Friday, June 22
Wow! What a day! The first thing we did when we got to the work site today was move cement block that had been delivered after we left yesterday. Then we got a new delivery and unloaded and stacked that as well. When we finished today, our site looked great. This week we have cleared the lot, (and one of those stumps was a whole grove of trees), dug the footings, filled the footings with sand and cement, tamped it all down; then tied the rebar, (a lot of it done by Koren), put it in the footings, and tied it together along with the vertical supports. Everything looks great and ready to pour the final layer of the foundation tomorrow, and start block on Monday.
At 2:00 we met Pastor Wilma and Carlos Avalos, at Pastor Wilma's church down the street, for a celebration with the community. Pastor Wilma told us the history of St. Paul's and we met many of the people. We took a lot of pictures of all of our new friends. They are the family members and neighbors of Gladis, who is getting the house. Then we had a piñata for the children and ate some delicious cake.
After some sad good-byes, we went back to the Sahara and got ready to go to the Habitat office for traditional El Salvadoran food that Ana Maria Montoya cooked for us. Gladis, who is the house owner, her daughter and son-in-law, Claudia and Juan José, and grandson, Juan José, Jr. were able to come as well. After a delicious dinner we were surprised by a Mariachi band and everyone danced. Then we again said some sad good byes to Gladis and her family, who were so gracious and grateful. We all had such a good time together.
We will be leaving Santa Ana early in the morning for our beach activity day, before we return home on Sunday.
Jody Simeck and the Sheridan El Salvador Mission Team
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
El Salvador, Part 6
Thursday, June 21
Well, today was the fourth day working at the soon-to-be house. We arrived at the site to discover that the trenches had been magically finished! No complaints here – now the nine blisters I got from swinging the pickaxe will have some time to disappear. Today the work was centered mainly around filling those trenches with a mix of ten wheelbarrows-full of “tierra blanca” alongside half a bag of cement mix, and then tamping it down. In addition to that, Koren and Cesar finished tying the rebar and it was placed in the trenches just before we left for the day.
All throughout the day Julio Cesar kept us on track, and I have to say that I was impressed with what he can get done with a plumb bob, a few shovels, a wheelbarrow, some neighbors, some Americans, and a bunch of little helpers.
Much more importantly than the work, however were the many memorable cultural connections we shared. Ken, for instance, was quite proud to say that he’s sixty-eight years old, a fact that genuinely impressed our Salvadoran friends when they asked his age. “He’s sixty-eight and he still does construction work with you?” they asked. “Yes,” I told them, and from then on they saw him in a whole new light.
Nila also told me about a pleasant conversation she had with Gladis and her mother. Gladis was making one hundred tortillas – enough for seven people for three meals each day for four days. Her nephew even stopped by to introduce himself and practice his English a bit. Nila said that this chance to talk with the leaders of the family was the time when she felt most strongly the support, love, and friendship in this community.
And finally, I had the chance to [try to] teach the neighborhood kids how to juggle! They said that they had never seen juggling before, and all were eager to try. I told them jokingly that I want to see their progress tomorrow. I guess we’ll wait and see.
Austin Walker and the El Salvador Mission team.
Well, today was the fourth day working at the soon-to-be house. We arrived at the site to discover that the trenches had been magically finished! No complaints here – now the nine blisters I got from swinging the pickaxe will have some time to disappear. Today the work was centered mainly around filling those trenches with a mix of ten wheelbarrows-full of “tierra blanca” alongside half a bag of cement mix, and then tamping it down. In addition to that, Koren and Cesar finished tying the rebar and it was placed in the trenches just before we left for the day.
All throughout the day Julio Cesar kept us on track, and I have to say that I was impressed with what he can get done with a plumb bob, a few shovels, a wheelbarrow, some neighbors, some Americans, and a bunch of little helpers.
Much more importantly than the work, however were the many memorable cultural connections we shared. Ken, for instance, was quite proud to say that he’s sixty-eight years old, a fact that genuinely impressed our Salvadoran friends when they asked his age. “He’s sixty-eight and he still does construction work with you?” they asked. “Yes,” I told them, and from then on they saw him in a whole new light.
