|
September 2001
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Madrid, Spain! This letter is the first of several
which we hope will give you some idea of what we are doing and
help us all with our mission as partners together in God’s
service. As many of you already know, we were appointed for a
three-year term from January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2001.
We will be on interpretation assignment from January 1 through
May 31, 2002, staying at the furlough apartments of the Louisville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Time for transition, part of mission itself
We moved from Venezuela to Spain in June 1999. It took some time
for our residency visas to be approved. This provided us a six-month
period to say goodbye to our beloved Venezuelan Church. This was
important because Edgar was also leaving his university post as
a recently retired professor. He also needed time to put things
in order for his church, as he was retiring as moderator of the
Presbyterian Church in Venezuela. He felt this change was a wise
one, since his church has a well-prepared national leadership,
which needed to be on its own. He discovered that sometimes it
is important to intentionally remove oneself from leadership roles
so that others will become what they must be, and assume proactive
leadership. Edgar feels that this may have been his most effective
decision as a national church leader. Mission means letting others
take over, and risking new beginnings. One is never indispensable
in the missio Dei. It is God’s mission, not ours.
Donna continues to be a mission co-worker in active service with
the Worldwide Ministries Division, having worked in theological
education in Venezuela and Colombia since 1986. The saying goodbye
for Donna was also difficult, since much of her life was centered
around Venezuela. It was with great anticipation that we both
set off for Spain, with the blessing of the Venezuelan Presbyterian
Church and the General Assembly of the PC(USA). Donna feels that
this is a more appropriate expression of our intercultural marriage
of 40 years, enabling both of us to assume the same call under
the same conditions. It is a beautiful cooperative venture between
two sister churches. We have learned that new mission patterns
can be discovered, if we pool human resources and seek creative
ways to put people and contexts together. Leaving a second culture
can be more painful than leaving one’s culture of origin
(Pennsylvania, Appalachia). Learning how to say goodbye, looking
forward to a new culture was part of a new understanding of mission
for Donna.
One is always missing past friends and looking forward to making
new ones. Jesus, our friend in common, helps us to find each other
in new church contexts.
First experiences are important in a new culture
Many of our initial experiences in Spain were made up of the
usual moving-in stuff, getting an apartment, knowing the neighborhood,
learning the ropes in our new jobs. In today’s world, this
kind of transition requires pretty much the same skills of us
all. We also had to learn a new cultural language, although both
of us are fluent in Spanish and English. But, Europe was something
else, and Spain was definitely a new experience for us. In the
midst of this adjustment period, while still moving in, we joyfully
took on an almost impossible assignment. We co-hosted a travel-study
seminar to the Iberian peninsula for the G.A. Council in October
of 2000. It helped not knowing much about the Iberian peninsula
ourselves. It made all members of the group responsible for what
we were to learn. Traveling with Duncan Hanson and Bryan Reiff
of the PC(USA)’s Europe area office, we ventured out with
a small band of Presbyterians into Portugal and Spain. We were
able to get an overview of the work of our partner churches in
this area of the world. This served as part of our orientation,
and we were grateful for this experience. Much of the interpretive
material of this trip can be found in the journals of our travel
study group, and you can request this from the Europe area office.
The nature of our ministry—learning new things
about theological education
Now, a specific word about our job. We serve the Spanish Evangelical
Church of Spain at the SEUT, the United Evangelical Theological
Seminary (Seminario Evangélico Unido de Teología).
Our office is on the top floor of an old church building in the
center of Madrid. Our seminary does not have enough money to heat
our offices during the winter. In one of the pictures you can
see us working under blankets. A big change from the tropics!
We work with 125 students in Theological Education by Extension.
We tutor students in our respective areas—Edgar in theology
and history, and Donna in missiology and ministry. Mostly, we
translate, adapt, and publish materials for our program.
Our job is to serve the Spanish Evangelical Church of Spain as
it seeks to train pastors, lay leaders, and evangelists to serve
in Spain’s largely secularized society. Through theological
education we hope to help revitalize a church still emerging from
the shadows of the Franco dictatorship. How to break out of a
ghetto mentality seems to be the major challenge. A group of dedicated
people, our interdenominational team of teachers, seems to find
exciting possibilities in rebuilding an institution that still
suffers the lingering effects of the persecution suffered during
the Franco regime. In spite of all, the Church is well and moving
forward in Spain. Attached are photos of our team members and
some of our students.
Please pray for us, as we build relationships and a seminary-program,
which will help our Spanish partners to revitalize their church
with solid training for a new generation of leaders.
Your partners in mission,
Donna Laubach Moros and Edgar Moros-Ruano
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 88
|
