Greetings from the youth event in Inca Capturapi (District: Andino Norte)!

You may be wondering why everyone is pointing to their belly buttons and staring at them. Well, as we understand it, sin is turning away from God and focusing only on ourselves, like blinders on a horse. When we do this, we miss what goes on around us and often that includes the people, places and stories that pass through our lives, giving them meaning. Many times we hear of people wanting to only live in their “corner of the world,” but when we stop and think about it, all our little corners overlap. When we ignore our neighbors, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we miss seeing the face of Jesus in their face. We did this activity with the youth as a way demonstrate this point. Try it out for yourself: see if you can focus on your “neighbor” when you’re only staring at your navel. Love, Kari 

This “missionary moment” is excerpted from the Eller’s May 2010 newsletter.  The Rev. Justin and Kari Eller are ELCA Missionaries serving in Bolivia.  Learn how you can sponsor missionaries like the Ellers by visiting  www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship or e-mailing globalmissionsupport@elca.org.