March Return

We have avoided the past three winters in Wisconsin while living in El Salvador. Now home for 12 months, we are enjoying simple things of the season like ice thunder. As the nights slip near the zero mark, the ice covering the lake booms loudly as it expands or contracts. The action at our six birdfeeders this winter has been amazing. The Lutheran Church of El Salvador held its 3rd Encuentro in November 2012. Sister parish partners from the USA, Canada and Europe attended this Encounter to re-enforce the solidarity in their relationships. Nancy felt called to attend and traveled with a group of 13 from our synod. When the 5 day event ended, Nancy and Pastor Abelina left the city of San Salvador to spend time with our sister parish Fe y Esperanza. After a long absence, the community was delighted to have Nancy return. The faith community expressed their disappointment that a delegation had not visited Fe in several years. Nancy responded that a delegation is forming from Our Saviors for a March visit. They were pleased to hear the news. The 6 members of the delegation are in count down as we prepare for the March trip. Two members will be first time travelers and we share our collective wisdom from prior travel experiences. Emails have been sent daily to El Salvador for all the arrangements. Our itinerary will include 4 consecutive days with our sister parish community, visits to homes and a re-visit to the public school. Our church members and Rotary Clubs have invested many improvements in this public school. David and Nancy are leaving for El Salvador prior to the delegation to continue the work started last year in the public schools of Chirilagua. Chirilagua is 150 miles east of our sister parish community. We have placed an order for $2,000 of sand and cement with the hardware store we helped start in Concepcion Batres earmarked for the school of Canton Guadalupe. The classrooms have dark walls, no electricity, dirt floors and in the tropics the odor is unpleasant and unhealthy. Here is a one minute video of the classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7dDVpCybOc Our first step is to meet with the school’s Directiva to review their priorities established in 2012, which were first to install concrete floors, then purchase desks, white boards and paint the interior of the structure. If possible in the future, they hoped to have electric service installed. With donations from many supporters, we are prepared to accomplish all of those needs at this time. We are also continuing our interest in the central school in Alambre to upgrade the computer lab we started in 2011. We have purchased desks, white boards, computers and desks. Our goal in partnership now is to install windows in the computer lab to protect the equipment from the winter rain and summer dust. They have the windows wrapped in plastic which is not an effective system and makes the room very hot. We truly believe the way out of poverty for these poor rural children is to improve their educational environment and experience. Our time in El Salvador in March is short. We will return again in November to evaluate the improvements during this visit and then assess the process for the next school in La Cribe. The Directiva and Principal of La Cribe have asked for a building with two rooms, one for the K class with an attached principal’s office. The current classroom is a wire storage shed. Classes are cancelled often in winter because the children are not protected from the wind and rain and there is no electricity. We are $5,000 short of being able to construct the above building. But as this remains Gods work, he will provide for the future. We continue following as he leads. David y Nancy

Christmas Reflections

While celebrating Christmas in West Bend this year, we can’t tell you specifically what’s happening in our former communities, but we know there are a modest number of colorful lights, artificial trees and nativity scenes that went up in early November. San Salvador - Many organizations support Christmas by two practices, one is to pay employees a 13 month pay check and the other is to provide generous vacations in December. It’s common for the family receiving a 13 month bonus to paint their house. This is a signal to the neighbors that they received a bonus - a little showy but tradition. On Christmas Eve the city comes to life with fireworks set off by residents. You can also hear the occasional sound of gun fire mixed in with the fireworks. In the morning many residents create sand paintings in the streets. We were in the van taking Pastor José home from preaching at Resurrection Church. We had numerous detours as neighborhood streets were blocked by local artists developing large scale pictures using colored sand. They were all beautiful sand paintings, but the artists on the street did not look friendly as they were shirtless, unshaven and just looked too different to approach to take pictures. Concepcion Batres - our community in the east has colored lights up in the Central Square. A few homes will have 2 foot artificial trees, many with flashing and twinkling lights – it’s quite an impression. Piedra Azul – is known as the church of the slide because it is located high on a hill and one can take a long stairway down or slide down on concrete slides. The children love it! This is a very poor community. On the 23rd, Bishop Gomez officiates at a worship service with many confirmations and baptisms followed by a great meal of chicken, rice and more. On Christmas Eve day, an all-day soccer tournament for the youth sponsored by Oikos includes eighteen local teams from the surrounding communities competing for top recognition and prizes. The members of these teams are from communities of our mission work. One day we were walking home from the market when a young man working construction on a building yelled at us - “hey you guys were at the soccer tournament.” We said yes. He said “I was a player from San Rafael Oriente and I saw you there.” We won’t be there to cheer at this year’s soccer tournament but it’s a great event and we hope to be there again in the future. It was the first time we needed to rely on acquaintances rather than friends for our safety and it worked out well. Enrique Senior and his son Enrique Junior took care of us. They are both in the Oikos program of community development and are both success stories. Enrique Senior took us home in his pickup truck. The truck had a speed limit of 25 mph giving us time to talk. We asked him what is different about Christmas for his family. He said they have the traditional Christmas chicken sandwich before going off to work in the fields. The traditional chicken sandwich is the highlight for the day. So we were blessed and protected in good hands with strangers. We were safe in one of the most violent countries in the Western Hemisphere. But now our grief is for our own county and the continued violence that takes place in public and private places. It’s unsettling that schools have become the site of violence while being the center of innocence. We all need to become involved to solve this problem. Christmas blessings – Feliz Navidad David y Nancy

