Photos of our 4:30pm Christingle Mass (and sundry others) taken Christmas Eve 2009, and courtesy of Michael Bruner (not the sundrys...only the great shots!)
Apologies for the photo order...VOX doesn't always cooperate.
With gratitude for Director Suzanne Holder, Sunday School Director Cassandra Kirby, and behind the scenes workers Ruth Shankwiler and June Stadtler...and, of course, to our beautiful kids! Best photos by Michael Bruner, the rest blame on Woodward.
See you in 2010!
Dear God, the troubles of our world have left many of us speechless. We don’t know how, in the numbness around jobs lost, illnesses we don’t have the resources to cure, a planet imperiled by the accumulated effects of our greed, and the seemingly endless presence of war and violence, to say our prayers. We are lighting candles, though – in our Advent wreaths, quietly, in side chapels of our churches, in our rooms where no one else but You can see. The candle flame is our prayer, wordless but filled with meaning, with petition, hope, and faith. And the candle flame is your answer to our prayer. You lighten our darkness, O Lord. Amen
My dad was rushed to the hospital yesterday. He fell, and his neck hit a chair, which crushed his larynx. At first he thought he was okay, but once swelling and bleeding started obstructing his airway, he realized he needed to go to the hospital. The paramedics got him to the Sylva hospital quickly, giving him a tracheotomy in the process. We got to see him before they then transferred him to Asheville where we are now keeping vigil. He's in critical condition, and while we are hoping for the best, we are preparing for the worst, or something in between.
Cristosal Foundation
Tenth Anniversary Celebration
in El Salvador
February 19 to March 1, 2010
Dear Friends:
You are invited to participate in this trip to El Salvador which promises to be an especially rewarding experience. For many, this will be a first time trip, but for others a repeated experience. Partly pilgrimage, mission trip, and cultural encounter, our time among the people of El Salvador, and supporting the work of the Anglican/Episcopal Church there, will change your view of life in North America and your perceptions about the church’s role in the world.
You are encouraged to make your own travel arrangements to El Salvador on Friday, February 19, 2010. You will be met at the airport by representatives of Cristosal and/or the Anglican Church of El Salvador (La Iglesia Anglicana/Episcopal de El Salvador - IAES) and transported 30 minutes to the Hotel Alameda.
Our time in El Salvador will be shared with others from various parts of North America who will be present for the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Cristosal Foundation. More on this later…
Itinerary
Saturday (February 20) will be a day for settling in and orientation. Opportunity will be available to go as a group in the afternoon to visit the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero. On Saturday evening, we will enjoy our first in-country meal of Salvadoran papusas.
On Sunday we will attend church at La Iglesia de San Juan Evangelista. The priest there, Rev. Luis Serrano, is a Spanish born priest who has lived and served in Central America since the early 1970s. During the civil war in El Salvador, he was imprisoned as a suspected guerrilla collaborator. In fact, he was arrested for bringing rice and beans to the 1,000+ war refugees who were sheltering within the walled compound surrounding the church. The former primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Michael Peers, and former presiding bishop of ECUSA, Edmond Browning, visited Padre Serrano several times during his imprisonment. Padre Serrano speaks English and is a proficient artist as we will see on numerous occasions at newer churches throughout the diocese.
From Monday until Thursday (February 22-25), participants will have a choice of three activity options:
Religio-Cultural Option: Participants in this option will be introduced to the cultural history of El Salvador, go to places of religious significance such as the University of Central America where six Jesuit priests were assassinated on November 16, 1989 (almost exactly twenty years ago), celebrate mass with the inmates at the prison in the city of San Miguel, go to the Museum of the Revolution (Museo de la Revolución) located in the town of Perquin in the eastern part of the country, and make a pilgrimage to the former community of El Mozote where 1,000 people were massacred over a three day period in December of 1981. We will also visit some Anglican parishes to experience the social development work being accomplished.
Economic Option: Participants in this option will come to a better understanding of the agricultural practices that El Salvador has experienced since the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. There will be a visit to a coffee plantation and an opportunity to see how coffee is processed for export. A significant part of the country’s income is derived from textile manufacturing plants (maquilas). We will have a chance to visit one of these factories. The diocese has developed means to foster income among the rural peasants campesinos) living in outlying parishes, and we will observe some of these projects personally.
Ecological Option: Coffee plantations throughout El Salvador are linked by green belts to ensure habitat and migratory routes for indigenous wildlife. Unfortunately, centuries of exploitation of the land has resulted in a devastated ecosystem. Those who choose the ecological option will be exposed to the realities that have resulted: risk of mudslides due to erosion, as well as depleted and contaminated soil. We will take a boat tour of a mangrove swamp where shrimp are reared and harvested. El Salvador has five active volcanoes, and we will visit El Parque Nacional Los Volcanes to climb the Izalco Volcano.
Each of these options will include at least one night away from the Hotel Alameda. It will be necessary to vacate your room at the hotel for this period.
