Welcome Back and Getting Started

Sorry, little blog, that I have not posted anything about El Salvador on you for a long time. But it hasn’t been for a lack of activity. In the past month, I have wrapped up the “old” year 2008 with style (in the form of reflection and critical assessment of all that FUNDAHMER did during the past year), spent 2 ½ weeks with my family in North Carolina for Christmas and New Years (my brother, mom, dad, and I in the picture here), and this past week returned to El Salvador to face all of what the new year 2009 will bring. A special thanks to everyone who made my time at home extra special, of course, my family whom I enjoyed so much, special friends who visited me or talked with me, and everyone at church and other places who offered sooo much encouragement and love, listened to me, and reminded me that I am cared for and prayed for. I was excited and thankful to be able to spend time with you and, thankfully, I am excited to be back here in El Salvador. And as everyone here says during these first weeks, “Feliz Ano!” May the coming year bring many blessings for you, our families, our nation(s), and our world.

Today, Monday, was the first day that I was back in full swing here at FUNDAHMER. “Full Swing” as it looks right now is meeting with the others working in my “area” of youth to define the goals for this year and to develop plans of actions for how (with details) to reach these goals. A clear difference that I have experienced between “this year” and “last year” (the difference between 2009 and 2008) is that beginning these weeks, I am fully engaged in the process of planning, envisioning, leading, and doing the work of FUNDAHMER that supports the Christian base communities. This is a change from the time I spent before Christmas accompanying the others in the organizations to the communities to get to know the organization and its ministry and the communities where I will work for the next two years. I am working these days to fill in the details of a lot of the “hows” and “wheres” which I will be excited to report to you in the next weeks, but first, as requested, I want to share a little of what I have learned about the formation, structure, purpose, and work of Christian base communities and FUNDAHMER, so you can better understand my context during the next two years.

First, know that FUNDAHMER is an organization that exists to assist Christian base communities with their goal of connecting their Christian faith and their daily life. Some of the first Christian base communities began forming in the 70’s as part of a movement of the Church to be “with” and “of” the people (as opposed to “above” or “in charge of” the people) especially poor and usually exploited people, just like the people in these communities in El Salvador. The more communities formed during and after the civil war of the 1980s in El Salvador. The people were displaced from their previous communities and homes, and when they had to form new communities, they founded these communities with the connecting their faith to their lives in practical and physical ways. These communities range in size—many are comprised of about 20 families and some are larger. Some are urban or semi-urban, and many are rural and absolutely poor.

I love to think about, read, and “see” theology, so let me give you a little taste of what inspires me about the theology of the Christian base communities. This is important to me (as well as the communities) and influences and encourages us in our desires to work in the that capacities we do. The communities are inspired by the example of Jesus who had a special love for the poor, the left out, and the looked down on. Jesus did as seemingly small of thing as choose to hang out with those that society despised to as big of thing as saying that the poor have the kingdom of God. The communities realize that all of us are children of God and have value, and thus encourage full participation in the community and church by everyone (women, children, laity, etc). Moreover, the communities realize that though the Kingdom of God is only perfectly realized in heaven, the prayer of Jesus was, and a noble goal for followers of Christ is, to work for the realization of God’s will “on earth as in Heaven”. The life, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus and the work of God in history as accounted in the Bible and in the lives of their communities give the communities hope to begin and continue working for abundant life for everyone.

FUNDAHMER exists to assist more than 20 of these communities, especially in the areas of Biblical formation, theology, values, human rights, empowerment, community development, and development of alternatives against poverty and inequality. The work in the communities by FUNDAHMER is divided into 3 categories or “departaments.” The department of “solidarity” works to promote and sustain relations between the Christian base communities and their international “sister communities.” Each of the 20-some communities has a sister community, many of whom are communities, parishes, or families in the US or Europe, that support the Christian base communities in ways as diverse as providing scholarships and sending delegations to prayer and spreading the news of the work of Christian base communities in El Salvador. Solidarity also helps international delegations and individuals who want to come observe or help with the work of Christian base communities. The 2nd department of interest in FUNDAHMER is called “Development”, and is comprised of a wide variety of projects initiated by the communities to help improve their lives. My best friend here works in an organic agriculture project with a community of 20 families. Various communities have completed or are working on projects such as honey-production, rainwater collection, and small-business (such as bread-baking) star-ups.

Our brief journey through the structure of FUNDAHMER finally takes us to the department of Education, in which I work. Education involves Biblical formation, with a special emphasis on the connection between faith and the practical, formal education in schools (FUNDAHMER supports a kindergarten and elementary school in 2 communities), as well as education about values and involvement in their communities, church, and country. My work with youth falls in this category of education, as well as proposed formation with young people who are recipients of scholarships provided by their sister communities for elementary and high school and college.