Food Security

Until we traveled to El Salvador, we had never heard the term “Food Security”. It is a common theme there. In the US, we are more familiar with the food pantry, soup kitchen, second harvest and urban agriculture/ gardening. This past spring we read an article in the Sunday paper using the term Food Security for our national problem of wide spread hunger. Earth Week recently published that due to 2012 extreme weather, the globe is at critically low reserves of grain world wide and signs are looming of a food crises for 2013. While we have structures in place to deal with the issue of food distribution to the hungry, most of the developing counties do not. And now with a looming global food crisis, we all face shortages and higher food prices. However the impact of higher food cost on the US families does not compare to impact this has on Salvadoran families. Living in El Salvador, the issue of Food Security was ever present as problems of torrential rains, erosion, flooding, earth quakes and climate change bring never ending crisis to the food supply. Our first project with Oikos Solidaridad focused on Food Security for 42 families. Each family learned the latest agricultural practices in organic fertilizer and organic pest control. The goal of the project was to provide enough to feed the family and have excess to sell in the market. Four of the beneficiaries accompanied us as we walked through dry river beds to reach a number of planted fields. We still see their faces and know they appreciated the donation from our West Bend church to make this project a reality. Last Christmas as we considered our departure from El Salvador, we realized the fight against hunger was just starting for us. We were returning to comfort, safety and healthy living conditions and leaving behind many who have no safety net. We had meetings with Oikos Solidaridad and agreed that a project in the family yard would be another beginning in food security. Our Saviors Lutheran Church West Bend once again financially supported a second Food Security project. Last week we received photos and a project report. It includes 11 women and 13 men who are heads of households; 12 own their land, the other 12 are renters. Oikos purchased fruit trees for the land owners and seeds for beans and corn for the renters and land owners. Oikos leads training in the recent advances in sustainable agricultures practices including erosion control and responses to climate change. For people who can’t read or write and are set in tradition, these sessions turn their world upside down. They are a very proud people and will tell you how hard they worked to make this project successful. Our two agriculture projects, the first one of 42 families and the second of 24 families, impacts 400 people. Families that are fed can work and children can attend school to improve their lives. We find much pleasure in walking the fields with the people who benefit from these two projects and also spending time with our sister parish where the Rotary hygiene sanitation project is saving lives. We return to El Salvador in winter 2013 to resume our walk with the Salvadoran people. Consider joining us. David y Nancy

El Salvador in West Bend Wi

Pastor Julio Chavez, our mission partner in Usulután, was in Milwaukee for 10 days, the guest of the Greater Milwaukee Synod. Julio was hosted by many old and some new friends. He had written that he wanted time to stay with us and he did for the last half of the Labor Day weekend. On Labor Day we toured West Bend and visited Casa Guadalupe, an education center which provides support services for Latinos recently arrived to our community. After lunch with friends at Jalisco’s, a Mexican restaurant in West Bend, we headed to the harbor in Port Washington to see the fishing and boating action on Lake Michigan. In the evening we cooked steaks on the grill with Wisconsin wild rice and sweet potatoes. He seemed to enjoy these new tastes. On Tuesday, we visited Ace Hardware and a Wisconsin based Fleet & Farm. Julio appreciated viewing hardware stores much different than the one in Concepcion Batres operated by his leadership team. He looked at and handled many products either thinking we could sell this or wondering what it was for. Then on to the feed mill where we explained how farmers order custom blended feed for their livestock to balance nutrient intake. In the afternoon Julio took a nap while we cooked the brats for the evening fiesta. Our church planned a pot luck fiesta to provide members an opportunity to meet Julio and to learn about the hardware store that Our Savior’s supported financially. With many pictures in Julio’s presentation, it was a powerful message of hope and sustainability for generations of young people. • With our mission of Social Justice in Community Development through business and job creation, the leadership team was encouraged to share a plan for a hardware store with us. They received our support and spent 5 months looking for an appropriate site in 3 different communities before selecting Concepcion Batres. The site is across the street from the city square in the heart of commerce where everyone passes by in their coming and going. • In developing the initial purchase order, the team determined they needed $12,000 cash for basic inventory and the purchase of a truck. Nancy and I took on the fundraising activity. • The formation of the business requiring many legal documents consumed much of the leaders’ time. They learned as they progressed and in this process were required to travel to the major cities to appear before the Federal Government for licenses and authorizations. • Alexis, Edwin and Juan Carlos define team work. They are dedicated to their church community. These three men did not take any salaries for the first 11 months, keeping profits in the business in order to continually expand the product line. They committed themselves in service to one another and to their family of faith in developing a healthy sustainable business enterprise. • The hardware store prices their products 10-20% lower to offer the working Salvadoran families the best possible price. “This strategy is our Evangelism” explained Pastor Julio. • Their future plans include opening more stores in and around Usulután. The gifts from Our Savior’s and other donors are a Living Donation, growing larger and stronger, benefiting the lives of current and future youth in the churches of El Buen Pastor in Usulután. This business venture is an excellent example of the impact of sustainable partnerships and sustainable projects. David y Nancy

We have previously mentioned the violence in the Salvadoran culture. We have not reported specifically about the gangs or gang culture that prevails throughout the country. This includes prison culture inside and outside the prison walls. Wherever we traveled it was important to prepare ourselves for leaving the safety of our house. We took steps to protect ourselves from petty thieves but it’s impossible to protect oneself from gang violence. The greatest amount of gang violence is directed toward each other. This year started out with 12-14 murders a day. But gang violence that takes place in the community spills out to include innocent bystanders. • In Mejicanos, where we lived, a gang attacked a public bus throwing gasoline bombs at it, setting it afire and killing innocent passengers. They were riding in a bus where the driver would not pay the extortion fee to drive through gang turf. • At the National University a young female stabbed and killed a student who was wearing a shirt she wanted. It was probably her initiation into a gang. Her environment is kill or be killed. • Pastors Julio’s church is two blocks from the Usulután Prison. (There are many prisons in country). One morning the big news in the community was all the prison guards were fired and the National Police took control of the prison. The former guards were being paid by the gangs to provide special privileges to gang leaders, allowing them to continue operating from prison • Between our home in Concepcion Batres and the church of Usulután a new hotel was being constructed. We watched it being built on a weekly basis. On a rainy Sunday night in April, just weeks before opening, what appeared to be a Police Officer demanded the site guard open the gate. Fearing the National Police he opened the gate and 20 black clothed men stormed the facility and removed all the electronic equipment from the 5 story building and disappeared into the rainy night. Recently the country noticed a significant drop in murder rates, 5-6 per day, but an uptick in those disappeared. There was speculation within the country that the gangs and the government were discussing a “peace agreement”. This speculation has been reported regularly by the press and recently the Inter Press Service News Agency has a current story that the gangs and government are looking to end two decades of spiraling criminal violence. The article can be read at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/08/gangs-and-government-put-their-cards-on-the-table-in-el-salvador/ The article is titled: Gangs and Government Put Their Cards on the Table in El Salvador Be prepared to be shocked. David y Nancy

