Central America Revisited – The Journey Comes To An End

As I write, I am sitting at Gate C14 at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport with a four hour wait for the final flight home. Yesterday we loaded our bags on the bus after a morning of focusing on preaching and then sharing in a powerful communion service lead by Kristin and Marta. We spent the night (and notice I didn’t say slept) in Guatemala City and then boarded our flights this morning. It is definitely a bitter sweet day. I am looking forward to being home, but my mind is still racing about the experiences of the last two weeks.

I continue to be amazed at the passion and commitment of the pastors in Guatemala and El Salvador. I finally asked Juan the salary level of the pastors in El Salvador. I knew that they often do not have enough money to feed their families every day. They struggle in being faithful in their witness and commitment to the Methodist Church, they have to overcome many barriers, such as being labeled as “Catholic” by some and “Evangelical” by others or a non-entity by those that cannot decide what they are. Their congregations are mostly poor and their resources for ministry – books, Bibles, Sunday School material, etc. – are even harder to come by. With all of these challenges, the pastors are paid the grand sum of $2,800 per year. In some cases, they have had to work without compensation until money is available which can be up to 12 months. Why would anyone subject themselves to this kind of challenge? It is very simple – a commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ and sharing His message of love for neighbor. These pastors have endured extreme hardship and persecution without complaint. They continue to witness to the love of God through Jesus Christ and the hope and promise of the Gospel every day. Their joyful spirit is contagious and their passion is inspiring. They insist on living in the same conditions as the people of their community, they minister to people regardless of background, behavior, status, or circumstance. I believe they are a model for the Methodist Church globally and we need to learn from them. The Wesleyan movement is alive and well in the people of El Salvador!

I pray that as I return home, I will be taking a small piece of this passion with me. I know that there are many temptations to pursue ministry that is comfortable. There are those that desire the easy and safe route and want to minister primarily to those that can provide for the church’s well being. This focus is pervasive throughout far too many levels of our church’s structure. As I reflect on this experience, I also begin to have a new appreciation for the struggles that Jesus himself encountered when he focused on a ministry to those the religious leaders had considered to be the “sinners” and not worth their time. This struggle can become overwhelming and it certainly it can be embroiled in controversy. I want to be faithful and I pray that the Lord will give me a heart and a passion that is consistent with the way, the truth and the life that can only be found in faithful discipleship. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”. John 14:15 “I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them”. John 17:26