2008-05-15T00:43:41Z Kathy Mahler Copyright 2008, Kathy Mahler SPHPBLOG
I will probably have more stories to tell as time goes on. But I can barely remember where I left off and what I thought I wanted to tell. I just checked and my last blog was so fluff – a Fútbol game for goodness sake!

So I’ll do this blog from my heart – from Today’s perspective.

I’m sad.
No use denying it.

It has been extremely difficult for me to be here in Iowa. Maybe it’s not difficult to BE HERE per se… but more difficult to not BE THERE.

Do you see the difference?

I don’t even know how many of you are still checking on occasion. I’ve heard a few complaints about my lack of writing – but they are the random few who also have such a strong emotional tie to the people and the work in El Salvador. So their complaints do not surprise me.

I’m not even sure what to write right now. I’ve been really busy since I’ve returned. I flew in Thursday night the 20th of March - getting home after 10:30 p.m. And knowing I had to get on an airplane the very next morning, I had to get some laundry done (but you all know that is an easy prospect here… I have a MACHINE to do it for me so I just dumped it all in!!)

I was out the house by 7:30 a.m. the very next morning and on my way to Atlanta for my niece’s wedding. This was a lovely event held at the Atlanta Zoo in the pavilion near the warthogs. (I love the whole concept of this location!!!). And it truly was a beautiful wedding. Short, sweet, casual yet elegant … warm and loving.

Dave and I had the next day to explore Atlanta – but being Easter Sunday – not a whole heck of a lot was open. We ended up at Stone Mountain. Check it out on line. It was very cool.

We got home Monday afternoon on the 24th. That was the day that I was ‘technically’ home. It’s been a struggle. I would be lying if I said differently.

There are so many things I miss about El Salvador. The people. The work. The smells. The language. The humbleness. The people. The work. The simplicity.

I’ve had lots to keep me busy here. My Don Justo volunteers were wonderful – but they did things a little differently than me. So I’ve been compiling papers, files, etc. to how I used to do it… that has been a great distraction. But really – Betty and Ann did such a good job of it all, that I really didn’t have too much to do.

I’ve had Compañeros reports to write. I’ve had unpacking to do. I’ve been going through closets and ‘down-sizing’ things. Every time I come back from El Sal I get an urge to simplify and so I try to take advantage of that down-sizing energy.

I’ve visited sister, mom, mom-in-law, friends, church people, coffee contacts and countless others. My time has been full here in Iowa but my heart has been a bit empty.

I know I will be going back to El Salvador. But it won’t be in the capacity that I was working these past few months so it will be VERY different. Every trip will be special of course – that is a given. And now – they will be even more special because of the more personal relationships I have formed with not only the Pastoral Team, but also with the members of the 17 cantons and many people in the pueblo of Berlin… so my returns will be very sweet. I will need to tack on several days before and after any delegation visits I make just so I can devote time to talking to people without being rude to my delegation!.

I already know I get to go back in June. We have a brand new church that has formed a delegation. The Compañeros group decided that it was really important for this new potential partner to have a ‘for real guide’ in the process – and I (of course) offered my services to accompany this group – and Compañeros – bless their collective souls – offered to pay my way to accompany this group. I am so happy I get to do this. I am so grateful to Compañeros for making this possible (I could not afford it on my own). And obviously, I am so very happy to be returning so soon.

God only knows what is in store for me in the future. I am trying to keep my faith – that God will put me where I need to be … Somehow, I feel my future is in El Salvador. I would really like a ‘billboard from God’ - telling me where He wants me to be. If it is here – so be it. I will work my heart and soul for the people in El Salvador. If I am supposed to be in El Salvador … well – I will make it work out somehow. But truly… a billboard would be nice. I’m not good with subtleties!!

I’m not sure what else to write right now so this is it for now.

I’ll try to do more writing for you about the last few weeks in El Sal. I’ll think back to the very cool and interesting things that happened and try to come up with thematic stories for you.

So if you are still checking… don’t give up hope for more blog entries. Check once a week at this point…

And I do need to say: thank you for your faithful reading. It did my heart good (and very much surprised me) to see how many “hits” I had on my blogs each day.

