Come build with us!
"When you go home, share your story, so that it won't just be your story anymore..." Marina, Habitat El Salvador
We said farewell to Los Buenos today. It's bittersweet to say goodbye to these families that have opened their doors and opened our hearts.
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and a slight breeze would waft through once in awhile. It was the day of painting- we painted the three houses these bright Carribean colors. It gives them a look close to completion, which gives us a sense of accomplishment. As we worked alongside the families, you could see the pride and excitement as they tell us these are their houses. It won't be long, perhaps just weeks, before they will be able to move in. We can only hope they continue to feel the love that went into each step of the house-building process, the labor from their hands and the sweat from these volunteers not used to working this hard.
We were pleased and surprised to have a surprise visit from Pastor Carlos and Pastor Wilma, the pastors of Cristo Rey Church, the parish where we worshiped our previous two years in El Salvador. They spent some time talking to Pastor Bre and Paul about their hopes for the future within their congregation. There has been an effort amongst previous volunteers to build a new church and 15 homes for their parishioners. This is very exciting for their small congregation.
We worked until lunchtime, when it was time to start the fiesta. The children have been hinting to such a party all week. The boys were so funny, telling each of us chicas that their amigos wanted to dance with us. There was a traditional Salvadoran band, which is Mayan-influenced music. We were able to make pupusas with the senoras of the community. There was a mariachi band. And everyone, families we hadn't seen all week, came to the fiesta. There was a presentation of diplomas to our team. There was endless recognition for our volunteerism, which is so humbling when we feel like we all gained so much from this week. Each of the three masons, Saul, Jovel, and Cesar prayed for us for a safe trip home. And everyone who spoke to us reminded us to come back and see the community. And you know when they say, "Come back, visit us, our home is your home," they really mean it. As we loaded into the van to leave the community, they all followed us. As we drove down the road and looked back you could see them all following the van, waving goodbye. How could we be this lucky to land in such a special place?
May I remember this feeling in my heart forever.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." -Matthew 25:35
Friday, August 19, 2011
Feliz Aniversario
Happy 44th!!!! Wedding Anniversary to Rich and Sue Walther!!! Thanks for sharing Rich with us this week, Sue!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Futbol con Los Gringos
Soccer with the Salvadorans
Before we challenged the masons and children to a serious game of futbol, we actually did attempt to get some building done...
They started putting the roofs on House #1 and House #3 today. (Of note, the roofing that took four Americans to move took only 1 Salvadoran to move...) This allowed us some time to paint House #1, mix concrete at House #3, and break ground at House #4. We also discovered another house in process, House #5, and there was some work that needed to be done there. That kept us busy, plus I think they were trying to tire us out before the big match in the afternoon.
We continue to be blessed by the children at the worksite. They are just so open, friendly, and full of joy and innocence. Each night around the dinnertable, there is talk of which child made us smile today. The older children mind the younger ones, and the mother of one will reign them all in. They are the lifeblood of the community.
We worked until mid-afternoon, when we stopped work for the much-anticipated futbol match. I think we surprised the Salvadorans when we showed up in our matching jerseys. It was all about the intimidation factor. At first, it was the Gringos vs. Salvadorans, and after you-know-who scored their first goal in a matter of minutes, we mixed the teams up. It's a challenge, knowing who's on what team, but we seemed to figure it out. It was so much fun playing with the masons and children, but also just watching them play. They are SO good. And they play in sandals or Crocs. One may kick the ball and their shoe will fly off and they'll stop, put it back on, and just keep running. They were also kind enough to really let us participate in the game. I'd like to think I was the secret weapon of my team, and every once in awhile I'd hear my name called, or "gringa". Many of us had some great shots on goal. We survived with just a few minor injuries. I think the game ended in a tie, but it just depends who you ask.
While the big kids were playing on the large field, the young ones started their own game in the corner of the field. The boys were probably 4-6 years old and ruthlessly playing a great game. It was just such unadulterated fun.
The game and the work wore us out tonight. We all retired to our rooms by 8:30pm. It's all this fresh mountain air...
Buenos noches, amigos.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Constructores de la paz
Builders of Peace
Our theme today was Service and Stewardship. This is an interesting topic of discussion amongst our group, as we came on this trip to be givers. However, we find that we receive much more than we give, from people that at first glance have much less than us. But the "less" is of material things, and the "more" is the joy in their faces, their actions, the lack of complaining, and the pure, sweet laughter of the children.
Our Wednesday started with the women sending the men to the worksite. While the women went to the spa, the big, strong men were breaking a sweat mixing cement. This is the story Paolo was telling at the worksite. In reality, the women elected to tour one of the local national hospitals.
El Salvador has a private and public healthcare system. The public system is accessible to everyone who is employed and pays taxes. The private system is for those who can afford private insurance or can pay cash per service. Those living in extreme poverty or working "under the table" essentially have no access to healthcare. Ahuachapan, the department (county) where we are, has one national (public) hospital for the 360,000 residents.