We met Beth and Maggie in 2010 when Maggie was a missionary with Volunteer Missionary Movement and Beth was applying for missionary status with VMM. Maggie works with a Salvadoran non profit serving children in a poor city section of Mejicanos. We lived in Mejicanos and were very interested in her work. The children are from homes of limited parental oversight, exposed too much violence, life on the streets and recruitment by gangs. Beth was a Fulbright Scholar who came to El Salvador to work in the rural community of La Joya Grande after this community experienced catastrophic flooding and mudslides that destroyed homes, lives, roads, livelihoods. Beth started a Salvadoran non profit working in disaster preparation and management for La Joya Grande. Beth and Maggie developed a program to bring these children and youth together to learn from one another. They called it a Children’s Summit, held in early summer in La Joya Grande. The children and youth of La Joya Grande led workshops on disasters, first aid and risk management. The Children’s Violence Prevention Committee of Mejicanos led workshops on children’s rights and the law for the international protection of children and adolescents. The themes covered are startling. While many U.S. children are enjoying summer programs in sports, dance, music, family vacations and other activities, the youth of El Salvador are dealing with daily issues related to abuse, crime, violence and the yearly disasters related to rains, flooding, mudslides and death. Because of the distance between each of our missionary assignments, we did not often socialize and therefore we don’t know the details of Beth and Maggie’s missionary “call”. But like all missionaries, they left home and traveled alone to an unknown, dangerous place in Central America. They developed relationships with others who worked with them in their struggle to improve the lives of the youth of El Salvador. In addition to meeting Beth and Maggie from VMM, we worked with college students from the University of Wisconsin- Madison for the past 8 years. Those early students are now long graduated and have started their careers. Six of the students working on our Rotary funded sanitation project in El Salvador are now living and working abroad. Their passion for service was kindled by the Rotary hygiene project where their hearts were touched by the people they met and the tremendous needs of people in developing countries. An 18 minute video of the January 2012 project and interview with some of the students is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPFaFn5ye-0 The diversity of talents and individual skills among the young missionaries and students we worked with is inspiring. They went on faith and were able to use their gifts and talents in the communities of La Joya Grande, Mejicanos and Nejapa. David y Nancy

Early Winter

This is to clarify to our readers that we are writing from our home in West Bend, WI. Some of our readers assumed we only write from El Salvador. It’s the beginning of winter and the rainy season in El Salvador. Our friend Benjamin Alas writes to us that seed fest was held again in Concepcion Batres. Vendors, clients of Oikos, gather in the park to sell their products. It started years ago with the exchange of plant seeds and has grown to include preserved vegetables from the cooperative of Chambala, onions, eggs, live chickens and locally grown honey and coffee. Food is offered by the usual vendors that have diners in the park. They offer a different menu just to make the day special for those attending. The youth of Oikos practice their communication skills making announcements and other youth dance and/or perform skits. Also in early winter (in Central America) Monsignor Romero’s life and martyrdom are commemorated. We attended St Peters Lutheran in Sheboygan to view a recent movie titled “Monseñor: The Last Days of Oscar Romero” that is made from years of news reels. It’s a fascinating review of the country’s oppression of its people, forcing the peasants to organize to protect themselves and their families and the beginning of the civil war. Romero communicated with his people in sermon and also using the churches radio station. When Romero’s radio program was broadcast, community life came to a halt as everyone listened to every word. Romero was not a cautious priest: he wore the yoke of courage to fight for social justice. His messages became bolder and bolder as he spoke against the injustices inflicted on the people. The people cautioned Romero for his safety and they wanted to walk with him, but sensing danger he walked alone. Romero organized a human rights department of the church providing common people a place to report family members who were killed by paramilitary or death quads and also report family members who disappeared. At the time of his assination 8,000 cases were reported. We encourage you to view this documentary to better understand the culture and people of El Salvador. A preview is at http://www.americamagazine.org/content/video/video-index.cfm?series_id=1162 Memories: the avocado tree in our former yard is producing another cycle of fruit. The tree is the size of one of our oak trees and the avocados are the size of large pears. June is the month they ripen and start dropping on the old terra cotta roof. The tree has a wide canopy for dropping many avocados. I would patch the holes made by dropped avocadoes with sealing cement and a putty knife. When there were too many repairs and leaks we replaced the panel. We replaced three large sheets. Then we used the older panels for making repairs in other parts of the roof. We had about 6-10 places that dripped when it rained depending on the wind and direction of the rain. In contrast to our drips we visited communities where homes didn’t have roofs, mostly the homes of the elderly in the community of Soyapango. We gave the church funding for roofs and in turn they were able to purchase supplies for 4 families. Nancy’s health is good - she continues healing and is very active. We are a blessed people. David y Nancy

El Salvador Reflections March

Following is an interesting statement from a blogger featured on Tim’s Blog one year ago. The occasion was the recognition in 2011 of the 19th anniversary of the signing of the peace accords ending the civil war.

“Unfortunately we still do not have what we can call a stable, long-lasting peace, but there is reason to celebrate, as now we have a good opportunity to try for it.”

Victor, a psychologist and well-known young blogger, comments in his blog Alta hora de la noche that the people of El Salvador do not have a collective awareness of what peace means, as they have never experienced it. He states that the very concept of peace is stained with blood. It seems, he adds, that egotistical behaviour is the “natural state” of Salvadorans who, thanks to a social and cultural system that favours the strong and the powerful, consider the agreement to be a sign of weakness. In his opinion, building a culture of peace, especially among adults, appears to be an impossible task. But it is a task worth doing, he states, each one fighting the battle, from his own trench.”

Our frequent trips to El Salvador exposed us to many stories of atrocities that the authorities committed on the powerless. Simple rural people were gunned down for sport, city protesters gunned down for gathering or an entire village of 30,000 indigenous gunned down to steal their lands. It sounds so far away until you try to put it in perspective and compare the subhuman treatment of our government on the American Indian. The stealing of lands, starvation, massacres of villagers are the same stories but in a different place, time and politics, but the same injustice.

