Saying Good-bye...

Dear family, friends, supporters and interested others!!

Greetings to you and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I write to you from sunny, beautiful Saskatoon, a million miles away from Lima, Peru. And that is not just the distance, it feels like a million miles away in terms of culture, technology, language, and so much more. In these days of re-entry and re-adjustment I feel, once again, like Alice in Wonderland. I am exploring my own country through different eyes, reconnecting with family and friends, familiar yet not-so-familiar places. As with my first trip down the rabbit hole, I feel like a foreigner all over again. There is much that has changed in my beloved Canada, there are new things to integrate into vocabulary and into memory. The mind is racing making comparison's to Lima and Peru: from places, sounds, sights, smells, cities...the list of difference continues!

A local market

The view from Martirez, where many of San Juan Camino de
Esperanza children and youth live...

With Carlos, from San Juan Camino de Esperanza,
at my last ILEP National Convention

With the children at my Farewell Service at Emaus

Saying good-bye with the youth at San Juan Camino de Esperanza

After a little more than three months in Canada, there is now time for reflection on the good-byes to friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters of ILEP and parishioners of Emaus and San Juan Camino de Esperanza. Along with the Farewell Services, were fiestas to celebrate our years of ministry together, mixed in with the packing, details of an international move, good-bye lunches and coffees...and many, many tears of thankfulness!! As we know, good-byes are sad and I miss so many people, they are held close in thought and prayer and will for a long time to come!

Details of good-bye included packing up and
getting everything shipped back to Canada

With some of the members of Emaus at my
Farewell Service and Celebration of the ministry

In these years of missionary service, the ELCIC and ILEP in partnership were able to provide pastoral ministry to the congregation of San Juan Camino de Esperanza (St. John Way of Hope), an interim ministry for the last year at the congregation of Emaus, as well as participation in the conference of ILEP pastors, the formation and directing of an ILEP choir, music and liturgy classes with all but three ILEP congregations as well as through the UBL (Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana), and hosting many choirs, music groups, short-term mission groups, and welcoming of many visitors from Germany, Canada and the United States. What an honour it has been, and what blessing and challenge these years have presented. But I left with such gratitude and a heart filled with joy and love for all those with whom I had the pleasure to serve and walk alongside. God truly was present in these sacred places and spaces, on the roadways, in people's homes, in the sharing of meals, in the hillsides, valleys, walkways along the ocean, in joys and sorrow, and most especially in the breaking of bread and outpouring of wine as we gathered to worship, to sing, and in praise of our God from whom all blessings come!

With Pastora Uta, Missionary Pastor from Germany,
who preached at the San Juan Farewell and Celebration of Ministry

Sharing the peace with Brigitte and Angela who didn't want
to let me go....

The Eucharistic Prayer and Blessing

And as I leave behind a wonderfully complex and unique culture, people, land, children, congregations, youth, brothers and sisters in Christ, places, sights, smells, food, music and dances, I will continue to pray that those seeds that we planted here will continue to grow and flourish with God's love and grace.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord..." Jeremiah 29: 7-14 

With blessings, peace, love, and joy in the Lord,

Pastora Fran.

Summer 2012

Greetings to family, friends & supporters!

The weather in Lima had finally changed to fall by the time I was preparing to leave. That meant cool days, misty, grey skies and cooler fall-like temperatures by Canadian standards. But even with the cold, thoughts turned to this last summer in Lima and some of the events over these last few months.....

Emaus fundraisers....

Playing Bingo after worship to raise money for our rent...tonight's
prize: a HUGE chocolate bar...yummy!!

President, Carmen Valladares runs the BINGO...

Beautiful quilt received as gift and symbol of our companion relationship with Grace Lutheran Church in Victoria, British Colombia...

With a few members from San Juan Camino de Esperanza

Reading in English class, after Worship services on Sunday mornings,
with Angela, Miguel and Christian

Other Summer Events at San Juan Camino de Esperanza:

Vacation Bible School: Escuela del Verano

The children listen attentively...mostly!

Learning about "Cleaning our bodies and our soul"... practical and spiritual practices for how to wash our hands and hair, how to brush our teeth, then how God through Christ clean our hearts and spirits by forgiving us of our sin...

 With the youth at San Juan...

We collected rocks from around the church and carried them around, they were really heavy! They are like the sins that we carry with us every day. What does Jesus do with our sin? He washes us in the waters of Holy Baptism and cleanses us of our sin so that we can be transformed and made new. What good news that is for us!!