Nila also told me about a pleasant conversation she had with Gladis and her mother. Gladis was making one hundred tortillas – enough for seven people for three meals each day for four days. Her nephew even stopped by to introduce himself and practice his English a bit. Nila said that this chance to talk with the leaders of the family was the time when she felt most strongly the support, love, and friendship in this community.
And finally, I had the chance to [try to] teach the neighborhood kids how to juggle! They said that they had never seen juggling before, and all were eager to try. I told them jokingly that I want to see their progress tomorrow. I guess we’ll wait and see.
Austin Walker and the El Salvador Mission team.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
El Salvador, Part 5
Wednesday, June 20th
Rain!
That was our main topic of conversation this morning. It had rained for a lot of the night and we use dirt roads to get to the work site which had become impassable. We had to come up with an alternate plan, so we decided to use the morning for a cultural experience. We had our driver Ramon take us to the local mall, which was an intriguing mix of local culture, like bears carved out of coconuts, and home favorites like McDonald's and Subway. After lunch we ate at a favorite restaurant of this group, Pollo Campero. It tasted pretty much like Kentucky Fried Chicken except a little less fried crisp on the edges, which could make it better or worse depending on your taste. We took a big box to go, ate that at the hotel and finally headed off to the work site around 1:00.
Today's work was pretty similar to yesterday's, involving lots of digging. The entire project requires 150 feet of footings which are all 10 inches wide and three to four feet deep, so we worked on that all of yesterday and today. Also, this work generates a lot of dirt waste, so hauling that off with buckets was a regular task. We estimate that all of the footing trenches combined had contained 16 cubic yards of dirt, most of which had to be moved three times. Added today was measuring, bending and wiring rebar. Josh worked with the head mason on this for most of the day, and they talked about various things in the United States all in Spanish. Our several Spanish speakers on our trip have let us get to know all of the other workers pretty well by now. There are various younger helpers working with us, including a 14 year old, eight year old twins, and an 11 year old. They usually work pretty well, but some of them can joke around quite a bit. In fact, one of the eight year olds would pretend to push Austin into the footing holes. The other one was beating on a bucket in rhythm, and Ken joined in to create a lively beat that everyone on the site could enjoy. We are very blessed by the gratitude of the people here and our chance to serve God and our neighbors in such a tangible way.
Josh Boeschen, Ken Green, and the El Salvador Mission Team
Rain!
That was our main topic of conversation this morning. It had rained for a lot of the night and we use dirt roads to get to the work site which had become impassable. We had to come up with an alternate plan, so we decided to use the morning for a cultural experience. We had our driver Ramon take us to the local mall, which was an intriguing mix of local culture, like bears carved out of coconuts, and home favorites like McDonald's and Subway. After lunch we ate at a favorite restaurant of this group, Pollo Campero. It tasted pretty much like Kentucky Fried Chicken except a little less fried crisp on the edges, which could make it better or worse depending on your taste. We took a big box to go, ate that at the hotel and finally headed off to the work site around 1:00.
Today's work was pretty similar to yesterday's, involving lots of digging. The entire project requires 150 feet of footings which are all 10 inches wide and three to four feet deep, so we worked on that all of yesterday and today. Also, this work generates a lot of dirt waste, so hauling that off with buckets was a regular task. We estimate that all of the footing trenches combined had contained 16 cubic yards of dirt, most of which had to be moved three times. Added today was measuring, bending and wiring rebar. Josh worked with the head mason on this for most of the day, and they talked about various things in the United States all in Spanish. Our several Spanish speakers on our trip have let us get to know all of the other workers pretty well by now. There are various younger helpers working with us, including a 14 year old, eight year old twins, and an 11 year old. They usually work pretty well, but some of them can joke around quite a bit. In fact, one of the eight year olds would pretend to push Austin into the footing holes. The other one was beating on a bucket in rhythm, and Ken joined in to create a lively beat that everyone on the site could enjoy. We are very blessed by the gratitude of the people here and our chance to serve God and our neighbors in such a tangible way.
