The beatitudes are inscribed on the processional door for the Cathedral in Cuernavaca. Bienaventurados los que tienen espiritu de pobre….” The verb, tienen, makes all the difference: “Blessed are those who have the spirit of the poor.” This was the blessing we received through the Rocky Mt. Synod Immersion Trip with the Lutheran Center in Mexico City. We experienced the reality of the poor as we listened, learned and grew in relationship with those on the margins of life. We received God’s blessing as we were caught up in the spirit of the poor who struggle against the systems of poverty and injustice, which impact their daily lives.
Our immersion trip included time in Mexico City and Cuernavaca, known as “the city of eternal spring.” Our accommodations were hospitable, simple, clean, safe and set in the beauty of a culture which celebrates life, con vivar! The food was incredible and was well prepared to keep us healthy. The abundance of hospitality overflowed with our overnight home stay with a family in Cuernavaca. The experience was personal and profound and provided a glimpse of the vibrant life of our Mexican neighbors.
The immersion was transformational, a kind of “reverse mission process.” Traditionally, we think of mission trips as a way to share our resources and solutions to overcome poverty. Here, we were on the receiving end, listening to stories from campesinos (peasant farmers), families, community leaders, and organizations who called us into solidarity with those who struggle. Rev. Kim Erno, program director, challenged us to think about how our faith calls us to stand in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed. With good humor and incredible faith, he led us through topics of liberation theology, Mexican history, globalization, U.S. military presence in Latin America, immigration and food sovereignty. He was our compadre and guide who accompanied our visits with public transportation and opened our eyes to see the beauty of Mexican life and culture. He was our pastor, opening our eyes to see anew the living Christ through our encounters with those who struggle for justice. “We do theology from the place where our feet are standing. In the North people talk about eternal life. Here, in Latin America, we just talk about life.” Here the Trinity is more than a doctrine. In the Trinity, God has called us to live in community because God is community.”
We have returned home, blessed with the spirit of the poor. For Pastor Jay McDivitt the Biblical stories of Jacob’s sons traveling to Egypt or Naomi fleeing to Moab were linked to “the undocumented among us who are ‘economic refugees,’ that is, people who have fled their countries of origin because they have no other way to provide for their families’ basic necessities — including and especially food.” Pastor Richard Thompson sees the parable of the vineyard workers in a new light. “On our first day in Mexico City, we went on a walking tour of the neighborhood. At one point — it must have been 3 p.m. - we entered a pleasant park, with a small plaza in the center. In the plaza there was a group of men - maybe 20 men — standing around idle. Deadbeats, probably. Lazy people. Well, not exactly. Our guide explained that there were men who had been waiting there, probably since early morning, hoping someone would hire them to work for the day. But, so far, no luck. Not much on that family’s dinner table that night!” Later Kim Erno asked us, “‘What if we read that parable from the perspective of the laborers who had waited all day?’”
What would it be like to be immersed in another perspective? What if you were caught up in “having the spirit of the poor?”
The 2009 Rocky Mountain Synod Mexico City Trip is set for June 9-17. You need only come with empty hands but open hearts and minds, ready to receive the hope, gifts, and blessing that we share with our Mexican sisters and brothers in Christ. For more information go to http://archive.elca.org/mexico/ and http://www.rmselca.org/globalmission/trips.htm for a trip application.
Pr. Steve Klemz
