By Dean Olson, Chair - Mission
and Youth Fund Committees - 28 Jan 2023
Over the several
years we traveled to El Salvador to work on Thrivent Build projects with
Habitat for Humanity International, we always had the same local host, Francis
Padilla. Though occasionally supervised
for brief times by one of her co-workers (Carla, Douglas, Flor), it was largely
Francis who was at our side, helping us along and showing us what to do. Unfortunately, during Covid, the
Thrivent-Habitat partnership went idle, and Francis was laid off. But, she used her time to take classes in
theology and pastoral training, a matter she is still prayerfully considering.
We are pleased to pass on two pieces of very
good news. Francis recently revealed she
is returning to work for Habitat in El Salvador! That’s good for her, and it also means that
Habitat is resuming activities there. In
addition, the new build program is now called The Habitat for Humanity
Thrivent Partnership. Its domestic trips
have been restored, but not yet the international build projects. We’re keeping in contact with Francis often (myhopeisgod@gmail.com), and checking the Habitat-Thrivent Partnership web
site for any new developments: https://www.thrivent.com/about-us/membership/habitat-for-humanity
Meanwhile, an unusual package showed up at Good
Shepherd in December. Arriving a bit
beat up and marked with a shipper you’ve never heard of (EMS), it was from
Habitat in San Salvador, the capitol city of El Salvador. The contents included a letter, hats, tee
shirts, bandanas, a photo, a hand-made card with dried wildflowers, and commemorative
plaque, all sending Christmas greetings in honor of the 30th anniversary of
Habitat El Salvador, and their 50,000th family housed since work
began in 1992. The hand-crafted plaque
is composed of metal and stained glass, and the nameplate marks the role of
Good Shepherd in helping Habitat El Salvador achieve this remarkable milestone.
The floral card contains a hand-written greeting
and thank-you. Good Shepherd’s work began
in El Salvador in 2010 when Jim Hack and Don Block went on their first build trip. Annual trips continued until Covid curtailed
them after 2019. Over the years, more
than 65 Good Shepherd members and friends journeyed to El Salvador on a mission
build trip to construct housing for needy families. The Good Shepherd Mission Fund significantly
supported the trips, one of which in 2014 was dedicated to the construction of
Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Santa Ana.
Items can
be seen in the Narthex on February 5, then will be moved to the display case near
the Fellowship Hall. You can read the complete
card and letter at the Good Shepherd Lutheran blog: https://gslc-cu.blogspot.com/
If you
are thinking you would like to go to El Salvador when the opportunity arises,
please voice your interest to Dean Olson (DeanLOlson@gmail.com).
Meanwhile,
keep praying that Francis and Habitat El Salvador get back on their feet, and
into their work gloves. Additional items in the box appear below.
"With housing, we build strength, stability, and self-sufficiency."