There is much alignment between the vision of Semillas and the vision of Act Five. We, too, long to see local churches animated by a gospel that is deeply relational, rooted in place, and generative. At Act Five, we invite young adults along on a journey that stretches their imagination for what life can look like when it is shaped by the broad, unfolding story of Scripture and the hope of new creation. Semillas does similar work with local churches in El Salvador, nurturing an imagination for a restored world, and empowering communities to work toward it on their own land, with their own people.

While this partnership is an immense gift to us – the vast amount of learning, new experiences, relationship-building across differences, and new perspectives formed – our visits also matter for our hosts in El Salvador. They get to show us the goodness and beauty of their own country, the ways they see God’s homemaking and reconciling movements unfolding in their own places. This is not small. Early in the trip, I spoke with our students about the way many countries that have struggled economically have been made to feel small or disposable on the global stage. In El Salvador, our students encountered people who love their place and are proud of it and are eager to share it. 

Getting to be the recipients of that joy, hospitality, and love, and then sharing it back in the form of curiosity, encouragement, and story is a beautiful thing. It nurtures dignity, mutuality, and hope. It reminds us that global relationships, when rooted in respect and reciprocity, can be life-giving in both directions.

And so I return to the name: Semillas de Nueva Creación—Seeds of a New Creation. The new creation is the reign of a good God made manifest on earth: integrated and whole. Therefore, the work is plentiful – it can go in any direction and has ample creative potential. Its expression is not limited to sermons and prayers and bible studies. It is realized in relationships, in ecological agriculture that heals both people and land, in work with children that interrupts cycles of violence, and so much more. It is about building a world that is exhibiting love in all directions. Through people, communities, and the local church – this kind of mission is a call for all of us.

Semillas works against the grain, against the current in their own context – even within the church it is hard to find support for this work, which requires courage, imagination, and long obedience.

This trip sparked our own imaginations for what a new creation could look like in our places. If you would like to learn more about the work of Semillas in El Salvador, you can do so here.”