Inspired

At times, it remains quite remarkable how we are inspired in various aspects of our lives. For instance, at the same time as planning trips to work (in music and liturgy)with ILEP congregations in Cusco and Huacho, a fellow musician who was here at the end of December was inspired to return to Peru. At the same time as she wrote of feeling inspired to serve here and what were the dates for her vacation in July, I was waiting for confirmation of the dates suggested to local pastors, which were, remarkably, almost identical to the dates she had offered in her email!! Again, quite remarkably, all of this fit together within a few days and she, because of the work of the Holy Spirit's inspiration, will accompany me and two ILEP congregations to teach music.

May was a busy, Spirit-filled month! I finished three months of working with the congregation of Belen, in Breña. I worked with a small women's choir to work on voice production and singing harmony together.




















Pastora Irene (far right) and some of the women at Belen.











Of course, we celebrated "El Día Del Madre" (Mother's Day). At San Juan Camino de Esperanza we had a program for the mothers, following our weekly worship service. This included poetry, dancing, singing and more dancing!





The children dancing a traditional Peruvian dance





On this same Sunday, we were priviledged to welcome Bishops and youth delegates from Lutheran churches from South America, Central America and the Caribbean for the Regional LWF Meeting. On the same Sunday as Mother's Day, San Juan welcomed guests Bishop Victoria Cortez of Nicaragua and Vice-President of the Lutheran World Federation, along with youth delegate Helen Rios, pictured here.


















In the midst of the LWF Regional Meeting, there was an Inter-Religious Prayer Service to which Muslim leaders, Catholic priests, Jewish leaders, and other Protestant Bishops and representatives were present.Many ILEP pastors attended, including Pastora Irene Ponce(left), Pastora Adita Torres(middle), and myself.
























There was a wonderful spirit at the service whose focus was world peace. Among other welcomed guests was Helena Manrique, the new Peruvian Representative for Canadian Lutheran World Relief's new office in Lima.






In addition to Mother's Day celebrations, guests for the LWF Regional Meeting, an informal gathering for missionaries, plans coming together for future visits to congregations in Huacho and Cusco, the month was complete with a week of driving lessons (learned how to drive standard in Lima!!). On the second attempt, I passed my written regulatory exam. Next, I need to pass the practical driving exam, which I will take later this month after some minor surgery and recovery.

I feel inspired by how the Holy Spirit has been working in and through various plans and events to come together in the way they have. As well, it is marvelous to see how the Holy Spirit is at work guiding adn leading ILEP in the midst of its challenges and changes. Clearly the Holy Spirit has been at work in all of us and in all of these things...

Thanks be to God for the wisdom to see, the grace to live, and the inspiration to follow through on our calling to serve with the gifts received from the Holy Spirit!!

With the peace, joy, and love of the Lord,
Pastora Fran.

Something not seen before

Dearest family, friends, and supporters,

My warmest greetings and peace in this joyful Easter season!!

I was astonished a few days ago while opening the curtains in my bedroom, to view flowers that seemed to spontaneously grow overnight. The flowers were red, large, familiar and were growing on one of the tallest plants in my landlady's garden, one floor below mine. Until that day, the plant looked like many other tall and flowerless plants that are typical here. Although I've never been a huge admirer of this plant, a pointsettea, these stand at least twenty feet tall and are a surprising sight...how can one not be amazed at that? To see a plant one has seen for many a Christmas in many a church look this way is nothing short of amazing!





Every day seems to present such a surprising and/or amazing picture. Whether it's the view from my bedroom window or out of the taxi or bus driving around the city, every day seems to be a new adventure, one in which I see something not seen before.



This is our Easter experience, too, as we see something not seen before:

*the ways in which God, through Christ Jesus, continues to resurrect our broken, greedy, corrupted world;

*the ways that God, through Christ, continues to resurrect and transform our communities, our relationships, our church;

*and the ways in which God, through Christ, continues to resurrect our weary, overwhelmed and troubled hearts!




We see something not seen before and indeed, this is the experience in our ministry here as well.


In our work with ILEP, teaching of the small women's choir continues and is in its last month now, we hear something not heard before: the sounds of voices poco a poco (slowly) being transformed. It is an honour to be a witness to the increased self-esteem as voices are raised with greater confidence!







Some choir members from Belen, the congregation in Breña, as we work on voice production and how to read musical notes.









The size of the women's choir varies from 3-8, depending on work and family commitments.










We witness something not seen before as the children at San Juan begin to learn to play the guitar.








Some of the children are pictured here with friend, Fidel, who comes every second week to teach guitar.












We witness something not seen before as the congregation of San Juan Camino de Esperanza prepares for construction of their church building, after years of growing and experiencing what it means to be a church focused on its people not its building. Now is the time, though, to increase the worship space and make a permanent home. Here, the council members are looking over the architect and engineer drawings...












