a setting where
reconciliation can take place, for these women and their families.  We ask
your prayers for God's blessing on their efforts to move forward.

	God's hand is moving among us, moving us, in Colima.

Editor's note:   All long-term mission personnel of the PC(USA) write
letters to the church regularly.  To get on the mailing list of any PC(USA)
long-term mission co-worker, contact Peter Kemmerly in the Worldwide
Ministries Division by phone at 1-888-PCUSA-2-U (728-7228), extension 5612,
or by e-mail at <PeterK@ctr.pcusa.org>.

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