The blogs were a great way to journal and in many ways were very therapeutic for me. So thanks for the cheap counseling sessions! I would recommend blogs to anyone who is experiencing struggles – both joyful or heart wrenching.

Or if not a public journal… consider a private journal. There I great comfort in getting things ‘off your chest’ and onto paper (or electronics) is a good venue for venting.

Blessings to you all.
And truly – you have NO idea how gratifying it has been for me to see how many ‘hits’ I have had on my blog site. Very amazing and humbling. I hope I have entertained or enlightened you – whatever your Salvadoran needs have been …

Thank you for your faithful readings and occasional comments. (side note: comments are great to hear… so TALK to me!!)

Love and affection to all of you.
And here is a promise to you all… I’ll find more to tell you in the coming weeks.
; o)




]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080403-202052 2008-04-04T00:00:00Z 2008-04-04T00:00:00Z
Of course, we were running late – we needed to be in San Miguel by 5 and it was about 4:30 when we left La Casa. It takes me about 15 or 20 minutes to drive down the mountain to Mercedes Umaña then another 35 minutes to get to San Miguel. Not Jorge! Holy buckets! I’m a pretty calm passenger for the most part… I’ve been in an Italian taxi for goodness sake – but I had to shut my eyes a few times as we passed trucks and buses on the mountainous curves. They ALL got a kick out of that. The wife and kids didn’t bat an eyelash. So now I have more things to razz Jorge about. He has such a fun sense of humor (he speaks English) and has an infectious laugh so I love to joke around with him…

Since I’m writing this a week after the game, obviously we made it to San Miguel. They dropped me off at the Tropico Inn where I would spend the night – the New York Rotarians were there as well so I will got to have breakfast with them in the morning. Jorge went home to drop off his wife and then returned with the kids. Miguel (another Rotarian) swung by with another vehicle and we all loaded up to head to the game. We were 5 kids, Jorge, Miguel, me and the 4 New York folks in 2 cars. When we got to the stadium, there were several more San Miguel Rotarians already there. These guys have clout – they were allowed to park in private and secure spots right at the entrance. I was the only one not wearing orange… no one had told me – well the New York folks had talked about the game and the orange shirts they got cheap, but I just didn’t make the connection. Wouldn’t have mattered… I don’t have an orange shirt anyway. I was lucky because right outside the gate, there was a vendor. I decided to suck it up and pay the stadium price for a shirt. Ok. I should remember I’m in El Salvador. I got a really cool team shirt for $5. It’s a great souvenir and now I won’t stand out like a sore thumb. I do that enough as it is! So I slipped it over my tank top – but I could already tell I was going to swelter… so I asked if I could change really fast in Jorge’s car… we trundled back while the others bought the tickets. Jorge unlocked the car, I got in, he walked away and turned his back and I tried to be discreet – but between being sweaty, and the tight-ish tank top, and the not too big orange shirt over that, I couldn’t wiggle out of one while keeping the other one on… so I took a quick look around – no one was really in sight and just as fast as I could did the shirt switch. Heck… no one knows me… I’ll never see them again, right?? I keep telling myself that.

We caught up to the rest of the crowd ready to go into the stadium. Stephanie had bought my ticket. That was really nice of her!!! We were there by 5:15 and the game wouldn’t’ start till 7 p.m. but it is first come first served seating. And we all ended up at the 50 yard line. Dead center – maybe 10 rows up. Wow. It could not have been better. There were probably 25 or 30 of us by the time the game started. More Rotarians kept showing up. It was very festive. There was lots of beer ($1 a glass – yup – the same size as the $5 cup at the minor league baseball stadium in Des Moines) and vendors selling the usual Salvadoran munchies. I bought some platano chips … Jorge gave me a look of panic – saying to me: ‘What are you going to do with those??” I gave him a goofy look and said “I’m gonna eat them!” He said – “oh, no… you shouldn’t… it’s not safe” “Oh good grief” I say… “I eat them all the time… I love them! What’s wrong with them? They’re cooked!” He says “The flies… they are left out and the flies are all over them.” “Oh yeah. Oh well.” Crunch, crunch. “You want one?” “Yeah, thanks.” he says. Hence, continues our evening.

