Monday, March 26, 2012
Home again...
Friday morning found us up at 3:30 AM for our 4:30 AM departure from the Pastoral House, the two hour drive to the airport, and the two flights home. All went well with Steve in a wheelchair all the way and VIP treatment. There was one small incident...I won't go into it but I will say it involves a lost backpack and, of course, a missing Erickson camera! It's safe to say that by the time we got home we were "dog tired".
It was a successful trip by nearly all standards and we returned grateful for the opportunity to connect with the friends in El Salvador. We never fail to learn new things and return with new perspectives of the world.
Fiesta!
After lunch and a final meeting with the directiva (city council) it was time for fiesta! With the help of the Pastoral team we hosted a party complete with gifts....a raffle of hand-knit items from ladies in our church, clothing and hats from Skiff Medical Center, and other donations. We had enough items that every family in the community received something.
The community provided music with their very fine band and the ladies of the community made enough tamales for everyone!
Of course their were pinatas...one for the girls and one for the boys.
And Warren produced a slide show of pictures and video clips from our time in the school. As you can see he drew a large crowd of our students...and a few parents and grandparents to watch the show.
We provided a drink and some cookies. Steve Hopkins was in the thick of the action as he handed out the goodies from the door of the church while keeping his injured leg propped up.
The oldest man in town...Jose...danced with Kathy, the mission co-worker and Linda Anderson played a fiddle with the band. Farewell speeches of gratitude from both our delegation and the community were heartfelt. Most of the community turned out for the event and I think it's safe to say that a good time was had by all! Before long it was time to say goodbye....until next year!


Last Day in Munoces
Thursday was our last day in the community of Munoces and we spent the morning visiting some of the elderly residents who would be unable to attend the fiesta in the afternoon.
We visited with about six residents...all in their 70's and 80's and with their families. They all suffer from health issues and are dependent on family to support them. The most common health problems are arthritis and breathing problems. Even in the midst of pain and poverty they can still enjoy a joke or tell a funny story.
Most of the time they have family very nearby...like next door...who care for them. This next picture is of Juana Fuentes and one of her sons. Her two sons live on either side of her.
Paulina and Jose are the oldest residents in Munoces... both are about 86. Jose is completely deaf and Paulina has constant pain but their daughters nearby do their best to make sure they have enough to eat...even though there's nothing they can do to help their physical issues.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Fertilizer!
Wednesday was a busy day in the community of Munoces. Warren caught the "new" Tortuga early in the morning and spent a few hours walking the road and meeting the families who are new to the community since we were here last year. The family below lives at the highest part of the hill where they have to walk more than 30 minutes each way to get to any source of water. They are still in the process of building their house. I think they need to replace that cardboard before the rainy season!
Others in the group accompanied a group of cattle for sale down the mountain to Mercedes Umana where the cattle were sold and 44 bags of fertilizer were picked up. We then accompanied the fertilizer to Munoces where a bag was distributed to each family in the community.
They worked together to distribute the bags and to help get them to each household. The bags weigh 240 pounds so some of the strapping young men of the community did most of the carrying.
It took 3 Iowans to lift one bag! I did see several 40-something men from Munoces carry bags on their backs to nearby homes. Of course, they are used to hard labor and carrying heavy loads of wood every day of their lives.
We visited one of the new "fish farmers" in the community. He said that this size fish will grow to about 12-16 inches in 2 months. They are to share some of the small fish with others in the community if others want to start their own fish farming operation so now there are 5 fish ponds in the community....next year maybe 10!
The afternoon was spent in a meeting with the farmers of the community. Nearly all the families of Munoces were represented. They explained the process of farming by hand on the steep sides of the volcano....very different from farming in Iowa! We talked with them about beginning the process of developing the use of organic fertilizers and they expressed interest in getting training in that area. We are excited about the possibilities of what "permaculture" concepts could do for farm life in Munoces.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Munoces!!
We spent our first full day in Munoces on Tuesday. After a greeting by the community...complete with a band and singing...we spent the rest of the morning at the school. We reviewed a little of their English skills and did a drawing project with the students drawing something that they liked and writing both the Spanish word and the English word for their drawing. Unfortunately, the older students did not have class that day because their instructor was unable to find transportation to the community, but several came to join us in spite of having a day off. We ended the session with a game of Twister...a big hit!
I can envision many fun times at the school playing Twister...especially during the rainy season when they can't go outside to play.
After lunch we met with the directiva...kind of like the city council...to learn of the projects underway in the community and their hopes for future projects. We finished off the day with a community soccer game. The only two of our delegation with the courage and fortitude to join in were Steve and Peder Hopkins. They represented us well but....
Unfortunately, Steve had to be carried off the field with a sprained ankle. He is being treated by our resident physical therapist, Linda Anderson, and will be demonstrating the use of the emergency evacuation chair donated by Peter VanElsWyk when we go back to Munoces later this morning.
As I write on Wednesday morning some of the group are in a neighboring town picking up the fertilizer that we will deliver later this morning. Warren took "La Tortuga" to Munoces this morning and will be interviewing the families new to the community before we arrive with the fertilizer. More on all that later......
El Mozote
Monday we took an all-day field trip to the northeast of the country....the department of Morazan... where the war was particularily fierce....about 10 miles from Hondouras. One of the worst massacres of the war occured in the small canton of El Mozote where more than 1000 men, women and children were murdered by the military in 1981. Our guide told us the horrifying details of the 3 day event. The men were taken to one house, the women to another, and all the children were taken to a church building. The children were all murdered with knives and machetes and the building was burned to try to hide the crime but a wall fell, protecting some of the bodies for later discovery. The building with the murdered men was burned so badly that the bodies could not be found. The women were all raped before murder. The numbers in the little town were swollen by people from the countryside fleeing for safety in the community. One woman survived...Rufina Amaya... and she told the story all over the world. There is a memorial wall in the town with the names of the known members of the community but the number of victims continues to grow as excavation is still going on and bodies are being found to this day.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday
We began the day on Sunday in San Salvador with worship at Our Lady of Guadelupe Bascillica...a new church for all of us.
It was gorgeous inside and out...a great way to say goodbye to the city.
After lunch in Suchitoto we spent the afternoon at an organization that promotes and demonstrates permaculture. We were interested in learning more about sustainable farming practices in El Salvador with an eye toward decreasing the dependence on chemical fertilizers for our farming friends in Munoces. It was a fascinating walk through demonstration fields with all kinds of crops, innovative water conservation practices and organic fertilizers, to name a few things. We wish we could move the program into Munoces to be a constant inspiration for our community! We will be taking to the farmers this week about learning about and implementing new fertilizer approaches and we hope that they show some interest. Cecilia, a member of the pastoral team, is being trained in many of these sustainable farming techniques and she will be able to start passing on her training very soon.
Because we were so fascinated with the permaculture demonstration we were a little late getting into Berlin. After a quick supper we did find time to explore the big festival of San Jose that is taking place around the square. There are carnival rides, music, fireworks, and....unfortunately....loud firecrackers that go on until the wee hours of the morning and resume again about 4 AM. We got very little sleep on Sunday night because of noise.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Delegation!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
A Day At the Beach
So....what do you do with a day at the beach?? Well....you get up whenever you want to. When you're in the mood you go to your favorite restaurant for breakfast...preferably with friends.

