Everyday of this trip, we have hit the ground running. Sunday was our only relaxed day. I have learned so much, but now I almost feel like my brain is overloaded. The more we learn, the more I realize how so many things are interconnected. The black and white disappears and gray becomes the main color. But when it comes to climate change and its impact on people who are food insecure and in poverty, we need to start somewhere. The enormity of the problem can´t scare us into inaction. We are still called to serve others in Christ´s name. And that means getting educated on the best way to do that. We are all connected in the body of Christ and when one part of us is hurting, we cannot just stand by.

Today we visited with a professor of water ecology and he spoke to us on the impact of cattle grazing, deforestation, pesticide use and soil erosion and the effect these things have on the water supply. It was very technical, but interesting. Then we had lunch with Lutheran World Relief board members. They hold their annual meetings in the countries where they have active projects. We got to learn about the kinds of projects that they are doing that supports sustainable agricultural practices. Part of the money that you put in the offering plate goes to the synod benevolences and part of that money goes to fund Lutheran World Relief. The work that they do in the developing world is crucial and I was glad that we are supporters of their mission.

After lunch we spent the afternoon with representatives of various NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). They talked to us about the importance of a new model for development. Previous when governments or large corporations have looked development plans, they only look at it from an economic standpoint. Now they realize that development needs to be looked at with concern for economic, environmental, and sustainability factors taken into account. For example, many people here believe that the free trade agreements NAFTA and CAFTA only benefited US companies at the expense of Central American countries. After meeting with the NGOs when had dinner with representatives of Lutheran World Service. It has been a full day with so much information to process. At least the weather has been gorgeous while we have been here, a balmy 90 degrees or so.