November 17, 2007 - Dale

November 17, 2007 (cont)

I am emptied out… I am filled up!

My body is tired and I have nothing more to offer for work. I long for sleep in my own bed.  I am emptied out because I can take in no more; see no more, hear no more.  The experience at times is overwhelming as we see, hear and experience the stories of El Salvador.  It is draining intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

Yet, in the midst of being emptied I am filled.  I am filled up because I have wandered into one of those thin places in life where God keeps breaking into our midst.  In these experiences we touch something holy, something I can’t quite capture in words, but the echo of Darryl’s singing begins to evoke an image of which I describe or point towards.

It is these experiences of the holy that I look forward to sharing with others and then inviting them to discover them as well.

I am thankful for the opportunity to join with FCC Wilmington for this trip.  They are a graceful group to travel with and worthwhile to share this experience.  I hope that we are able to partner together again down the road to share a common experience in El Salvador.

I’m not sure these ramblings are coherent.  It was a struggle to put pen to paper.  Thank you for the invitation to share and the encounters with God that you have shared with Scott and me.

Shalom,

Dale Matherly

 Central CC (DOC), Lebanon, IN