I got a few more “unsafe” munchies and we were on our way to a great evening.

Almost everyone in the stadium had orange on. I’m glad I bought my shirt.

We had a great time talking and greeting everyone before the game. Then the players came out to stretch. Oh la la. It must be a law that soccer players have to be really good looking.

Then the referees came out and they were more fun to watch than the players. They have their own warm-up routine which was almost like a dance! There were four of them prancing and doing all sorts of fun to watch moves – all in sync with each other.

Then the police came out – Lots of them in full gear including helmets, big boots and huge shields. They came out because the opposing team came out to do their warm-ups. Apparently, the crowds can get ugly.

But no one did so that was good. The cheap seat section had a HUGE banner that somehow they coordinated the flying of. I did get a pretty good picture of that. Then the fireworks started. Then the national anthem - fortunately, the short version. And then the kick off. Or whatever it’s called. And then the game began.

I know nothing of this game… other than you want the ball to go into the net. But it was really fun to watch anyway. I can’t believe the stamina of those players. They are on the field for two 45 minute periods. No time outs, no breaks. Unless you get hurt – then they take you off in a stretcher. One guy had to get his bleeding head bandaged, but he went right back out to play.

During the half time, Stephanie and I began to sing “take me out to the ballgame” but not very whole-heartedly. I asked one of the guys if he thought it would be ok if I went down to the fence to take pictures of the police… he said sure… so I did. In spite of the darkness of the night, I got some good close up shots of them, the green cross guys and our crowd of Rotarians.

Later Jorge told me the police chief asked if I was taking photos of the cops… he told him no. I could have gotten in big trouble apparently. Police fear for their safety here and can’t be photographed. Maybe I should blur out the faces when I post them to the gallery!!

The final score was 0 – 0. Technically the home team won because they started the game in the lead over the other team. So when it is a draw, the team ahead gets a point.

Afterwards, the tradition is to go to Pizza Hut. So we all did. Good thing, because I was hungry. Munchies and beer doesn’t sustain too well. Someone told the Pizza guys that it was Wayne’s (N.Y.) birthday and he was a great sport when they stuck a hat on his head and a balloon in his hand!

When we all had our fill of pizza, the 4 of us were driven back to the Tropico and we all made our way to our rooms. It was so quiet there. I missed my roosters and dogs and music next door, but I managed to sleep like a baby anyway.


]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080314-170927 2008-03-14T00:00:00Z 2008-03-14T00:00:00Z ]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080312-221048 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z
From one of my past emails, you know we spent time in El Recreo – their sister canton… but we did more than just have a very long mass…

They also did home visits… breaking up into small groups and each group going with a translator to sit and chat with one family for about an hour. And they got to watch a bit of a soccer game and shared a meal with the community. Having supper with 400 friends is a real treat!

It’s different not being a part of a delegation … my role is a bit different now. The community knows me from my multiple visits there and when people come to Berlin to go to market or church … or come to La Casa for whatever reason so I’m not a stranger… but I’m also not a part of their sister church.

So our relationship is a bit different. It’s fun for me to see how the community rallies around the delegation – how they talk, laugh, and build friendships. Old timers are received as old friends… new delegates are accepted into the fold very quickly.

Another thing this delegation did was to visit the 3 marginalized schools in Berlin. These schools serve the poorest of the poor children in Berlin and get minimal support from the ministry of education… although, just within the last couple of years, the teachers have finally begun to get paid! They started out as volunteers as the cardboard communities on the fringes of Berlin sprung up after the last really big earthquake.

The delegation also likes to visit the local physical therapy clinic around the corner from La Casa. This place serves about 70 children – aged 3 to 17 – who come in for 2 one hour sessions each week. They have a variety of disabilities ranging from Down’s Syndrome to Club foot, Cerebral Palsy, arthritis, spinal problems, vision or hearing problems… you name it. There is a sliding scale fee but most don’t have to pay because they cannot afford it. It is a fabulous resource for the MANY handicapped children in this area. I’ve made many friends there amongst the children. And when they see me on the street, they come running for a full body slam hug! I love it. I will miss them a lot when I leave.

