Cristina Kirchner elected president of Argentina

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the wife of Argentina’s current president, was elected president last night. She is the first woman to be voted president here in Argentina. It looks like they are planning to continue to switch spots, to continue this new dynasty for as long as they can. She has been compared to Evita Peron, as well as Hilary Clinton (she rejects the comparisons). She has a lot of support because many people believe her husband brought the country into a recovery from the 2001 economic crisis. She pledges to spend even more focus on international relations than her husband.
Although, many remain very skeptical, and rightfully so, as Argentina has had a long history of corrupt politicians. The country is still dealing with high inflation, and many people (especially in the province I’m living in-Chaco) are still living in poverty and unemployment is still high. She will have these and many other challenges to face in this term. She won the election without having a single debate or offering any detailed proposals. Many people who are critical of the current administration voted for Elisa Carrio, who was in second place. There were instances of stolen ballots that were in her favor.I saw her speak when she came here to Resistencia a couple weeks ago. She is a good public speaker, but who knows what she will actually do. Anyway, I encourage you to read more about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/world/americas/30argentina.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

Jesus heals the Impenetrable

Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV) 11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers1 approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Two weekends ago when I was preaching, I thought the end times were coming, but it was really just the clanging of big rocks that kids were throwing onto the roof, and the sound of dogs barking. Preaching in my second language (Spanish) is challenging, but it’s getting better. The Gospel lesson was 17:11-19, where Jesus cleanses ten lepers.
The pain and suffering the lepers endured because their infected skin was magnified by the infected looks they received as they were socially ostracized because of the religious views around leprosy.
In the interior of the Chaco province in Northern Argentina, where I’m living, there are neglected indigenous communities that are dying of hunger. They live in a region known as “El Impenetrable (The Impenetrable),” because of its lack of water and thorn scrubs. (The living conditions in Chaco are starting to get a little more international attention: http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=6319354) Many of the people there move to the outskirts of Resistencia, the city I’m living in, only to be further ostracized by the people here.
Last weekend we also had a province-wide social assembly where various social development organizations gathered to network and discuss various social issues, one of which was the extreme hunger of the indigenous communities. To speak on this issue was a delegate from the indigenous community, Jose Carlos. As he spoke you could feel the pain of his community in his voice. Then in this secular assembly, he expressed his faith in Jesus, and how Jesus challenged oppression, and struggled for justice.
When Jesus cleansed the ten lepers, only one returned to give thanks. So what happened to the other nine? Were they just plain ungrateful? Or had they been infected for so long, both physically and socially (both by their blistering skin and the shame they felt every time they had to warn others that they were “unclean”), that when they had been healed they couldn’t even believe it, let alone give thanks to their healer? Had the reign of oppression become so normal that it mad the reign of God seem foreign?
Poverty in our church (Misión Maria Magdalena) community on the outskirts of Resistencia eats away like leprosy. Children are underfed and mothers go through the dumpster to find food. When it seems that all I can see is the effect of the reign of discrimination, corrupt politicians, and yes, even the policy of the U.S.; it’s hard to see beyond it to see the reign of God. When we go through difficult times, when we are in pain, when society ignores us, it is hard to see God’s grace.
Like the nine lepers, it is hard to see that because of Jesus, we have been healed. It is hard to look past this world of pain, and see that Jesus is bringing a new world, that in heaven there won’t be all this leprosy, oppression, suffering and pain.
We read that even though society doesn’t see the lepers, Jesus sees them! Over and over (especially in Luke) Jesus reminds the oppressed that God’s reign is a complete reversal of what they are experiencing now. They have dignity and beauty in God’s sight, and they shall be healed and free.
The leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus was a Samaritan (a foreigner, despised by the Jews), which made him the oppressed of the oppressed. Despite all this, he saw past the way the world looked at him and recognized in Jesus’ look that the One who gave him dignity, sees it in him, and promises him that it will be restored in him.
When I heard Jose Carlos express his hope in Jesus in the midst of his pain regarding the current situation of his people in the Impenetrable, I thought about this leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus. It is this beautiful ability to see the grace in the midst of suffering.
Even though I see the hunger on the faces of the children in our church community, when they come to the church for merienda (afternoon snack) and dig into a ham and cheese sandwich, in their eyes there is a moment of grace.
As overwhelming as the leprosy of this world is, may we feel the grace in Jesus’ healing look, to which nothing is impenetrable. Like the Samaritan leper, may this look bring us to our knees, and give us the strength to praise God, and give thanks to Jesus.

Trip to Misiones and Iguazu Falls

At the beginning of the month we went on a trip to the city of Eldorado in the province of Misiones (named after the Jesuit missions of indigenous Guaraní of the early 1600’s which functioned with political and economic autonomy until they were expelled by the Spanish crown in 1767 - see the movie “The Mission”), located in the northeast finger of Argentina, which is a beautiful rolling landscape of rich red soil and lush green forests.

