August 9

I woke up this morning and I was very sick. I have felt sick since I woke up and now I am sitting at the work site. I hate having to watch while the others work, but I feel terrible. I've only been here for 15 minutes, but it feels like forever. Everytime I try to get up, I cramp up. Suzannah suggested staying at the camp, but I thought it would get better once we got out here... now I am hoping it will get better sometime in the near future. I guess since I have some time to sit here, I will try to remember some of the interesting things that the group members shared about their days last night:
-someone shared about the woman who will own the house she is working at... this lady has been withdrawn and silent the whole week, but when Deb told her how beautiful her house was (in Spanish), as they were laying the tiles, she lit right up and said "si!!!"
-another high was when Saul, a Spanish young adult from the community who speaks great English, was talking about the people in El Salvador. He has so much hope for the FMLN (political party) and for all that they believe in. Kari noted that despite how hopeless their situation may seem to us, Saul has so much hope and he believes that anything is possible. I've met him a couple of times and he is a sweetheart. He's intent on teaching us Spanish and on making everyone smile. As Kari noted, we could picture him being a big part of the future in El Salvador. His heart is huge and he's very intelligent.
Oh, I just remembered something: some of us have tried to use the internet here. We were told that it was a bad idea to use the cafe that we had seen and Suzannah told us that the person who owns it is the old mayor and he isn't a very good man to support. Apparently, among many other things, he sold the community soccer field to a private company so that it is no longer accessible to the people living here! This sort of thing happens all the time, for example, most of the beaches and some parks charge a fee to use them so that there are fewer and fewer places for people to meet and hang out... this has contributed to the huge numbers of youth that hang out in malls all the time. Another example is the plant in Alegria that was sold to an italian company that takes all of the profits out of El Salvador. Apparently coffee and another main resourse (I forget what it was...) are not as competetive anymore, so that the main commodity is actually labour in sweat shops or similar positions. That reminds me: I don't know much about the nike company except that many people boycott it ... and oddly enough, I see it a lot of loals wearing nike. I heard that fake brand names is very popular here, which would make more sense than anything else.... but I still thought it was worth noting. Anyhow, back to our group meeting and the things that people shared...
Al told us that Dennis, a CBM rep from out west, was entertaining the children with balloon animals and a clown show. Al was telling us how much joy this brough to them; Dennis speaks fluent Spanish, so he was always sharing stories with the locals.
Al also shared that one girl had chronic migraines that would last up to a week, but that she couldn't afford the medications. Jenny saw her and till try to get the name of a cheaper med that she can combine with caffeine (in the form of coffee) to get pretty much the same result. In South Africa, all of the health care was free, including drugs, but here it is different. If you can't afford something, you are out of luck... this blows my mind. I hope to one day come back to look at the healthcare system here, but I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be... it just seems so impossibly unfair.
Jenny brought up that some people on the trip were feeling overwhelmed, but none of us seemed to feel that way. For some reason, we had a different outlook on the situation. Kari brought up that despite what they lack, it is important to remember that the people here all have their own highs and lows, but many of them are walking with God! Who is to say if they are happy or not? Many of them appear very joyful; more joyful than people we see in Canada actually. She also reminded us that as North Americans, we bring different baggage... and differnt does NOT equal better. That resonates with my prayers of late: that the poor would be blessed as we are blessed (shelter, food, security) and that we would be blessed as the poor are blessed (simplicity, gratitude). When Jesus says "blessed are the poor," I think that the reason they are blessed is because they often have Christ-like qualities such as gratitude, less demands, andmore patience. We can mourn for social injustices and suffering, but it is important to celebrate the blessings that they have, and can teach us. I also think about the metaphor for the rich entering heaven... a camel through the eye of a needle... what is it that makes the rich turn from God? I think of all the sin that we are drawn into here: consumption, greed, ambitions, and competition. While I want to help fight social injustices, eliminate poverty, and stop oppression, I also don't see the way we live as ideal. I envy their simplicity in lifestyle and admire their complexity in thinking... there are so many brilliant people around us. We have been so fortunate to have Canadians translate for us. David grew up in Bolivia, but spent years in Canada, so he was able to translate while keeping the appropriate meaning. The brilliance and the grace of their thoughts could be conveyed to us... there are people with such great insight into the needs of the people and into their future, their spirituality, and thier community. This country has an amazing history and some of the people here have learned from it and are ready to embrace the future. I feel energized when I hear some of the people we have met share whatever it is that they want us to understand!