And so it is an honour to be here on behalf of the ELCIC, to bear witness to and to share with you those which are "something not seen before" things. There are the impacts great and small of teaching and learning in a mutual way new musical notation and new ways of singing. There is the mutual interchange of culture and faith, as ILEP receives, once again, a Canadian Lutheran pastoral presence. And also, there is the transformation we experience in the liberating Gospel of Christ, which calls us to love one another with the love Christ has for us. This requires something not seen before! What an awesome and incredible calling this is as we continue to build up the body of Christ in our partnerships and relationships!


With blessing, peace, and joy!

Pastora Fran.

Holy Ground

Our first task in approaching
another people
another culture
another religion

is to take off our shoes
for the place we are
approaching is holy

or else we may find ourselves
treading on another's dream.

More serious still
we may forget
that God was there
before our arrival.

Author unknown





Dearest friends, family, colleagues, and supporters!

¡Aleluya! ¡Cristo ha resucitado! Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

This Holy Week and Easter were, indeed, Holy Ground; the first celebration in Lima, the first one without threat of snow or ice, the first unique experience of what are the local customs and traditions. Holy Week was particularly holy and sacred as the mother of a parishioner died. Quickly, that which is new and different revealed itself once again, in the mourning rituals and funeral customs. The family, all dressed in black, kept vigil at their mother's side practically 24/7; candles lit in front of the casket, located in the oldest daughter's house; hundreds of other family and friends visiting around the clock to show their love and support; and elaborate flower sprays of every size and colour to surround the family and their departed loved one. Along with the worship services that accompany the Triduum, equally as memorable, this was a Holy Week to remember.







The palm branches are woven here into marvelous creations!








Since it has been awhile since my last entry, one might expect it to mean there has been alot happening, which is most certainly true! It has been a busy month and a half...including monthly Pastoral Conferencias (ministerial for ILEP), the ILEP Asemblea Nacional (National Assembly), teaching singing with the choir and musicians at Belen (one of the ILEP congregations in Lima), along with starting confirmation classes (with three eager students), baptismal classes (with a potential of 12 infants and teenagers wanting to be baptized!!)...and the regular worship service and preaching, prep, and the Escuela Sabatina (Saturday School) with our 120 children or so!

The beginning months of both parts of our (yours and mine) ministry here has been developing relationships. While this is key to any ministry, with the cultural and language challenges this seems to have taken a bit longer. It is nearly my six month in Lima and my fifth in the congregation, and these relationships are forming and deepening...in my work with ILEP, I feel the same way. I have come to know the pastors and staff, and many of the elected delegates from various congregations. It is holy ground to be able to call people by their name, to remember who they are, and to begin to know what are their joys and struggles...I have taken off my shoes...for this is Holy Ground....in all of these experiences, one can see how God is here, recognizing, too that God has always been here!


And so, thanks be to God for the energy and grace to be working and living in this context. I remain grateful to the ELCIC for preparing me well for our ministry here. Especially, thank you to Kelvin Krieger (Program Director for ELCIC Missions in the World) and Rev.Paul Johnson (Assistant to the National Bishop)for your continued support, tireless work, and faithful service!! Because of this support, opportunities to reflect,and time of preparation, I have adjusted well, my health has been stable,I feel settled into the language a bit more with every passing week, and am more settled in my apartment, in the congregation, and within ILEP.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued prayers, financial support, and interest in our ministry and mission here in Peru...I have been touched deeply by the many cards, emails and letters over the last several months and have appreciated your thoughtfulness more than can be expressed!!!


At the request of one of the ELCIC congregations, I have made a first attempt to share a brief and simple message through my video cam:

The pictures that are included in the video message include the journey from Canada, people and places in Bolivia, as well as people whose lives have touched mine and whose lives are being touched by our ministry in Peru. Our (yours and mine) ministry at San Juan Camino de Esperanza is an exciting and growing ministry because of the outreach to the neighbourhood children and families. And our ministry with teaching singing and music to the choir and musicians at Belen (in Breña)is also an exciting part of the work here, as they continue to learn, they are growing in self-confidence and it is wonderful to be a witness to the process!

With peace, grace and love,
Pastora Fran.


>

Canadian Visitor

Lenten greetings and peace to friends, family and supporters from Lima, Peru, and the community of San Juan Camino de Esperanza!





These last few weeks have been quite busy....with the start-up of classes, the beginning of a Bible Study and Confirmation classes, and the hosting of a Canadian visitor, Rev. Paul Johnson. Paul is the Assistant to National Bishop, Rev. Susan Johnson., of the ELCIC.




Rev. Johnson with Pastora Fran




Paul's week-long visit to Peru included meetings with the ILEP (Iglesia Luterana Evangelia Peruana) National Council and President Pedro Bullon.


