Morning Gathering
This moring we heard from Jim Wallis, founder of the Sojourners community in Washington, DC. He challenged us to consider poverty as a moral value and to keep our hearts and minds attentive to God’s concern for the poor… a theme that runs throughout Scripture.
Afternoon
In the afternoon we gathered at the convention center for a boxed lunch and then spent the afternoon attending various workshops and activities at the El Puente Interaction Center. I attended one on praying the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic and even got to learn some Middle Eastern dance. Others went to workshops for “girls only” and “guys only” as well as to hear musicians like Ken Medema weave stories into song.
Evening
In the evening Gathering we heard from Yessenia Vazquez, a young woman from Guatemala who escaped from an abusive family at home at age 15 and came to the US. Hers was a powerful story.
We also heard the story of Francis Bok, from the Sudan, who was abducted by slave traders at age 7 and lived as a slave for 10 years before escaping. He has detailed his journey from slavery to freedom in a book, Escape from Slavery.
Singer Ken Medema combined there stories in a wonderful song that echoed the “year of Jubilee” proclaimed in Leviticus, chapter 25.