Face to Face

After one day of travel and two days of work at Samaritano school, we entered a weekend of cultural and spiritual experiences connecting to our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters. First stop was Huembes Market. It was festive and colorful but different from the open markets back home, and certainly no kin to WalMart. Souvenirs were purchased with US dollars ("In God We Trust") and change was given in cordobas ("En Dios Confiamos"). These are identical phrases. On to Leon for lunch, a cathedral tour and a visit to the Revolutionary Museum. We were privileged to tour the museum, as there was a reunion of FSLN (ruling party) veterans from the revolution which was fought in the late 70s and 80s. The revolution began there in Leon, this continent's second-oldest city. The men leading the tour, who once had their guns turned on American-backed "contras," were very polite and - how can I say - gracious in victory to our crowd of "norteamericanos." On Sunday, once again we came face to face with the participants of this conflict. We attended a church service at San Marcos, led by Father Eduardo. Now a Methodist minister, he was once a fighter in the same war. His sermon focused on the healing and forgiving power of Jesus Christ. It felt as if another bridge were built today between our peoples.