He also visited at San Juan Camino de Esperanza, on the Sunday that we dedicated paraments from Zion Lutheran, Thunder Bay, Ont., which closed recently. The congregation are grateful for the thoughtful donation!




Local connections were made, also, with the communities of El Triunfo and Fiel es Dios in Iquitos. Pastor Pedro Bullon accompanied Paul and ELCIC Long-Term Missionary Fran Schmidt to the missions in Iquitos.

On the way to Iquitos

















Paul and Fran were accompanied on the trek through the jungle by Rev. Yolie of the Amazon Mission.





Visiting with the community at El Triunfo was a gift and blessing as we talked, prayed and sang together.














And the children loved to see pictures of themselves!!











As with our meeting at Fiel es Dios, children, youth, and parents were included. We talked about concerns and needs, as well as ways in which to include young people in the life of the church.




Warm blessings and greetings from the communities in Iquitos whose ministry is supported by the ELCIC and its congregations.

In all of our journeys, we continue to give thanks and praise to God for the abundant blessings and gifts in this life: for family, friends, strangers, neighbours, and this ministry in which we share!

Lenten blessings,
Pastora Fran.

Chickens in the Park

Greetings family, friends, supporters~

Greetings, peace and God abundant blessings!

Driving home from worship last Sunday, we spotted some chickens and a rooster sauntering around in a public, municipal park, looking as if they belonged there. What did not seem odd to anyone else, seemed terribly odd (not to mention unsanitary) to me. Just when I think that nothing else can surprise me, Peru comes up with another in a long list! Every day is filled with the unexpected, there is such creativity, diversity and spontaneity. Welcome to Peru, to life here...and to what was apparently another normal Sunday.

Several interesting things have been happening in these last few weeks...



In late January, a delegation from CLWR (Canadian Lutheran World Relief) were here to visit their various projects and as well to meet with ILEP (Iglesia Luterana Evangelica Peruana)to discuss ways of strengthening their partnership. Included are ILEP President, Pastor Pedro Bullon, and CLWR Executive Director, Bob Granke.







Also in late January, my boxes from Canada arrived, nothing broken or missing...this felt like a mini-miracle!

















Our Pastoral Ratido (Pastoral Retreat) was shortened to only one day, but still enjoyable. We went to a Retreat/Vacation Centre called "Huampani" in Chaclayo, another district of Lima. It was a full day of meetings and discussions.

As is important to most (if not all pastors), the meals were very good...



There was some time to study and reflect...

















As well as to check out the animals wandering around...


















Visited Barranco (another district of Lima)this past week....




and then went to the Centre House of St. James Society in Lima. A priest friend is a missionary working in Caraballayo (another district of Lima). It is located beautifully along Barranco's coast and we were there at sunset, which was absolutely spectacular!








At San Juan Camino de Esperanza, I am preaching and presiding every Sunday now, and every week seems to feel more natural. We started a Thursday night bible study, which focuses on the nexts for the following Sunday. This has been a joy! In March, we welcome the children back from summer vacation. San Juan has a Saturday program that includes tutorials, bible study, music, and games. There will be about 100-120 children for about seven hours every Saturday. In addition to this day for the children, we are starting a Women's Group, to study scripture and offer different workshops each week. Also in March, a confirmation class will start-up, as well as baptismal preparation for five young people who wish to be baptized. Very exciting!!

Teaching church liturgy and music will more officially begin with a meeting on Feb. 28th with all of the ILEP musicians and intersted persons. We will hear their needs/concerns, and share the proposal for my work in the churches. It will be exciting to start meeting everyone more directly involved in music ministry in the various congregations! The proposal is for me to work for three month blocks in each congregation to teaching singing, help the choirs (or start choirs), perhaps work with the children, teach some keyboard skills, whatever they feel is a need. The three months will give time to get to know the congregations and their needs, to build trust, and to help develop skills over a period of time. The first congregation will be Belen, located in the Breña District.

As things get underway, there have been times where I have felt like one of those animals(chicken, llama or rooster?)wandering around in the park...feeling out of place at times, trying to find my way around, adapting somewhat, and slowly getting accustomed to everything: a new country, a new way of life, a new congregation, new people, and a new church (not to mention the language!). It is all falling into place rather smoothly, though, and having just received my carné last week, my residency approval, it seems Lima is officially home!!




With peace, joy, and love,
In Christ,
Pastora Fran.

Following and adapting

To my sisters and brothers in Christ, my family, friends and supporters,

Here are just some of my recent reflections of the last couple of weeks:

Following my Installation Service on Jan. 11th, the real work has begun. The last six months of preparation, language training, cultural immersion, finding an apartment and settling in, is all at once over and now the real work, the real call is underway. There have been three full services to this point in this first month of ministry: preparing, presiding and preaching. There have many more meetings to organize the part of my work that will involve teaching church liturgy and music, as well, to look at ministry at San Juan Camino de Esperanza. But as so many things are still new, I often feel like I am still following and still adapting.

