El Salvador
Devotions and Prayers
Annual Mission
Trip: July 28 - August 5, 2018
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
Saturday, July 28
Then I heard the
Lord say “Whom shall I send? Who will be
my messenger?” I answered, “I will
go! Send me!” -
Isaiah 6:1.
You
might be thinking: Who, me? What was I thinking when I made the decision
to go to El Salvador this year? Jim,
Bob, and Marilyn have been on this trip before, but not me. Why did they go back? It’s hard work, a lot of sweat, maybe some
blisters and a sore back.
Our
El Salvador Mission Trip is a major step in service as we fulfill the Lord’s
command to love our neighbors and put God’s words of love into action. You will experience joy in traveling with a
group from our home base, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, to form a partnership
with our southern neighbors to build decent, durable homes for them. This trip gives us the opportunity to share
our love and see what we can do together.
Loving one another is important.
People are different but we are all children of God. You may not be able to have a fluent conversation
with our friends in El Salvador but a touch, a thumbs up, or a big smile all go
a long way. The folks you will be
working with have huge hearts of love. Do things humbly and sincerely with an
open heart, and everyone will be paid back in many ways.
Let
us pray.
We
thank and praise you dear Lord for bringing us all together at one time, and in
one place, to do your work. Prosper the
work of our hands this week, O God. May your
work and your will be done in us and through us while we are here in El
Salvador. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
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Sunday, July 29
Let the favor of
the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands. - Psalm 90:17
“Can you give me a hand?” We ask when we need assistance. You might hear it when a test is given to a
student, or when someone has nothing to eat, or maybe when in El Salvador to
help build someone a home.
The
psalmist knows that for our energies and efforts to grow and prosper, we need
to know the fullness of God’s blessing and favor. We need to be doing God’s work, not following
our own desires. Before this psalmist
asks for God’s prosperous blessing, a prayer is offered: “Let your work be manifest to your
servants” (verse 16). We pray that we
might know God’s work, and we ask that it might be done in and through us. We strive to live out our prayer, “Thy will
be done.”
The
ELCA logo contains this phrase: “God’s Work, Our Hands.” It’s a commitment to discern God’s will in
the world and the work God calls us to do.
It’s a call to get our hands busy doing God’s work in our daily lives.
Let
us pray.
We
thank you once again, Father, for giving us the opportunity to celebrate and
praise you with the people of Cristo Rey Lutheran Church. Be with us as we set out tomorrow to make our
hands busy in building new homes for these friends here in El Salvador. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
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Monday, July 30
One
Mission Sunday, when we raised money for the Mission Fund with the help of
empty tomb, Jason Fisher was asked by Barbara Hack if he could say a few words
regarding his experience in El Salvador.
He chose a reading from Luke 10: 1-11, and expanded on these particular
words:
“Going
out two by two”
“The
harvest is rich but the workmen are few”
“Carry
no bag, nor sandals”
“Whatever
home you enter first say ‘Peace be to this house’”
“Eat
and drink what they provide for you”
Our
dusty work will be as hard as we expected, but the home we help build for our
El Salvador friends will be a lasting memory.
As scripture says, “The Kingdom of God has approached you”. This will be for us more than what we give.
Jesus
sent the disciples, 70 of them in pairs, to tell of the good news. We may not be able to say the exact words
because of language differences, but we can certainly act it out by the love we
show to these new friends.
Can
you imagine Jesus’ closest friends coming to your door with the good news of
the gospel and showing their love for you?
We are all children of the Heavenly Father and we must show the love He
has for us to others.
Let
us pray.
God,
when you send us to places unknown, help us know your presence in all we say
and all we do. In Jesus’ name, we
pray.
Amen.
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Tuesday,
July 31
And Jesus said to
them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”
- Mark 10:36
We
always seem to be asking Jesus for something.
We want better lives, better jobs, more money, food, forgiveness,
healing, happiness, safety – the list goes on.
We pray, “We want … or give us …”
Sometimes we ask Jesus his own question:
“What is it you want me to do for you?”
Each
of us has unique, God-given talents, gifts, circumstances, occupations,
interests, and hobbies. It is through
these blessings that we serve the Lord.
Our special skills and knowledge become the tools to be part of the work
of God’s kingdom. We each have a job to
do for Christ. We are never asked to do
more than we are able to do; with God, all things are possible. Jesus has given us each something to do here
in El Salvador. Living with the love of
Christ is an adventure waiting to happen tomorrow. God has answered our question “What is it you
want me to do for you?” by being here in
El Salvador, where Jesus will help us and the Holy Spirit will guide us.
Let
us pray.
Dear
Lord, make each of us part of the body of Christ, so we can play our part in
your work. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
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Wednesday,
August 1
For they all contributed out of
their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on. - Luke
21:4
For
this devotion, the writer met Maria while on a Habitat for Humanity build trip.
Maria
is a proud, committed Christian woman with children living in an El Salvador
home most of us would find unacceptable to use even as a garden shed.