Cleaning our rocks and getting them ready to paint into something NEW!

Painting our rocks transforms them, just like what Christ does with our sin...

Lizette, Giselle and Percy busy transforming their rocks...


HANDING out special school packages and towels and toiletries from Grace Lutheran Church
and from Lutheran World Relief...THANK YOU to everyone who gave donations!!!

Gina receives her gift with a great big smile!

Our Annual Beach trip was a blast too....here the kids are anxiously looking at the beach as we turn to drive down the entry to Playa San Pedro, about an hour from San Juan de Lurigancho...

Enjoying the sun & surf!

Buried in the sand...

What a blessing this past Peruvian summer was, because of the Vacation Bible School, fundraising efforts, the trip to the beach, and the many donations received! Although this blog is LONG overdue and we are into our Canadian summer now, we remember and I remember the wonderful visits and conversations at the beach and during VBS and am grateful for how God has directed us in this ministry together over the years!


NEXT blog...a recounting of all the farewells and good-byes....as well as a video overview of the shared ministry between ILEP and ELCIC just in these past four years that I was able to serve as Long-Term Missionary to Peru.

With peace, love & blessings for a safe and enjoyable summer!

Pastora Fran.

Funny (and embarrassing!) learning curves...

Greetings dearest family, friends and supporters!


On the lighter side of life, cultural adaptation, ministry in a cross-cultural setting AND learning a new language, I thought it might be humorous to share some of my funny and embarrassing language blunders. A friend recently inspired me by sharing very openly about some his more embarrassing moments. That got me reflecting on some of my own humorous (and slightly embarrassing!) learning curves during the last four years since leaving Canada in August of 2008.

Here are just a few of the highlights from my personal blunder journal...what I SHOULD have said and what I actually said..enjoy!


Should have said: Tengo hambre (I'm hungry)...and what I said instead: Tengo hombre...which ACTUALLY means I have a man...um...that makes no sense at all but sure made my host mom laugh!

What I wanted to say: I have to buy soap for the shower (Tengo que comprar el jabon para ducharme)....& what I did say: Tengo que comprar JAMON para ducharme, which is: I need to buy ham for the shower. It wasn't just that I said it which made it funny but that it was accompanied by the washing gesture!!! That made it more funny. My host mom questioned me several times, you are going to shower with ham, are you sure? Of course, I repeatedly said yes, of course!...LOL...oh dear!

MANY times over the first few years, I referred to veca's (scholarships for theology students) as VACA, which is a cow. So we'd be talking about the vecas that were to be granted to our Seminary students and I kept saying vacas....I can see it now:  NEW Seminary policy, all students are to be given a COW to help with their studies....haha!

Perhaps the funniest and most embarrasing of said blunders happened a few months ago while enjoying lunch with the pastors after our monthly meeting. The papas, or potatoes, in Peru are delicious and I wanted to say was that the potatoes are more delicious here because the farmer's don't use pesticides or preservatives. But INSTEAD I Said: Las papas peruanas son las mas ricas porque los campesinos no usan preservativos. Sounds the same right? WRONG!! What I said was: Peruvian potatoes are so much better because the farmers don't use pesticides or condoms....YEP, preservativos are condoms in Spanish ...and preservantes are preservatives...CARAMBA! The two pastors at my table turned and looked me and I immediately realized my mistake and turned BEET RED! They asked, "Pastora Fran, do you know what you just said?"  Um, yes, that's not what I wanted to say at all, but it was all in good humor.

In reflecting on the years here in Peru, I can recount many more examples of experiences learning the Peruvian culture and traditions and the differences that made me feel uncomfortable and alien at times. Those of us who have lived cross-culturally understand as few others can how awkward these moments can be, but at least I can console myself by feeling that these learning curves and blunders have been more humorous than offensive. And my life is certainly richer for the blunders and learning curves, for all of the cultural difference and foreign experiences that have humbled me and which permit me, now, to admit my errors, to ask for help when it is needed, and to admit what I do not know or understand. It is a humility that is necessary to enter into any new experience or place whether we live in a foreign country or stay in our home town for all of our lives. God gifts us with this humility so that we can work together in God's kingdom and proclaim the Gospel to all nations and cultures, using all of our God-given talents and abilities with an openness and acceptance that can embrace the difference and the uncomfortable moments along the way, knowing that in Christ we are reconciled, no matter how BIG the blunder!