My body is slow at adapting: to the pollution, to the fragrances of foreign trees and flowers, and of course to the food in general. My brain seems slow to adapt at times, too: to the new language, to almost always looking for a particular word or phrase, and to being tired from all the thinking that is needed sometimes. We often forget how set we are in our ways, in our own traditions, customs and habits. They are so automatic, we often don't think about it or why we are doing something in a particular way. These habits, these ways of being in the world, are so entrenched that we don't even realize the extent to which they are a part of our fibre, our DNA. Like Wolverine in "X-Men" whose bones were replaced with metal and sinewed into his very structure,so, too are our habits, our rituals, our customs, our mannerisms, all of our decisions and who we are are.

Our LTS President suggested over a year ago that learning a new language is much like an arm-wrestling match, in which the strength of your opponent far surpasses your own. Cultural and language adaptation does feel much like this, only a part of my brain still fights to win!

Our faith journey seems like this alot of times, too. We fight to get back the control that we think is ours, or that we belive is ours, although we really have no reason to have deserved it. We fight with God, we want our own way, we do not want to have to follow or adapt to a new way of living and being in the world. Thanks to God, though, who knows this about humanity and still chooses to love us anyways, even to the point of sending his only son, Jesus Christ to live and die for us! In Jesus, our frailties and habits, our ways of being in the world can be reconciled and transformed to that of Christ. The adaptation and following is not always easy, this is for sure, but God's grace and love, God's strength and power are certainly far superior to ours. And this is an incredible grace. We are freed by the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ, to change and adapt, to spread this Good News of Jesus, the Good News that saves and transforms us and our world!

Following and adapting is difficult, this is so true...in my five months in South America with the various challenges and joys, I can say that adapting is not always easy, but there are certainly more possibilities of living that reveal themselves in these times of change and transition. God's possibilities and God's capabilities are far beyond what we can see or imagine and this is incredible! I pray for God's vision for our ELCIC and for the Peruvian church-ILEP, as we grow and adapt together in this relationship and with all of the changes that seem to be happening in both of these churches!

In the peace, love, mercy and grace of God,
Pastora Fran.

It's official!!

Dearest family, friends, and supporters...Greetings and peace in the name of Jesus Christ, our light and our life!

It was made official yesterday afternoon when Pastor Pedro Bullon, President of ILEP (la Iglesia Luterana Evangelica Peruana) installed me as the Pastor at San Juan Camino de Esperanza, I am now an ILEP pastor! More than thirty children and twenty adults (approximately) came to the service, and our little chapel was packed full! What an exciting time for all of us.


As the children gathered, there was much energy, noise, enthusiasm, hugs, and boisterous singing...what a wonderful way to begin!



There was lots of music, thanks to our musicians, Mario and Samuel...


Pastora Adita Torres preached an inspiring message linking our baptisms with that of Jesus Christ, while recalling that it was my cross-cultural trip here four years ago with the LTS (Lutheran Theological Seminary) and God's working in these years, that led me to serve here. All of these activities, God's activities, are grounded in those baptismal, life-giving waters. We sang "Tu has venido a la orilla", "You have come down to the Lakeshore", a reminder of our call as disciples, a call that begins at the "lakeshore", in the waters of our baptism.






As part of the Installation Liturgy, I received a chalice (cup), a paten (plate) and the Holy Bible, symbols of the office of Pastor: Word and Sacrament.


And with being given the official welcome, I presided at the Eucharist (in Spanish of course!) for the first time as their Pastor. It went pretty well considering it was the first time to preside as Pastor and in another language.


Plus, I was, and am still, very emotional when I consider all that has happened in recent years to bring me to this time and place, to serve God's people in this partnership with ELCIC and ILEP.














Following the worship service, we gathered for fellowship and celebration in the open area of our grounds and it was a nice way to visit, hug and begin to meet more people from the area!











Some of our members....Carlos with daughters, Laurena and Pati..











Ida and Luzaurora...











Gladys, myself, Ana Maria, and the girls....





Thanks be to God for this precious, holy time in which to be in ministry and partnership together...to share one another's joys and sorrows, talents and dreams! Thank you, ELCIC, supporters, ELW's, prayer partners, friends and family, for making all of these connections and relationships possible! We stand at the beginning of something incredible in this congregation of believer's...as the Gospel text for this Sunday affirms, "Come and See" the revealing of Godself through Jesus Christ. It is an invitation to all of us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ present with us. And surely, Jesus Christ was present with us in this beginning, in this Installation service, as Jesus will continue to walk with all of us. For this, our congregation is apty named "Camino de Esperanza", "The Way of Hope"....

With peace, joy, and love,

Pastora Fran.