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El Salvador Community Trip - Tara's Journal
Tara Perre - Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, Appleton, WI
Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday
Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Monday
Saturday, October 18
The first of our group, Katie, Tim and Tara made it Friday night. It was a long day but all the flights went well and we arrived on time in San Salvador. Got a good night sleep and met some interesting Americans last night at our hotel near the airport. The three of us will be heading back to the airport to meet the rest of our group around Noon.
Sunday, October 19
Just another quick post to let you all know the whole team has now made it safe and sound to El Salvador. Dawn, Diane, Julie and Carrie made it in on time and breezed through customs after a great flight through Houston. Cate, Natalie, Marcia, Mary, Krystal, Michael, Peter and Keith all met up in Atlanta and made it in country around 1 p.m. We stopped for a bite to eat at Pollo Campero on our way to Hotel Sahara in Santa Ana. Our bus ride was about two hours and allowed us to see some of the countryside.
We got our first introduction to the family-centered culture of El Salvador at the airport. Huge crowds of extended families waited at the arrival doors. Team members felt they were stepping onto the red carpet. Grandparents, babies, cousins and neighbors warmly greeted each other - then 20 at a time - crammed into Ford Ranger size trucks and sped away.
We rode a comfortable bus for two hours to Santa Ana through lush green mountains, past road-side cows and sugar cane fields.
It seems to be incredibly green here because it rains several times a day. Our guide, Luis Fernando, said the heavy rains are washing away the mud, cardboard and tin shacks. Change of plans - the community center cannot be built because of the bad weather continues well past the rainy season. We will build a single family home on a different site. I think we are all happy about the switch. We meet the family tomorrow.
Monday, October 20
Today was an amazing day for many reasons. Our team was able to worship at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church in Santa Ana. While the congregation is poor financially; they are definitely not poor spiritually. We were given an amazing welcome and treated like celebrities. They are so grateful that we are here in their country. Taking the time to give of ourselves to not only build houses but build relationships.
The children performed songs and a dance for us. We were able to follow along as best as we could in the Spanish Lutheran liturgy. We may not have known all the words, but it was a familiar service and moving to know it doesn't matter where you are or who you are--Christ is working through all of us. It's hard to put into words the feelings we had at the service. We were called angels. We were asked to pray for the pastor and the church, which we gladly did. We communed together, prayed together and shared God's peace with hugs and handshakes. We marvelled at the children. Well behaved and curious about us. Sneaking smiles with us during the service. We even helped celebrate Pastor Carlos Najera's 60th birthday. A joyful day for the congregation.
It was a wonderful experience to meet them, and we were excited to hear several of the congregation members will be building with us on Wednesday!
After church, we traveled by van to Lake Coatepeque. A lake in crater made from a volcano. We made a long descent down to the lake with breath taking views. The lake is completely surrounded by lush green mountains and is absolutely gorgeous. We were able to meet one of the families we will be working with to build their home. A family of four: mom, dad, a 7-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl. A wonderful family. It will be a joy to work alongside them as we help them build their home. We enjoyed time together dining in a patio type structure by the lake, but roughly 50 feet above the ground.
Tuesday, October 21
"This is a lot harder than I expected."
We finally began work at the two build sites today, 20 minutes outside of Santa Ana. These are new sites, so we started at the beginning by digging trenches through the heavy clay soil for the foundation and tying rebar. After digging in the intense sun, rebar was a welcome break.
The local children helped us get through the day - playing king of the hill in our dirt piles, sharing their treasures (Princess the rabbit and a toy guitar) and teaching us how to play marbles. Unfortunately, we are really bad at marbles.
At lunch at we had a special treat. One of the children from our houses, Carlitos, wanted us to walk to school with him. In his village children can either go to school in the morning or afternoon. Since Carlitos attends school in the afternoon, it worked out perfectly to accompany him on his 10 minute walk to school. At school we met his teacher and friends. We even had a quick session of shooting hoops in the school yard. The children were curious but shy around us. It was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of their lives.
After lunch we were back to digging and tying rebar. It was a challenging but rewarding day. Just as it was a lot harder than we expected. It was also more rewarding than we expected.
