Beautiful

Nancy is teaching ESL after worship service on Sunday afternoons in the community of Puerta Parada. Puerta Parada is about one inch above seal level. It’s either soaked or under water most of the winter. As we drive in and out of the community we see homes having up to 6 inches of water in their yards and homes. The road is a muddy mess.

Many of the children do not attend school. Their families have them work in mosquito infested swamps to harvest shell fish. Our little church in Puerta Parada named My Good Jesus is a dank, dreary structure with a leaky roof. 50% of the time services and classes are canceled due to the rain.

The Bishop announced he was coming to celebrate the anniversary of My Good Jesus. We had a fundraiser to purchase paint. The day painting was an interesting experience as the children had never painted before. At the end of the day, the children and the interior of the church were painted in bright melon. After the paint dried, a youth painted a cross with the Lutheran seal on the altar wall.

The festive day arrived and it rained. The Bishop and his pastoral team arrived in Usulután for lunch at the church of the “The Good Shepherd”. It continued to rain while we ate and the question for the two hours was “can we make it to Puerta Parada?”
3 trucks and a van headed to the coast in the heavy rain.

The church had been decorated with pink balloons and ribbons for a traditional Fiesta Rosa. Balloons, fresh flowers and fresh paint made the mood very festive.

As the Bishop announced the worship service was beginning 24 beautifully dressed children and teenagers processed in. Our first Quincinera: the boys wore black pants and vests with red shirts. The girls wore beautiful mauve dresses, the younger girls in greens, pinks and yellows. The star of the day was appropriately named Estella, dressed in an elegant pink formal with a crown and bouquet of pink flowers.

The children sparkled with rain drops in their hair and on their faces and shoulders. It was a special service with the Bishop leading attended by 5 pastors and 2 catechists. They all blessed the young lady on her 15th birthday.

When they recessed from the church, pictures were taken in the rain and they processed to a pasture where a huge tent with a floor was erected for this festive day. We experienced a celebration of extreme beauty in the midst of overwhelming poverty.

David y Nancy