Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

The Rev. Dana Nelson and Thomas Ososki are ELCA missionaries in Peru serving in parish ministry. To support Dana and Thomas, or another of the ELCA’s 225 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Rev. Dana Nelson and Thomas Ososki

Grace and peace to you from Lima!

We had our first ecumenical wedding in the Peruvian Lutheran Church (ILEP) this spring. In Peru, it is not easy to find a church that will marry a Roman Catholic and Protestant couple. I know that may sound strange, but, unfortunately, there is still a big divide between many “catolicos” y “evangelicos.”

Maria del Pilar and Franklin, two bright, talented, young people, knocked on the door of Cristo Rey because they heard the Lutherans are “open minded” and would welcome them just as they are, and respect and honor the religious histories and traditions of their two families. At the same time, they were concerned about what Franklin’s family, especially his brothers, would feel about having a woman preach in church. They admitted that at age 37, they had never seen a female minister administer sacraments before until they started coming to the Lutheran church.

So after a few weeks of searching, and about fifty phone calls, we found, thank goodness, a priest, Father Diego, who was comfortable with the idea of this “mixed marriage.” He had served as a missionary priest in countries outside of Peru, so it was not so strange for him. In fact, when asked if he would be interested and willing to co-officiate the ceremony (for the sake of Franklin and Maripili and their 400 guests), Padre Diego actually said he would be “encantado” (delighted, enchanted) to participate. It was so much fun! We had a long and elaborate ceremony with Holy Communion and everything (because that’s what the couple wanted) and when it was over, and the guests filed out of the church to go on to the reception, Maripili and Franklin, with big smiles on their faces, said to Padre Diego and me, “!Hoy hemos hecho historia!” “Today, we have made history!”

So to be a Lutheran missionary in Peru is very special. The Peruvian Evangelical Lutheran Church has always promoted ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, and above all gender equality. In fact, when the church was first formed, and the first Peruvian national pastors were ordained, three of the five were women.

Que Dios les bendiga, May God bless you.
Pastora Dana

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Dana Nelson is an ELCA missionary in Lima, Peru. To support Dana, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Among the participants of a recent workshop on domestic violence was a woman, third from the left, who had been attacked with boiling water.

Dear sponsoring congregations, friends and family,

Domestic Violence is a serious issue all over the world as we know.  Peru, where there is a lot of machismo, is no exception.

I am thrilled to have found an excellent program to prevent and stop domestic violence in Peru. It is called Alto a la Violencia (Stop the Violence). In the Peruvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, we have hosted, so far, three of these trainings.

The photo included here is a small group that gathered in Cristo Rey for a workshop.  The tall woman in the photo (third from left and next to me) survived her boyfriend pouring a huge pan of boiling water over her face and body when she was sleeping. Now that she has recovered and healed, she is speaking out, teaching others in Lima what to do if they are in violent relationships, how to get help, how to be safe, how to seek justice and protection, and know their rights as human beings.

In St. Paul, Minn., before I went to seminary, I worked for a time as an advocate in the Latina organization Casa de Esperanza in their domestic violence shelter. I am passionate about ending domestic violence in the world and grateful that God has called me here to Peru to continue this struggle in a small way.

God bless the people of the Alto a la Violencia project as they carry on their important work! They do such good and effective trainings that there is talk of replicating the project in other South American countries.

Have a wonderful new year! Que Dios les bendiga mucho. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Paz,
Pastora Dana

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The English class of Cristo Rey Lutheran congregation (Lima, Peru) studied the script and watched For the Sake of the World, a video presentation that explains how ELCA global ministries are funded. 

This was more than an English-language exercise for the class, for they are “hand in hand” investors in ELCA global ministries.  Their English teacher and pastor, Dana Nelson, is a sponsored ELCA missionary.   During Lent, the class used the ELCA World Hunger 40-day calendar and coin box.  “When Easter came,” writes Pr. Nelson, ”we emptied all of our boxes together on the classroom table and found that together we had collected 87 Peruvian soles  (about $30 U.S. dollars) to donate to ELCA World Hunger.   The students collected this money con mucho amor (with much love).   They were so excited to watch the video presentation and see how their gifts are being used to help people all over the world.

Find the six-minute video presentation online at www.elca.org/handyresources or contact globalmissionsupport@elca.org to request a DVD.–Sue Edison-Swift.

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This is the next in a series of “Give thanks!” moments offered by ELCA missionaries and sponsors. Learn more about Operation Thanks-Giving at www.elca.org/handinhand. –Pr. Twila Schock.

Pr. Dana Nelson and Tom Ososki write, “On our first Thanksgiving here in Peru as a missionary family, it was really important to me that our kids get a chance to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Yet, I didn’t have time to cook!   So we made a ton of unsuccessful phone calls and drove all around the huge city of Lima trying to find a restaurant that served  “Thanksgiving food.”   We finally found one, after it was already dark out.  It was inside a golf-hotel far on the other side of the city.  I remember looking at our small kids across the table in a huge formal dining room that was practically empty.  Our second year in Lima, Thanksgiving was totally different.  We were not alone!  We found a church that has a big, welcoming pot-luck Thanksgiving supper and an ecumenical worship service.  Dozens of people were there from all around the world.  I met other missionaries working in Peru and many other folks as well.  My husband and kids and I shared a table with a Peruvian family.  It was a wonderful evening!

ELCA missionaries Dana Nelson and Tom Ososki work in parish ministry in Peru.   The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Peru (ILEP) is a young church of over 1100 members, committed to working with the most vulnerable in society.  Its congregations are mostly in Lima, with one each in Cusco and Iquitos.  The ELCA accompanies the ILEP in the areas of leadership development and mission outreach.

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The Rev. Dana Nelson and her husband, Thomas Ososki, are ELCA missionaries serving in Peru. Pastor Nelson sends this request for our prayers.–Sue

Please, from wherever you are, pray with us for an end to the violence in the Amazon rainforest of Peru where the native people and national government officials are killing each other over land rights. The area where the native people have been living for generations has oil and gold in it.

Please pray with us. The Church of Sweden is joining us in prayer together with our Peruvian Lutheran Church (ILEP) and churches of all denominations around Peru.
Peace,
Pastora Dana in Lima

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