Musings from the make shift housing day four

Wow…lots of people have called or stopped by saying they wanted to keep getting the parish emails on my musings. They, like me, are technologically challenged so the emails work for them. If you are getting these and do not want to read them, please just delete them when you see the title come up about my musings. I do not want to be forcing my thoughts on you.

Having said that, my first thought last night as I was watching people enter the church for a presentation, was that I am holding the parish captive until it can come up with the funds to send these kids to college. I sometimes wonder how fair that is but then I thought, “These kids in El Salvador are held captive by the poverty that surrounds them and the lack of opportunities to succeed in any meaningful way.” If holding a few people captive here in a symbolic way helps them achieve a degree of freedom then I guess I can live with it. I hope you can too.

The other night a man in a pick up truck drove by and stopped to talk. He was not from the parish but said he had seen the make shift house and the people standing around. He just wanted to see what was happening. Before he drove off, he asked how he could donate. As he drove away, it made me think of all the times I have been in Haciendita Uno and seen the “one” pick up truck that is owned by a member of the community. He drives us everywhere in the flat bed of that truck. The community must rely on him or walk or take a bus to travel. It makes me cringe to think of the entirely overloaded pick up trucks I have seen driving around with people hanging out the back end. Too many accidents and injured people.

Some asked if I could put a gone fishing sign on the door if I wasn’t going to be around because they had stopped and I wasn’t there. I smiled and thought to myself, “I’ve seen the lakes and rivers around Suchitoto and San Salvador and you couldn’t pay me enough to fish in them...” However, I always see Salvadorans fishing in those polluted lakes and rivers. It reminded me of the fish farms some of the members of the OLGC community helped Sr Peggy O’Neill develop in the little community of El Site Cenicero a few years ago. They were able to develop a small business of selling farmed fish to the local communities and markets. So I guess if I get a chance this weekend to get away for the holiday weekend, I’ll put a gone fishing sign on the house and you can all think of us as we sit on my little deck boat in Lake Lapeer.

My wife and I have borrowed a car for a few weeks because our kids in far away places needed to borrow our two cars. We have been trying to coordinate our schedules to get to and from work. Yesterday, I road my bike into the office from church down the large hill on North Territorial Road. It reminded me of the day I road a bike from Haciendita Uno to the La Mora Medical Clinic which is about the same distance from Haciendita Uno as my office is from the church. We were visiting the community and had a young nursing student with us. She wanted to go and work at the clinic for a day and the community truck was not available. A couple of young boys offered us their bikes and so we took off down the rocky dirt road to the main roadway. We rode up that long hill in the burning sun. Riding to work made me think of how blessed we are to have cars and bikes to get around with. So many people in El Salvador walk or take a bus for which they can barely afford to pay the 40 cent fare.

Cub Scout Den 9 Troop 781 took up a collection last night and the den mother came by and gave us $7.00 from the den for the kids in El Salvador. The Den will come by next week to visit us. We promised to talk to them about what we have experienced in El Salvador over the years. I almost felt like I was taking candy from some kids but I am very grateful for the thoughtfulness and concern of these little scouts. The Cubs also sent us some frozen fruit popsicles. They were a delicious treat in the hot evening. I thought of the time we bought ice cream for the kids in Haciendita Uno when celebrating a birthday party there. We rode 8 miles into town to get it. By the time we got back, it had softened to liquid syrup that we eventually poured over the cake we had been able to buy. Nothing in El Salvador seems to be easy.

Again, thanks to everyone who has donated and stopped by to visit. It has been great catching up with so many of you.

We are at $13,205.34 and have only $19,794.66 to go!


Peace and all good, Deacon Don