Reflections on the El Salvador Trip
Scott Anderson
I think the most important part of what is termed the
“El Salvadoran experience” is letting yourself be open to what you will see
and what you hear from the people that you will meet. I’m reminded of the
passage in the Bible where it refers to the people who have eyes and do
indeed see or have ears and do indeed hear. I think it is also important to
go with an open mind and an open heart, as I found my mind to be enlightened
and my heart to be deeply touched.
As with most cases of giving of myself, I found that I
received much more than what I gave. What I gave was nine days of my time
and the monetary cost of the travel expenses; what I received was some
profound wisdom and the privilege of meeting some extraordinary people.
Not surprisingly, the wisdom that I gained came through
the mouths of the people who I met. If it is possible to summarize all of
this wisdom, I think it would consist of believing in God, having hope for
the future, loving others, being humble, and being willing to make
sacrifices in order to help those in need. This wisdom turned out to be
exactly what I’ve been learning in church every week for years, but somehow
it was more profound to witness it in the heat & humidity of a country that
I had a hard time finding on a map.
An unexpected piece of wisdom came out of a meeting
with the many leaders of the neighboring community of Los Bueyes. While
sitting in a large circle under the shade of a gigantic tree, I listened as
a prioritized twelve-point plan for improving their community was
presented. Without the help of highly paid consultants, surveys, fact
finding studies, or computers, the leaders had done a remarkable job of
analyzing the needs of Los Bueyes and determining the importance of each
item in their plan. The wisdom that I took from this example was that the
collective efforts of intelligent thinking plus a legal pad and a ballpoint
pen can yield impressive results.
While the financial support that Trinity has provided,
with the aid of other churches and other people, is not a large amount of
money, I learned that even small amounts of help can have a significant
impact on the lives of the recipients. When I heard the stories of the
staff of Casa Materna, the children at school, ordinary people from the
village, and the high school scholarship recipients, I realized that, yes,
it is possible for us to make a difference.
I also realized that I can make a difference myself
here in Topeka as well, by following the example of Carmen and Oscar and
Donny. These three people have dedicated their lives to trying to make
Talpetates a better place for their neighbors. While much of their efforts
involve providing leadership for the Casa Materna, the school, or the
community, they also give of themselves by being friends & role models for
others. While talking to one of the high school students we discovered that
after his mother died, Donny “adopted” him and has been providing financial
support for his education over the years. From an example like this, I was
reminded that sometimes the most important things that you can do to help
people don’t involve attending committee meetings in the Parlor.
I hope that anyone who is reading this will be inspired
to make the journey to El Salvador. You’ll find that if you do some walking
before you go that you can get in shape, and that if you make lists and buy
the right things that you’ll be equipped for each day’s adventures. While
sensible shoes will protect your feet, you’ll find that you can’t protect
your heart from all of the emotions that you will feel. It is true that you
will eat unfamiliar food, that you might get to sleep in a hammock, that you
will discover that the dirt roads are both steep and rocky, that you will
sweat profusely, that you will slather on both sun block and insect
repellant, and that you will regard your water bottle as your most prized
possession. But once you have been moved to tears by being treated as a
visiting dignitary while walking through a receiving line surrounded by
dozens of cheering students and being showered with confetti dots, you will
have an experience that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
And you will want to go back again.
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