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"...this very moment was a turning point in my
life..." El Salvador Trip – 2005
During the Spring of 2005, my wife Angelique, and I decided that we wanted to do some missionary work somewhere in the world. After countless hours on the internet, I stumbled across a charity in El Salvador, run by an Order of Nuns based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This order of Nuns is called “Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, and the project was headed by Sister Gloria Petrone, who splits her time between the USA and El Salvador.
El Salvador is a country of great natural beauty and fine people, but over the years has been devastated by poverty, the consequences of civil war, globalization, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and mudslides. The work of the charity includes helping care for abandoned and orphaned children, helping the elderly, caring for malnourished babies, as well as help in after-school programs and assisting in construction of houses, roads and bridges in rural villages.
After speaking with ‘project coordinator’ Lynette Kyle, I had a very good feeling that this project was a perfect fit for Angelique and I….we signed on to help!
August 6th we landed in San Salvador, the capital city. Our suitcases were loaded with school supplies and antibiotics. Customs officials did check our luggage, but seemed relatively unconcerned with their contents.
The temperature was pushing 40C. (104F). We were greeted by Sister Gloria and subsequently waited in the comfort of the air-conditioned vans for the rest of our group of 19 volunteers to arrive.
Never having met Sister Gloria before, we didn’t know what to expect. My own knowledge of anything having to do with nuns was limited to Sally Fields and the “Flying Nun”. Sister Gloria was nothing like Sally Fields, but never-the-less had a large presence and personality.
An hour or two later, we arrived at the “Volunteer House” in heart of San Salvador. In fact, this was nothing like a house at all. It was more of a ‘compound’, complete with gates and armed guards. A very modern and clean facility, this far exceeded my expectations. We had a meeting whereby the ‘house rules’ and general instructions regarding safety (a huge issue in San Salvador) were explained.
The next day (Sunday) began by us taking a tour of the various places where we could choose to spend our time the over following week. We left early for Las Granadillas, a village about 45 minutes out of town on a mostly dirt road. We were met by children wearing their ‘Sunday best’ clothing, as mass was only minutes away. The small church was adorned with pictures and quotes by the late Archbishop Oscar Romero. Mass was lengthy but charming, and it was hard not to notice the all the dogs roaming in and out during the proceedings. The church was packed, and our presence was acknowledged by the local priest. Father Paco. During the sermon, Fr. Paco pointed out to the parishioners that there are people in the world (Africa) that have even less than they do, and that they should be prepared to share what little they have with them.
After Mass we drove to the second village which is serviced by the ‘Handmaids’. This village was called Las Delicias, and we were immediately struck by its lack of…well, everything. The children there seemed to be far dirtier (as did the entire village) than in Las Granadillas. After a brief tour, we headed back to the ‘compound’.
To get a sense of the type of ‘villages’ I am referring to, let me put it in perspective. If you were flying in an airplane over these villages, you would hardly see anything, since the homes consist of mostly tin shacks which are inter-dispersed in the jungle. The roads are merely paths. There are no cars.
Towards the end of each day, we would all meet in the Chapel within the compound to reflect on the happenings of the day and to share our experiences and thoughts. This would often be an emotional encounter.
On Monday, Angelique, I and some others headed back to Las Delicias. While Angelique opted to spend time doing crafts with the children, I chose to take a group of boys and play soccer. The boys led me to what they said was a soccer field. The only thing which made this distinguishable as a soccer field were goal posts. Some places the grass was 12” high, in other sections there was just bare dirt. There was litter and glass everywhere. And then of course there was …. the cattle. A few scrawny cattle that seemed totally oblivious to our presence. Much to my amazement, the boys played barefoot. I lasted about 30 minutes when I had to take refuge under the shade of a tree. After a moderate recovery, I headed back to the church where Angelique was working with the other children. The humidity factor was simply off-the-scale. There was no escaping the heat. From now on, I had to pace myself so I would make it through the day. Perhaps the soccer idea wasn’t such a great one after all. Crafts and games (puzzles etc) seemed a more plausible option.
When we returned back to the compound later that afternoon, Angelique and I decided to head around the corner to the “House for Malnourished Children”. This is a privately-funded center which takes in children who are near-death by virtue of malnutrition and/or abuse, and nourishes them back to health. This was our first encounter with the gravity of the real situation in El Salvador. We entered a room where we could hear the faint cries of two babies. What we found were two little boys of approximately the same size, that were not much more than a bloated stomach and skin and bones. As we looked at the boys we looked at each other and started to cry. It was more than we could take. I knew this very moment was a turning point in my life. We both regained our composure and each picked-up one of the boys who simultaneously stopped crying. We have all seen pictures and images of impoverished and suffering children, but to actually be there, with them, is a totally new and frightening dimension. Words can simply not capture the overwhelming wave of emotion we both felt.
The next day we went back to the same center to stay with the malnourished children, whereupon we met “Kevin”. Kevin appeared to be a premature baby. Alas, Kevin was actually 7 months old, and this was his second stay at the center. Kevin was being fed through a tube in his nose and the prognosis was not good.
Also there, was a 5 year old boy named Gerson. Gerson had been severely physically abused and neglected prior to his admission. After months of rehabilitation and re-nourishment, he was now ready for discharge…except for one problem; his family does not want him back. It is likely he will end up in a government-run orphanage where conditions are abhorrent.
It was an emotionally draining day to say the least.
The next few days were split between the two villages. Our work included locating and registering children for school, as well as assessing their immediate needs. We also delivered bags of powdered milk to seniors at their homes (mostly tin shacks).
Our final day was spent at a Catholic orphanage. The children there were very happy to see us and we spent most of the day playing games and doing crafts with them. Before we left, the children gathered together and sang us songs of hope. It was a strange twist of irony that brought tears to many of us….in a situation that in many respects seems so hopeless.
Alas…the day came to an end and we headed back to the compound for the final time.
What an overwhelming experience this has been. From beginning to end, my mind has been flooded with so many different emotions. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet all of these people and to do whatever small part in assisting the lives of the impoverished people of El Salvador.
I can’t say enough great things about Sister Gloria and the staff (cook, drivers and security) she has assembled. Everyone was simply top-notch.
We will return to El Salvador…and upon our return we will bring more people to heighten awareness to the plight of the native people. They want to know that they are not alone, and that there are others in the world that care.
This experience has forever changed our lives….. for the better!
Michael & Angelique Rasmussen Vancouver, BC CANADA |
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