El Limon

Although the hurricane season has ended for El Salvador, the Central American countries continue to suffer the effects of the storms. Damage done to El Salvador’s infrastructure by Hurricanes Agatha and Alex are still visible. In July we visited the pueblo of El Limon in Puerto Parada with a delegation from Milwaukee. The Rio Grande San Miguel had breached the dyke flooding El Limon making entry impossible. The school and community were under 3 feet of water for months. The river has receded, the standing groundwater evaporated.

Pastor Julio and his leadership team received donations from Milwaukee area churches for distribution in this community. El Limon is a flat agriculture area where the sugar cane is nearing harvest. Both sides of the road have 8 feet high cane with beautiful white plumes that add another 2 feet of height.

On Thanksgiving Day, eight of us visited El Limon, working as two teams, each with 36 bags of 2 pairs of flip-flops and a large bag of tooth brushes. We walked the community calling into yards asking for permission to enter. We explain we are from the Lutheran church and have shoes and tooth brushes. The teams delivered to 36 homes.

The windowless homes are assembled from pieces of scrap: palm tree branches, pieces of wood and metal and black plastic.

The elderly look ancient, many are barefoot as they are throughout the county, their old weathered faces with missing teeth and their dirt encrusted feet with broken toes.

At one home a little girl is getting an afternoon bath in the yard, in another the children are watching the life of Jesus on TV. Beyond the bath and TV we see harsh rural poverty.

We move from home to home on the dirt road sharing space with ox carts carrying freshly cut sugar cane and fire wood. The ox carts look as old as the Christmas story, but they are very popular, still being made and in frequent use.

In late afternoon, the cows return home. A herd of 15 huge animals pass silently. We are watchful and stay clear of their horns which appear sharp and long enough to penetrate a concrete wall - 30,000 pounds of beef herded by 40 pound kid with a stick.


After a day of amazing accompaniment, we thank God for all the opportunities He has blessed us and with this experience that continues to keep us in awe of how much we do not know about the lives of our brothers and sisters in this world.

David y Nancy