Hospital Nacional General Francisco Menendez, aka the General Hospital, was kind enough to have us tour the facility. With three nurses, a PA, and a doctor, you can imagine the questions we had. And we were fortunate enough to have Dr. Easy-on-the-eyes Cruz, the chief resident, give us a tour of the facility. We toured the emergency room, and he gave us a great impression of what access to healthcare in El Salvador is like. For example, there are only three ambulances. If a woman goes into labor, she might have an hour bus ride to the hospital. There was a line of at least 100 people for the clinic to see a doctor. The equipment was dated, but they had all the basics. And above all that, the nurses wear starched white uniforms and caps. We really enjoyed the visit and decided we'll stick to wearing scrubs.
The women returned to the worksite to see how the men kept themselves busy without us. They seemed to manage okay. One of the houses was in a holding pattern until the roof is put on, which left us to work on two of the other houses. The day consisted of more painting and mixing cement. The houses are progressing nicely during the week. There is rumor that tomorrow we may break ground on a new house.
At lunchtime we were greeted by Ana Maria, who is the head of the Santa Ana Habitat office. She is very passionate about her work and her hopes for the future for the people of El Salvador. She mentioned the common theme that we're not just here to build houses, but we're here to build relationships. It definitely requires us to take a step back from wanting to complete each task quickly to be assigned another. It's about putting the shovel down and talking to the woman walking past you with her granddaughter. It's the belief of Habitat, the community, and these volunteers that these families can live above their current conditions. We are so grateful to have this short moment of time in this very special place.
"How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." -1 John 3:16-18
Our theme today was Service and Stewardship. This is an interesting topic of discussion amongst our group, as we came on this trip to be givers. However, we find that we receive much more than we give, from people that at first glance have much less than us. But the "less" is of material things, and the "more" is the joy in their faces, their actions, the lack of complaining, and the pure, sweet laughter of the children.
Our Wednesday started with the women sending the men to the worksite. While the women went to the spa, the big, strong men were breaking a sweat mixing cement. This is the story Paolo was telling at the worksite. In reality, the women elected to tour one of the local national hospitals.
El Salvador has a private and public healthcare system. The public system is accessible to everyone who is employed and pays taxes. The private system is for those who can afford private insurance or can pay cash per service. Those living in extreme poverty or working "under the table" essentially have no access to healthcare. Ahuachapan, the department (county) where we are, has one national (public) hospital for the 360,000 residents.
Hospital Nacional General Francisco Menendez, aka the General Hospital, was kind enough to have us tour the facility. With three nurses, a PA, and a doctor, you can imagine the questions we had. And we were fortunate enough to have Dr. Easy-on-the-eyes Cruz, the chief resident, give us a tour of the facility. We toured the emergency room, and he gave us a great impression of what access to healthcare in El Salvador is like. For example, there are only three ambulances. If a woman goes into labor, she might have an hour bus ride to the hospital. There was a line of at least 100 people for the clinic to see a doctor. The equipment was dated, but they had all the basics. And above all that, the nurses wear starched white uniforms and caps. We really enjoyed the visit and decided we'll stick to wearing scrubs.
The women returned to the worksite to see how the men kept themselves busy without us. They seemed to manage okay. One of the houses was in a holding pattern until the roof is put on, which left us to work on two of the other houses. The day consisted of more painting and mixing cement. The houses are progressing nicely during the week. There is rumor that tomorrow we may break ground on a new house.
At lunchtime we were greeted by Ana Maria, who is the head of the Santa Ana Habitat office. She is very passionate about her work and her hopes for the future for the people of El Salvador. She mentioned the common theme that we're not just here to build houses, but we're here to build relationships. It definitely requires us to take a step back from wanting to complete each task quickly to be assigned another. It's about putting the shovel down and talking to the woman walking past you with her granddaughter. It's the belief of Habitat, the community, and these volunteers that these families can live above their current conditions. We are so grateful to have this short moment of time in this very special place.
"How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." -1 John 3:16-18
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Trabajo en Equipo
Teamwork
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." -Eccl. 4:9
Our Tuesday started out at Villa Esperanza (Village of Hope), the village where we built in 2009 & 2010. The village is now complete with 75 homes, and we were impressed with the advancement in the community since we were there a year ago. The homes are lived-in and the neighborhood is very much a community. We walked around and appreciated the lush vegetation that grows in that area. The flowers are beautiful and the butterflies are plentiful.
We were happy to see Ana Victoria out sweeping her front walk. We first met Ana Victoria in 2009, when we were helping her build her house. She lives there with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. She remarkably recognized us and it was great to see her again.
