November 16, 2007

Friday, November 16, 2007

The last day has arrived – the day to say good-bye.  The group was a bit subdued at breakfast and not just from being tired.  We were thinking about saying good-bye.

After our usual delicious breakfast – one of my favorite things was the fresh squeezed orange juice – we headed back out to the church.  A small group went in Marco’s van to pick up the extra tires we ordered for Pastor Luis’ bike.

The children were waiting for us when we arrived and jumped right in to help in every way they could.  At one point four little boy were helping Faye and I with the sand sifting.  Sand for the mortar was sifted by hand, primarily by the “sifting sistas” – Marti, Faith, Faye, and Millie.  A square box built of the cement blocks stacked 2 or three high was topped with a square frame with wire screen on one side.  Several shovels full of sand are dumped in and then rubbed back and forth with the edge of a trowel.  When only pebbles remain, they are dumped in a pile to be used in the course mortar that is dumped into the block to fill the columns.

After the other van arrived we stopped for worship time.  Then it was back to work.  Some more segments of the fence were installed, but columns were built higher, blocks were laid, and cracks were filled with mortar.

Millie, Marti, and Faye had a wonderful time unpacking all the books we brought and school supplies we brought, but the children really loved it.  They were crowded into Pastor Luis’ room where the book shelf Faye purchased was placed.  A specially fun thing was sharpening the pencils.  Hardly any of them can read, but they loved to look at the colorful books.  When Faye and Millie would read to them in the afternoons, it didn’t matter that the story was in English.

We stopped working at noon.  All of our tools and buckets were cleaned and put away.  There were lots of last minute photos of smiling faces.  Then the water cooler with only ice left in it was opened and the children allowed to dig into it.  Such excitement!  Napo put a few pieces into his pocket to take home with him.   Then it really was time to go.

We backed out of the driveway with sadness and joy – sad to leave our new friends – joy in the work accomplished – the wall went up and the fence was installed.  There is more to do before it’s finished, but much was done in the days we were there.  Joy in the smiling faces of the children who helped and played all day.  Joy in giving and receiving.

After showering and final packing at the hotel we said goodbye to the hotel staff that had served us so well and so generously.

From Sonsonate we drove along the coastal highway to a Black Sand Beach.  It is a new highway and a good road through beautiful green mountains.  Lots of trucks and buses use the road.  We often saw people waiting by the road seemingly in the middle of nowhere for the next bus to come by.



Father and Son fish vendors



After the beach we went to the next port – a long pier.  Much of this pier is a covered fish market. It was smelly!  But filled with  stalls selling fish of all kinds – fresh and dried.  The main drying racks for fish seem to be the fishing boats on the shore.  We saw the fish soaking in huge tubs of salt.



Fishing Pier

 

Horses on Black Sand Beach



It was nearly dark by the time we left the fish market.  San Salvador was nearly an hour’s drive – mostly uphill on a winding road.  We hit San Salvador at rush hour and the traffic was crazy – it’s every man for himself and if there isn’t a lane you just make one.

It was great to get back to the Concordia and be greeted by Doña Trini and her family.  This time all was familiar – like a home coming.

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Most of the group went up the mountain to the Pupuseria for supper and one final look out over the twinkling lights of the city spread out below.  As I looked out over the city, I was reminded of the time Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and said, “How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings..” (Matt. 23:37b).  What a privilege and joy it has been to have, in some small measure, shared the love of Jesus with His children in El Salvador.---Faith Dietrick