I also took the group up to the lagoon in Alegria for a bit of diversion. It is a unique thing to say you stood inside a volcano. We don’t have too many of those in Iowa… oh yeah. We don’t have any of those in Iowa!

It was a good week. The St. Boniface group was a blend of first timers and repeat visitors. I knew 6 of them before they came: Fr. Vince, Mike, Barb, Jerol, Jerry and Kami. The new ones were Ann, Lynn, Todd and Kathy.

One night, some of the delegates played UNO with some of the ladies of the Pastoral Team – talk about funny times! Loud and raucous … cheaters one and all! But all in fun and giggles.

One night I sat with Mike and his guitar and we sang around the kitchen table. I don’t know where everyone else was, but I really enjoyed that… I learned of a good website to find guitar chords set to the words of lots of music I know…

And a few nights we just sat and talked all night.

Needless to say… when a group is so nice and friendly and inclusive… I don’t get much work done!

But it’s worth it…

]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080312-220925 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z
They wanted to visit the manufacturing facility in San Miguel and meet up with the Rotary International folks there. They have a strong club and have partnered with the New York clubs as well as the Pastoral Team and ProVida to make this dream a reality.,

So Otilia and I were invited to join all the Rotarians in San Miguel for a dinner meeting on the 6th. A woman from Pure Water for the World was going to be there to talk to us all and figure out some details. The Rotary Club said they would foot the bill for us to spend the night in the local hotel for our safety. It isn’t smart for two women to drive at night. So we agreed we would go. We would also get to interview another candidate for the ‘project coordinator’ job – someone who will oversee the entire project – from the sand used in manufacturing, to the installation and education in the homes, the parasite treatments at the end – and the ensuing follow up over the years.

We had the meeting at the hotel so it was easy to drive to and easy to stay put for the night.

And I finally met Stephanie and Tansukh whom I had been emailing over that past few months planning their time in Berlín.

Turns out that Stephanie and I are long lost sisters; we think a lot alike. She is goofy and fun but very committed to her humanitarian work. And this project is very important to her.

As it is to the San Miguel people, the rest of the N.Y. Rotarians and the Pastoral Team. So this was a great opportunity to all get together at the same time to work out some details. And it was a productive night. We did interview the candidate, but there were so many people there and it was only partially translated … and by two different people and sometimes simultaneously. I was sitting way at the end by 3 of the San Miguel guys who often were chatting amongst themselves so I didn’t hear much of the interview… But Otilia was sitting right next to the guy and that was the most important thing since she is the one who would be communicating with him the most.

I could see she wasn’t convinced that he was the man for the job. We had interviewed two others before him. And both of us really liked the first candidate who had several years experience with this project in Honduras and Otilia knows him and his work and has confidence in his commitment and his abilities to work with the people of the cantons. Only problem was, he wanted too much salary.

So we basically dismissed him as unreachable.

Until tonight… the candidate on this night also asked for more than was in the budget … and the Rotarians were all willing to make a compromise and offer him a package. And this salary package was similar to what that first guy wanted.

I could see Otilia’s face… but she wasn’t speaking up. So I got up, walked over and asked her what she thought… and as I thought I had read in her face, this was not the candidate she would have the most confidence in… and she sited many reasons why. Experience is one… not just in the technical end, but the experience of working with the people of the cantons who require a certain manner of communication…

So I found a way to get one of the New York Rotarians out into the hall to try to explain in a nut shell what was going on and the concerns Otilia had…

Long story short… after much confusion, many repeated conversations and questions and ponderings… it was decided to make the same offer to BOTH candidates and see what happened.

That was how the meeting ended basically.

Overall it was a good night. Otilia and I shared a room and it was like a mini-slumber party. After we were in our jimmies, she lay on her bed, and I lay on mine and we chatted for about 45 minutes. Talking more about our feelings of the evening and plans for the next day. She had errands to run.

She got up by 5:30 and told me to keep resting – she would be back after her errands and we could go home. She would be back in time for some breakfast before we left though.

I ended up getting out of bed by 6 anyway - missing a golden opportunity to sleep in a couple more hours. But the HOT shower was beckoning. I think I stayed in there for 20 minutes. It was deliciously hot and strong.

