ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN
KELOLAND, PEOPLE ARE
REMEMBERING THE FALL OF
THE BERLIN WALL. THIRTY
YEARS
AGO, THAT HISTORIC EVENT
HAS COME TO SYMBOLIZE THE
UNIFICATION OF EAST AND
WEST GERMANY AS WELL AS
THE
END OF THE COLD WAR. TODAY
THE SOUTH DAKOTA
SYNOD COMMEMORATED THAT
MOMENT IN 1989 BY
CONTEXTUALIZING IT TO
WALLS THAT MAY EXIST IN
2019.
KELOLAND'S LAUREN SOULEK
BRINGS YOU THAT STORY
FROM THE CHAPEL OF
RECONCILIATION ON THE
AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS IN SIOUX FALLS.
"WE NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS
ABOUT ALL THE WALLS THAT
WE
BUILD. IN OUR OWN MIND,
AROUND OUR HOMES, AROUND
OUR COUNTRIES, AROUND ANY
IDEOLOGY THAT WE HAVE THAT
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY HOW
THE WORLD CAN BE VIEWED,"
BISHOP CONSTANZE HAGMAIER
SAID.
SOUTH DAKOTA SYNOD BISHOP
CONSTANZE HAGMAIER
GREW UP IN WEST GERMANY
AND SAW THE FALL OF THE
BERLIN WALL WHEN SHE WAS
19 YEARS OLD. TODAY, SHE
SHARED HER STORY WITH THE
CONGREGATION AND SPOKE
ABOUT HOW WE CAN BREAK
DOWN THE WALLS THAT
STILL EXIST TODAY. "IT
WAS A PEACEFUL
REVOLUTION THEN AND I HOPE
THAT WE AS PEOPLE OF
THIS WORLD CONTINUE TO
STAND UP FOR THESE
PEACEFUL REVOLUTIONS OF
TEARING DOWN WALLS
THAT SURROUND US. NO
MATTER WHERE THEY ARE,
WHETHER
THEY'RE PHYSICAL WALLS OR
WALLS IN OUR HEARTS OR
OUR MINDS," BISHOP
HAGMAIER SAID.
HUGO RODRIGUEZ, A MEMBER
OF PUEBLO DE DIOS
IN SIOUX FALLS, WAS
ANOTHER SPEAKER AT THE
EVENT. HE
SPOKE ABOUT THE
METAPHORICAL WALLS
IMMIGRANTS FACE COMING TO
A NEW COUNTRY.
"ONCE WE ARRIVE TO THE
U.S., OR ANY COUNTRY IN
THE
WORLD, FOR IMMIGRANTS, CAN
BE VERY DIFFICULT
BECAUSE WE THE FACE ALL
THE WALLS," RODRIQUEZ
SAID. RODRIGUEZ SAYS THOSE
WALLS COULD BE LANGUAGE
BARRIERS, THE STRUGGLE OF
MAKING NEW FRIENDS OR THE
DIFFICULTIES OF GETTING A
JOB.
"AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE
A BRICK WALL. IT'S JUST
THOSE
BARRIERS THAT WE BUILD
JUST BY JUDGING OTHERS,"
RODRIGUEZ SAID. BISHOP
HAGMAIER SAYS
ONE WAY THE WORLD CAN
BEGIN TEARING DOWN THOSE
WALLS IS JUST BY TALKING
WITH ONE ANOTHER.
"WHEN YOU HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN
WITH SOMEONE THAT YOU
THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER
BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH
FOR WHATEVER REASON, MAKE
AN ATTEMPT TO SIT DOWN AND
HEAR THEIR STORY AND
SHARE YOUR STORY," BISHOP
HAGMAIER SAID.
"ONCE WE BRING THOSE WALLS
DOWN, I'M SURE WE CAN MAKE
THIS A BETTER PLACE,"
RODRIGUEZ SAID.
IN SIOUX FALLS, LAUREN
SOULEK, KELOLAND NEWS.
THE SERVICE THIS MORNING
ALSO FEATURED A STORY FROM
THE VICAR OF THE WOYATAN
LUTHERAN CHURCH IN RAPID
CITY, WHO SPOKE ABOUT
