Wednesday, 3/18/26 Around 5pm, over 1/2 of our group found out that our flight the next morning was canceled without much explanation. They offered a flight the next day, which we didn't feel was a good option given how tight our schedule in El Salvador was. We frantically called the airline and gave each other advice via email and texting about what number(s) worked to get through and what the best alternate flight path was - a flight out of New Orleans instead of Baton Rouge that left early enough the following morning to get us to Dallas and make our original connection to El Salvador. Eight of us made the change successfully, two people decided to stay home, and one took the Friday flight. It was a stressful beginning, but also evidence that our group had the flexibility to pivot and work together without too much drama...important for international travel! Thursday, 3/19/26 We arrived in El Salvador. We drove from the airport to the Capital City, San Salvador, stopping on the...
I don’t expect this post to be super groundbreaking or mind-and-heart-transforming. Most of what I am going to write has been written by many others, and I will do some citing and directing to some of those sources as I go along. Then why write? In part, because the writings of others have helped me along my own journey of faith evolution as I have asked hard questions and wrestled with different ideas. Writers like Rachel Held Evans , Sarah Bessey , Jeff Chu , and Jen Hatmaker have “held lanterns” (as Jen says ) for me, and I want to do my best to hold a lantern for others. I also write because it is exercise for my soul. Sometimes, the itch to write strikes and for days things bounce around in my head and heart until I get them on paper. June is Pride month, which is a time of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. For those of us who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community, it should be a time to offer support to our friends and siblings who are, and to stand in solidarity with ...