Interesting turn of political events

Maybe those of you have been following the political news from Chile heard about the right wing presidential candidate, Pablo Longueira, stepping down from the race due to being diagnosed with depression.  Chile had been working a long to to agree on policies for primary elections, and had finally put them together for the first time with a surprisingly good turnout.  The two right wing parties agreed to support each other no matter which of their candidates came out first, and Longueira, from the far right, won.  On the left, Michelle Bachelet not only had the highest number of votes by far, but also the highest turn out of voters.

With the election coming in November, the right ended up with no candidate at all as their coalition fell apart with Longueira's resignation.  The right has more or less agreed on a new candidate.   The new candidate, running against Michelle Bachelet, is also a woman, Evelyn Matthei.

So Chile may just have two women as the main contenders for the presidency, interesting for a country that is still very conservative in many ways.  But the comparisons go even further. Both women are the daughters of Air Force Generals - they knew each other as children.  Bachelet's father was a military attache in Washington DC at the Chilean embassy so she speaks excellent English, while Matthei`s father served in the Chilean embassy in London where she also learned English. Bachelet´s father was on the "wrong" side of the coup and died in the air force  institution where Matthei's father was the director.  Bachelet`s family contends that the former General Alberto Bachelet was murdered.  General Matthei always insisted he knew nothing about the internal operations of that institution and that he was only a figurehead .  General Matthei was the Minister of health for the military junta under Pinochet, and Michelle Bachelet, a pediatrician and epidemiologist with studies in military strategy served as Health Minister and Defense Minister under President Ricardo Lagos after democracy was restored in Chile.  

Bachelet is a separated mother of three who raised her children alone while  Evelyn Matthei is a still married mother of three. 

General Matthei was the first Junta member to publicly admit that the military regime had lost the October 1988 referendum to elect General Pinochet for a new eight year term.  Michelle Bachelet and her mother were held in a concentration camp and finally had to flee the country living first in Australia and then Germany before finally returning home after Pinochet was defeated. 

It promises to be an interesting election with the dynamics of two women who seem to have lived parallel lives with so many points of comparison and yet with personal stories shaped by their father's decisions and loyalties.  Mirror lives,  one on the left and the other on the right, that have lead to vastly different political positions and personal convictions, and public interpretations of the modern history of Chile.

Abide in me...

Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 

Dear Ones,

                I heard a great sermon by Margaret Suchocki at the General Assembly of the Disciples in Orlando.  It is the kind of sermon that forever enriches your appreciation of God.  One of the things that she said in the sermon is that while God is always, everywhere, and to an infinite degree present feelingly to all, we are usually only dimly, if at all, aware of that presence.  In a way, this “darkened glass” to God’s presence is a blessing, because the presence could be so overwhelming that we would never get anything done.  Still, a large part of our spiritual pilgrimage is to wipe the darkened glass such that we can experience more of the presence.

                This is what I think the spiritual disciplines are about.  I had occasion to practice a (for me) completely new spiritual discipline this past week.  Unfortunately (for you, not for me), I forgot to take along my camera, so you have no material evidence of my introduction to street preaching.  The “predica” is an integral part of the Chilean Pentecostal experience.  The idea is that on the way to church, small groups of Pentecostals, guitars and mandolins in hand of the musicians, Bibles and hymnbooks in the hands of singers, gather on important street corners.  After the people sing out a couple of hymns, the designated street preacher holds forth on a brief exposition of the Gospel to the (mostly oblivious) passers-by.  

                I was sitting at the table in the Bishop’s house when Jenny, one of the household, came in and greeted us on her way out to the “predica”.  I was looking for a gracious way of escaping the enourmous mug of tea sitting in front of me (I had to preach in the big church in an hour and didn’t want all that liquid sitting in my bladder), and so I asked if I could tag along.  We joined the band of Pentecostals by the railroad tracks—during the hymn the cheerful horn of the train joined our lone sax to drown out the mandolins and guitars.  Hernán, the assistant guide (sort of an associate pastor) of the “local” (mission church of the Curicó big church) told me, “Let me show you how it’s done” and loudly held forth to the blank facades of a row of houses.  A couple of neighbors did peek out during his “sermon” and studiously ignored us, even as Hernán preached as though a whole crowd were listening intently.  He drew to a close and the woman who led our band came up to me and said, “your turn”.    So I quickly held forth on Deuteronomy 6:5, the first Scripture verse that came into my mind.  Afterwards Hernán proudly told me that he will forever remind me that he was the one who taught me to preach on the street.

