Encourage one another

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Global Mission Support

The Rev. Dana Nelson and her husband,  Thomas Ososki, are ELCA missionaries based in Lima, Peru.  Here is an edited excerpt from one of their newsletters.  Learn how to help support the “hand in hand” ministries of ELCA missionaries like Pr. Dana and Thomas by visiting www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

 “What’s a pollada?” I asked, understanding that it had something to do with chicken (the Spanish word for “chicken” is pollo).  I was told it’s “a chickening” or “a chicken shower.”  I’ve come to understand pollada (pronounced poyáda) to be a chicken-dinner-fundraiser.

 Last month my kids and I attended a pollada at Roberto’s house to raise money for his healthcare.  Roberto, a dear member of our congregation, and his family seasoned and fried up about 20 pollos for the dinner. The evening of dinner, dancing and socializing raised enough money to buy a three-month supply of needed medicine.

 As I looked around the dance floor (his mother’s living room) I saw many members of the congregation.  We were happy to be together and to be able to help.  Perhaps I should translate pollada as “the mutual up-building of the saints.”

 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

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One Response to 'Encourage one another'

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  1. Michael Roberts said,

    on July 16th, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    Pastor Dana,
    Thanks for the post! I just attended a pollada at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in LaGrange, TX, to raise funds to support ILEP’s Sembrando ministry, which is designed to be very similar to Emanuel’s program of feeding children every day, providing school tutoring, and family counseling. Many others visited from the entire region, including Dr Luis Campos who was guest speaker. You may know Dr. Campos from his Operación San Andrés in Collique (only one street over from Emanuel). It was a great day! We will have a group visiting Peru the last week of October. Hope to see you then.