A letter from Tim Wheeler in Honduras
April 2012
Dear Friends,
At this writing there is a religious fervor in the atmosphere in Honduras, for it is Holy Week. The Catholic Church is very active during the week reliving each moment with the emphasis on Palm Sunday, the procession to Calvary with the reenactment of the stations of the cross, and a special interpretation at each station in view of the problems today that the country is facing, the suffering of Christ on Good Friday, and the new hope gifted to us with the resurrection on Easter Sunday. The messages are moving and in their simplest form are pleas for turning back to God and Christ and his teachings to overcome the huge challenges that the country and the common people face. The message is for all of us to reexamine our lives, to concentrate on the essentials, to be kinder to our neighbors and firmer in our faith.
Isaiah 49:1-7 talks about being a servant to the Lord. The reference is made to Isaiah, verse 3, “He said to me, You are my servant,” but the message is for us all if we really listen. How can we truly be servants to others? This is the call to mission and the question that Gloria and I continually ask ourselves. I think part of the answer lies in being true to our beliefs, to our values, of persisting on the road that we have chosen, maybe even being a little bit stubborn about it. It would be easy to waver in our beliefs when questioned or rejected by some.
Tim with Jorge Pazos and Bob Seel during the workshop in Nogales, AZ
I say this in contrast to the importance placed on the Holy Spirit in the Church in many settings in Latin America. It is common for people to stress so strongly the spiritual aspects that they place little importance on Jesus Christ, the servant, the one we follow in trying to bring the good news to others in the here and now in their lives. Nevertheless, there are places where we can come together in our mission, such as in the social outreach and housing program in Tegucigalpa in which members in the church are able to build a better and more dignified home. In this program church members are encouraged to work alongside of each other and with mission team members coming from the United States.
Another activity that kept me busy during Easter Week was preparing for my trip to visit the U.S.-Mexican border ministries, where I had been asked to go to lead a self-review process at different sites as they each attempt to look into the future with a vision that will respond to their new reality. I decided to use some of the same techniques that I use in Central America with a values-based appreciative approach. I think the message of Easter helped me prepare for this trip April 19-29 during which I would hold five different workshops from Texas to California in both a physical and spiritual way. I was ready when I set out thinking, yes, I can do this.
I was very happy at the results in the process carried out because I learned a great deal, but also I could see that the participants enjoyed the process by reflecting on all of the accomplishments in the past and as they saw a way forward as well. Bob Seel, who helped host me in Nogales, Arizona, commented that he was impressed by all of the positive things that had been accomplished over the years in the program called Companeros in Mision. They had never sat down and thought about it in this way.
Juan Antonio Garcia, Mexican teacher turned pastor, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
On my way to the border after the meeting in Ciudad Juarez I had an opportunity to interview Juan Antonio Garcia, a new pastor soon to be ordained. He had come to the border, as many Mexicans do from the interior of the country, looking for better opportunities. He is a teacher and was working when “God caught up with me,” as he said, and he became part of the Presbyterian Church. He studied in the seminary for four years and continued in the service of the church for two years as a pastor until he can be ordained. He said that a pastor had told him to trust in the Lord, and he will be sent where he is meant to be and will prosper. When he no longer had a job teaching he wondered about this, where he might be sent. He applied for some new teaching jobs but none turned out to be favorable. That is how he knew that God wanted him to be the pastor of his church where he is now and that good things will come about because of this.
I marveled at his trust. The border ministry is full of complexities and is not easy place to be. My walk across the bridge to El Paso took two hours as I reflected on these issues and the struggles apparent in people's lives, but also at the light that the Church represents in reaching out to people in need, both socially and spiritually in this ministry.
Thank you for your faithfulness with us in so many different ways.
Faithfully,
Tim and Gloria Wheeler
God’s act of love because of suffering in the face of rejection has changed the world and offered all Christians encouragement to give words of hope in the face of obstinacy and rejection.
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 10
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