Hot Metal Bridge

May 11th - 17th
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community - Pittsburgh, PA
It was the 2nd year for these "funk, punky, tattooed and pierced" believers from the southside of Pittsburgh. Many participated in the intellectually and spiritually challenging Apprenticeship program intended to help them discern together how God may be calling each of them to serve in the Kingdom. They also brought along a couple of graduates from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary who had traveled here a couple of years ago. It was our friend, Keith Kaufold, who introduced us to the book that has helped us better understand religion and politics in Chiapas.

Anyway, although I have never heard them refer to themselves as "Red Letter Christians," this group embodied the overused acronym "WWJD." They strive to show the love and spirit of Jesus Christ in word and deed. This group worked in Matzam, a very conservative Highland community in Chiapas, to help prepare the footings for an expanded sanctuary. Although they intended to visit with Manuel, a missionary to the Lacandon People that their church supports, their itinerary was changed radically when a member of their group suffered a fall that resulted in multiple injuries. The group rallied around one of its own, put their collective needs on hold to insure her comfort and access to medical care, and demonstrated the power of prayer and Christian fellowship. Emma is reportedly on the mend but still needs your prayers. And as for Hot Metal, we hope that they will return to Chiapas with another group and continue to share their special brand of worship and ministry.
(Photo coming, be patient)

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this group is their authenticity. When they're irritated with each other, they say so. When they need to confess to each other, they confess. When they need to hold each other accountable, they do so with love and firmness. And yet they demonstrate acceptance, grace and forgiveness all along the way. They sing both praise songs, hymns and traditional music of worship. They use drama in worship. They seek to "do mission every day." They worship in an old taco restaurant and serve a meal every Sunday to all who come. This group blesses our family...period.

We hope that this group was blessed by the experience of missions in Chiapas. They were certainly challenged to honor conservative culture even though they are the very definition of alternative Christians. They gave of themselves freely and worked very hard on the project, but they also worked hard on seeing God moving in their midst. Despite her injuries, we have no doubt that God protected Emma. All her injuries will heal, and she experienced love, compassion and healing here in Chiapas. As a group, they saw their pastor deal with his own pain in a way that modeled the balance of selflessness and self-care, something many Christians struggle to practice. Funny how we sometimes have to get out of our everyday world to recognize the extraordinary opportunities for learning and growth.

In addition to the group, Hot Metal shared one of their own leaders with us for 4 weeks. Derek Zanetti, of Christian punk rock fame, worked as a volunteer through the Hot Metal group and the two weeks of Medical Missions to Yaxoquintela. Derek's wit, faithfulness, wisdom, sarcasm and colorful self kept us on our toes and challenged us all to keep grace, forgiveness and acceptance of others at the forefront of our ministry --- following the example of Jesus. He humbled himself when called upon, rose to the occasion to preach a GREAT sermon, honored the conservative Tzeltal culture even when it was KILLING him, served incredible spaghetti and meatballs, and engaged us all in profound debate nearly every day. We are grateful to Derek for his spirit, grateful for his servanthood, and curious to see how God will use him in this ever-changing world. IPOY, Derek.
(more photos to follow)

A trip to Pittsburgh is DEFINITELY in our future!!!