On
the second day of the Habitat work week, Maria left and took a bus to the city
of Santa Ana, where she purchased a
single item, and then used her precious remaining money for return bus
fare. The round trip took four
hours. What was this one necessary
item? Air freshener. Maria was so concerned about the group having
to use her outhouse that she gave nearly everything she had to accommodate her guests
and make them comfortable.
In
the scriptural passage, Jesus comments on the widow’s two small copper
coins. He was astounded by such genuine,
selfless generosity. She gave everything
she had.
You
will experience a similar generosity this week.
For instance, the women who prepare your lunches are giving of their
time and talents. You are giving back to
them and their friends your time and your talents in building a home.
Good
Shepherd folks gave generously to provide transportation to El Salvador, and
out of our own giving enables God’s work - our hands - to be here.
Let
us pray.
Dear
Jesus, we offer ourselves to freshen the
lives of others in building a home for people in need, and knowing that in
showing our love, we are also sharing your love.
Amen.
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Thursday,
August 2
You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses. - Acts 1:8
Jesus’
disciples took on a new job title in their adventure: “witnesses”.
They were out and about telling of the crucified Jesus, raised by the
power of God, who now lives so that all people can live with God forever. It was a radical message.
We
have the privilege of knowing this message, a message that includes the people of
El Salvador. It was such an honor to
worship with our new friends as we have this week at Cristo Rey Lutheran
Church. Their Spanish tells the same
story as we have heard it in English.
God is love, a story of hope, and a plan for loving everyone forever. The world needs this hope now more than
ever. We are called to go and be
witnesses.
Let
us pray.
God,
give us confidence to use the gifts you give us to show our love for you, and
for all your people.
Amen.
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Friday,
August 3
But God has so composed the body …
that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the
same care for one another. - 1 Corinthians
12:24-25
When
you get back to the USA, a place is waiting for you.
The
next time you are in church, think about this:
-
Offer
a laugh at the pastor’s joke;
-
Offer
a smile to the teenagers who wish they were somewhere else;
-
Shake
the hand of a grumpy old man and thank him for his dedicated devotion to the
church;
-
Slow
down for the woman with the walker and patiently listen to her tale;
-
Invite
the newcomer;
-
Compliment
the young couple in their care of their crying child;
-
Console
someone who is grieving;
-
Sip
a little coffee and join in the conversation
Be
who you are in the midst of all those gathered to hear God’s word, and be encouraged
to go out and be His witnesses. You are
a necessary part of the body of Christ and have been placed exactly where God
wants you to be. In our diversity,
Christ himself unites us.
Here
in El Salvador, we witness the diversity of the body of Christ. Despite communication difficulties, it didn’t
deter why we came here, and it didn’t impede the love shown from both sides of
the so-called language barrier. There
are no differences among us in God’s eyes.
Let
us pray.
God,
your Spirit gives life to the body of Christ, and we thank you for making us a
part of it. Make each of us part of the
body of Christ, so we can play our part in your work. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
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Saturday,
August 4
At the end of the days, I lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to
me, and I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored him who lives forever. - Daniel 4:34
This is the end of
our week here in El Salvador. At times,
we were exhausted from our work. “What
was I thinking?” may have been on your mind more than once. We have seen many life stories walk before
our eyes this week. Did you notice the
happiness and the hope in the eyes and faces of our new friends? When God asks us to do something really
difficult, he gives us the strength and knowhow. After all, we just may have had the right
skills, tools, and words to make a bad situation easier for someone. The folks we worked with walk in humble pride
with what they have, and they are God’s children just like us.
Perhaps you’ve
been moved many times this week to thank the Lord for our many blessings in the
United States. But, when we’re faced
with the many material things these friends do not have here in El Salvador, yet
see them living among strong families and communities, it gives us second
thoughts about those many material things we have back home. It is good to remember that Salvadorans have
the same Jesus Christ who died on the cross - for them as well as for us. We have the truly important things in
common.
Praise God that we
can come to El Salvador and help build new homes for people. Being here is like receiving a gift from
those we came to help.
Let us pray.
Dear God, thank
you for the talents and blessings you give us to work in your kingdom here in
El Salvador and back home. In Jesus’
name we pray.
Amen.
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Sunday,
August 5
May the Lord make
you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to
you. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:10
A
rallying cry often heard today in our economically challenged world is “less
and less”. Governments are called to
balance their budgets. People are urged
to use less energy and decrease consumption of limited resources. It is good advice that we should all
heed.
In
the realms of faith, however, there are no shortages of love and grace and
strength. Therefore, as followers of
Christ, we are urged to demonstrate His love in our lives in ever-increasing
measure.
The
apostle Paul urged the people to “abound more and more” in a lifestyle that
pleases God. He also commended them for
their demonstration of love for each other, and called them to “increase more
and more” in brotherly love. That kind
of ever-increasing love is possible only because it comes from God’s limitless
resources, not from our own dwindling supply.
How much should we love God and others?
More and more!
Let
us pray.
Dear
Lord, today we depart from El Salvador and we pray for safe travels. The blessings we received this week have come
only from you, as you have shown your mighty love for all of us. Help us to carry this message back to those
who love and sent us. We thank and
praise you for your work, and our hands.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
