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Partnerships: El Salvador
El Salvador mission trip, January 7-15
Our mission trip to El Salvador took place Jan. 7-15. This was a very meaningful trip where we got to know the people and the needs of El Salvador. Activities included cultural visits as well as various service activities, such as teacher training events and a possible remodeling project at Casa Esperanza [more].
Video slideshow of the El Salvador Mission Trip
On Sunday, Jan. 31, our Worship and Adult Ed focused on the El Salvador Mission Trip. During the Worship Service, the following slideshow was shown -- a summary of the trip. (This is a YouTube video which can be seen here or on YouTube.)
Photos and Videos of the 2010 El Salvador Mission Trip are [here].
Our Salvadoran Family Still in Need of Sponsors
A big part of our partnership with the Lutheran Church in El Salvador is our sponsorship of the education costs of over 20 children. We maintain an ongoing relationship with these children, and our January delegations spend a considerable amount of time with them.
One of the students who still needs our support is a young adult with a special story:
His name is Alvaro, and he was a 12–year-old child of the streets when Trinidad first met him. (Trinidad is the administrator of Casa Esperanza, the homeless shelter run by the Salvadorian Lutheran Church. Trini also runs Casa Concordia, the synod guest house where our delegations stay). Trini gave Alvaro a home and became his family in exchange for his promise to work hard in school. Alvero was diligent in his studies and graduated from high school in San Salvador. His dream was to become a doctor, and, through the help of the Bishop, he secured a spot in a Cuban medical school. Though there is no tuition at the school, there are costs associated with his education and transportation costs between El Salvador and Cuba, which come to about $1,100.
If you are interested in supporting Alvaro’s medical education with any donation, it would be greatly appreciated by Alvaro and Trini. Please contact Gretchen Haugse (414-774-0441) or Mark Petersen (414-476-7299) with your interest or your questions.
Flooding in El Salvador leaves thousands homeless and hungry
President Mario Funes has declared a
national disaster in the country of El Salvador as a result of the recent flooding and resulting mudslides. As
of this writing, 160 people are known to be dead, and others are missing. Almost 13,000 people are homeless
because their homes either washed away or were flooded. At least 10,000 people are in need of urgent food
aid.
Though Casa Concordia, where our delegation stays, was unharmed, many communities that have partner churches in the Milwaukee area were damaged. We continue to monitor the situation to determine how we can best be of help. Please watch the bulletin for any updates. And if you wish to stay informed about the situation, please visit Tim’s El Salvador Blog (luterano.blogspot.com) for continually updated information.
This small Central American country has survived a bloody civil war and continues to deal with poverty and other challenges. A natural disaster of this magnitude is truly tragic. Please keep our Salvadoran brothers and sisters in your prayers as they struggle to recover from this devastating situation.
Photos: El Salvador Global Mission Forum Dec. 6
A combined adult and youth forum was held Dec. 6 when we welcomed Dan Beirne, who has spent the past two years interpreting for partnership delegations visiting El Salvador. Dan was placed in El Salvador for a two-year term as part of the ELCA’s Global Mission Program.
While there, Dan worked closely with the pastor in charge of the partnership program for the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. He became immersed in the culture and was a gift to all of the delegations with whom he worked. We are fortunate to have had Dan joining our group traveling to El Salvador this January.
Photos of the Youth-Adult Forum with Dan Beirne are below.
(Click image to enlarge)
Videos of the 2009 Mission Trip [here]
Giving Hope to Casa Esperanza
Can you donate medicines or tools? Casa Esperanza is a homeless shelter in one of the poorest neighborhoods in San Salvador. It addition to providing a daily meal to homeless men, it provides basic medical treatment on a limited basis, and it offers limited job training. Casa Esperanza is run by Trinidad, who also runs the synod guest house, Casa Concordia, where St. Matthew’s members stay on their El Salvador visits. Trini is a compassionate woman, who has dedicated her life and her passion to serving the poor of San Salvador.
St. Matthew’s has given monetary support to Casa Esperanza, and we continue to discern how we can best support this important ministry. One way that you can support Trini’s work is to donate medicines or simple tools that our delegation will deliver to Trini when we visit El Salvador in January. Please see the list of needed supplies below. All supplies can be brought to the collection box in the Commons. Thanks for helping Trini bring hope to those she serves!
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The El Salvador partnership
• El Salvador continually struggles with trying to feed the many poor. A full container of food through Feed My Starving Children has been distributed thanks to work and generous giving here at St. Matthew’s. The project has come full circle - from our packing 100,000 meals to providing the financial help for the transportation to our partnership city. The St. Matthew’s delegation that traveled in January of this year were able to see the result of the meals. The joy on the faces of people who got food to feed their family was heartwarming.
• Twenty-two youth in El Salvador are able to attend school thanks to St. Matthew’s families who have pledged to support them with scholarship money for school fees, supplies, and gym clothing.
• January 2010 another delegation of college students and adults will be traveling to El Salvador [see more below].
FMSC in El Salvador
[View photos and read more information about FMSC in El Salvador program here.]
El Salvador is a Central American country nestled between Guatemala and Honduras, which borders the Pacific Ocean. With a population of 6.9 million, it is the most densely populated nation of the American mainland. El Salvador's economy is primarily agricultural, with farming employing about 40% of the workforce and accounting for a quarter of the gross national product. The country has endured significant destruction from natural disasters including frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. El Salvador is a developing country and is one of the 10 poorest countries in Latin America.
About our Synod Partnership with El Salvador
As part of the Companion Synod Program of the ELCA, the Greater Milwaukee Synod has been in partnership with the Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña since June 1988. Through the SHARE Foundation, the Greater Milwaukee Synod helped to sponsor a group of Salvadoran refugees who returned from Nicaragua and founded Comunidad Rutilio Grande in March, 1991.
The Greater Milwaukee Synod El Salvador Committee works with the Sister Parish office of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church, encouraging the growth of relationships between congregations and individuals in Milwaukee and El Salvador. The committee offers assistance with congregational visits in El Salvador and Salvadoran visits in the United States, and typically coordinates one or more synod delegation visits to El Salvador each year.
The committee hosts educational events, provides resources and guest speakers to congregations, manages the allocation of donated funds, promotes development initiatives of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church and Comunidad Rutilio Grande, and encourages advocacy. In every aspect, the committee promotes the use of the accompaniment model as Milwaukeeans and Salvadorans work together on issues of importance to us as people of faith and advocacy.
The new Greater Milwaukee Synod El Salvador Committee Brochure (links are located both on the Synod Who We Are page and El Salvador Committee pages) is [here].
Endowment Fund Resources are located [here].
Resources for partners with El Salvador are located [here].
More information about our Synod and congregational El Salvador Partnership and many details [here].
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