"'God's reign is already present on our earth in mystery. When the Lord comes, it will be brought to perfection.' That is the hope that inspires Christians. We know that every effort to better society, especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us."
-Oscar Romero, March 24, 1980
I know it had been a long time since I last wrote about El Salvador but this past week has been crazy busy and I am just now getting time to sit down and finish writing about my amazing week in El Salvador. Where did I leave off...
Thursday morning we woke up and after breakfast drove to Il Hospitalito, the hospital for cancer patients where Monsenor Romero lived in a small, quaint house. Upon arriving there, we met a Carmelite sister who took us into the chapel where Monsenor Romero was saying mass on March 24, 1980, when he was shot and killed. Romero was saying mass in front of a small crowd, and as he was finishing his homily, a car drove up outside and shot him, with a single, explosive bullet that hit killed him. We sat in the church listening to the sister tell the story and just sat in silence thinking it all over and processing everything that we heard and saw. It was weird because I had heard about his death and seen pictures from that mass, but being there was such and amazing experience. It really is like a once in a lifetime experience. The chapel is just so simple and beautiful and serene. After reflecting for a while, we all went to the alter and offered up one word that we thought of when we thought of Romero and prayed for him and his legacy. Words that were said ranged from revolution, love, courage, strength and poverty. It was one of the most powerful moments I think of the whole trip, but then again I feel like every part of the trip was powerful. We then walked across the street to the small three room house where Romero lived, which is now a museum full of his possessions and photographs and paintings. The yard outside is green and sunny and full of colorful flowers and life. Along the side of the yard is a small stature of Mary inside of a grotto of sorts. The woman there was telling us a story of when Romero was killed he was buried at the Cathedral but his organs were buried at his house. Three years after his passed away, they were receiving bomb threats so they dug up his organs and built the grotto (where the statue of Mary is) to protect them. And when they did this, after three years his heart was still flesh and there was still liquid blood in his heart. So amazing, right? On the way back to Fundahmer for lunch we stopped at the Monument to the Memory and Truth. This monument is a very long wall in a park that has the names of innocent civilians who were killed or disappeared throughout the course of the war. There are over 30,000 names on the wall, and those are only the names that were submitted. I don't think some people realize how horrible this war was in El Salvador. The names seemed to go on forever and ever, and at the end of the wall was the name of all of the massacres. I'm still in awe looking at all of the pictures of the wall.
That afternoon we had the pleasure of driving to Tepecoyo and meet with Angelica. Talk about an amazing woman!! Tepecoyo is actually one of the sites where two of my friends, Sara and Alexa, worked while studying abroad in El Salvador, and many other Micahs have worked there in the past. Angelica is a woman who saw a need in her community and did something to address that. She saw that there was a need for nourishment for women and children. With the aid of some nuns, and now with the aid of SLU student who raise money, she runs a comedor, which is like a small cafeteria. Angelica, runs this comedor and feeds over 20 children every day, 5 days a week so that they can grow into strong and healthy adults. Because of Angelica and her work, children began to become nourished and gain weight, they did better in school and women had a place to meet where they could discuss concerns and community issues. Angelica really is an angel. However, due to a lack of funds, the comedor is struggling and really needs help raising money, which is how Tortillas for Tepecoyo was founded at SLU, to raise money for Angelica and her cause. If you want to learn more about it or even donate go here. On our way home we stopped by the home of Kevin and Thera, who run the Casa de la Solidaridad, the study abroad program in El Salvador. We only got to speak with Kevin, who is amazing, and speaking with him really helped put everything we learned that week into perspective. It definitely helped figure out how to bring our experience back to the states with us.
Friday was our last day in El Salvador :( It was a very relaxed and calm day though, which was what wee needed after a long and tiring week full of culture, learning and fun. After breakfast, we ventured out to the beach. One the way to the beach, we took a short detour to the site of the martyrdom of the four american church women, where now stands a chapel. Here we heard the story of the four women, who devoted their lives to helping the Salvadoran people and promoting peace. They were murdered on December 2, 1980. At the site of their death is now a beautiful chapel filled with picture of the women in honor of their lives.
The beach was absolutely beautiful!! The sun was hot, the breeze was cool, and the water was refreshing. Not long after arriving, we were all coating in sun screen and running into the ocean. Literally sprinting across the sand, which was burning hot, my feet were peeling because of it. The sand there is almost a dark grey because it is made of volcanic rock. We spent the day swimming, or attempting to swim and not get pulled of by the current. If you got hit by a wave, it was like you were in a washing machine, no joke. It was a day full of sunshine, wind in your hair, and laughter filling the air. There was even a traditional Salvadoran band playing! We had a lifeguard with us the whole day, who just caught and eel and a crab with his hands, no big deal... We finally got a break to eat lunch, which was amazing, it was a whole fish that was freshly grilled and delicious. (there will be pictures in the next post). Oh, we even buried Kevin in the sand and turned him into a merman, and then into an airplane, which was more fitting actually. After a long day soaking up the sun, playing and working on a tan, we headed back to Fundahmer for dinner and a surprise. Our surprise was a traditional Salvadoran band that came to play music for us. So celebrated our last night there with ice cream from pops and dancing the night away.
Saturday before leaving we had the pleasure of meeting with Anita, who is the founder of Fundahmer and the sister of Octavio Ortiz, who was a jesuit killed during the war. We were able to hear her story and learn more about the beginnings of Fundahmer. It is really her who I can that for this trip, because without Fundahmer, it would not have been possible. I learned so much on this trip about El Salvador, and even about myself. I grew as person, and I am ever so grateful for the opportunity that I had to go on this trip. THis trip and the country of El Salvador will forever hold a special place in my heart.
The Summer Day
Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
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