Post from Daddy

I can’t tell you what a wonderful time Martha and I had on our visit to Argentina and Uruguay. The picture that will stay in my mind from now on is seeing Mary for the first time in the airport on Thursday morning in Bois Aires. She was like a lighthouse standing out in the sea of people. It was so good to see her vibrant smile in person. I did not realize how much I missed it until I saw her. I know we only got a small idea of her experience over the last eight months, but the visit really helped me put faces to her experience.
On our taxi ride from the airport we learned of two great tragedies in Argentina. The death of Alfonzine, the first freely elected president after the dictatorship of Peron, was a great emotional loss for many in the country. There was a national day of mourning with a large state funeral. The other tragedy was the lost of the Argentine soccer team to Bolivia, 6-1.
The best part of the visit was the people we got to meet. The folks we met first were Javier, a seminary student and Kate, the ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission Coordinator (who also attends the seminary in Bois Aires). I was thrilled to see the largest protestant seminary in Latin America. As I would learn through out our visit, the people and the Lord do so much more with so much less than we do in the States.
Our next stop was in Colonia, Uruguay. We took the Buquebus (Ferry boat) across the Rio del la Plata. (An estuary that is about fifty miles wide between Buenos Aires and Colonia) It took about an hour. In Colonia we got a personal tour from Analia’s Mom (Mary’s adopted Uruguayan Mom) of the historic city. It was exciting to see the family that has become such an important part of our daughter’s life. They live in a small, simple, but very orderly house. Colonia was a major point of contention in the struggle between Spain and Portugal to control colonial South America in the 1600’s. It is now a tourist destination. We got to eat lunch with Ricardo, Analia’s Dad and Graciela, Analia’s Mom. Mary did a great job of translating. It was amazing how Martha and Analia’s Mom would say the same thing, one in English and the other in Spanish. I guess that mothers are mothers in all cultures.
We then took a three hour bus ride to Montevideo. The country side of Uruguay is open rolling grass land with a lot of cattle. The ranch houses are small but the land is fertile. Agriculture, and ranching in particular, is one of the economic mainstays of Uruguay.
When we arrived in Montevideo we were met at the bus station by Analia, Mary’s good friend. After a short taxi ride we got settled in at the guest house at the Waldesian Church (sort of an Italian Presbyterian denomination). It was like a dorm room. It had two single beds, a bunk bed and a table. There was an adjoining bathroom. Our room was along a busy main street that did not stop at night and we learned that we have gotten spoiled by the quiet of Savannah Lakes.
We then went about six blocks down the street to Nuestro Salvador Evangelical Lutheran Church where Mary lives and works and got the grand tour. The church building was built in the 1950’s by Lutherans from the United States. (They then withdrew their support and left the congregation with a challenge to maintain an overwhelming facility.) It is large and sprawling, but is being used in innovative ways to best use the resources. A dentist clinic is housed there as well as some student housing and various outreach opportunities.
We then met Pastor Wilma, Mary’s supervisor at the Lutheran Church. She is very gracious. We got on a bus to go to an “asado” or the equivalent of a barbeque or cookout in the USA. It was at the home of Milton & Carla. Milton is the coordinator of “La Obra” the school Mary works at three days a week. The hospitality and welcome we received spoke to me of God’s love. It helped me feel better as a parent, knowing that God had provided a supportive loving environment for Mary. The only difficult thing for me was that it was Saturday night and late and I was very tired and had to preach in the morning.
Sunday morning, I was nervous. Even though the congregation is small I was going to try to share the Good News with a culture that is foreign to me. I felt much better when the first lady I met was Beatriz. She had lived in the US as an exchange student and spoke English very well. Her host family in the US was Dr. Jerry Smallenburger, a Lutheran pastor and professor, whom I was familiar with his writings. It really helped me to see that God had it all under control even if I didn’t.
The worship service was one of the most moving I have been involved with in a long time. It was not because of the large attendance, there were only about 20 there. It was not because of the grand setting, it was very simple. It was not because of the outstanding music, it was ordinary. It was because God was present. The liturgy spoke to me even though it was in a different language, I knew what was taking place. It helped me to see the extent of the Kingdom of God.
I presented the prayers shawl from the Lutheran Church by the Lake to Pastor Wilma and told her that “every stitch was a prayer and every hole a hug.” She put it on an wore it for the rest of the service. She had a true sense of gratitude in her eyes.
When it came time to preach I tried to keep the message simple and I pray that God used it to speak to the hearts of the people gathered. The sharing of Holy Communion was a truly moving experience for me. I came to realize that in this simple meal God speaks the universal language.
After worship we had a Uruguayan “covered dish” with the congregation. Once again I realized people are more similar than different. That afternoon we went for a walk along the beach and Sunday evening had dinner with Pastor Wilma and her husband Pastor Alvaro of the Waldesnen church. Alvaro showed Martha and I around the church and I thought once again, “What we have in common is far greater than what separates us.”
I could see myself showing people around the churches I have served as Alvaro told of the ministry there in Montevideo.
Monday morning we took a tour of Montevideo with Beatrice, the lady from the church. She is a registered tour guide and is working toward starting her own guide business. I enjoyed seeing the sights, but was more interested in talking to her about her experiences of life under a dictatorship and now a social democracy. This is an election year in Uruguay and the president can’t be reelected. They elect a new president every five years. The current president has done a good job and people seem concerned what the future will hold.
After our tour we ate lunch in the tourist section of Montevideo, or the Old Town. I was struck by the contrast between the tourist experience and that of a person seeing the city on a day to day level. That feeling was to become even more pronounced as we went to “La Obra” in the barrio. “La Obra” means “the work,” as in “the work of Christ.”
La Obra is an ecumenical school for children and young people in one of the poorest sections of the city. Families were given plots of 1000 meters by 1000 meters on which to build homes. This was to get them out of the poverty of the inner city. What happened is there were no guidelines and soon two or three shacks sprung up on the original lot, as children built houses next to parents. The houses were built out of available material. While some are simple yet nice, many are very basic shacks with no water, sewer hook ups, or electricity. The purpose of “La Obra” is not only to provide an education, but also to provide hope. It is demanding, yet necessary way of sharing the love and dignity that every individuals needs as a child of God.
“La Obra” reminded me once again that God is doing so much with so little. The positive attitude of those who work there and the smiles and joy of the children touched my heart. I know Martha and I only got a limited look at what goes on at “La Obra”, but in what we saw the finger prints of Jesus were very present. It is so exciting to see God at work in ways I could not have imagined and in places I have never heard of before.