Josh Boeschen, Ken Green, and the El Salvador Mission Team
El Salvador, Part 4
Tuesday, June 19
Well, today was day 2 of actually working on site. I had a lot of trouble falling asleep, but once I did, I really didn’t wake up until the sun did. Wake up call came later than usual at 7 am, and yet I still stayed in bed for an extra half an hour. Oops xD
Today was interesting overall, though. We went and visited Villa Esperanza to see how everything is going since the project is finished now. The little daycare kids were cute as could be, and everything seemed to be in order in the community. Roger bought some rice leche bread called “quesadilla pan”. Then he bought 2 more! It was really tasty though, and warm even though it was delivered to us. Before we left, I had to make sure to buy LOTS of coffee for my parents, because the last time I was in El Salvador, I only bought one pound for them, and they thought it was fantastic!
Then we went to the work site, which is more like our new “home” for the week. We may “reside” at Hotel Sahara, but the Salvadoran family we are building this house for makes us feel like we really live here, with them. They are all so wonderful, and so are their neighbors!
The food has been very good too. I usually clean up when everyone else is full, which is normal, haha. Today we had steak. It was just a thin, flank steak I believe, but it was very good. I always rely on rice to fill me up, and bread to keep everything moving through my system.
The best part of today was our two meetings. We met on the roof, after we had showered and after some of us had gone to the local bakery. Apparently the prices were BEYOND reasonable, because they came back with a TON of stuff for less than $5. And just to be sitting on the roof of my favorite hotel on the planet, and all 9 of us, including Bri, just having a pow-wow over the day and the food we had just boughten, made me feel like our trip was a complete success. Because we were all a family together. And at dinner we just had a blast, playing Farkel and laughing together.
I am confident that the rest of the week will hold many surprises and treasures that I will value for months to come.
Click here to see pictures of the El Salvador project.
Seth Pahre and the El Salvador Mission Team
Well, today was day 2 of actually working on site. I had a lot of trouble falling asleep, but once I did, I really didn’t wake up until the sun did. Wake up call came later than usual at 7 am, and yet I still stayed in bed for an extra half an hour. Oops xD
Today was interesting overall, though. We went and visited Villa Esperanza to see how everything is going since the project is finished now. The little daycare kids were cute as could be, and everything seemed to be in order in the community. Roger bought some rice leche bread called “quesadilla pan”. Then he bought 2 more! It was really tasty though, and warm even though it was delivered to us. Before we left, I had to make sure to buy LOTS of coffee for my parents, because the last time I was in El Salvador, I only bought one pound for them, and they thought it was fantastic!
Then we went to the work site, which is more like our new “home” for the week. We may “reside” at Hotel Sahara, but the Salvadoran family we are building this house for makes us feel like we really live here, with them. They are all so wonderful, and so are their neighbors!
The food has been very good too. I usually clean up when everyone else is full, which is normal, haha. Today we had steak. It was just a thin, flank steak I believe, but it was very good. I always rely on rice to fill me up, and bread to keep everything moving through my system.
The best part of today was our two meetings. We met on the roof, after we had showered and after some of us had gone to the local bakery. Apparently the prices were BEYOND reasonable, because they came back with a TON of stuff for less than $5. And just to be sitting on the roof of my favorite hotel on the planet, and all 9 of us, including Bri, just having a pow-wow over the day and the food we had just boughten, made me feel like our trip was a complete success. Because we were all a family together. And at dinner we just had a blast, playing Farkel and laughing together.
I am confident that the rest of the week will hold many surprises and treasures that I will value for months to come.
Click here to see pictures of the El Salvador project.
Seth Pahre and the El Salvador Mission Team
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Middle School Mission Trip
Last week, 6 girls took part in a Middle School Mini Mission trip as a part of LYSO. Click here to see pictures and read daily digests of their mission trip experience.
Monday, June 18, 2012
WAM Camp 2012
During the week of June 4-8, seventeen 1st-5th graders participated in a music camp at Sheridan. WAM stands for Worship And Music. We spent the week focusing on an "Attitude of Gratitude". In addition to singing songs of gratefulness, the kids rotated through music stations using drums, boomwhackers, colored bells and microphones. They also created a "quilt", memorized scripture and focused on developing habits of thankfulness.