With the rain in the afternoon yesterday, our walking tour of Santa Ana was moved to today. We visited the main plaza, cathedral and opera house.
Tonight we're tired but lubed up with Biofreeze and have plenty of Alleve in our systems. Should be ready to go bright and early tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 22
Today was another great day on the build sites. We made so much progress.
Mike, Pete, Mary, Dawn, Marcia, Carrie, Krystal and I (Tara) finished digging out the trenches for the foundation--interior walls--and finished tying rebar. At the end of the day we dug out and helped prepare a pit for mixing the cement by hand. During the day, we had a few extra helping hands as neighbor children offered to help. They helped carry out the dirt whether by hand or wheelbarrow. Of course, break time is just as important. There were more marble matches and bubbles. More smiles and laughter.
Julie, Cate, Keith, Tim, Diane, Natalie and I (Katie) discovered a LARGE stump in our trench and fought it for a good part of the day with an ax, machete and a lot of will power (we won). We have been digging silently side-by-side with Gustavo, a 16-year-old boy. Today we worked up enough Spanglish to discover that this is his house. He was beaming when we dug out the area for his bedroom.
It's good work with instant rewards.
We again accompanied Carlitos to school at Noon and received just as warm a welcome. The kids recognized us and many more worked up the courage to try to talk to us today. They are so curious about us. We gave two huge frisbees to the school so the children can enjoy them during their recesses. They were an instant hit!
Our plan to visit Mayan ruins was foiled by rain, but we were thankful the rain stayed clear of our work sites and allowed us to work a full day with more cloud cover than yesterday. Since we are so close to the equator, the sun can be very intense, so any break is welcome!
Tonight reflected on the value of family. We already knew the Latin American culture to be family centered - but spending every day in the middle of their family life a powerful experience. The children are constantly looking after each other and they seem incredibly calm and happy. Families spend their days in constant contact, but they do not raise their voices. The daily rhythm for little Carlitos is a stark contract to our children who live with day planners. We are searching for ways to remember these lessons when we return home.
Thursday, October 23
We had another amazing day in Balernos, the village where we are building. Today we had extra help from the volunteers from Cristo Rey Lutheran. Blanca, Amelia and Maricella joined us to help prep trenches and rebar and haul concrete blocks to the job site from the road. Part of the team spent the entire day moving the concrete blocks while others tied more rebar and tamped sand into the trenches.
It was another day of hard labor, but well worth the effort.
Today was a special day for our team because we had a cultural exchange with the families and the neighborhood children. First the children took us on a tour of their village. We saw the creek that runs through and visited two churches. The children were so excited to show us around. They insisted we climb to the top of one of the churches to see the bonita vista...beautiful view...and was it ever. We always attract attention as we walk through town, but today Keith had a fun enounter with some children who called him a "Gringo Grande!"
When we came back it was time for the pinata in honor of Diane's birthday! She had the first honors of hitting the pinata and then the children had at it. Tara got a crack at the second pinata followed by more children. When the candy comes raining down, look out because the kids swarm in quickly to grab the little treats. We soon learned our amazing lunch of chicken soup and Mayan Indian chicken is served as a very special meal for birthdays. We were honored to receive such a special meal for our lunch. At the cultural exchange the families also served us many Salvadoran specialities such as paposas, tamales and yucca root. It was delicious! Diane was so grateful for the birthday wishes and extraordinary efforts from the families, she along with several of our team were moved to tears. To top off the birthday celebration, we each received a egg cracked over our head. It's not as bad as it sounds...trust us. The families prepared special decorated eggs, blown out and filled with confetti. When they are cracked over your head, the confetti flies out and is a wish for good health.
For our part of the exchange, we each brought pictures or items that represent the four seasons we experience in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. We shared our pictures and explained what we do in each season. Keith and Diane even acted out playing baseball. The children were most amazed by our winter photos of snow men and snow angels. It was a great way to share a little more of ourselves with these wonderful families.
