Walking With El Salvador

Sonia patted the bed. "Join me," she said, with a gesture because words were too hard. She knew. I knew. It would be our last time together, for a while. We snuggled up like little girls, whispering final secrets, feeling each other's warmth.  Sonia spoke softly, "There's so much more to do." She worried about the Sunday School children, her little store, the women's groups in Tonaca, the new health center at the church, all the children she watched out for on her pasaje, and el taller . El taller -   the workshop  is the short name everyone uses to refer to the Days for Girls Women's Project in Los Héroes. Sonia was the heart, the motivator, the trained educator, and the business manager for the project. Most importantly, she believed in the rights of girls and boys to have access to accurate education about their bodies and was committed to giving girls what they need to feel confident and prepared for menstruation. "We will keep your work goi...

Twenty-five years ago, our nurse practitioner did pelvic exams and pap smears for women in our Salvadoran sister community. She brought glass slides, used hairspray as fixative and somehow got those test results back to the women. She diagnosed many infections. We brought medications for that. It was a bold move for one of our first activities as sister churches together.  Girls in a remote community learning about their bodies, 2024 Helping women and girls to learn about their bodies, to listen to their bodies, to have agency over their bodies, and to have access to what they need to care for their bodies: this has been a  twenty-five year ministry of our churches working together. Twenty-five years of making  steady steps and bold moves  together. In many families, frank talks about sex, reproductive health and menstruation are open and honest. In other families, these conversations include misinformation or don't happen at all. Through the years of doing Missions ...

I received a quick email message a few moments ago from a new friend from St. John's Lutheran Church who traveled to El Salvador for the first time earlier this month. She asked, "How did the partnership begin?"  "Can I call you?' I texted. But then I gave it a little thought. Have I actually written down the origin story of our sister church* partnership? I searched my blog, and I did not find a story. It seems perhaps is it one of those twisty-turny tales that lives in the oral tradition of the few of us who are old enough to be originals. It might be easier to call, but I think it is time to write. I messaged my friend to watch for a link. Where to begin... The year was 1995. I had recently joined the church staff at St. John's ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) in Brookfield, Wisconsin as the Parish Education Coordinator for babies through adults. One of my responsibilities was to plan the programming and train the staff for Sunday School. I le...

The sun slipped below the San Salvador Volcano, casting bright orange and pink streaks across the purpling sky. Mothers were gathered at the corner, chatting as their little ones zoomed around with red and yellow plastic trucks. Students began arriving home from school, trudging up the hill wearing comfy blue gym pants and white t-shirts and carrying loaded backpacks. Yessenia sat on the curb, minding her pop-up store which she sets up every afternoon in front of the church.  The church doors and windows were wide open. Cristina cut out and decorated the number 27. People sat around inside and out, chatting and sharing stories. Children worked on homework. We watched a video I had posted on YouTube from last year's anniversary celebration and laughed about Marcelino's love of fireworks. The pupusas arrived. We sat in the sanctuary in a big circle of green plastic chairs, licked salsa and curtido from our fingers, and drank hot coffee. More people arrived. Chairs were passed ou...

Sunday was gym day.  We did not go to the gym. The gym came to Los Héroes. And it was beautiful. A Back Story We have a little group at the church called the Comisión de Salud - the Health Commission. We meet on the first Sunday of the month (with the other 3 church ministry commissions).  At our first meeting in January, we decided to sponsor one health education workshop or event each month on a Sunday after worship. We discussed using the Mission of Healing curriculum which was developed last year.  Commission members suggested we meet an extra time each month for internal training with the curriculum, particularly to expand the reproductive education team which will assist with Days for Girls kit distribution events.  We identified potential partnership connections with the Unidad de Salud (local clinic) and organizations which support holistic well-being. A Partnership Connection Just over a year ago, a community gym opened up in a neighborhood not too ...