Iglesia de los Hermanos y Hermanas

We are back in Suchitoto. Today, as Chris and I walked down the street we felt loved. Not by one person, or a few, but by a whole community. Everyone on our street looked at us and said, “I see you”. They also said, “we have missed you – it’s good to have you back.”

I know my heart will always seek this. The kindness that our neighbors show us. A true “welcome home”.

One of our friends on the street is an elderly woman. She said, “I thought you had left without saying goodbye, and I thought how could they do that?!” She suggested that instead of going back to the states we should stay here and have a couple of kids. We can live in her house. She then informed us that she’s trying to be more “Barbie, like you all”. Haha!

We had a visit from the director from Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS), Dan McFadden. It was such an honor to have him here all the way from Elgin, Illinois, to have him see where we live and what we do. He is easy to be with and we laugh a lot! With every step of the way, our choice to be here at Centro Arte Para la Paz – and to be with Brethren Volunteer Service – is affirmed. The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination that has its roots in simplicity, humility and peace. I don’t think we could have found a better fit.

The nice thing about being a part of a small organization like this is the sense of community and support. Todd Bauer, our coordinator, lives in Guatemala. There are only 2 other volunteers in the region right now. We had a 5-day retreat in Antigua Guatemala with the other BVS volunteers (I started to write ‘treat’ instead of retreat, because it was such a treat!) We enjoyed good meals together, sharing of our experiences, and devotion time every night. Antigua is a beautiful colonial town, surrounded by volcanoes. The air is cool, it brings a sense of calm.

We were accompanied by Ann, a volunteer at Hogar de los Ninos Emanuel in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. She is doing a lot of cool work with the kids that live there, as well with helping the Toms Shoes project in Honduras! It's neat to see that their "one for one" business model really works in a community. Many of the kids in the schools that they give shoes to wear rubber boots every day and live in harsh conditions. Check out the video!

Jess was also in our retreat, who has arrived in Central America to first find her placement... possibly somewhere in Guatemala. It was fun to be with her during this time of transition. She is really interested in sustainability work and "getting her hands in the dirt". It will be fun to follow her story!

The nightly devotions were, in a lot of ways, my favorite time while in Antigua. We do not have a church community in Suchitoto, yoga and hammocks are my current spiritual practice. It was so nice to reconnect to God/the light/my inner self in community with others. While it is good to have a spiritual practice alone, it is good to be spiritual together, too.

We will be leaving Central America May of 2014, so we have around 9 months left in Suchitoto. This is precious time, I know it is. I want to appreciate the time we have, to learn as much as I can, and continue building community. While we will not live in El Salvador much longer, it has a piece of our heart and I know we will carry it with us wherever we go.

Also, as Chris recently discovered with his root canal, dental treatment is way cheaper here… a good excuse for a visit! :)

Here are some photos from Antigua... enjoy!

Aniversario de Suchitoto

I have been a true blog slacker lately, I apologize. Before July 4, I was really busy working, and enjoying friends, and eating pupusas. July 4 my fever started, and sore throat. I have been sick for almost 3 weeks now -- tired, headaches, sweats. I finally feel better. At the end of the day, I think it was just a weird virus. But, it could have been mononucleosis (the weirdest virus). All the exams I took came out negative. Sometimes we don't get to have an answer.

I was able to enjoy a little bit of the anniversary celebrations here in Suchitoto. There was a long parade through the plaza, featuring every school from every community near Suchi, as well as various other groups. It consisted of a lot of marching band music and banners. I've come to love the parades here, especially since now I know some of the people in them!

The choir had their first concert outside of Centro Arte, in front of city hall. I felt so proud of them, and all the students and teachers of the arts center. The harpists and guitarists played. The folklore dance group danced, the modern dance group broke it down, and the choir sang Waka Waka with gusto! It was neat to see how many students are participating in these workshops, and how much they have learned...

I was sick during the visit of our friends Ana and Jose from Spain. They are working with an organization from Spain that funds small projects around El Salvador. One of the fun things about Suchitoto is the people that pass through doing various volunteer and service work. We have built a sweet friendship with them, and hope to go to Spain and visit one day!

 

 

We are headed to the states for another visit. Every 3 months we have to leave the country for our tourist visa, so we are taking advantage of the opportunity. We will also spend 1 week in Antigua for our Brethren Volunteer Service retreat as well. 

While I am so excited to see my family, I am also sad to leave Suchi and the community we have here. I guess that's a sign of a place really feeling like home.