Oscar Romero

Oscar Romero
Originally uploaded by julio and Lisa.

Yesterday Lisa and I went to see a German documentary, named Romero: the Death of an Archbishop. This will be the 25th Anniversary since his death. This is very significant for El Salvador as they rebuild after the Civil War.

One man stood up and told a story about the time when Romero came to visit his town Sonzacate, Sonsonate, El Salvador. Romero met with some youth from the local high school. The man drove Monsignor Romero back home. When he returned the next day, he found that the military came and rounded up all the youth that had invited Monsignor Romero. They were taken away and never came back.

Another man stood up and said he was frustrated because every year Salvadorans come together to commemorate thet life of Oscar Romero and things have not improved. There has never been justice for those that died, were tortured or dissapeared.

One of the presenters said that there was a sign after President Saca was elected that said, “Forgive us Mon. Romero for re-electing your assasins.” Then he said that the FMLN is trying to get the names of all who disappeared and they want to build a memorial in their honor in the capital.

Starting on March 16th, The Monsignor Romero Community of Vancouver will hold a 10 day Commemoration Ceremony in honor of Archbishopo Oscar Romero.

110643431417716307

Untouchables denied relief because of their caste.

Ashok Bharti, a campaigner who helps to co-ordinate Dalit organisations, said: “They want us to clear out their dead bodies and faeces but when it comes to accepting relief they want to ensure that we are nowhere around, simply because they cannot stomach the idea of sharing anything with us.”

The persecution of Dalit tsunami survivors has been mostly at the hands of other survivors, fishermen from the slightly higher Meenavar caste, the community in mainland India hit worst by the tsunami. Most of the Dalits in the affected area are either subsistence farmers or make their living on the fringes of the fishing industry, carrying heavy loads of fish from boats or selling them in the market. The farmers are ruined: their fields are waterlogged with salt water which will wreck the soil, their livestock drowned. The fishing industry has halted, leaving those who work in it penniless.

Bridge to Noth Vancouver

Bridge to Noth Vancouver
Originally uploaded by julio and Lisa.

We are underwater right now in Vancouver. We can’t wait for the sunshine, but the nice thing is that it is not too cold. My mom told me that it is freezing in DC. Maybe we got to move down to Southern Cal to enjoy the nice weather and sun.

Bogarts

Bogarts
Originally uploaded by julio and Lisa.

There is a class called The Christian Life. We were supposed to go to Galliano Island to visit one of our professor’s home, but because of the snow the weekend was cancelled. After a mad dash to the ferry to catch our community group from not riding the ferry to the island we decided to go to Bogart’s and have some dinner. This is us without Will who is taking the picture. It was a fun evening. As a group we have grown close together. Two of our members had to move away from Regent. One moved back to China and another moved to Red Deer. We miss you guys.

cates park panorama

cates park panorama
Originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

Anybody been there? Lisa and I want to find this view in Vancouver.

A World Split Apart

Check out Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s Harvard Address.

Tsunami

Today in Chapel there was a story that I could not get out of my head. It was the story of an Indian man who works for the Intervarsity counterpart there. On December 26, he went to the beach with his family to celebrate his birthday and ten minutes later the tsunami hit the beach and swept away his whole family. He heard the helpless cries of his youngest son as they were swept apart, he was powerless to help him. I think he was the only survivor. He had to bury the rest of his family on his birthday! At the end he said (paraphrase), “We are walking through the valley of death. Please pray for me as I want to continue to share God’s love.” I wish I could remember exactly what he said.

Regent is going to respond as a community. Next week we hear the second half of this story and more details how we as a community can be involved.

Super Bowl

So who is going to go to the Super bowl?
I am going to call a Penn. final game.
Steelers vs. Eagles
That would be wild.
It was dissapointing to see the Colts loose because I wanted to see Payton finish the season with a Super Bowl ring.
I think both games this weekend should be close games.
I don’t know how I am going to get any reading done.

New for 2005

So how you like the new blog style?
It’s simple and elegant (I like that).
This semester is going to be a lot harder than last b/c I got a lot more work.
I don’t know how I survived the end of last semster, now I got to be on top of things because I get behind I will be like the St. Louis Rams against the Atlanta Falcons.

Check out Tara and Caleb Hensley’s Blog.
They blog on books they are reading in class. I’m going to try that too.
Currently Reading Foolishness to the Greeks

Leswlie Newbigin writes about Acts 26

“The cultural setting is that of the cosmopolitan Greek-speaking world of the eastern Roman Empire. Paul is speaking in Greek. But at the decisive point of his story he tells the court that when God spoke to him it was not in Greek but in Hebrew: “I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language,” the language of the home and the heart, the mother tongue. Paul is a citizen of that cosmopolitan Greek-speaking world. But the word that changed the course of his life was spoken in Hebrew, the language of his own native culture.

But—and this is equally important—the world spoken to his heart, while it accepts that language as its vehicle, uses it not to affirm and approve the life that Saul is living but to call it radically into question: “Why do you persecute me?” It is to show him that his most passionate and all-conquering conviction is wrong, that what he thinks is the service of God is fighting against God, that he is required to stop in his tracks, turn around, and renounce the whole direction of h is life, to love what he had hated and to cherish what he had sought to destroy.”

I thought that was powerful to hear how Paul was change by what was supposed be most comfortable and homey. The familiar became strange and his new life became radically different.

Something to Think About

Things We Don’t Talk About
By Jeremy R. Del Rio

Evangelical churches preach this Good News and pray Isaiah’s words over communities. Yet the experience of the evangelists at the Institute – where broken people, beloved of God, feel compelled to pretend everything is fine when, in fact, they grapple in their inmost being with shameful hurts and long for an opportunity to be real – reflects the norm.

Eric’s story is far more common than we care to admit. One in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused in childhood, and twenty percent of women have had at least one incestuous experience before 18. Given these and other realities, what happens when God answers our prayers and His word, sharper than a two-edged sword, cuts deep to expose the cancers of life?

For starters, it gets uncomfortable. Many in our pews and pulpits cannot stomach the gore of the surgeon’s scalpel. Many cannot fathom the prolonged recovery time, or extend grace when the affects of emotional chemo cause ugly side issues to surface.