August 2006

It is said that during the time of King Herod a pagan appeared before the celebrated Rabbi Hillel, teacher of Paul, and said to him “I will accept Judaism on condition you tell me all the law while I am standing on one foot.” To which Hillel answered “Do not do unto others whatsoever you do not wish them to do unto you. The law consists in this. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn!”
Leonardo Boff, Jesus Christ Liberator: A Critical Christology for our Time

Dear Friends,

Recently we were asked to visit two project sites in the neighboring country of El Salvador that have requested funds from the Presbyterian Self-Development of the People Program. Visiting El Salvador was a treat; we were able to view rural development programs within a slightly different historical context from that of Honduras.

Fourteen years ago, El Salvador signed peace accords ending a bloody civil war. Refugees that had been in Honduras for several years went back at that point to start life anew as best they could. The communities of Octavio Ortiz in Usulutan and El Zapote community in the Cabanas Department, close to the border with Honduras, are resettlement communities. They were provided land, one by the government and the other with Presbyterian funding, to establish new communities with the hope of greater social justice and a new order. I thought it wonderful that Presbyterian funds could go towards bolstering these efforts.

These refugees were forced to leave their county during the civil war. They developed strong organizational and leadership skills in the refugee camps along the border, where they prevailed under difficult and often hostile surroundings. Gloria and I had witnessed this at the camps 20 years ago. They even turned barren land into productive terraces. The people along the Salvadorian-Honduran border are really one people culturally and there is a strong reliance on church and faith that bonds them together. They became the people of God for whom Archbishop Oscar Romero was martyred.

As the refugees returned from exile to their “promised land,” we were reminded of the new hope found in the biblical account of the return to the promised land from Egypt. Little governmental support was available to make a new life viable. Now, 14 years later, we can see the accomplishments that have been made. Vibrant communities now request a pickup truck to allow them to market directly instead of allowing a middleman to reap a huge profit at their expense. There are schools and an emphasis on education for the new generation. The community of El Zapote has even been able to get a promissory letter from the mayor of the municipality for a water project to which Presbyterians are being asked to give matching funds. Indeed, this is where the church needs to be. I am thankful for this opportunity of going next door outside of my normal realm.

Jesus taught us the positive version of doing for others as you would have done for oneself. The civil war in El Salvador, in a simplistic way, was brought on by not doing this. Now it appears to be better and communities are trying to establish better lives with more opportunities for people than before.

Yours,

Tim and Gloria Wheeler

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.59