After our day in Balernos, we visited the site where the Thrivent Village will be built and the Charlotte model village is already located. It was great to see how much progress Habitat El Salvador is making to help families in need. As soon as our van was spotted by children playing soccer, the game was quickly forgotten as they ran to see who was visiting. They are clearly excited to see more visiters in their community. (There's a lot more work to do down here for any of you interested!)
Guest blogger - Tim Lehman
In preparation for our trip to El Salvador, each team member established a head (rational behavior/expectation) and heart (emotional behavior/expectation) goal. The reasons for coming on the trip varied widely, but some common themes bound the team together.
Head goals:
- Safely complete our work.
- Opportunity for a team build with other Thrivent employees.
- Represent Thrivent's values of faith, family, stewardship and service.
- Provide needy El Salvadorian families with a home.
Heart goals:
- Let Christ's love and light shine.
- Realize a deeper compassion for those in need - and talk action on it.
- Fulfill a mission of my own or of someone who has passed on before me.
- Reaffirm that we are part of a great organization.
- Create lasting friendships with fellow Thrivent employees.
Today we completed our third of five build days. Everyone on the team feels as individuals and a group we are making progress on our head and heart goals. Keep us in your prayers for the remaining two build days and on our travels home. We will be better people, Christians and Thrivent employees as a result of this experience.
Friday, October 24
Today we started mixing cement for the foundation of both homes. It's another physical task, and the sun was out full strength again. We made sure to pace ourselves as mixing cement by hand involves mucho shoveling! First you start by filling wheelbarrows with sand and gravel. Then you dump them into a heap and start mixing. Next comes the water and the bucket brigade to the trenches. One of the home's foundation was 5 feet away from being finished at the end of the day! Our little buddy Raphael was waiting for us this morning, and he put in a full day even though he is only 8 and his only pair of shoes are too small. His family is quite poor, and he isn't able to go to school. Who knows maybe he will grow up to be a mason? We are hoping this experience is helping him. He has touched our hearts, and we will miss him when we go home.
After our day of labor, we were able to go to an artisan market and found some wonderful hand-crafted jewelry and pottery. We also went out for dinner to a nice restaurant, Los 44. It was a wonderful meal, and we were able to learn more about our Habitat hosts here in Santa Ana. We learned that there are currently 25 Habitat homes going up through the Santa Ana office! It was a relaxing evening after our hard work at the site. It's hard to believe tomorrow is our last work day!
Saturday, October 25
Today was our last day on the work site. After several days of digging, it was rewarding to see the house begin to take shape as we laid the first course of bricks.
Raphael reminded us of our cultural differences when we told him the story of Jack and the Bean Stock during a beak. When Jack discovered the bean stalk, he said Jack should start picking beans for his family. When we told him about the Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg, he didn't understand the concept of gold and recommended he give the goose to his mother to eat.
We ended on a happy note when a Mariachi band appeared from the house and the community children filled the yard to dance. The children called us individually by name to receive a diploma and the families presented each of us with a special gift.
Our foreman, Jacob ("HAK-ob"), is a quiet and serious man and continued to work during the ceremony. Tim hugged him as we left and completely broke down. He put his hand over his heart and his words didn't need translation.
We arrived at the Pacific Ocean last night before dinner. It's pure paradise here. This morning, we strolled the empty beach and collected sand dollars. We enjoyed time together relaxing on the beach and the pool.
Each of us stretched our boundaries, growing as individuals and as a cohesive team during our time in El Salvador. What an idyllic way to end our journey.
Monday, October 27
Sunday was our last day in El Salvador. Tim, Katie and I were the first to hit the road at 4 a.m. We were up and ready to go by 3:15, but should have known that meant 4 a.m. El Salvador time! Luckily, our travel day was uneventful. The three of us fly to Houston, then Detroit together. We split up around 6:30 when Tim and I had to head for our gate and flight back to Appleton. We landed safely and were on our way home by 8 with our families. Katie was due in Minneapolis around 11 p.m. and also got home safely. So far only Natalie has updated the team by email, so I know she made it back to PA. When I hear from others, I'll update this post. The majority were getting in super late, so I'm sure they slept in and haven't logged in for an email update.