The scars on the hearts of the Salvadorans and others of Central American from the former atrocities are only 20 to 30 years old. 80,000 people died or disappeared. Mothers now nearing the end of their lives still wait for their sons to return. Old women wait for their young husbands to come home. Those seeking closure have the names of their loved ones included on the monument to the Dead and Disappeared in San Salvador.

Our area of Usulután and San Miguel were sites of military conflict with arms smuggled into the country by the rebels (FMLN) from boats anchored along the coast. Our driver Alex pointed out the different places his family lived to avoid his being abducted by the military; when he was 12 he was sent to the US (another complex story). His family’s last home on the way to Puerto Parada became a bivouac area for the military. That’s all Alex would share and few others would share with us their personal stories of pain and hurt. Therefore the issue of peace, internal peace, is very complex and necessary in order to have peaceful citizens.

After the Peace Accords were signed, the conflict continued on a more intellectual level. Now 20 years later, former freedom fighters and foreign financed NGO’s continue to strive for justice. But the need of the individual Salvadoran is to find peace. If Victor is right, only outside forces can help them break loose from their cultural heritage of seeing peace as weakness and to embrace peace for their inner souls, for their families and for a stronger peaceful community and country.

David y Nancy

HOME

It’s the first weekend in February. We are writing from our kitchen table, drinking coffee, reading the paper and watching the birds at the feeders. This is the place where it started in March 2007 after we returned from 30 days in El Salvador. We were experiencing stress over our previous trip when I heard Gods voice. Move there – He said.

Early in our marriage we applied for mission work and were told we had no experience and had nothing to offer. Upon retirement, we applied for mission and were told we were too old and had nothing to offer. So when God said “move there”, it was a step out in faith.
Many doors needed to be opened for this to happen. And they amazingly did.

Last weekend we started giving away all our household items. The appliances and bedroom furniture left on Sunday. Juan Carlos (newly married) got all the dishes, pans and kitchen supplies. The store got printer, tools, fans, water oasis. Our neighbor, Gabriel, got the rest.

Gabriel drove us to San Salvador taking us out to eat in La Libertad at a sea side restaurant. He and his wife and three daughters are moving to LA in March. Gabriel will drive truck for his brother and they will live with his mother until they get settled.

Gabriel and his family are starting a new life and we are home, closing a 4 year chapter of our lives in El Salvador which also includes the 2 years of preparation. There has been joy and heartbreak - just like life anywhere. The experience in another culture, living a life style of 80 years in the past had been an eye opener. We have learned much about culture and how much change we have seen in our 66 years of life.

Two wonderful missionaries who receive these journals write to us relating their experiences to ours. They miss the mission field and comment if they were younger they would be in mission. We could not do another 2 years away from home in a harsh environment. We will not miss the living conditions, constant dirt, humidity, insects that make living unpleasant.

We will miss the relationships with the young men of the store having morning coffee and conversation with us, their using our computer and internet, the joy of our neighbor, and the people of Oikos. We will miss visits to the rural communities viewing past and future projects and looking for the face of God among the young and old.

What’s next for us?

More short-term visits, more community development and education projects, more research and fact-finding, more grant writing, more partnerships to be nurtured, more reflections and journals, . . . . The passion for this ministry does not end once the contract does.

We remain open to God’s voice and plan for us.

David y Nancy

Schools & Mayor

Santa Maria- Our church partner St. Matthews in Wauwatosa, WI has spent 4 years in dialogue with the Mayor’s staff of Santa Maria to assist them in connecting a newly built bridge with a ramp to the road. The bridge ends about 18 feet higher than the road. EWB- UW Madison has a preliminary plan, cost estimates and St Matthews has the funding potential for this project. A legal impasse is blocking any progress towards construction.

We offered to help St Matthews while living in El Salvador. Mayors are hard to approach, thus we asked Gabriel, who is a friend of the Mayor to set up a meeting for us. After a day at the beach Gabriel unexpectedly said “let’s find the Mayor of Santa Maria so you can have your meeting”. We drove to a soccer field, finding the Mayor’s brother who took us to his brother at a campaign rally where Mayor Nicolas was the featured speaker. We waited an hour before he was available to us.

Nicolas invited us to meet in his office Monday at 10 to become familiar with the issues. At the meeting he asked us a number of questions, testing us. We moved to the main topic, the legal issue. The government is preventing any work on this project as the funding has been embezzled by previous mayor or his staff after being voted out of office. There are 31 cases of embezzlement in the department of Usulután, this is the only one having construction started. The others are referred to ghost projects. After many rejected requests written by Nicolas to secure permission of the Federal Office of Fiscal Responsibility, he asked us if we would appear before the court and tell our story. We say yes, but we are leaving Usulután in 5 days, thus this must happen quickly. He will call us.

Canton Guadalupe - We are working with 3 schools in the area of Chirilagua. The school of Guadalupe has 3 classrooms that were built by the Virginia Committee of the USA. The principal was the project manager and before the buildings were completed he retired and embezzled the remaining funds. The community is left with 3 unusable classrooms that need concrete floors, electricity, lighting, fans, desks, paint and white boards - that’s a lot of money. The current principal said she would be the project manager if we decide to fund the needed repairs - we smiled and said no.

On the other side:

La Cribe - The school buildings are rather new and the best maintained we have seen. They were built by the European Union in 2005. The community would like a $12,000 building for its Kindergarten program which is currently held in a storage shed. 15 children attend this class. School for the K grade is often cancelled in the winter (rain/wind) as the storage shed is made of metal and wire. They presented us with a quotation from the hardware store of the materials needed to build this classroom. They don’t want cash; they need materials for the parents to construct the building.

Alambre - We returned to Alambre School unannounced to see the computers, computer desks and student desks, almost $3,000 of equipment. The teachers were delighted we stopped in and called for a student assembly to again publicly thank us for this partnership. We are grateful for their friendship and told them we will return again.

In the past 30 months we have met many wonderful Salvadorans. They have joined us in our volunteer work. They offer us transportation, technical support, translation and wisdom. They enjoy the opportunity to help their fellow Salvadorans as they lack an institution to volunteer in structured environment.