What a grace to be able to laugh at our errors, language or otherwise. This humility allows us to embrace the good, bad and ugly parts of our human experience. I remain humbly grateful for the wealth of experiences in this beautiful country that have taught me so much about myself, about my culture, about humility, about grace, about forgiveness, and about God's boundless love for each of us!

Wishing you all good laughter, joy and humility in the journey!


Pastora Fran.

Healthy Development?

Greetings and peace to all of you: family, friends, supporters and other interested persons!! 

From a somewhat foggy, rainy day at Machu Picchu,
pictured with Grace Iverson, Jannaya and Graham Jensen.

Remains of a building being destroyed
in the name of development, Ollantaytambo

A recent trip to the Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu recently inspired some thought around globalization and whether all development is healthy development. Take, for example, this home next to the river in Ollantaytambo. It is being demolished to make room for an expanding tourist hostel. The growth of the tourist industry in this part of the world has allowed for expansion of highways, the development of restaurants, hostels, and hotels throughout the Sacred Valley. Employment is stable in transportation and service industries as well as the local artesan markets in many of the small pueblos in the area. 

My curiosity around all of this development caused me to talk with several of our drivers, guides, waiters and tour operators during our various travels. As we sat drinking our coffee one day, our waiter told us that around 80 tourist buses visit their location, Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo, every day, driving on the old cobblestone roads. In Pisac, the number of tourists has even converted the Plaza Principal (the main centrer of town) into a market of artisan goods. We can all agree that steady employment is a good thing, however are farmers and musicians,  tradespeople and laborers people becoming slaves to the tourist industry? Is this the type of work they would like to do, what does all of this traffic and all of these tourists mean to the infrastructures of water, highways, sewage and waste, not to mention the overpopulation of heritage sites?

                                                                                                                                                                            

The Plaza Principal in Pisac, now an
artisan market

How do we as Christians respond even as we are tourists in another culture? What kind of development is healthy development, for the local people, for the economy, for the environment, etc...?

Good questions, and I hope and pray we can be faithful in our awareness of those around us, of their lives and realities, of the effects our presence has on the environment, of livelihoods, of development. I hope and pray we can continue to be aware of the "sacred" in our midst, even as we are tourist to another country and culture. Because no matter where we are, I believe God calls us to care for our environment and our planet so that we can all live with dignity, with clean water and air, with sufficient food and enough work and resources on which to live. Our God calls us to awareness, to speak for justice and equality, to protect and speak on behalf of the voiceless whose livelihood depends on land and water systems that are healthy, to speak against those empires and corrupted powers who value money over people, trade over land, economy over justice. Whether in our own communities and cities, or whether as tourists, let us be aware.

The Sacred Valley is, indeed, a sacred place yet it continues to grow and develop, catering to the growing tourist trade. May God continue to empower us to protect the sacred places such as these that exist in our countries and in our communities, as well as those whose leaders seem to pay little attention to environmental impact, be it mining development or tourist development.

Left: the Colca Valley, beautiful during its rainy season....










Prayer:

O God of Abundant life, give us the strength, courage and wisdom to speak out against development that is harmful to the environment and those who inhabit it.The challenges are great but we know that you, O Lord, are faithful. Inspire and move us to greater awareness, to increased advocacy, and to a deeper commitment for justice. May your Holy Spirit so inspire us so that all may live in the abundance and grace that you provide to all your people. Amen. 

With Epiphany grace, enlightenment, and peace,
Pastora Fran.

Temblors for Navidad?

First written December 19th....

Greetings, peace, and joy to each of you; family, friends, supporters and followers!!

For the last two weeks, preparations for Christmas have been well underway. The streets are congested with people, old and young, and traffic has been crazier than normal as Peruvians spend their double salary for Navidad celebrations. Yes, Peruvians receive a double salary twice a year to help pay for added expenses during Independence Days (July 28 &29) as well as Christmas. This means all the shopping is done in the same month, generally speaking. Peruvians are busy shopping and stocking their shelves for family meals of pavo (turkey), paneton (Christmas fruit bread) and chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) among the other myriad of wonderful foods!! In addition to family gift-giving, gifts are purchased for those who provide services throughout the year, housekeepers, hairdressers, mechanics, gardeners. These are the canastas, gift baskets, filled with everything needed to have a traditional Peruvian family Christmas. For members of the churches we serve, both congregations are busy purchasing items to provide a mini-fiesta and we are packing gifts for the children provided by Caristas, an NGO (non-governmental organization) of LWR (Lutheran World Relief, USA). It is a busy time for everyone, filled with anticipation for what will be shared and for days off of work when families can be together.