We also saw Noemi, who is the Board of Directors in the community. Noemi is wheelchair bound, and her home is the first that she has lived in that is handicapped accessible. She greeted us all, thanked us for our service to that community and for our continued service to Habitat. She keeps a log of all the volunteers that have helped in that community, and over the course of four years, approximately 4000 U.S. volunteers worked in Villa Esperanza. She reminds the children in the community of the value of serving others.
Arriving to the worksite by late morning, we were ready to get our dirty work gloves on. The masons had been hard at work this morning, with digging, mixing and pouring concrete. We jumped right in and joined in the laboring.
We all agreed that our favorite part of the day was sharing family photos amongst each other, the masons, and the families we are working with. Family is universal, and despite language barriers, it's easy to share the joy of our families.
"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in Gods hands, that I still possess." -Martin Luther
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." -Eccl. 4:9
Our Tuesday started out at Villa Esperanza (Village of Hope), the village where we built in 2009 & 2010. The village is now complete with 75 homes, and we were impressed with the advancement in the community since we were there a year ago. The homes are lived-in and the neighborhood is very much a community. We walked around and appreciated the lush vegetation that grows in that area. The flowers are beautiful and the butterflies are plentiful.
We were happy to see Ana Victoria out sweeping her front walk. We first met Ana Victoria in 2009, when we were helping her build her house. She lives there with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. She remarkably recognized us and it was great to see her again.
We also saw Noemi, who is the Board of Directors in the community. Noemi is wheelchair bound, and her home is the first that she has lived in that is handicapped accessible. She greeted us all, thanked us for our service to that community and for our continued service to Habitat. She keeps a log of all the volunteers that have helped in that community, and over the course of four years, approximately 4000 U.S. volunteers worked in Villa Esperanza. She reminds the children in the community of the value of serving others.
Arriving to the worksite by late morning, we were ready to get our dirty work gloves on. The masons had been hard at work this morning, with digging, mixing and pouring concrete. We jumped right in and joined in the laboring.
We all agreed that our favorite part of the day was sharing family photos amongst each other, the masons, and the families we are working with. Family is universal, and despite language barriers, it's easy to share the joy of our families.
"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in Gods hands, that I still possess." -Martin Luther
Lunes
Monday
First day at Los Buenos “The Good Ones”
We had our first day at the worksite today. We had an early start and arrived at the worksite just after 8am. The drive was down the mountain, about 25 mins. from our hotel. This area of the country is quite mountainous- we see one of the large volcanoes on our drive to and from (don’t worry, last active in 2005, years ago…), and it is so lush and green.
The Getsemani Community sits a ways off the main highway on a very rocky, muddy road. There had been heavy rains in the last few days, which made the roads especially soggy. We were greeted by the leader of the community, Rosa Alvido Presidente (coincidental that her last name is president and she is the leader of the community?), along with the masons and some of the families that we will be working with.
The community is already established, many people already have homes, though they would be classified as substandard housing. Some don’t have running water or electricity. It is a very lush area, so many different fruit trees and lots of vegetation. The roads are narrow and most of the houses have paths in between.
The community is called Los Buenos (housed with the Getsemani community, which is divided into three communities), because most of these families are related with the last name Buenos. As of right now, there are 115 children in the community. There are currently 19 Habitat homes, with the goal of 45.
We found out that Paz Isabel, who made our lunch for us, lives in what is now marked as a condemned house. She had a Habitat house built for her, but was gracious enough to give it to her son and his family, feeling they needed it more than she did.
We started the day with devotions and broke up into three groups to work on the houses. There are currently three houses in construction and we will not be breaking ground for any new ones this week. The houses are all about in the same stage. The cinder block frame is up, but there need still needs to be a roof, the floors dug out, etc, so plenty of work for us to do. We sanded and white-washed (a kind of sealant to the blocks) the house, and there was plenty of digging for those anxious to do that job. I think we wore some of our men out. We are hopeful that the houses will be very close to being finished this week.
The wonderful thing about the worksite was all of the children that came to us. They were very eager to help, though a construction site might not be ideal for them. They brought us flowers and fruits and were just eager to pronounce our names or ask if we were married and had children. This is amazing, as they see volunteer teams every week, yet seem to be eager to get to know their new audience.
For the repeaters, we were happy to see Jovel, a mason that we have worked with in the past. We also reconnected with Alex, one of the Thrivent liaisons. It is so amazing that they recognize us, for they see so many volunteer teams. They are great to work with and make the worksite fun.
We found out that Alex has been working with the children of the community. Habitat believes in not just building the community, but expanding on what being in a community means. He has asked the children to sign a covenant to be examples in the community, teaching them values, and committing to good behavior in the community. There were at least 20+ children surrounding Alex, and it was very clear how much they respected him.
