What our program participants are saying

Participar en el programa sobre la apertura espiritual fue una experiencia profundamente transformadora. Me recordó que la verdadera compasión comienza con un corazón abierto tanto a la fe como al servicio. A través de Éncuentro de Esperanza, vi cómo podemos convertirnos en instrumentos del amor de Dios, ofreciendo esperanza, sanación y guía a los necesitados. No se trataba solo de aprender, sino de vivir nuestra fe en acción y descubrir las poderosas formas en que podemos ayudar a otros a crecer espiritualmente, al igual que nosotros mismos crecemos. Estar rodeado de un grupo que me apoyaba hizo que la experiencia fuera aún más significativa.

As inhabitants of our beautiful planet, we have lost that important and sacred connection to the earth as it houses and sustains us. I love how these sessions help to reawaken that connection and bring a greater awareness to the issues around the land we rely on for food, the air that we breathe, and the water that sustains all life. Not only do they create a greater awareness of the effects of climate change, they also encourage spiritual growth and challenge our complacency. By bringing to light the deeply connected justice issues around climate change such as migration, poverty, food insecurity and health concerns of those living on the margins, participants are challenged to explore their own responses and advocate for more sustainable ways of living both locally and globally. This is a great series and I would encourage everyone to participate!

“The Land is Not Our Own has allowed me the space to honor both my Christian faith and my indigeneity. I have gained a deeper understanding of how to communicate existing in both worlds by sharing with a faith-centered group that is open and empathetic. Our call as people of faith is to journey with the oppressed, and this [program] welcomed being witness to the beauty of indigenous culture and spirituality while also holding space to reckon with the horror experienced by indigenous peoples. We cannot build a better future and world without confronting the sin of genocide that continues to manifest in and through our current systems. This course fostered prayerful critique of history, as well as stoking creative solutions to how to repair the harms of colonization and assimilation, specifically as Christians, both individually and as a group. Together we felt the woundedness of genocide and violence, as well as the hope, creativity, and joyful resilience that indigenous people have carried, carry now, and will carry into future generations.”