I took my book and walked out to the pool area which is where breakfast is served. I decided to just have coffee while I waited for the other Rotarians to roll out of their rooms. It was quite pleasant really. I read a little Stephen King… I started that book in October when I first got here… I’m only about a third of the way through. I just don’t have time to read for pleasure.

So between the hot shower and the reading … it was a lovely way to start the day!

At breakfast we all talked more about this and that – getting to know each other better. These New York folks are really nice. They told me they had a tradition of going to a soccer game while in San Miguel because it is raucously fun and wild. I have never been to one and said so… they suggested I join them. Jorge said he had to go to San Salvador the day of the game and he would swing by Berlín to pick me up and I would spend the night again in San Miguel. The next day, the New York folks were coming up to Berlín to spend two days with us, so I could just tag along with them to come back the next day.

I had a fun thing to look forward to!






]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080312-191748 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z 2008-03-13T00:00:00Z
Six of them were already in the truck when Milagro asked if I was ready to go. I was just in the middle of emails and student projections for a new school when she came up to the office … I was doing stuff I could walk away from. I needed a break.

We went to Santiago de Maria. You know the place. I thought we were going to the church – because when she told me where we were going, all I heard was the word church (in that town). Turned out, it was a church-run skilled care center for old people. When the nun came to the door and saw the corn, she said we were angels of God coming. Some little old man (probably 65) came out and he one by one, carried on his back the 70+ pound sacks. We were invited in because Milagro knew there was a woman there from Berlin and she wanted to say hello. So we did. It was nicer than I was expecting… it was clean and it didn’t smell. The old folks were in a variety of places – Milagro’s friend was in bed. She could not speak – and mostly slept while we were there…but I think she heard Milagro’s voice and she did smile and try to talk. She was in bed – all covered up. It was a cool day today. We even had a little bit of rain.

There were some sad old people there. Several people were bed-ridden. A few walking. It did have a nice eating area (everything is relative of course). They eat and snack at one long table. The nun said there were currently 22 old people there and they NEVER get visitors. So this was a good visit. Milagro stroked the face of Jula – her old friend from Berlin and talked with the nun for quite a while.

I looked around. The room we were in was probably 30 feet by 60 feet. Beds were dorm style – easily 30 in this room alone. Some of the people were SO small… Salvadorans are small to begin with, but when the folk get old and hunched and lose weight – well, it’s a sad sight. But like the nun said – better here than in the street. So many folk die that way – just of exposure, disease and malnourishment.

It’s a sad situation. But they are in good hands at this place. I liked the way the nun interacted with the people near us. There were loving and patient hands there. She reminded me of my “daughter” Kathleen – one of Paul’s friends from high school. Like Kathleen, this nun had a big and inviting smile and a gentle and loving manner.

Thank God for people like this nun and Kathleen.
]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080307-205149 2008-03-08T00:00:00Z 2008-03-08T00:00:00Z
I do seem to have lots of irons on the fire right now.
It’s coffee order time… and the coffee just arrived in the states for disbursement…

A delegation just left… I have one coming on Sunday … and 2 others in March. Plus the partner church relationship issues… and the “little” things the Pastoral Team needs from me like a trip to Santiago de Maria to deliver about 600 pounds of corn to the church there… that will be a 4 hour trip AFTER my 5 hours of driving round trip to San Salvador tomorrow…

And the medical delegation that arrives the end of March needs major attention. TWO trips to San Sal and lots of computer time …

Plus I’m feeling guilty about not writing my blogs each night coz I’m just too pooped to stay up past 10 p.m. to write.

Dang.

Or as they say here… “puchica”





]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080305-222742 2008-03-06T00:00:00Z 2008-03-06T00:00:00Z
I’ll probably blog very randomly. Today is very much out of order if I were to keep to a sequential format. So I’ll be a rebel tonight.

Today was their first of two days out in their sister community. Their main project in El Recreo was the construction of a beautiful church. 6 months ago – they had barely broken ground to get the foundations set. And this delegation was hoping for a dedication ceremony for this trip.

So the community worked long and hard to make it happen. We had planned the dedication mass for this first day - subject to the availability of Fr. Cándido who wanted to participate. So the mass was set for 10 a.m. today to accommodate him.

