Joan & Merle Gunderman
Epiphany 2020
So the first spiritual/life
lesson of 2020 was skimming through our local paper just after the holidays and
seeing a local church ad entitled: Sanctity
of Lip Service with the date and time.
I thought (add just a tinge of sarcasm here), “Oh yeah, that’s
about right!” Just to get another smug
chuckle out of it, I looked at it again, only this time it read Sanctity of Life Service. Good thing I double-checked the source, I
guess, before I made a judgmental fool of myself by “advertising” my first
reading of it, with my own cynical spin on it.
I could write out all kinds of applications for this, but you can too,
so I’ll leave that to you!
This turned out to be a year
of intriguing travel for both of us.
Joan
January: Tijuana/San
Diego border, Sanctuary Caravan.
Volunteered for a week at a shelter for immigrants
who had been temporarily released from detention. This is a shelter which has been working for a long time. They help them
get connected with friends/family who were going
to house them, make travel arrangements for them, provide a “triage” to treat
any physical issues (from lice to flu to injuries received in
detention), provide several meals, coats/shoes/a
few items of clothing, diapers, underwear, etc.
I worked with young children, mostly,
one little girl (4?) who was deeply traumatized. Mostly they wanted to learn/practice English!
April: Honduras w/Synod Team. Visited a number of out-laying villages with tiny Lutheran congregations to learn how
they support their ministries, how creative
they are both in ministry and finding ways to fund them. Some we’d never visited before because of the
activity/violence of gangs which made
it unsafe for both residents and visitors/Americans.
Heart-breaking poverty, malnourished kids (except for the one village where the church had developed a
lunch program for any child in the village
who needed it). We listen to dreams and
visions of what they need and
what kinds of new ministries
they want to begin. We’re talking just
handfuls of people in each village, but with the
faith, hope, determination of a
thousand. Very definitely a mutual
ministry between us as “Companion
Synods.”
Oct. 23-Dec 5: (6 weeks) Ecuador,
through Road Scholar educational travel.
5 of those weeks were intensive Spanish classes, and the other (and
weekends) were touring the country, including
the Galapagos (pre-oil-spill). Incredible
beauty and history throughout the country. I could share so much more
from all three of this trips… I posted
a bunch of photos over the weeks I was
in Ecuador, if you want to see more.
Merle
Sept. (10 days): Road trip to visit Adam in Portland, a trip
through Canada he’s been wanting to do for years. He thoroughly enjoyed it, and mostly enjoyed
Father-Son time with Adam. They always have such a good time together!
Aug.-Sept. (1 week): Little Sweden, our time-share
in Door County, WI. His sanctuary.
Both
Jan. 3-Mar. 2: Panama City, FL – while the weather wasn’t
great, it wasn’t sub-zero with frequent snow!
Sept.-Oct. (8 days):
Caribbean Cruise – to a part of the Caribbean we hadn’t seen before. Ahhhhh!
Our kids and grandkids are doing marvelously,
and we are always so proud of them. I
could write another whole tome just about them, they give us such joy and
love! Robbie just turned 2 and is an
absolute hoot; Beau is turning 8 in a few weeks and is fun, curious, and so, so
kind; Brailee is now 11 (gasp!) and is very much a pre-teen girl (smile) as
well as a pretty fair hockey player on a local hockey team. She’s known as being “aggressive” so is
trying to find creative ways to accomplish her goals without breaking the rules
(isn’t that fun?!). I can’t help but
wonder if they call boys who aren’t afraid to get in the fray something more
positive in our culture, like “fearless” or something…)
Merle and I are also part of two "activist" groups in Grand Rapids: 1) Community Action Team, where we address issues of racism in our area (against Native and African American people). 2) Circle of Healing, which involves meeting with, listening to, and working with Native Americans mostly in (but not limited to) our county, getting to know native culture, history, and people here, helping financially support major improvement projects on the reservation, celebrating success and milestones and the like. We have met wonderful people through both groups, are learning a lot, and really enjoy doing more than "ain't it awful" hand-wringing. We are so blessed.
I want to close with some
quotes that have assisted me cope with and act upon current realities:
Hope is found in a humble
baby Jesus born in poverty
Powery, Luke A. Rise up, Shepherd!: Advent Reflections on the Spirituals . (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2017). pg. ix
Keeping hope alive is our greatest
challenge, our greatest opportunity, and our greatest reward. May these words
remind you of the things forgotten, awaken what is dormant, energize that which
is active, and give hope where hope seems lost.
Prophesy Hope!
DANTÉ STEWART
For us, anger and hope are an
unbreakable cord, one which holds the promise of truth and life together. We
are angry, yet we are hopeful. We are hopeful, yet we are angry. Both have room
to speak.
Prophesy Hope!
DANTÉ STEWART
Rich blessings of kindness,
generosity, sacrifice for others, and a living, active hope to you and your
loved ones!
Yours,
Merle: gunderdad@yahoo.com