                Why do it?  Well, for one it feels surprisingly good.  Here it is done so much and so often by so many different denominations, that it is an acceptable part of the landscape—much like Christian Christmas music at restaurants and grocery stores.  No one pays any particular attention, but no one is offended either—a painless way to fulfill one’s duty to “recognize Jesus before men (and women, and stray dogs, too)”.  But there is another reason, too.  There is the hope that someone may indeed listen and come a little closer to God.  This church has a profound conviction that a relationship with the Lord Jesus makes a positive difference in a person’s life.  This conviction  is not consciously rooted in  evangelical orthodoxy, but in a very commonsense, practical reasoning:  people have many difficulties in life, God in Jesus is potentially present in power to all, it is our job to make people aware that they can open the door to God in Jesus such that they will sense God with them in every situation.  In the US, we Christians believe that people essentially find religion offensive, so it is very difficult for us to share faith openly.  We have a kind of ingrained sense that most people don’t need or want Jesus.   It felt very good to put off that sense and to feel what my Pentecostal sisters and brothers feel, that it is a good thing to offer someone else a relationship with Jesus.

                Such preaching demands a parade.  Once my little message was through, punctuated by the final Amens of my Pentecostal rooting section on the otherwise empty street, the guitars and mandolins started up again and we slowly yet cheerfully processed through the cold streets on our way to the main church.  We caught glimpses of other groups like ours wending their way toward us on the side streets of Curico from multiple street preaching points where Pentecostals have proclaimed the gospel for generations to whomever would and wouldn’t hear.  Like airplanes circling and waiting for the air traffic controller to give them the signal to land, the different groups came to the entrance of the sanctuary and waited for the head deacon to have each group process down the aisle to the altar where we finished our song with hands held high and a triple “Gloria a Dios” before we each found our places in the pews.  And God was present.  And God enjoyed every bit of it.

                                In Christ,

               

David J. Huegel

Pictures from the weekend

 Bundled up for winter!! Isaac, Elena and Aaron.

 Playing in the snow at the pass between Chile and Argentina.

Sliding!!

Letter 2 from David in Chile

Thus saith the LORD, “Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”  But they said, “We will not walk therein.”  (Jeremiah 6:16, KJV, the only English version I have with me in Chile)

Dear Ones,

                I have been thinking about heritage ever since I knew that I would be coming to Chile in as a volunteer missionary for Gobal Ministries.  It was such a thrill to see my picture alongside my sister Elena’s picture as a GM missionary. 

                During my adult life I have often told people that I was the black sheep of our family because I am the only sibling who lives and serves in the United States, since my two other brothers serve with other missionary agencies in different parts of the world.  But our connection to Global Ministries and its predecessors goes way back.   In fact, if Elena continues as a staff missionary (something that Global Ministries seems to desire as much as she does) in 2020 the Huegel family will have completed 100 years of continuous service in the mission agencies of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  My grandparents arrived in Mexico in 1920 and served 50 years.  My dad (who married my mom in 1961) arrived in Mexico in 1954 and left in 1996.  My sister arrived in Paraguay in 1994 (we think) and was called to chile in 1996 or thereabouts.  

                As I sat in the very cold sanctuary of the Pentecostal Church of Chile in the city of Talca last night, the matter of heritage was brought home to me.   We sang “The Old Rugged Cross” accompanied by guitars, mandolins, and a single drum, and clapping only in the pauses between stanzas.  In those pauses we sometimes gave a triple “glory to God” in the Chilean Pentecostal fashion.  You think of charismatic and Pentecostal churches as being very spontaneous, freewheeling, and changeable—but the Pentecostal Church of Chile has well-defined liturgical and ministerial traditions.  They always say “Glory to God” three times, their choirs are always divided by gender—only the women play mandolins, and only the men play the guitars.  The mandolins require the greater skill, you see. 

                Back in the 1980’s when I lived in Mexico City, the government’s agency called the National Indigenist Institute was forever attacking the Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Press.  Their main complaint was that Wycliffe, by sending missionaries, modern technology, and a message foreign to the natives’ culture, was destroying fragile cultural environments that could never be replaced.  The government agency performed a valuable service to the missionaries, because it made them aware of the need to listen carefully and respect the local culture.  They came to realize that God in Jesus was already present in these cultures, and that their job was to enable the people to recognize that presence more fully and to give them the tools to appropriate the Gospel for themselves.

                But it seems to me that that controversy from the 1980’s has particular resonance for the Christian community for today.  Christianity is becoming globalized and in the process, the local flavors of Christianity are threatened to be lost.  I expect to see many signs of that globalization on this trip—the acoustic mandolins and guitars will be overshadowed by brass, by percussion, and by electronics.  I guess the change is necessary, but it is a little sad.

