Birthdays and Anniversarys

It is Wednesday in Sonsonate and Puente Azul and part of the world west of here. It was hump day for us. We were all moving slowly with aching bones, joints, and muscles as we headed to the bus this morning. We did make it though to the village where we finished the trenches and poured the initial portion of the foundation. There will be two more steps in the foundation process before the walls go up on the parsonage. We will not see those walls go up this trip but we will finish the foudation's second step tomorrow. On Friday, we have planned a worship service with the church. I'm preaching on short notice and we will also present some gifts to the church at that time. That's about it for the update today. Now please forgive me as I backtrack in my reflections. I am unable to get these thoughts out of my head. Perhaps I need to get them down on paper or at least on the web.

We've experienced a bit of everything on this trip. Sunday we celebrated Denise and Shari's birthdays with a surprise of two birthday cakes after we shared dinner in Sonsonate. Rob and Laura also celebrated their 18th (I think I've got that correct) wedding anniversary that day. I've left off the last names because there really is no need to include them; the folks at Central Christian Church know who I am writing about; and others who don't know them only need to be aware that they are part of our mission team. So...

I also experienced an anniversary on Sunday. On July 17, 2005, I celebrated worship for the first time as the pastor of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lebanon, Indiana. In that first service, I read Sandy Sasso's book, God In Between, and talked with the kids and the adults both about where and how we encounter God - that we encounter God between our interactions and community with one another. This year on July 16, 2006, I was sitting on the chancel of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, the Bishop's home church, sweating profusely mostly because of nerves and hoping that I wouldn't mess up too badly. Then I remembered the anniversary - that it had been 1 year ago that I had offered that message through the sermon and worship. When I had nervously stepped from the chancel into the midst of the congregation at Central Christian Church on July 17, 2005, I was hoping that at some point I would step with them into the midst of a mission experience where we would encounter God in between us and all of the others we met. I just never imagined that it would mean stepping onto the chancel at the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. It has been more powerful for me than I can give words to express.

I hope the anniversary of this relationship always brings such energy and vision for the future and happens in ever increasingly unexpected ways for me even if never for anyone else.