In the midst of this anticipation and busy-ness, was a 4.8 tremor last night...

Suddenly, abruptly interrupted, perhaps we were awakened to the reality of our planet, suffering its anxieties and labor pains of contamination, exploitation, and climate change. The temblor (tremor) was strong, lasting a minute long. No damages were reported, Thanks be to God!, but it did wake me up to reconsider what is important in this life and what ought to be our focus during this Advent and Christmas: the coming Christ-child who will bring peace and justice. Maybe this temblor during Navidad can remind us that Christmas is not about the gifts, perhaps its not even about being with loved ones. In a very counter-cultural perspective, perhaps during Advent and Christmas we could focus less on our celebrations and more on Christ. If we can focus less on ourselves and more on God and God's love coming into the world, in human form, the incarnation of Jesus, then perhaps this sacred time of the year can really be about Christ.

This is the temblor the world needs! This is the temblor that God's word ought to invoke within us. This is the temblor, the shock, the jolt that Christ's birth brings into the world, waking us from the routine of our lives, from the acceptance and complacence of the injustices and inequalities that happen every day in order that we can wake up to the realities and begin to change our ways, our perspectives, our lives.

Let it be a temblor this year that shakes us to the core and wakens us to action in Christ's name!

With peace and joy to you this Christmas Season!

Pastora Fran

A Ritual Beginning

Greetings in this New Year of 2012 to all those supporters, friends, family, and interested persons!!

As the New Year began here with several hours of crashes and bangs, despite the illegalization of home fireworks, it is a telling sign that something is happening or that something has happened. The loud crashing of fireworks brings in the New Year and enlivens the senses, and perhaps this is really what ritual is all about.

Fireworks in a local park on New Year's Eve

In baptismal waters, with Water and the Word, we mark the beginning of something new. We celebrate in grand style as we are reborn as children of God, inheritors of eternal life and the ritual and symbol are tactile, memorable. It is a celebration that continues all throughout our lives!

The "hora loca" or crazy hour at Emaus,
 celebrating the New Year with a fiesta on Jan. 1, 2012

Over holidays two weeks ago, we had a similar experience to that of celebrating, being re-born, re-experiencing God's grace in creation as we traveled to Cusco, the Sacred Valley and I climbed Machu Picchu once again, only this time in the pouring rain!

Machu Picchu

It was more or less consistent throughout our day. The consistent precipitation is what makes the mountains, fauna, grasses, trees,  etc so incredibly green. It is the consistent precipitation of the rain forest that makes it so lush and so delicious to the senses of sight and smell. And it was this consistent precipitation that made the rocky steps slippery and dangerous, and which soaked my jeans! Yet, the consistent precipitation is also what enlivened my heart and senses to the entire experience. It rained on and off, fog would roll in and in second disappear. And it happened time and again, like a reminder: something is happening here. The steep edges and drop-offs had this effect for me to because of my fear of heights. I had to breathe deeper, ask others to walk in front of me, and I even had to close the curtain of the bus on the hair-pin drive up the mountain. But this also heightened all of my senses to the entire experience: something unique is happening here, something unexpected, something new, something that you will always remember.

And it is true, like the ritual of Water and Word, like the ritual midnight fireworks throughout the city of Lima, this was a ritual of senses, sight, sound, and touch culminating together like a ritual of beginning and remembering.


We need these rituals, we need the senses to be awakened and enlivened to remind us of God's love and grace breaking into the world every day. Sometimes we are tired and weary, sometimes we are stressed, sometimes we are complacent and the routines of life take something of the spark of faith away from us. We need these rituals to remind us of God's continuing love and grace: we need these rituals to break us out of our complacency; we need these rituals to be reminded that we are God's beloved children, freed, loved, graced and transformed TO transform our world. We often forget and this is why the ritual is so incredibly important..the ritual of worship for example, so we can be brought to these amazing experiences of the senses: water and word, of bread and wine. In this ritual, we are reminded whose we are and what we are called and claimed to be and do in this world: to risk, love, be on the edge, embody the Gospel....

Be the blessing God has called to you, be enlivened into the richness God has planted in you, be God's grace in the world...

With love & gratitude,

Pastora Fran