They don’t consider the money as a gift as they provide the muscle, making the project a partnership, but they do see our frequent visits to the community as a gift of our time; they respond in grateful appreciation of our commitment to them. Our past, present and future time together in the dust and in the rain seems to be excellent bonding materials for cementing relationships.

David y Nancy

Shopping & Wedding

We called our Salvadoran neighbor Gabriel on Tuesday to confirm pick-up at the airport on Thursday. At the airport, we were greeted by Dmitri. Dmitri works for Gabriel and was our driver, but left El Salvador while we were on medical leave. Dmitri married an Italian woman and moved to Italy. After 3 months in Italy, they returned to Batres. She works for an NGO and speaks little Spanish, he speaks very little Italian.

From the airport Gabriel and Dmitri drove us to the computer store to purchase 3 more computers to complete the project at Alambre public school. This business is the base for the Rotary Computer Project. Dmitri was surprised at the low cost of a computer and is now saving to purchase one for himself.

When we arrived at our house, we had a wonderful surprise. Gabriel’s family had cleaned our home the day before we arrived. We were able to spend the night, saving the expenses of hotel and eating out. What a relief!

Friday morning we had two sets of visitors. We accompanied Principal Walter to Usulután to order the remaining student desks and computer desks. After Walter brought us home from Usulután, we enjoyed coffee and bakery around our table. This has been the focal point of developing projects and relationships for the past 23 months; it’s fitting we should be closing with hospitality. The computers and computer desks were stacked in our home for Walter to pick up on Sunday on his way to Alambre. He is spending more time in Usulután since his mother suffered a stroke. On Sunday morning he told us she is improving.

After we said good bye to Walter and his accompanara, Alexis and Edwin stopped in to deliver an invitation to attend the wedding of Juan Carlos and Ana on Saturday at the home of Ana’s grandmother in San Rafael Oriente.

On Saturday morning we shopped in the city for a wedding gift, finding a West Bend coffee maker at the major appliance store, Casa Chamba Flores. In the afternoon Alexis and Edwin picked us up. We traveled familiar roads, but then took a new one to grandmother’s home. Grandmother’s yard was brightly decorated with awnings, flowered arches and decorated tables, another stark contrast against the brown landscape as we are now in the dry season. We sat at a table near the road and noted the cars and trucks that arrived by the dust clouds that drifted around us.

The mayor of San Rafael Oriente and his assistant performed the wedding. The ceremony took place at a large table with the engaged couple, the mayor and his assistant and the two witnesses. There were long speeches on family and community. At last the mayor asked Ana if she wanted Juan Carlos as her spouse. He asked Juan Carlos the same --- both said an emphatic yes. The Mayor announced them married followed by much applause.

Ana’s family came forward to greet the married couple, bringing their gifts. Friends and family of Juan Carlos waited for him and Ana to greet them at their tables, then offering congratulations and the presentation of gifts. Children followed the couple, receiving the gifts and taking them to the gift table.

The abrupt change from 30 degrees to 90 was exhausting and with travel and the busy schedule, we took Sunday off to continue unpacking, do more cleaning and to develop our three week agenda.

David y Nancy

Pearl of the Orient

We are looking for a local Rotary Club partner to support a Rotary Agriculture project with Oikos Solidaridad in the volcanic range of the Oriente. A local Rotary Club is necessary as the host club in assisting in securing funding from Rotary International Foundation, managing the finances of the project, providing Rotary International with all the transparency needed to ensure the money is well spent.

In October we contacted two Rotary Clubs in the City of San Miguel. One invited us to join them in their monthly November social held at one of the Rotarians homes. We attended and learned much about their current projects and also about the City of San Miguel.

The City of San Miguel is known through out the country as the “Pearl of the Orient”, El Salvador’s third most important city. It’s the hottest place in the country and is located east of the active volcano Chaparrastique, also known as 1403-10 on the volcanic map.

It’s an hour drive from Batres to San Miguel. We pass fields where cane is being cut by hand. Empty old school buses used to transport the campesinos line the roadway. The field workers are hunched over lifting, baling, sorting and piling stalks of cane and cane waste into the appropriate piles. The piles seem insignificant until you notice a man standing next to one and he looks like a miniature figure from a diorama.

35 minutes out of Batres and our micro bus turns north heading to San Miguel. We pass by two major industries. One is a dairy processing facility and another is the sugar cane refinery. Large trucks are lined up to unload their freshly cut cane. They come to this facility from all over the 3 state area. They are a nuisance on the highway with their double trailers, making the passing of these road hogs a breath-taker.

These two processing facilities as well as many others not visible from the highway, a mall and the National University and 4 College/Technical Institutions provide the area with many employment opportunities. We asked local Rotarians if there is a middle class and they confirmed there is a large middle class in San Miguel.

The city of San Miguel also boasts of being “the carnival city”. In November and December, the environment is similar to Rio de Janeiro. Our faces reflect our internal reaction. Yes the locals confirm full and partial nudity is a part of the carnivals entertainment venue.

Now it’s January 2012. The carnival is now closed, school resumes in 1 week and we return to join the Engineers without Borders to finish the last phase of the 7 year Rotary black water project in La Granja. Then we return 100 miles to the east (our home community) to resume working with the 3 public schools high in the mountains of Alambre and to develop a future agriculture project with Oikos and our new friends in San Miguel.

David y Nancy

Alambre Graduation

Last week the winds returned after a long absence. At night the cool mountain air pushes down the sides of the volcanoes into the flat lands of Usulután and San Miguel. The cool air is also very fresh. It removes the acidic exhaust from the traffic of highway 2 and the soot from sugar cane fires that burn all around us all day 5 months a year. The breeze pushes the curtains up to a 45 degree angle allowing the first breathable air of the year to fill our bedroom.

It’s Thanksgiving Day. Principal Walter and his acompañara arrived at our home at 6:15 for the ride to the mountain high school of Alambre. We rolled the windows down to enjoy the morning air. After passing a sugar cane truck pulling out of Batres we had the highway to ourselves. We asked Walter if the air is usually this fresh in the morning and he says no - today is special. It’s special because it is the graduation of the Kindergarteners and the 9th graders of Alambre. He invited us last week when we were together purchasing more school equipment. His cell phone rings; the store in Usulután tells him the 20 desks we ordered last week are ready for delivery.