We arrived in El Recreo about 9 a.m. There were already lots of people at the church – they had obviously been decorating. There were balloons and streamers, the dirt had been watered down to eliminate some dust…the ground was swept and smoothed, there were

Ok… it’s now March 5th and I had to abandon the writing due to someone walking in the office door with a request. Welcome to my world at the moment…

I forget what “there were” – so I’ll move on …

The people of El Recreo were so excited to see the folks of the delegation. We got there a good hour before the mass, but there were lots of people waiting for us. So everyone piled out of the truck and started greeting. It was fun to see. I’ve been a delegate with my church partnership so I know the feelings they are all having. It’s like coming home to long lost brothers and sisters. It was fun to be “an outsider” and observe. I, of course, have my own unique role here, so I also get plenty of loving greetings as well.

We milled around and chatted and visited for the hour we had to wait for the mass. Both Fr. Cándido and Jacobo came to officiate the dedication mass. There was also another priest from San Salvador in attendance… not sure why. And they also had planned 9 baptisms and 2 weddings. Good grief. I’m thinking we’ll be here till next week.

Turned out to be only 3 hours or so. Mark… you couldn’t get away with that at Heartland!!

For the mass, the delegation was given a place to sit in front of the congregation (facing the congregation). But since I am not a part of the group, I sat with the people. I ended up by some kids of course, and they were a bit entertaining. I also had a dog sleeping at my feet that I had to nudge away every time I had to stand.

Church is sure different here… bare feet, animals, offerings of not just money, but also fruit, rice, beans, live animals…

It seemed everyone was given an opportunity to say a few words. 4 of the delegates spoke… the Delegate of the Word spoke… one of the guys who was in charge of the construction of the church spoke… all 4 priests present spoke… then the weddings and baptisms…

We were all pretty tired when it was all done.
And then we had a lunch of rice, tortillas, and the toughest chicken I have yet had the “pleasure” to enjoy.

And then we all just hung out and visited some more. We left El Recreo relatively early… no one had energy for the home visits that were on the agenda. But that’s ok. It was a good morning and early afternoon.

And I got to cry at a wedding.









]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080305-221349 2008-03-06T00:00:00Z 2008-03-06T00:00:00Z
You might remember that I had spent some time with Raúl’s family in Usulután and that his sister Miriam and I plotted to get to the local beach – but it didn’t work out that weekend.

Well – Kimberly and I were talking about it and we decided we needed to go. And having no idea where the heck this place really was, we thought it would be a good idea to invite the family along. The more the merrier, safety in numbers and all that. And Miriam had really wanted to go!! So we arranged for the day.

Miriam wasn’t the only one to come along – we also had Miguel – Raúl’s brother who happened to be visiting and a neighbor girl (Carla??). So in all we were seven.

We went to Usulután first to pick up Miriam. That is where we met Miguel and Carla (I feel horrible I can’t remember her name – man I’m getting old!!). What nice people. Miguel was an absolute stitch. In spite of the language issues, there were some silly and funny moments - maybe because of the language issues actually.

We loaded up the truck after a little chit chat – Niña Rosa (who didn’t go with us) suggested we put two lawn chairs in the back of the truck. That was a great idea. And there was a bag of pop and a few other bags that ended up being our picnic lunch. Very cool indeed.

It was only about a 35 minute drive to the beach on good roads. We had to go up and over some hills but it was easy driving. And Miriam, with her horribly arthritic knees was sitting in the passenger seat and she gave my driving the nicest compliment … “Que bonita - su manajando” (something like that – I just knew what she was saying and it was very sweet). ‘How pretty her driving’. I think perhaps because I respect those mountainous curves and don’t drive like a maniac. She is such a sweet woman.

We ended up turning onto a dirt road – and there were stalls with people selling food, coffee, snacks, trinkets, bathing suits. It was all very rustic - nothing fancy about it. Thatched roofs on tree trunk posts – some of the buildings had sides… some not. And there were people waving us in to park… we went into one that the family knew. For $10, the car is kept safe in the enclosure, there is a swimming pool, a private room with chairs and table and hammock to change clothes, a place to hose the salt and sand off, and food and drinks were available. Quite the bargain really! And the beach was just across the road.

