Nearly 32 hours after our initial departure from our respective cities, our team is finally complete. We have 13 team members in 2013, which I'm considering a good sign. Only good things can happen from here.
Last evening our partial team had a typical Salvadoran dinner, of pupusas and cordita. Pupusas, for those who have not been blessed by me talking about them endlessly, are a delicious Salvadoran staple- masa harina corn meal that looks like a pancake, but is filled with beans, cheese and/or meat. The cordita is a cabbage slaw with a vinegar dressing, then you top that with some salsa. It's mucho delicioso!
This morning we worshiped at Iglesia Luterana La Resurreccion, the largest Lutheran church in El Salvador. Pastor Sue assisted in the service, along with Bishop Gomez and his clergy team. The service was translated in the pew via our amigo Luis Fernando. We have been there in previous years, and it's such a warm feeling to be recognized and welcomed in such a beautiful place.
Pastor Gomez spoke on many different points, too many to write tonight. He is so eloquent, and sees not only the people in his congregation and those who visit, but really has a vision for the country. He spoke of the three tenants of violence- direct violence, cultural violence, and structural violence- and how each of these is present in the country. He feels very strongly in advocating for the youth, recognizing how impressionable they are and with the right influence they can be such a positive force in the future of this country.
After church we (FINALLY) met up with our 13th team member, Brian! He was waiting with an empty belly at Pollo Campero, a Salvadoran delicacy of fried chicken and french fries. It put us into a nice food coma as we drove up the mountains to reach our hotel in Apaneca, our home for the week.
We are now at Hotel Alicante, and the rain is falling hard. It was impressive how quickly it got cool this evening. By 6pm, we were putting on long pants and jackets, where just 6 hours prior we were wiping our brow in the church pews. We had a lovely Habitat orientation by Luis Fernando and Francis, who will be translating for us for the week. Luis and Francis gave us a great history lesson on El Salvador- from it's independence in 1821 to it's current social and economic state. We also spoke about the work we will be doing this week.
We ended our evening with a great dinner, some cervezas, and a spirited, faith-building team meeting. I think we're all excited to get our boots on in the morning and get to work!
We continue to be motivated by the support we receive from home. Thank you so much to our blog commentators...we love to hear your words!
Glad to hear the the whole team is there now! Jim and I wish we were there also. I think I'll be dreaming about pupusas tonight!!! Let me know if you want me to do some "laundry request translation" for you!
ReplyDeleteCariños to all the muchachos!