We started on the highway, then on to a secondary road and the final trek on the horse path, the only trail to the community. We have been here before and dread the ride. It is 45 minutes of nonstop shaking, twisting, jostling of our bodies. We arrive green, but safe.

Walter drives to the house just above the school, the family home of Walter’s acompañara. She is 1 of 12 siblings 6 brothers and 6 sisters. Two sisters are in the final stages of dressing and grooming as they are the music leaders at today’s mass. After spending 2 hours with the family we join the community at mass. The large church is full and there are as many outside participating from the edge. The sisters and the 3 piece band are giving glory to God today with amplification.

After mass we go to the school. The computer room contains displays of student art work. There are about 40 displays in 6 categories. We are asked to choose the best. We hedge until we realize we aren’t leaving until we decide. Yikes. We select the top two and the graduation procession begins to a variety of taped classical music. The students process to the traditional Wedding March, the entry of teachers and “honored guests” is to the March of the Toreadors. It makes us laugh inside.

The children come forward as their name is called to receive their diploma containing many official names, but their name is the largest and most important. After the distribution of diplomas, we are given art work from one of the youth. Then we present the English/Spanish New Testaments donated by our financial planner to all the teachers, principal and a member of the Directiva, nine in all. They are delighted and the teacher who is the MC for today’s event gives the audience a homily on the value and importance of God’s Word for our lives. We are impressed by his openness and sincerity.

At this elevation Alambre is above the ozone layer so it’s not only hot, but the intense glare of the sun makes it difficult to see. We walk to a large rural home of adobe brick, low ceiling and no windows where lunch is being served, chicken and rice with two tortillas. We have eaten this meal 400 + times. At lunch David turns from light green to dark green and needs a time out.

Back home in Batres we say good bye to Walter and make plans for the final January purchase of more desks and more computers and computer desks for Alambre.

Many of you donated money for these purchase of desks and WB Sunrise Rotary for the computer equipment. We took pictures of some of you while at home and gave these to Walter. He is making a display of your pictures at the school. It was an honor to represent all of you at this wonderful event.

David y Nancy

Ending and beginnings

After two weeks in El Salvador, we are preparing to return home. These have been productive and busy weeks completing details remaining from our absence, building new relationships and exploring future project possibilities. Our mission is completed with much satisfaction. Our time back has been better than we expected.

Time together with the church team is more fruitful as they share their stories of the activities of the past three months. After Sunday worship in Puerto Parada, the pastoral team came to our house for coffee. We sensed much excitement as they talked about all that has happened in the past three months. Their excitement is contagious, their world has changed moving from fear to hope and those hopes generate dreams for a better future.

Pastor Julio told us that the expansion of the church in Llano el Coyol has resulted in increased attendance. Last March it was outside standing room only. The addition to the building provided room for everyone to be seated and worship together. Now it is back to overcrowding as a result of more youth joining in worship.

At last January’s youth retreat we counted 130 in attendance and know of another 30 youth not present. What an overwhelming number of young people to nurture and mentor. Salvadoran society can be very abrasive. In the church they experience different values for a better life style.

The church team also shared about the visits of three delegations to Usulután. We had looked forward to these visits to meet new partners and learn more about their history in supporting the churches of Usulután. Edwin shared that as a result of these delegations four US churches and one synod will be working together to develop a strategic long range plan for church and community support.

These newer church partners are appreciating the trust and confidence of the leadership team. It has taken us longer to earn their trust. Part of the issue is who we are. They only know sister parish relationships and that’s not what we are. We are missionaries for social justice with our focus on community development. How does that fit into their world? It didn’t at first so we have worked diligently to build trust and a sound relationship.

Reflecting on early meetings, we understand the suspicion the leadership team had towards us. After hearing stories of their past experiences, their early fear and distrust was for self protection. We have been able to break that barrier and be welcomed into their confidence. Our relationship with the church leaders has matured. They also had time to consider our previous 21 months working in mission with them. They told us how grateful they are that we spent time with them and for the results of our efforts.

We continue to partner with Oikos. Pastor Julio has decided to accept the work of Oikos in his church communities. We look forward to seeing church members in these future Oikos community development meetings. We have been praying for this Church/Oikos relationship since we arrived. We are so pleased this idea came from within. This is significant progress.

The past few weeks have provided us with another perspective on closure. Mission work does not end. We will remain open to another form of service in the future. We are confident of a new beginning.

We wish you all a blessed day for Giving Thanks. We will be at a meeting with the parents and children of the Alambre school to celebrate our partnership and the graduation of the 9th graders.

David y Nancy

Consecrated for Return

On Reformation Sunday our Pastor consecrated us for our return to El Salvador. Pastor asked us if we as missionaries will commit to Godly promises and behaviors and we responded “Yes, with the help of God”. The first two questions our Pastor asked were familiar, but then he asked “will you look for the face of Jesus among the people you are serving?” That is a spiritually and emotionally challenging question.

We planned to stay in El Salvador for 10-14 days, but after a blizzard of emails regarding the after-effect of the storms and the pending tasks we need to complete, we will stay for three weeks. We will be purchasing desks and school supplies for Alambre and will be meeting with the directors of another school in Canton Guadalupe. We will also have first time meetings with mayors of two different communities on issues of infrastructure. Much of this activity will be in accompaniment with our partner Oikos Solidaridad.

We are attending two more local Rotary Clubs with the hope of building partnerships to address food and income security issues. These meetings will help us plan for short term mission trips in 2012 and 2013.

We have been home for 3 ½ months. We email our church partner team regularly about our medical delay, but the information does not trickle down to the congregations. We received an email from a friend who recently visited in the churches we serve. The people asked her, “where are the Americans, they left us, they have abandoned us”. It was good that we heard about this lack of communication, so we can work on restoring relationships when we return.

We fear the people will expect too much from us. We are Americans; in their eyes we have it all. Initially we plan to stay at a local hotel allowing us to assess damage to our home and clean up the 3 ½ months of dirt. We will also be aware of the presence of cockroaches, bats, spiders and other unwanted and creepy creatures.