Click here to see more pictures from our wonderful week.
Below are two videos of the kids singing and accompanying themselves at our Worship Celebration.
El Salvador Part 3
June 17
Today was a special day for our Mission Team. We worshiped with our sisters and brothers at Cristo Rey Church in Santa Ana. We were welcomed by the congregation and invited to sit next to Cristo Rey members. I sat with Ana Luz a lovely young woman and her mother Esperanza. Ana Luz and her family were the first recipients of a Habitat home through the Partners in Faith project at Cristo Rey. She told me that it was a dream come true to be in this new home. Ana Luz her husband Jovanny and their children Jovanny and Wilber are familiar faces for our team. They have worked at previous Habitat builds.
After the service we shared a delicious meal with our friends at Cristo Rey. It was an opportunity to reconnect and relax. Ana Luz, Gladis and Ana Gloria all members of Cristo Rey, took us on a tour of the historic city center of Santa Ana. We had fun shopping at Super Selecto (a supermarket) for snacks. We are excited to begin working on a new Habitat home tomorrow morning. We will be the first team to work on the site for Gladis and her family.
1 Chronicles 29:16 "Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you."
Nila Jacobson and the Sheridan El Salvador Mission Team
Today was a special day for our Mission Team. We worshiped with our sisters and brothers at Cristo Rey Church in Santa Ana. We were welcomed by the congregation and invited to sit next to Cristo Rey members. I sat with Ana Luz a lovely young woman and her mother Esperanza. Ana Luz and her family were the first recipients of a Habitat home through the Partners in Faith project at Cristo Rey. She told me that it was a dream come true to be in this new home. Ana Luz her husband Jovanny and their children Jovanny and Wilber are familiar faces for our team. They have worked at previous Habitat builds.
After the service we shared a delicious meal with our friends at Cristo Rey. It was an opportunity to reconnect and relax. Ana Luz, Gladis and Ana Gloria all members of Cristo Rey, took us on a tour of the historic city center of Santa Ana. We had fun shopping at Super Selecto (a supermarket) for snacks. We are excited to begin working on a new Habitat home tomorrow morning. We will be the first team to work on the site for Gladis and her family.
1 Chronicles 29:16 "Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you."
Nila Jacobson and the Sheridan El Salvador Mission Team
El Salvador Part 2
We began this morning at the work site with a short devotion with Ana Maria, some members of the family receiving the home (Claudia, Carla, Ashley, and Juan Jose), and our mason (Julio Cesar). Then, while waiting for the tools to arrive, we went to visit the first home constructed for a Cristo Rey family, owned by Ana Luz. She showed us a book of pictures taken during the beginning of construction.
When we arrived back at the work site our tools had arrived and we began to clear the lot of tree stumps and rocks. Our major accomplishment of the day, which was a true team effort, was removing a large cluster of palm tree stumps. After lunch, additional materials began to arrive and were unloaded from the trucks and stored away. We also finished clearing the lot and Julio began to stake out the dimensions of the house. Our work day was shortened by the arrival of rain; everyone headed indoors to keep dry. To pass the time, everyone played a big game of Uno. Since the room was crowded with people, Jody volunteered to be our moving table so that everyone would be able to participate. It was a great way to continue getting to know the family and neighbors who were helping with the build.
Everyone was excited to make it back to the hotel and headed straight for the showers! We are looking forward to another excellent dinner with fellowship time to follow.
Koren Plummer & The Sheridan El Salvador Mission Team
Koren Plummer & The Sheridan El Salvador Mission Team
Saturday, June 16, 2012
El Salvador, Part 1
Hola! Greetings from El Salvador. The Sheridan Mission Team has arrived safely in our hotel in San Salvador. We are looking forward to worshiping with our friends at Cristo Rey tomorrow morning. We will greet Pastor Carlos and Pastor Vilma and share news from our church community in Nebraska. We are excited to hear the details of their new project, and how we can be Partners in Faith. It has been a long day, and we will send more news tomorrow when we arrive in Santa Ana.
¡Hasta mañana!
