The connection

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Phoenix with two friends and colleagues to attend a United Methodist Training about immigration advocacy put on by the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. The program itself was excellent and Ron and Cathy and I are working on plans to lead a variation of the training in several locations in Oregon and Idaho, but my favorite part was getting to know other people doing ministry in Latino communities all over the Western Jurisdiction. Participants were lay and clergy serving in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Arizona and were originally from all over: Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, Venezuela, the U.S... What a gift to be engaging in Bible Study and conversation around immigration in a group with such diverse experiences of immigrating and being in communities of immigrants.

The first night there, which happened to be the night of the final game of the world series, we went to a sports bar with some folks from the Los Angeles area. Ron insisted that we were celebrating my birthday (which had been the week before) and everyone sang to me--Happy Birthday, then Las Mananitas (a song I've always wanted to have sung to me), then Feliz Feliz Compleanos, then about 3 more birthday songs in Spanish that I didn't know. I could not stop smiling and everyone in the restaurant cheered when they were done. Thankfully, the baseball game was over by that point.

Here we are--Cathy, Ron, Vilma, Jackeline, Ana, and Tona.

Jackeline, who is from Puerto Rico, was my roommate and we stayed up late at night, talking in the dark about church and parenting and silly stuff, switching back and forth from English to Spanish to English. She is a hilarious and wonderful woman.

Most of our sessions were about a mile from the hotel and a handful of folks walked there and back each time. My most faithful walking companions were Cathy, Tona and Ron, though the person I always gravitated toward was Tona.



Tona is an amazing woman who served alongside Archbishop Romero in El Salvador before his death and left her home country because her life was in danger because of the ministry she was involved in. Holy smokes does this woman have some incredible stories. And the work she is doing now in the Methodist Church in L.A. is so inspiring. I hope that one day I am able to speak truth half as powerfully and fearlessly as Tona does.

Ron and Cathy and I get along so well and laughed a lot at how many times throughout the trip we were asked if I was their daughter :)

On our last night, our faithful and patient hotel van driver took us to a tasty sushi place and we talked and laughed and ate and ate. Such wonderful folks. Here are most of the same people, plus Shalom and Sofia, who are both at churches in the Seattle area.

These kinds of experiences make me so thankful for the United Methodist connection. We are reminded that we share similar difficulties and blessings as we do ministry in different places and that we are all part of the same body. At the same time, hearing about the unique experiences of other UMs challenges me in aspects of my ministry and theology that I thought were so solid and I am reminded that I don't have it all figured out. Now we know each other and have this shared experience and can count on each other for encouragement and friendship and ideas. And if I travel to Los Angeles or Seattle or Denver, I know that I have a place to stay and a church to visit--and friends! What a gift.