Elizabeth Conde-Frazier exploring Latino spirituality 1

I'm rushing a little. This week is really busy and I'll be gone.

Elizabeth Conde-Frazier also brings some wonderful stories about specific children and their faith. As I was listening to Lt. Col. Kickbusch as she shared so many stories about growing up Mexican-American and her experiences with education I was so impressed that her faith, family and community were integral to who she is - not easily dissected but part of the warp and woof of her life.

There are wonderful stories in this chapter. One little girl who came from a religious home and who cared for the homeless became a committee member making presentations when they recruited new members. One little boy, who didn't come from a religious home, began to observe and help his neighbor garden because they both wanted to bring something nice to their neighbors. Each of these children saw the face of God in the people they served.

The story that I found myself thinking about was the story of 4-year old Joselito. He watched his Catholic grandmother arrange the altar in her home and tell the stories of each item she placed there. She let him touch these things. She shared the ever-new answers to prayer that she received. Ms Conde-Frazier writes, "Every time he visited he would ask the same question and his abuelita [grandmother] would repeat the ritual; but her stories about answered prayers would change, providing him with a variety of faith stories related to prayer and the symbols on the altar." (CS p. 300)

His parents were Pentecostal. They had different things on their altar and used it in different ways. He watched his father pray and read here. His father held the little boy in his lap and read the Bible to him and annointed him with the oil, making the sign of the cross on his forehead and blessed him.

Joselito's response was this: One night while his mother was making dinner he was busy and humming a song that they sang in church. He put two place mats together, placed a Bible on them, a picture he'd colored, his mother's neckace (colored beads) some dandelions, and the new cap his uncle had given him. When his mother asked what he was doing, he told her that he was showing God how much he loved Him. He was sharing with God things that God had shared with him. "They are so pretty and I like them too." And here is the transfer of culture, he says, "When Abuelita and Papa and you and Tio[uncle] Mike and all the people who visit us come to this house, they share pretty things and this is one way of showing love. When you cook I want to share some food with God too because we always share food with the people we love. I have to bring God a present because when we visit someone we always bring a present. I am not sure what present he would like." He finally added a little truck as the thing God would like. (CS p. 300)

They left his altar on the table through dinner and he was able to share his story with everyone who came. Over the next years, the alter moved to his bedroom and "he continued to bring new things to say I love you to God." Everyone who visited would hear the stories of Joselito's answered prayers - "an integral part of his expression of faith and love for God. ..expressions of his spirituality." (CS p. 300)

"The altar is a very common expression of faith and connection with God in the Latino home. Each altar is personalized, representing the faith story of the person or family who sets it up. Joselito has access to the altar whenever he wants and can continue to use it to express himself to God. He can manipulate the symbols and confer meaning to them. He can tell his own faith stories to those who come to his altar. It changes as his own journey with God changes. It is the sacred space that he has for his own spirituality." (CS 300-1)

As Evangelical Protestants this may seem a bit hard to ponder but let's try.