We are alone in the east. Many in our community admire our being alone. They smile and greet us, overall cordial. But alcoholism, drugs, unattended developmental disabilities and now the recent desperation rampant throughout the country creates the need for extra caution for us.

The Executive Director of Oikos recently emailed us “The rural population is disintegrating and its social composition is gang-like due to the lack of food, income, and jobs.” With the recent rains, the situation is worse.

The need is great, the responsibility is humbling, but our God is an Awesome, All Powerful, Abundantly Grace-giving God. We pray to continue walking in His Way, His Truth and His Life. We said “yes, with the help of God, we will look for the face of Jesus among the people we are serving.” We return to fulfill that promise.

David y Nancy\

After the healing phase

After a road trip to test Nancy’s travel ability, we decided we are ready to return to El Salvador.

The return is similar to our initial move in 2009. Hurricanes Ida and Agatha had passed through Central America, leaving thousands homeless and many dead. We visited a community that experienced a 4 foot wall of water and mud originating from the local volcano that raced through the community. Boulders as big as a 4 story building were moved miles and settled in roads and fields. Many Salvadorans were missing and presumed to be under these boulders, making removal of the boulders a very emotional experience for the affected families.

The street in front of our house in Batres floods when we have an evening rain. With nine days of rain we have to assume our home has water damage. The River Grande is just couple of miles to the east of us. Each year families living along the river are evacuated to the public school in Batres. The Mayor has established a settlement away from the river for these families, but they will not move from their river front homes. This is all they know – this is all they have.

On a sunny day neighborhoods in Puerto Parada are under water during high tide. Recent pictures from Juan Carlos show families walking in waist deep water. Many of their homes are made from black plastic and others from palm branches. Nine days of rain will cause them to collapse and wash away, leaving no evidence of anyone living there.

During three months last year, we drove past homes in Puerto Parada that were in water for that entire time, yet the families remained in their homes in these unhealthy and unsafe conditions. We are there advocating for change within the communities and the government.

The most significant changes to the infrastructure are those we see in Oikos projects. When Oikos acquires a property, they evaluate it for the elimination of erosion and mud slides to prevent risk to the mountain poor living downhill and to make it suitable for agriculture. Oikos also improves roads and drainage in the project areas by constructing barrier walls and diversion channels.

Our project partners will take us to visit the recent destruction in the east. They want us to witness how their vulnerable country men live. They want us to take pictures and write about it in this journal. They want you to know what life is like in Central America.

David y Nancy

Nearing Completion

We have been home since mid-July. Our R & R became a medical leave in August when Nancy had surgery to remove a large growth from her abdominal wall. It was important to keep it intact during removal, requiring a large incision. A week later she had cancer surgery.

We did back-to-back surgeries to shorten the healing process for a timely return to El Salvador, but this placed much stress on Nancy’s body. She is healing, the incision scar is improving but the point of surgery is still tender. Fatigue is the biggest problem. We walk a few miles every other day and Nancy is taking yoga classes for strengthening and flexibility. A wrong movement can cause a spasm that takes a night’s sleep to heal. It will take Nancy’s body years to mend and regain its strength according to her surgeon.

A common question of many is “are you going back?” We have written before how difficult it is for healthy people to live and work in the east. Nancy’s safety and healing is the most important concern we face in our return. This may require different living arrangements and require us to finish our mission in weeks, not months as our contract also ends at the end of October. We will budget just enough time to finish the Alambre school project and begin a second school project in Canton Guadalupe. Many dear friends across the country have blessed us with donations, allowing us to purchase desks, computers and equipment for these schools.

We are struggling with some issues. Our 3 week R & R has become a 3 month separation. The emotional break has been made. We are out of their sight and minds as the emails have faded. On the other hand we are starting a relationship with another school and looking for a Rotary Club in San Miguel to partner with in 2013 and raising funds another food security project for 2012.

We never expected to end our mission on this note, but we believe God is ending the mission he started and on his terms. Our call to El Salvador was a clear message as we heard His voice in our hearts telling us to move to El Salvador. It took us two years to figure it out, but in those two years every door was opened allowing us to move closer and closer to the time we would depart. It was never more clear. Now it’s just as clear that it’s over.

In light of our current situation, we can only smile as the Lord has a different plan for us. It was our plan to return in August and here it is the beginning of October. We are both so very grateful to be home to deal with these health issues in familiar safe surroundings. We believe we are in God’s hands and in His protection. God provided the events of the last months to keep our sight on Him; we are in awe of His timing, His endless love and His protection.

Growing in faith is the goal always before us and we can witness to God’s presence so obvious to us in El Salvador. Sometimes we fear losing this closer walk with God as we return to life in the US.

David y Nancy

Accompaniment

While we have had many opportunities to share with you about our projects and partners in the east in Usulután, we have not said much lately about the action in Nejapa. Today we tell you about the continuing work of our Rotary project partners in the northern zone.

The engineering students from the University of Wisconsin Engineers without Borders traveled to the Nejapa project site in August to prepare for the 2012 phase of the Rotary black water project in Nuevo Ferrocarril. Jen, Chris, Isaac, Ellie and Missy spent a week in Nejapa meeting with the community leaders, engineer Daniel R of Club Rotario and many individuals from the mayor’s office planning for the final phase of this project. This has become a powerful story of accompaniment between all the partners as this relationship has deepened during the past seven years. Our Rotary grant has been approved for the January completion of this project.

As Rotarians and missioners, we believe in accompaniment over projects. We support this crucial sustainable value as the cornerstone of relationships. We started our Rotary projects in 2005 at the La Granja/Nuevo Ferrocarril public school. We asked Daniel M of Club Rotario if he could help us in the purchase and transportation of text books for the school. He purchased the $2,000 of books and we met at a club meeting to work out the logistics. This was a topic at the club meeting and after the general meeting, a group of 7 met to discuss Club Rotario’s involvement. There was some concern and maybe fear expressed by the older members that we were “using” the club for our own purposes. We later learned they could not believe we were actually making a donation of $2,000 of text books to a poor public school. This was outside their realm of experience and thought.

