We Head to the Cantónes

The group went to bed on Thursday with instructions to be up, breakfast eaten, and ready to go by 8 a.m.--everyone was geared up by 7:15.  This was the first stand-up-in-the-back-of-the-pick-up-truck ride for most and everyone was excited to get on the road.  We heard lots of exclamations at the extraordinary views, and ughs and ohs as hips bounced off the bars surrounding the truck bed.  The hour-plus ride seemed too short for all the fun folks were having!
The first thing on our schedule was a meeting with the Virginia Directiva (the "town council" of the cantón).  They were gathered in the church as were a good many of the community folks.  We were welcomed and introduced--and then we were thoroughly hugged and blessed by each and every person in the room.  The men wrapped us in their arms and the women did not want to let go.  The hospitality was overwhelming.

We took the opportunity, while the community was gathered, to present each family with the gift of two chairs for their homes.  It would have been impractical to try to drive the towers of chairs the length of the village.  And this process meant we could once again shake the hand of the family member who would carry the chairs away--or the neighbor who would carry the gift for someone unable to be with us this morning.

We will undoubtedly be offered seats on these very chairs when we begin our house to house visits tomorrow. 
We then met with the Directiva to discuss the issues affecting their lives here and now.  The greatest concern is the lack of rain.  We had seen mountainsides of withered corn on our way to Virginia, so we understood the extent of the damage.  Some had replanted their small fields once already, and this time without the precious fertilizer they had applied with their earlier planting.  "The rains could still come in August" but this time again there would be no fertilizer.  They were applying for assistance from agencies and organizations, but since the drought is so widespread, they are not hopeful that help with come.
Another, related issue is access to water.  The water runs in Virginia only every two weeks--and sometimes not that often.  Some families have no way to store water to last that long and water tanks would help many of them cope with this problem.  We heard their concerns about education for their children and healthcare for the community.  Issues were explained and our questions were answered and we will have the chance to have similar conversations with the people of the community when we meet each family face to face.

We were served a fabulous lunch--vegetable soup, chicken and tortillas--and then said our goodbyes until tomorrow.  Back in the truck, we headed to another eagerly awaited destination--La Escuela de Sarah Lana in Caserio Mediagua.  Of course Maria and Jim were the visiting celebrities!  We were all so pleased to see the school in use by students through 7th grade (and here is Denise as a 7th grader).

Some members of the Directiva of Mediagua came to the school to greet us and thank us for visiting their community.  We can attest to this one thing: hospitality abounds in this part of El Salvador!

Two powerful days

 Remember the downpour Tuesday evening?  The FPCDC delegation was sitting in the Des Moines airport for two hours waiting for the plane to arrive and then to find an opening in the skies to permit take-off for Houston.  Luck was not on our side, and we missed our connection by two minutes; no flight with seats for seven was available until the next morning.  Imagine your distinguished pastor, headphones in place, stretched out on the floor between rows of empty airport chairs, six fellow travelers contorted into really uncomfortable positions while vacuums roared all around.  No one slept.  But Wednesday morning we were winging our way to Guatemala City and then on to El Salvador, bleary-eyed but in high spirits!
Our plans for Wednesday were necessarily adjusted--a short afternoon visit to Divina Providencia where Monseñor Romero lived and where he was assassinated in the chapel on the hospital grounds.  The most delightful Carmelite sister welcomed us to the residence and told us some wonderful stories about the Archbishop's life among them.

Mission Co-worker Katherine then escorted us to the chapel where Romero died.  Every one of us was moved by her account of that day and her description of what he means to the Salvadoran people.

It was then time to leave San Salvador and (finally!) head down the road to Berlín.  Sleepy heads sagged, eyelids drooped, and the sunlight faded during the long drive.  We pulled up to the Pastoral House with a full moon on our left and a beautiful sunset behind the mountains on our right and a warm welcome in the house.  Dinner, reflections and beds--day 1.

Day 2 started early with another long ride in the bus--destination El Mozote and Perquin, the site of a horrific massacre of hundreds of innocents during the Salvadoran civil war.  First, at El Mozote, the volunteer related an account of that day as remembered by the sole survivor in that village.  It was a painful story to hear.

We visited the new monument with representations of the resurrected Christ flanked by Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, and Martin Luther King.  Who was missing?  Looking across the valley to the hillside beyond we saw him--Monseñor Romero.

A short climb on up the mountainside took us to a new addition to the site--a mosaic of the seven days of creation.  Balmore shared an incredible reflection on the peace we all seek and the solidarity we share that brings us closer and closer.  Prayer and passing la paz, the peace of Christ brought our El Mozote visit to a close.

A short distance down the road is Perquin and a museum of the civil war created and maintained by volunteers to document the history and struggle of the guerillas, with artifacts and a recreated encampment.  Our volunteer guide often pointed out, during his descriptions of the photos and items on display, that there were victims and perpetrators on all sides and from many places in the world.  Some arms started out in Vietnam and made their way through several conflicts before ending up in El Salvador. 

The ride back to the Pastoral House was pretty quiet as we all pondered what we had seen and learned--painful and powerful all at once.  Reflections were deep and heartfelt.  Two powerful days.

Our delegation to El Salvador leaves on Tuesday, so be sure to wish them well when you see them Sunday morning! 
There are still lots of tags on the Giving Chair, and you can still make a contribution ($14 per pair of chairs) for the gift of chairs to each family in Cantón Virginia.  Something so basic as chairs is beyond the means of our brothers and sisters in the village, and your generosity will be greatly appreciated!
All of the delegation members will be posting to this blog during their time in El Salvador so check in often!