Today started bright and early with a bus ride to Chalatenango to a Lutheran church called Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) to worship together and then spend the afternoon sharing a delicious meal and a fellowship. The church is in a very rural location and families walk up to 30 minutes to go to church. The name Nueva Esperanza was chosen by the community to reflect their hope for a new beginning in this church. This is important because the community is composed of migrants who settled in Chalatenango after the civil war ended, arriving with only the clothes on their back and hope. God is working through this community to bring peace and a new life to the church members. The children and youth of the church outnumber the adults in the congregation, so there really is a hope for the future already growing in the church.
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to share a day with kind, generous families who despite having few material goods are rich in kindness and spirit. At first glance, it is easy to see the stark differences between Chalatenango and Northern Virginia, but after spending time together today our similarities as brothers and sisters in Christ give me new hope in the world.
Jen
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