Walking With El Salvador

Women's Month kick-off at Resurrection in early March The month of March is a special month for women in the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.  Women take the lead in bringing issues such as oppression, discrimination, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and abuse during childbirth to study groups and the pulpit.  Not only do the women speak plainly and honestly about their own experiences in El Salvador, but they use the World Council of Churches materials for International Women's Day and the World Day of Prayer to highlight women's issues across the globe.  This year's theme, inspired by Jesus healing the paralyzed man as recorded in John 5: 2-9, calls for women (and all) to rise up for oneself and for others, to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, improve situations and celebrate achievements. This annual, intentional opening of a space of freedom and leadership for women is like a jolt of energy which helps to sustain the spirits of women in the Salvadoran Lutheran Church as th...

For centuries, El Salvador has had fairly predictable dry seasons and wet seasons.  January, February and March are typically dry, hot and dusty.  A little rain falls in April, and then in May the wet season begins.  From May through November, El Salvador receives almost daily afternoon thunderstorms, which often last through the night.  Tropical storms and hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico often bring days of torrential rains, as do the less frequent hurricanes from the Pacific.  Flooding and landslides are annual threats for much of the country. Of course, altitude, presence of trees and proximity to the coast create slightly different climate zones within El Salvador.  Changes in global weather patterns due to the warming of our planet impact the weather in El Salvador too, and the historic dates of when to plant crops are a little less reliable. However, more or less, the seasons come and go as expected:  you either carry a rain umbrella every d...