Nila Jacobson and the El Salvador Mission Team
¡Hasta mañana!
Nila Jacobson and the El Salvador Mission Team
Monday, June 4, 2012
To my Sheridan family,
Despite the fact that I’ve been “away” from my Sheridan Family for the past four years, my experience within this community traveled with me in my time at St. Olaf College. It was at Sheridan that I began to see visual art as a strong component of my faith and as an important part of the worship life of this community. I had begun to dabble in photography and discovered the power of capturing a story or fleeting moment in an image. I realized that taking time to notice what moves me, in where I find beauty – in a sense deeper than just something looking pretty – is inextricably bound to where I find God and see meaning in the world. Being a part of the Sheridan family helped to cultivate this in me. It was being exposed to visual aspects of worship within this community that inspired me to pursue photography as both a spiritual practice and as a means of contributing to the ministry of the church.
Then, when I went off to St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota, I brought this unique interest into my academic studies. St. Olaf has a program that allows students to work across disciplines to create integrative studies majors, and I took advantage of that opportunity, creating an individual major that I entitled “Religion and the Visual Arts: Engaging Tradition, Practice, and Community.” If you’re interested in seeing more of that work, you can visit my web portfolio http://stolaf.edu/depts/cis/wp/ebouvier/index.html.
In this major, I was not only able to study both theology and studio art in relationship to one another, but I was able to also learn about the rich traditions of art in religious communities through history. I quickly discovered that I am not alone in my love of visual art and faith – for centuries the Christian family has shared its stories through art. This past January I had the opportunity to go to Greece, where I learned about the Eastern Orthodox Church and its use of icons: images of gold, paint, and wood that represent important figures in the Christian story. The theology behind this practice is incredibly powerful, seeing the icons not as merely physical images, but as windows to the divine. The icons are not meant to be looked at, but looked through, a space to be entered, that reaches beyond the object and brings the viewer closer to God. This practice embodies my own experience with visual art as a whole. Through experiencing the beauty of art and entering into the ideas and questions it grapples with, I feel that I am entering into a space of meditation and encounter with God.
In learning about the traditions of art in the Church and experiencing the transformative power of art in my own life of faith, I am inspired to do ministry through art in other congregations, empowering those families of faith to tell their own stories and build community together. I have a profound appreciation for having “grown up” in this family of Sheridan, who has played an important role in where I find myself now and in where I see myself going in the future. Thank you all for sharing who you are and your stories of faith with me over the years!
With love,
Emilie Bouvier
Then, when I went off to St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota, I brought this unique interest into my academic studies. St. Olaf has a program that allows students to work across disciplines to create integrative studies majors, and I took advantage of that opportunity, creating an individual major that I entitled “Religion and the Visual Arts: Engaging Tradition, Practice, and Community.” If you’re interested in seeing more of that work, you can visit my web portfolio http://stolaf.edu/depts/cis/wp/ebouvier/index.html.
In this major, I was not only able to study both theology and studio art in relationship to one another, but I was able to also learn about the rich traditions of art in religious communities through history. I quickly discovered that I am not alone in my love of visual art and faith – for centuries the Christian family has shared its stories through art. This past January I had the opportunity to go to Greece, where I learned about the Eastern Orthodox Church and its use of icons: images of gold, paint, and wood that represent important figures in the Christian story. The theology behind this practice is incredibly powerful, seeing the icons not as merely physical images, but as windows to the divine. The icons are not meant to be looked at, but looked through, a space to be entered, that reaches beyond the object and brings the viewer closer to God. This practice embodies my own experience with visual art as a whole. Through experiencing the beauty of art and entering into the ideas and questions it grapples with, I feel that I am entering into a space of meditation and encounter with God.
In learning about the traditions of art in the Church and experiencing the transformative power of art in my own life of faith, I am inspired to do ministry through art in other congregations, empowering those families of faith to tell their own stories and build community together. I have a profound appreciation for having “grown up” in this family of Sheridan, who has played an important role in where I find myself now and in where I see myself going in the future. Thank you all for sharing who you are and your stories of faith with me over the years!
With love,
Emilie Bouvier
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