When the three of us drove out to the public school and Daniel saw the familiar colors of blue and white and the public school sign, he got a large smile on his face. He pulled out his cell phone, made a call and said “we’re at the public school”. End of conversation – it’s real. Later that day he told us this was his first opportunity in his 43 years to personally help other Salvadorans.

Another Rotarian Daniel R has worked with the black water project for the past 6 years, donating thousands of hours of his time. He visits the community on a regular basis and brings along other Rotarians to introduce their lives into the lives of the members of the community.

Daniel R attended the University of Central America (UCA), a private Catholic university, during the time of conflict. His professor was one of the Jesuits assassinated by a military death squad. He is still devastated by this evil act. One would think that the rich and poor Salvadorans have so much in common from the pain of the war and that this common pain would bring them together. But it doesn’t because the social divide is so great and longstanding.

Salvadoran to Salvadoran is the accompaniment that we are celebrating. We made introductions, enabled safe entry into the community, and provided funding for a community development project. Accompaniment is listening to each other, walking and working together, learning to understand and trust each other. And they have developed this relationship of accompaniment between them. Their spirits are longing for a new way of life that overcomes the social divide.

David y Nancy

R & R

We have been home one month. We returned to heat that registered 105.1 on our first Sunday back. Now the nights are dropping to 60’s and in Northern Wisconsin, nights are 40’s. Fall-type weather is a relief.

The conclusion of the immigration saga at the San Salvador airport: The immigration officer at the departure point was more difficult than we expected. We were refused departure for not having our residency cards which were taken from us weeks ago at the national immigration office. After heated conversation we presented photo copies which were grudgingly accepted. Then 4 more issues prevented our departure. We addressed three of them and then the final issue, money. Having withdrawn almost our entire ATM account in Usulután, we thought we were ready for this one as well. When the officer demanded the exact amount to the penny (there is a tax on a non-residency penalty!), we had another dilemma – no coins or small bills. But another immigration officer made change for us and we were free.

Our strength is returning. Our environment in El Salvador is noisy 24 hours a day, combined with dirt and heat which is very taxing on the body and the mind. At Easter break we were just thankful to cool down. This break we’re enjoying the simple life - looking out the kitchen window, watching the birds at the feeders, smelling clean laundry fresh from the dryer, appreciating the quiet of the country setting, and our morning coffee while reading the newspapers written in English.

But we never are really free from El Salvador - we are always preparing for the return. We have given presentations to three Rotary Clubs. Nancy’s Sunrise Rotary has donated funds for five computers and computer desks at the Central School of Alambre. Generous friends have pledged and given money for additional school needs.

David’s Noon Rotary has written a grant to finish the sewer tubing project in Nuevo Ferrocarrill. When it is approved, construction will begin in January 2012.

We met with the professor of Engineers without Borders, University of Wisconsin Madison. Our partnership is now in its 6th year and we are making plans for projects into 2013. Past projects include engineering the waste water containment from La Granja and the public school and designing and constructing a bridge connecting people and tubing in La Granja to Nuevo Ferrocarrill. Now a sewage treatment project in underway in Nejapa as the system was not properly maintained and is not functional. A team from EWB is in Nejapa this summer preparing for the final phases of the project.

Another pending project is the design of a waste water treatment facility in our community of Batres. The problem is black water coming into this community polluting the local ground water and river. The EWB team is providing two sets of drawings offering the mayor choices on design. One option is a simple natural treatment, the other allows for the solids to be harvested and used for fertilizer.

David met with a local non-profit that makes modular buildings for various uses from an outhouse to a medical clinic and a three room school. Shortly after this meeting, we spoke with a nurse about a medical mission that needs a building for surgery in Honduras. We connected the need and opportunity and hope these resources come together for improving the doctors’ continuing mission to Honduras.

After 4 weeks, we hope the R & R part will begin so we can go back refreshed and refortified to complete our remaining months of mission.

David and Nancy

Computers & Jobs

We mentioned the difficulty with immigration upon our return from Easter break. We were told we could not leave El Salvador. What does that mean? The agent not only got our attention, but also motivated us into action. The following week, we traveled 90 miles to visit immigration to resolve our illegal status.

After our first visit that included more implied threats, we sent a letter to immigration asking for a five month extension to our residency. Immigration responded to Stephen, our VMM field rep that the reply was ready to be picked up at the immigration office. We again traveled the 2 hour trip to San Salvador and were given a form letter informing us we are illegal and must begin the residency process. But without instructions as to what was required. The first time we applied for residency was a trial and error process that took 5 months to complete; now our immediate concern is leaving July 14 for R&R.

Stephen and the local immigration coordinator addressed our departure issue; in fact the coordinator advised how to remain here, not get caught and leave the country on July 14. This situation must be more common than we thought. The blustering of the agents is theater. When you’re at the airport just steps from freedom, paying any fine they impose is worth the cost.

Since the trip to San Salvador is long and expensive, we try to include other stops and errands. This time we visited a Rotary project, a partnership between the Palo Alto Rotary Club and Club Rotario de San Salvador. Club Rotario de San Salvador is our project partner in Nejapa. Rotary Clubs address many humanitarian issues, but also focus on economic development. This project reconditions computers that are fully Micro-Soft licensed for schools, students, church groups and new business startups. It also provides two jobs, one is the reconditioning technician and one is the warehouse sales person.

The mountain school of Alambre has more students than computer time available and classes are six days a week. This is the only computer training offered in the region and the computer students are the 7th, 8th and 9th graders from this central school and from the local high school.

Principal Walter asked us for 5 computers and in turn we asked what direct impact these computers will have in the communities. Walter replied the students pay a monthly for this computer class. The money pays the instructors salary. With additional computers and more students, this is can become a full time secure position.

The national school curriculum here in the East does not support the purchase of computers or teachers salary for computer education. Any computers in public schools have been donated. We are currently soliciting funding for the purchase of computers.

We continue our effort to raise funds for more desks at this school so students do not have to sit on the floor or stand along the wall. We will pursue this need while we are home in July/August also.

While we should be in the early stages of wrapping up our mission, it seems we have a gift of connecting the “dots” of needs and opportunities. We will continue to use this gift as long as we can for the good of the people of El Salvador.

David y Nancy