After the worksite, we stopped at Super Selectos, a local grocery store in the city, to pick up a few essentials (cervezas and snacks). However, it wasn’t until we left muddy footprints in the front of the store that we realized they had just mopped the floor. We all stopped in our tracks, walked back to the mat, attempted to wipe our feet clean, and apologized profusely. It was a very comical scene and thankfully, they were very good sports about it. Watch out for the gringos…
We look forward to a great second day at the worksite. We are so thankful for the relationships that have already been built.
Hasta…
First day at Los Buenos “The Good Ones”
We had our first day at the worksite today. We had an early start and arrived at the worksite just after 8am. The drive was down the mountain, about 25 mins. from our hotel. This area of the country is quite mountainous- we see one of the large volcanoes on our drive to and from (don’t worry, last active in 2005, years ago…), and it is so lush and green.
The Getsemani Community sits a ways off the main highway on a very rocky, muddy road. There had been heavy rains in the last few days, which made the roads especially soggy. We were greeted by the leader of the community, Rosa Alvido Presidente (coincidental that her last name is president and she is the leader of the community?), along with the masons and some of the families that we will be working with.
The community is already established, many people already have homes, though they would be classified as substandard housing. Some don’t have running water or electricity. It is a very lush area, so many different fruit trees and lots of vegetation. The roads are narrow and most of the houses have paths in between.
The community is called Los Buenos (housed with the Getsemani community, which is divided into three communities), because most of these families are related with the last name Buenos. As of right now, there are 115 children in the community. There are currently 19 Habitat homes, with the goal of 45.
We found out that Paz Isabel, who made our lunch for us, lives in what is now marked as a condemned house. She had a Habitat house built for her, but was gracious enough to give it to her son and his family, feeling they needed it more than she did.
We started the day with devotions and broke up into three groups to work on the houses. There are currently three houses in construction and we will not be breaking ground for any new ones this week. The houses are all about in the same stage. The cinder block frame is up, but there need still needs to be a roof, the floors dug out, etc, so plenty of work for us to do. We sanded and white-washed (a kind of sealant to the blocks) the house, and there was plenty of digging for those anxious to do that job. I think we wore some of our men out. We are hopeful that the houses will be very close to being finished this week.
The wonderful thing about the worksite was all of the children that came to us. They were very eager to help, though a construction site might not be ideal for them. They brought us flowers and fruits and were just eager to pronounce our names or ask if we were married and had children. This is amazing, as they see volunteer teams every week, yet seem to be eager to get to know their new audience.
For the repeaters, we were happy to see Jovel, a mason that we have worked with in the past. We also reconnected with Alex, one of the Thrivent liaisons. It is so amazing that they recognize us, for they see so many volunteer teams. They are great to work with and make the worksite fun.
We found out that Alex has been working with the children of the community. Habitat believes in not just building the community, but expanding on what being in a community means. He has asked the children to sign a covenant to be examples in the community, teaching them values, and committing to good behavior in the community. There were at least 20+ children surrounding Alex, and it was very clear how much they respected him.
After the worksite, we stopped at Super Selectos, a local grocery store in the city, to pick up a few essentials (cervezas and snacks). However, it wasn’t until we left muddy footprints in the front of the store that we realized they had just mopped the floor. We all stopped in our tracks, walked back to the mat, attempted to wipe our feet clean, and apologized profusely. It was a very comical scene and thankfully, they were very good sports about it. Watch out for the gringos…
We look forward to a great second day at the worksite. We are so thankful for the relationships that have already been built.
Hasta…
La Cruz Subversia
The Subversive Cross
There was a white wood cross in the sanctuary of Iglesia Luterana de Resurreccion. It is framed, behind glass on the left of the sanctuary. When Pastor Gomez invited us into his office, he was asked about the meaning behind the cross. What he told us, none of us expected.
Twenty years ago, which would have been near the end of the civil war, the military in El Salvador were out to kill the Jesuit priests and other religious leaders. They came looking for Pastor Gomez (then the Bishop), but found his church was functioning as a shelter for political refugees, and he was nowhere to be found. He was already in hiding in the German Embassy in El Salvador. The military took the foreigners and the white wooden cross to jail. Bishop Gomez had stated that during a previous service the parishioners had written words on the cross that that were the sins the military and government were committing against the people of El Salvador, along with the parishioners confessing their own sins. This was the reason the military took the cross, because of its “subversive material”. Shortly after the capture of the cross, he assisted in the funerals of Jesuit priests, and then he left the country for three months. He came back with a team of nine bishops for security. When he arrived back in El Salvador, the U.S. Ambassador, William Walker, was waiting for him. The Ambassador welcomed him back and asked if there was anything he could do for the Bishop. Bishop Gomez asked if he could help him locate and rescue the cross, which was still in jail. Ambassador Walker made a promise, spoke with the president of El Salvador, and the cross was returned to Bishop Gomez in the Casa Blanca.
The cross now sits in the sanctuary of the church, as a reminder of the value of the cross.
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