People of Faith

Thursday, June 21, 2012Perspective. Too many times in our lives we lose our sense of perspective. We get caught up in all of those parts of our life we feel important. We want new cars, new houses, or at least an upgrade in our kitchens to include granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The newest in technology, the iPhone 4S on the Verizon 4G network allows us to never be out of contact with the world. Yet, the more we attempt to stay in touch with the world the more likely we lose contact with the world.Today I was reminded of how easily one can get caught in that trap. As I stood participating in a memorial service in El Mozote, El Salvador, it hit me. I had fallen out of contact with the world.Traveling as part of an 11 person delegation from Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Indianola, Iowa our day trip included El Mozote. Oh, yes, the real reason for our trip to El Salvador was to visit Trinity's sister parishes in Casa de Zinc and in Casa de Zacate and the missionin Berlin.It is rare, though, when a delegation from one of the churches associated with this mission does not make the two and half hour drive to El Mozote. El Mozote is a dark stain on El Salvador's history. On December 11, 1981, a thousand or more men, women, and children were rounded up and systematically executed. Over 400 childen were among the victims.The youngest victim was 3 days old. In my life, at that time, my second child was only five weeks from being born. My attention was focused on my world. How easy it is to lose contact with the world.Three members of the Pastoral Team accompanied us to El Mozote. They have made this trip many, many times with members of other Trinity delgations and those of other churches. They believe it is important for those visiting delgations to have an introduction to El Salvador's recent history.Balmore, Blanca, and Idalia led us in a memorial service as we stood around the site of a small building situated on church grounds just outside the walls of the sanctuary. There, in a most brutal fashion over 140 children who had been rounded up were slaughtered. To Salvadorans this is holy ground. Blood of innocent children had been spilled.Kathy Mahler, our mission co-worker read the scripture, we sang a hymn, Balmore spoke and Blanca offered a prayer. I was struck by these people of faith. To this day after many trips to this site they still offered prayers of remembrance to those innocent people who lost their lives. It was at that moment I realized I had lost contact with the world. Those things that were important no longer had such an alluring shine. They really weren't all that important after all. Listening to Balmore talk of this darkest of days in Salvadoran history reminded me of the struggles of the oppressed, the marginalized, the disenfranchised, those less fortunate throughout the world. Those were the people who were killed in El Mozote a little over 30 years ago.The message shared by these people of great faith was to turn this remembrance into action. As we remember we are called as God's people to be his instruments of justice. We are called to be his instruments of peace. We are called to be his instruments of grace. We are called to be his instruments of love throughout his world, not ours. Maurice