                One thing that I hope to not see change about the Pentecostal Church of Chile is the commitment to creatively serve the community.  Pastor Carlos, the senior minister of the church in Talca, told me how the church pulled together after the earthquake in 2010 to build cabins for people who had been left homeless.   They didn’t wait for money to come to the States (although Week of Compassion and the United Church of Christ Massachusetts Conference did fairly quickly come alongside the project).  Instead, the national denomination decided to forgo its entire budget for that year and pledged the full amount (a lot less than you would expect for a denomination this size) for 13’ x 26’ cabins, which volunteers from the churches mass-produced on an assembly line in a church’s roofed patio. 

                Sometimes walking in the old paths, when the old paths involve the expression of selfless love, represents a good way to approach the future.  Pastor Carlos spoke to me of a “local”  (many of the churches of the Pentecostal Church of Chile have “small” group ministries that have their own building, and these are called “locals”) of his church that for 20 years has dreamt of serving meals to the poor in their neighborhood.  Finally this year they have had the resources to add a dining hall to their building and have begun to serve meals on weekends to kids who are fed in school during the week but who go hungry on Saturday and Sunday.  Now, that’s an “old path” after God’s heart.

                God, grant us to hang on to that which is good in our heritage!

                                                                                In Christ,

                . 

Family visit

Hello to all my blog readers.  Since I will have my oldest brother, David, here for a visit along with his two sons Isaac and Aaron, and he will be writing regular letters and stories, for the next few weeks I will include his reflections in my blog.  I hope you enjoy!

Shalom

E

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.  There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has arisen and has appeared to Simon.”  Luke 24:33-34

Dear Ones,

                Today was the first day of our mission trip to Chile.  It began at 9 AM in Houston, Texas, and ended at 10 PM in--- Houston, Texas.  When the Lord sends you out of your home, you sometimes return there before going elsewhere. 

                During the next few weeks you will receive an indeterminate number of devotional journal entries recording the events of spiritual significance in a missionary trip/pilgrimage/visit to my sister Elena in Chile.  I am going out under the blessing and sponsorship of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United church of Christ.  My sons Isaac (13) and Aaron (8) are going out under the sponsorship of their Aunt Elena (Global Ministries staff missionary in Chile) and their grandparents who want to help them rescue their Spanish. 

                Our adventures actually began several weeks ago with a trip to the town of Silsbee, Texas (two US, highways, three farm to market roads, a State highway, a roadside honkey-tonk, and a county landfill away from Houston) to get passports.  But that is a story for another time and context (though it did involve a very nice Roman Catholic parish, deserving in its own way of a pilgrimage).

                This adventure began with our 19 year old son Evan, his rather small Nissan, and as much luggage as we figured United Airlines would let us take.  It made for a less-than-completely comfortable trip to Dallas-Fort Worth airport, especially for Aaron and Isaac in the back seat.  Nonetheless, with only one stop at Subway in Waco for lunch and another for gas in Arlington, early afternoon found myself and the two younger boys at the United Ticket counter at D-FW, waiting for our boarding passes to - - - Houston, of course! 

                The way this works is that out of Houston the plane tickets on United cost $300.00 (and from Dallas on American) more than they do out of Dallas.  So to save nearly one thousand big ones, we drive to Dallas and catch the plane back to Houston.  The interesting little additional catch is that there is a 13 hour layover before the plane to Panama City leaves tomorrow morning.  Consequently, Mama (my wife, the kids’ mother—Cecilia Huegel, RN to y’all) was waiting for us at the Houston airport to drive us home so we can sleep in our own beds (for a few hours at least).  

                Now, I ask you is that not a fit parable for the way that you should begin every mission trip?  After all the preparations, organization, and running around;  before you go out, go home;  fall into your Heavenly Parent’s arms, and get a good night’s rest in the bed that Parent has made up just for you.   I mean after all, the whole point of sharing Jesus’ love with people is that He has come to make it possible for us to be at home with God—and to prepare an eternal home for us together with God—both here and the hereafter.  God is both our starting point and our destination—a little like Houston for us today. 

                Still, we are looking forward to leaving Houston (and the beastly heat) tomorrowto go south, way south.   Goodbye summer, hello winter! 

                                                                Reverently (not Reverendly) Yours,

David J. Huegel

Pantomime: Creation

This week I finished uploading some of the videos we produced to accompany the environmental education materials called "The pieces of the blue planet."  This videos were filmed and produced with volunteers from the Pentecostal Church of Chile and the Shalom Center and have been used to teach environmental principles to grade school students both in the church, in schools and in local communities.  There are several videos you may watch, some do not have words and the others are in Spanish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj69W65UxDg

Chupalla de paja

Hello to all!  I just finished making a short video on my visit to Romeral to see how Chilean hats are made.  I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvUufD6oXvo&list=HL1373843309&feature=mh_lolz