Walking With El Salvador

June is all about being ACTIVE! The 2021 Mission of Healing online theme for June is My Active Body is a Healthy Body. Moms having a big of fun after leading remote-learning gym class for their kids For many years as part of our annual Mission of Healing in El Salvador, we have included one or more mini-workshops featuring stretching, simple strengthening exercise, yoga, or chair yoga.  We usually have a member of our team who is especially good at encouraging older men and women (who are often a little shy) to practice movements which help with balance and mobility and can help decrease arthritis pain.  Nola is one of our experienced teachers, and she made a couple of simple exercise videos to share this year.  We invited families to submit photos or videos of themselves doing physical activities, thinking we could also use those to encourage people to get moving.  We took the photos and videos we received and created a fun mash-up movie with a little bit of instru...

It's summer in the US, and that means it's time for Vacation Bible School/Vacation Bible Camp!  This year, many Lutheran Churches in the  ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) have access to a free VBS/VBC curriculum from ELCA Word Hunger .  The 2021 theme is River of Life and features stories about water access and conservation from around the world.  On Day 2, the water story comes from El Salvador.   Our church is using the River of Life curriculum this year, as are many churches in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, which is a companion synod of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.  Did I mention that Milwaukee is also featured in this curriculum? Yup, it's going to be a fun and familiar year for us! I noticed the Day 2 story does not include any photos from El Salvador.  Fortunately, I have some great photos of the Río San Antonio, which is featured in the story.  Our sister church pastor is also one of the community organizers for disaster...

May Day - International Workers' Day In El Salvador, as in much of the world, May 1st is a holiday which celebrates workers.  Labor Day or Día del Trabajo  is a paid holiday.  Workers and union activists often hold rallies and marches through the streets on this day. May 3rd - The Day of the Cross The Day of the Cross is primarily celebrated in home gardens and in small church ceremonies, and while some towns have grand festivals on May 3rd, the date is not an official or paid holiday.  The tradition of honoring the Day of the Cross is rooted in a Roman Catholic belief (or legend) about the recovery of the Cross of Christ.  During the third century, Saint Helen claimed to have discovered a piece of the cross of Christ during the construction of a church on the hill of Golgotha outside of Jerusalem. There was a story about the preservation of the cross, which had been divided into 3 pieces following the crucifixion of Jesus, with one piece having been sent to Rom...