And what a beautiful beach. It was very rustic and clean. Along the road side facing the ocean were hut upon hut – the thatched roof without walls variety – with tables and chairs for people to relax. And then nothing: just a big expanse of beach and fabulous ocean. We were able to leave most of our stuff locked in our little changing room – so we only had our towels and one small bag with Kimberly’s camera - which of course, we left sitting on the sand near where we all went in. Miriam basically sat in the very shallow part close by and kept an eye on it. The rest of us went in the ocean. Anais was hesitant so Raúl stayed with her playing in the sand. We had some fun conversation in the water. I can’t remember about what, but it was good. We all sort of mixed and matched our talking partners. It was quite fun. There was a point where Kimberly and Miguel were really talking and Raúl and I were wondering what language they were speaking. Miguel speaks no English and Kimberly, who has greatly improved in just a couple of weeks, still struggles. But bless that girl, she doesn’t hesitate – she just keeps talking and trying till the communication happens. It’s fun to watch.

We spent about an hour splashing around and finding shells, starfish and sand dollars with Anais. Then we decided we were hungry. So we walked back to ‘the compound.’ We hosed off a bit to get some of the salt and sand off and swam in the pool for a little before we sat down to eat. Miriam had packed peeled oranges and mango, ham sandwiches and pop. It was a feast and it tasted great. Miguel bought us a beer – bless his soul. We then decided we needed more ocean. So Kimberly, Miriam, Carla and I walked back. There were two local men who had befriended us earlier and who were much too attentive for Miriam’s liking. She wanted us to get one of the guys who had stayed back to talk and swim with Anais. I told Miriam I would go get them – but she made Carla go with me. Miguel had gotten himself a bowl of something interesting and another beer – he let me taste the soup – it had lots of fresh veggies and muscles in it. It was quite tasty. But he was busy. So Raúl convinced Anais they needed to come to the beach. And we trekked back.

We spent another hour or so splashing and shell hunting. While she was with me, Anais dropped her little baggie of findings two times in the water. And with the pull of the tides, I figured we’d never find them – but two times, I got lucky and became her hero. Whew! That could have been disastrous! She is a very sensitive 7 year old!

There was a boat ashore and they were selling fresh shrimp and other interesting fish. Try to guess how much per pound… How much does it cost to buy shrimp in the states? I don’t even know. All I know is I only buy shrimp for very special occasions because it’s so expensive. We bought 6 pounds. 2 for Miriam to bring home, 2 for Raúl to bring home and 2 for La Casa. I worried a bit about them going bad in the 5 hours it would be before we made it home…

We went back to the compound – we had to have our lock broken because the key got swept out to sea! But we all had time to get all the sand off while we waited. It felt good to be out of my wet shorts and shirt. Not much worse than wet under-clothing under shorts and tank top (which is my bathing suit of choice).

And we headed out. I let Miguel drive back to the house in Usulután. He used to be a taxi driver so I figured I could trust him – and this way I could sit in the chair in the back of the pick up. It was quite comfy actually. Miguel drove much faster than I do – reaching 60 MPH – which is not very polite to the people in the back… but it was ok. I got to enjoy the scenery and I had a little break from driving.

When we got to Miriam’s house, she immediately started cooking the shrimp. She also was worried about how it would survive the next 3 hours of driving…

And before we knew it, there was a huge plate of rice, eggs and freshly cooked shrimp on plates for all of us. By this time, it was 5 p.m. – and I was hungrier than I thought. I’m sure because of the sun, the water, the fresh air and exercise… I snarfed my food down after I gave Kimberly a mini-lesson on how to eat the shrimp on our plates. They are cooked and served in shell: heads, legs, antennae and all … she was a little grossed out at the thought. Miriam demonstrated her method. She eats the whole thing – shell and all. I showed Kimberly the method of head and shell removal. I’m so wasteful of perfectly good food. This was the best shrimp we had ever had. Even Kimberly agreed!

But we really had to go… we still had to drop off Raúl and Anais in San Vicente and then get to Berlín. We finally left about 5:30. I knew we had at least 3 hours on the road ahead of us. I had Kimberly call the house so they would not worry.

