missionaryMAC

It's been a celebratory last week in Santiago: we installed TWO new missionary pastors. Both were already ordained, but at regular Divine Services on Wednesday and Sunday (yesterday), respectively, they were officially placed into their roles as shepherds of particular congregations. For both, this step signals the beginning of a transition from on-field orientation to day-to-day ministry.  1. Rev. Roberto Weber, Iglesia Luterana el Buen Pastor, Palmar Arriba I brought MK Ryan (age 10) with me since his dad was part of the service and had to be there early. He picked out a seat in the 2nd row so we could see everything up close. The service was lovely - featuring choirs of a) seminarians and b) ladies from the church - but SO hot. Roberto was directly in front of me and sweating bullets; twice I passed him Kleenex from the travel pack in my purse. Something tells me the new pastor might revisit a long since tabled conversation about A/C. In the spirit of true immersion, Rev. David

Even if they (the title verbs) happen nine years apart.  I drove Rev. David Mommens, LAC's first intensive Spanish for pastors candidate, to the seminary today, to experience a day of student life but more so to preach at chapel (in Spanish after just over a week here, so the program obviously works - ha!). Milling around before the start of the service, I "met" the newest residential seminary student, Francisco, who arrived in the Dominican from Chile on Saturday with his wife and three kids.  Seated, L to R: Francisco, Jesús (Venezuela), and Fernando (Cuba).   "Met" should have been "greeted," because as he shook my hand, Francisco enthusiastically told me we'd met in Constitución (Chile, when I led a Lutheran Hour Ministries mission trip there in 2015).  ***Inserts foot in mouth and scours Chile trip photos*** Could it be? My captions testified to the fact that one of the individuals we saw baptized and confirmed was  named Francisco (2nd fro