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[Boyertown, PA, January 2024] Ten members of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Boyertown, traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico in January 2024 to join with staff of Wellspring Karitas Foundation (Berwyn, PA) to learn, serve, and grow in faith. This is the second year that St. John’s has participated in this experience. Team members witnessed firsthand the grassroots projects developed there that allow local disabled people to have full-time, fair-wage employment; encourage young people to stay in school through alternative education; support local farmers, and feed marginalized populations and build community.
Wellspring Karitas Foundation (karitasfoundation.org) partners with Mexican communities on social, educational, and economic revitalization projects. In collaboration with local efforts, Wellspring Karitas develops programs, provides technical assistance, and leverages financial support in a spirit of democracy and reciprocity, empowering people to improve their lives and to assist one another in their individual and collective liberation.
St. John’s member, Jennifer Schlegel commented, “I’m thankful for the ways Pastor Bob has taught us to orient ourselves to where God is smiling and where God is crying. In the St. John’s/Wellspring Karitas site visits in Mexico, it’s readily apparent where God is smiling and crying. Certainly God is crying over adult men working 10-12 hours a day cutting sugar cane with a machete in order to harvest one ton of cane – all for about $7 US. No wonder men bring family members into the field to cut one ton of cane faster. We witnessed men, women, and children cutting cane in the fields.” There is an alternative for children, and that’s the migrant camp school. St. John’s financial support for the migrant camp school has recently been used to develop a music program. Children are enticed to remain in school rather than work in the fields. As the school administrators put it, one fewer child in the cane fields now is one fewer migrant cane worker in the future.
Another program supported by St. John’s and Wellspring Karitas is Resiliente. Resiliente strives to be totally inclusive, accessible, and sustainable. It practices fair, local trade; and crosses social, cultural, and economic divides; and is being consulted by institutions, beyond the borders of Mexico, about best practices in inclusive labor. All the staff have intellectual or auditory disabilities. “Resiliente dreams of a world where we want to understand each other and where every voice is heard.” (karitasfoundation.org)
When asked the question, “How did this trip impact you?” Olivia Alderfer, a teen traveler, answered, “One of the first things that I thought of was - change is possible. The organizations supported by Wellspring Karitas have grown immensely since the last group visited a year ago. Café Resiliente has grown from about 10-13 employees to 40 employees over the past year. So much so, they had to change their location and building to accommodate all the people that they support. This makes me think of the parable of the mustard seed. Wellspring Karitas is creating small changes every day that result in a much bigger impact.”
St. John’s team members look forward to sharing their experiences with the congregation and wider community, including ways that the trip will bear fruit and plant seeds in our own community. Jen Schlegel states, “I am assured that St. John’s contributions to Wellspring Karitas have absolutely made substantive positive changes in the lives of many people through various programs. Yes, God is crying, and yes, God is smiling. The money is being spent purposefully, contributing to building intentional relationships and activating these relationships to address and fulfill the needs of specific communities. Wow, is God at work!”
At St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Boyertown you are invited to witness all the amazing things God has been up to in our lives and community! We are purposed with creating totally devoted disciples of Jesus Christ with a focus on authentic worship, intentional relationships, sacrificial service, and radical generosity. We are committed to loving God and loving ALL people. To learn more visit stjohnsboyertown.org.
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