El Salvador Day 1 - 2015 (Revised)

Well, I had a day 1 post, but it vanished. Go figure. So I guess it wasn't meant to be.  I'll try to recapture it, and trust the new post is what God wants. 

As we arrive, things are familiar, but we immediately notice the simplicity.  We could learn a few things about keeping things simple.  We know there will be things that get us outside our comfort zone, but we ask God to guide us.  We are docile in the Holy Spirit, asking God to show us what He wants us to see.  Let go...

The first thing you notice is the green, such a lush beautiful green.  The tree below is an example of one of the treeswith an extensive root system.  We pray that the roots of this mission will grow like this tree.

Our fist stop is a civil war museum.  To serve the people of El Salvador we need to understand their history and the challenges they face.  El Salvador had a civil war from 1980 to 1992.  Many people have memories of the war and tell stories about family members they lost in the war.  We cannot begin to imagine life with a civil war.  

As we tour the museum, we come across the "Popemobile" used when John Paul II visited here.  We are reminded of the admonition that John Paul gave many times "Be Not Afraid," exactly what is on the back of our mission shirts.

We visit the memorial of Oscar Romero (Canonized a Saint this year) who was killed while saying mass.  Romero worked to raise awareness of the poor, something that we can identify with as we serve the poor and afflicted this week.  As we leave the memorial and church, we notice a street beggar.  This situation easily could be a street in Houston, and  are reminded that there are "missions" right in front of us every day.

Lord, help us to see that our whole life is a mission, and that the needs are great.  Help us to be your hands this week as we serve the poor of El Salvador.