A funny moment – after we dropped off Raúl and Anais… I got back in the truck after saying good-bye – and the first words out of my mouth were … “can we ditch the shrimp” - that made Kimberly laugh. It really was beginning to smell bad – Miriam had cooked it for us, but I was worried that just one bad shrimp could really ruin someone’s day…

We tossed the bag out the window about a block from Raúl’s house figuring some lucky dog would find it … but the bag had leaked some liquid and the truck still reeked.

I know how I’m going to be spending my Sunday morning…

Where’s the Fabreze when you need it????

]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080223-221150 2008-02-24T00:00:00Z 2008-02-24T00:00:00Z
It started a little after 9 a.m. with greetings and then Jesús lead a Celebration of the Word. Then the guest speaker arrived – a policeman. I wasn’t in the meeting at this point so I don’t now what that was all about, but I heard some of the questions from the people when he was done. His portion of time was basically how to keep the community safe – especially at night.

Then Milagro went through the list of Cantones regarding what is happening with their projects or solicitudes or sister church. This is also the time for people to get updates on progress or to address additional needs of the community.

The meeting had run on well after the 12 o’clock hour. They were all supposed to be eating by now! Miguel was wrapping up the meeting and people were starting to stand up and then he said I had a few words to say… Everyone quickly plopped down in their seats and got really quiet. I told them I would be really brief because it was so late. Here is what I said:

No hay muchas veces que tengo tantos a amigos en mi vida. Necesito aprovecharse este momento para decir unas palabras.

Yo no tengo mucho que decir. Yo sólo quiero decir gracias.

Gracias para su compromiso. Gracias por su tiempo, gracias por compartir conmigo sus luchas y sus esperanzas. Gracias por su amistad y muchas gracias por su paciencia por mi falta de español hace la conversación difícil.

Tendré que volver a Iowa el mes próximo. Hará un día triste para mí. No podré verles aquí en la casa, en el mercado y en sus comunidades. Perderé sus sonrisas y los abrazos y la amistad.

Es aquí donde yo siento que he hecho el trabajo más importante. Y cuando regreso a casa, yo continuaré trabajar para todos ustedes. Encontraré la manera de comunicar a la gente en Iowa todas las cosas que he aprendido.

Y continuaré tratando de motivar a la gente en los Estados para trabajar en la lucha de su vida y para continuar sosteniendo el trabajo en curso así como el trabajo del futuro.

Todos ustedes estarán en mis pensamientos y mis oraciones y en el corazón para siempre.

Así que yo no estaré decir Adiós ni Hasta luego … pero diré 'hasta pronto'. Por que, con la gracia de Dios, yo regresaré. Y eso pensó me trae alegría y fuerza.


I suppose you want that translated …

It is not often that I have so many friends in one room so I need to take advantage of this to say a few words.

I don’t have much to say. I only want to say thank you.

Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for your time, Thank you for sharing with me your struggles and your hopes. Thank you for your friendship and many thanks for your patience when my lack of Spanish makes our conversation difficult.

I will have to go back to Iowa next month. It will be a sad day for me. I will miss seeing you here at the house, in the market and in your communities. I will miss your smiles and hugs and friendship.

It is here that I feel I have done the most important work. And when I go back home, I will continue to work for all of you. I will find ways to communicate to the people in Iowa all the things I have learned. And I will continue to try to motivate people in the States to work in the struggle of your lives and to continue to support the work in progress as well as the work of the future.

All of you will be in my thoughts and my prayers and my heart forever.

So I won’t be saying good-bye or even ‘see you later; - but I will say ‘see you soon’. With the grace of God, I will be back. And that thought brings me joy and strength.


Then we all went had lunch. The Pastoral Team scurry all morning to prepare, then scurry to put the food on plates and placed in plastic bags either ‘to go’ or to be enjoyed before they leave. It’s about half and half who have to go and those who want to stay a bit more to visit with friends from other communities.

And boy did I get lots of hugs as I was handing out the fresco (the sweet fresh fruit drink).
Sigh.

]]> http://www.heartlandpresbyterian.org/KathysBlog/index.php?entry=entry080222-210002 2008-02-23T00:00:00Z 2008-02-23T00:00:00Z