Toward the end of
Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Prodigal Summer, the
character Deanna decides to leave the isolated cabin where she’s
lived for two years and begin a new chapter in her life. On
the eve of her departure there is a terrible storm. To take
her mind from this frightening experience, she calls up memories
of what for her would always be a safe place: the genuine shelter
of Nanny Rowley’s place.
Most people need a place of genuine shelter. At the Familia
de Fe New Church Development in Minneapolis, discussions have
touched on where those present have experienced a deep sense
of genuine shelter. Some have shared memories of a house or
a beloved landscape that continues to speak to them; those memories
of a safe place are enhanced by the different landscape of the
Americas, homes built by mixing clay and straw high up in the
mountains of Bolivia, or more fragile homes in the rural Caribbean
Islands.
Raquel Avila came to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico.
Right before her one-way trip, she visited the Our Lady of Guadalupe
basilica in Mexico City in search of healing for her alcoholic
brother. In Minneapolis she was introduced to Familia de Fe.
Raquel said that her life experienced a turnaround in this place
of caring, feeding, nurture, and nesting. She began praying
again for her beloved brother Carlos. In the spring of 2007
Carlos entered the “Casa de Dios” for the first
time. Today, Carlos is a member of a Hispanic Alcoholics Anonymous
group in Saint Paul. These days he plays his guitar to praise
the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
While on many levels “home” is about shelter,
it is also about a shared story, life energized by mutual love.
In this uncertain world, the Rev. Walter F. Chuquimia, pastor
of Familia de Fe, welcomes everyone into this casa de Dios.
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area has 70 churches with
25,687 members and is home to Macalester College. |