Friday (February 26) will be a free day. Two organized electives will be available: shopping or the beach. The currency in El Salvador is the U.S. dollar. Although the cost of living is relatively high in El Salvador, a number of handcrafted items can be obtained at reasonable prices. With regard to the beaches, El Salvador is a world-renowned destination for surfing. The coast is beautiful (and quite a bit more humid than the city of San Salvador at an altitude of 684 meters), with black volcanic sand, and places available to rent surfboards or purchase inexpensive boogie boards. On this day, you will be responsible for your own lunch and dinner.
Tenth Anniversary Celebration
The weekend of February 27-28 is designated a commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Cristosal Foundation (Fundación Cristosal). This organization, based in Vermont, serves, supports and accompanies the Anglican Church’s work in El Salvador. On Saturday, there will be a forum that will involve interaction between local agencies and North American visitors on a theme acknowledging the value of international volunteerism. The Office of the President of the Republic, Mauricio Funes, has been contacted in the hope that the president will be available to address us.
On Saturday evening there will be a celebratory banquet. On Sunday morning, we will travel to the western part of the country to a diocesan development called El Maizal. There we will enjoy a festive eucharist and the dedication of monument erected in gratitude to those who have served the church as volunteers. An al fresco lunch and soccer tournament will follow. Tours of El Maizal and the opportunity to visit private homes will be available.
On Sunday evening we will return to the Hotel Alameda in San Salvador in preparation for departure on Monday, March 1.
Accommodations
The Hotel Alameda is a secure, modest, clean hotel in the heart of the capital city of El Salvador. It boasts such amenities as electricity, hot and cold running water, and a well-maintained swimming pool. The staff is very attentive to the needs of guests. During our time at the Hotel Alameda, breakfast and most dinners will be provided there. The hotel is within walking distance (in groups) to the Diocesan Centre (Centro Diocesano), the pro cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist (La Iglesia de San Juan Evangelista), MetroCentro which is the largest and most modern shopping mall in Central America, and via the central market to the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral which contains the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The year 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Romero’s death.
In Preparation
The cost of the trip will be $1,495 (U.S.) plus airfare. This includes accommodation at the Hotel Alameda on the nights of February 19-28 (based on double occupancy; single rooms available at a moderate additional cost. Please inquire with Kevin Dixon if – at additional cost - you would prefer to stay at the nearby, 5 star Hotel InterContinental). Also, most meals and transportation within El Salvador are included in this price.
Registration deadline is January 15, 2010 with a non-refundable deposit of $500, payable to Cristosal Foundation, due at that time.
Good general health is required for this trip. While there is no maximum age limit, you should be prepared for some long days, extended bus journeys, lengthy walks and hikes over rough, hilly terrain. The weather will be hot and dry during February. Please inquire with your physician or other qualified medical practitioner regarding necessary immunizations and other health precautions that may be advisable.
You must have a valid passport to travel to El Salvador. Be certain that your passport expiry date is no sooner than September 1, 2010. You will be charged for a tourist visa (less than $20) upon arrival at the airport in El Salvador.
For more information about the history, culture and economics of El Salvador, visit the website of the CIA World Factbook at www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html or the Canadian Foreign Affairs website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Cristosal website is www.cristosal.org.
Recent mudslides in El Salvador
At least 150 people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flooding and mudslides that buried communities Sunday, November 8, 2009 and left a swath of destruction in El Salvador. Another 13,680 people went to emergency shelters. Laura Mata, communications manager for World Vision in El Salvador, said 40 percent of the dead are children. The most affected departments are San Salvador, La Paz, Cuscatlan, Usulatan and San Vicente. San Vicente is the most heavily affected. The El Salvadoran government's web site states there were 108 landslides, 209 destroyed buildings and another 1,835 damaged ones. In all, 18 bridges were affected, it said. Private, government and U.N. donations have all been promised, but the needs exceed supplies, with high demand for food, construction materials, plastic sheeting, medications and clothing. Fumigation efforts were slated to begin Tuesday to reduce the chances of disease.
Excerpt from a recent email from Richard Bower, executive director of Cristosal: “I would like to share with you what IAES is doing in El Salvador, responding to the emergencies of housing, clothing and food for those whose neighborhoods have been destroyed by floods and mud slides. Yesterday I sent $3,500.00 to Martin to be of help, from special donation we have received. Episcopal Relief and Development sent $7,500, which seems a small amount for them. The church is working with other organizations to provide what is needed. The church has taken on responsibility to help 1,563 families, which include 6,747 persons. An inventory of families and needs was completed this past week. Please keep Archbishop Martín and the church in your prayers. They are working very hard.”
For more information about this trip to El Salvador, please contact Rev. Kevin Dixon at kdixon@stmaryskerrisdale.ca or call (604) 261-4228.
Please mail your completed registration form, with a $500 U.S. deposit check payable to Cristosal Foundation to:
Cristosal Tenth Anniversary Celebration
c/o Rev. Kevin Dixon
2490 W. 37th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V6M 1P5
CANADA
First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.
The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.
When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.
It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.
Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.
As always, thanks for your patience.
I didn't find God in any particular way on the corner of Amistad... didn't even find Amistad if there is one in NYC. But I did find some great street art near the corner of 104th and Amsterdam: a broken t/v tray and an a single shoe.
I took this photo in the Whole Foods in New Orleans, LA, while home in Mississippi - I thought it would make a pleasant fall, Halloween contribution to my Facebook page.
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