With two members from each of our churches we gathered for the Northern District Assembly of the IELU (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Unida). On Saturday there was the election for the new district president and reports from the various congregations. It was good to see what was happening in other churches in the district, in the areas of women, youth, Christian Education, and church mission. There is growing work with farmers in the area of sustainable development. On Sunday we heard a presentation on Natural Church Development, which began with an illustration of people struggling to pull a square-wheeled cart, which was carrying a load of round wheels. The idea was to look within the congregation to discover and use the potential that God has put in each congregation.

I also accompanied the pastor there in funeral for a man in his 40’s that committed suicide (Protestant pastors are often asked to do funeral services in cases of suicide, since Catholic priests cannot do them). People said their goodbyes to this man with tears and by tossing the red Misiones dirt onto the casket.

Then there was a pastor’s retreat with pastors from two of the Lutheran churches here in Argentina, and the Lutheran church in Brazil (which is pretty big). Therefore, many of the pastors spoke a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish (some people helped translate for me). There were many themes touched upon, but a big one was the question of “how to do ministry in an increasingly individualistic society?” The pastors of the Lutheran Church in Brazil talked a lot about the rapidly changing religious dynamic. The pope recently visited Brazil because the percentage of Catholics has been cut in half over the past decade or so due to the rapid growth of Evangelical and Pentecostal churches . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/11/AR2007051100287.html
Overall, it was interesting to see that there were issues that were similar to issues the Church deals with in the U.S.

As a part of this trip we also went to see the world’s second biggest waterfalls, Iguazú Falls, which is 2km across, and lies on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and close to the Paraguay border as well. It is truly spectacular (see picture) and it’s not just the visual beauty that takes, but you can feel the sheer power of the falls in your chest (it makes Niagara look like a leaky faucet). Here´s some more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/JoshEbener/Argentina

We also saw iguanas, a toucan, and these funny long nosed raccoon type animals, one of which hopped onto my table and stole my sandwich! It was a good sandwich too…oh well.

Thanks for reading, my goal is to update the blog every other week or so.

Extreme Hunger in the Chaco province

The issue of extreme hunger in the Chaco province in Argentina (where I am living this year) is finally starting to get a little more international attention. Please read the following article:

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=6319354

Hunger persists despite Argentina's economic boom
Reuters
By Jorge A. Otaola

RESISTENCIA, Argentina (Reuters) - "Sometimes I have enough for milk, sometimes I don't," said Marisel Rivas as she cradled her underweight baby in an Argentine shantytown, where hunger persists despite the country's economic boom.
One of Latin America's wealthiest countries, Argentina has prided itself on having less of the acute poverty common across the region. But five years of strong economic growth have not lifted Chaco's residents out of poverty.
The slums that circle Chaco's main city of Resistencia are a world away from the elegant shopping malls and bustling steakhouses of Buenos Aires, some 650 miles (1,050 kilometres) to the south, where Argentina's 8 percent annual economic growth is palpable.
While nationwide poverty rates have dropped sharply since a 2001-2002 economic crisis, in Resistencia's slums, about 112,000 people live on $2 or $3 (98 pence or 1.47 pounds) per day and almost half of Chaco's 1 million people live below the poverty line.
As Argentines prepare to elect a new president next month, front-runner Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the first lady, has trumpeted the successes of her husband's presidency in halving the number of poor Argentines.
More than half of Argentines were plunged into poverty at the height of the economic crisis, but it has dropped to about a quarter due to strong economic growth since President Nestor Kirchner took office in 2003.
Cutting it further will be a challenge for Fernandez, whom polls predict will likely win a first round victory in an October 28 vote.
SKEPTICAL
In the shantytowns of Chaco, no one has much to say about the presidential race, and residents are sceptical after seeing endless politicians on the campaign trail make reams of unfulfilled promises.
Rolando Nunez, coordinator of the human rights group the Nelson Mandela Center, said life has worsened for Chaco's poor during the last two decades.
"It's the failure of the government's social and economic policies that has brought us to these levels," he said.
Without an industrial hub or other major economic development, generations of northern Argentina's residents have lived in poverty. Kirchner rolled back some free-market economic policies that many Argentines believe led to the economic collapse, but critics say many parts of the country have lagged behind.
Some analysts say Chaco's economic problems have been aggravated by the soybean boom that played a leading role in the country's dramatic economic recovery.
Soy farming needs less workers than the province's traditional cotton fields, driving people from the countryside to the tin-roofed shacks that circle the main city.
Rivas, 20, lives with her baby and another 2-year-old daughter in a tiny dirt floor hut with no water or electricity.
She gets by on a $50 bag of food staples that the city government hands out once a month and coins her husband picks up running errands or washing car windows at stoplights.
But it's not enough to keep hunger at bay.
Nearby, residents pick through garbage, competing with goats and pigs for the richest pickings.
"There are people who are going through worst times than me," said Jorge Ojeda, 44, said as he looked on, swatting flies. "There are people who have nothing to eat and the only thing they have is the dump."