Then you go for a walk on the beach....or go back to the hotel and sit around and talk a while.....and take a nap...and work on computer projects...and read a book....or whatever you want to do. Before you know it, it's time to take an evening walk around town....and walk on the beach...and stop for a drink...and watch the sunset...
And maybe a dinner of lobster or shrimp might taste good....while you listen to the wandering musicians.....and watch the neighboring table dance to the music....and have another drink....
After dinner you might just fall asleep early....exhausted by the sun and the heat and the day. You sleep a long, deep sleep....and awake with a desire to walk the beach at sunrise....

You savor the colors of the sky and the light upon the waves....before you meet your friend once again for breakfast overlooking the ocean.
Then you go for a walk on the beach....or go back to the hotel and sit around and talk a while.....and take a nap...and work on computer projects...and read a book....or whatever you want to do. Before you know it, it's time to take an evening walk around town....and walk on the beach...and stop for a drink...and watch the sunset...
And maybe a dinner of lobster or shrimp might taste good....while you listen to the wandering musicians.....and watch the neighboring table dance to the music....and have another drink....
You savor the colors of the sky and the light upon the waves....before you meet your friend once again for breakfast overlooking the ocean.
We are forced to suffer through another day at the beach after saying goodbye to our friend, Steve, this morning. It's tough without him....but we're managing. Wish you were here.....
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
To the Beach!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Election Day!
After the materials had been returned we said goodbye to our new friends at the voting tables and the police that had watched over us all day. It's interesting to contemplate the progress that has been made in the 20 years since the peace accords. Twenty years ago these same people were shooting each other...and yesterday they were trusting in democracy and each other.
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