Internet service has been a bit spotty due to the extreme rain, so I haven´t posted as much as I had wanted. Despite being awoken by the pounding rain most of the night, I do realize that it is nothing, compared to what thousands of people face everyday in the poverty of this beautiful country. In the humidity nothing dries completely and the bed (floor) that you are sleeping on gets washed away in the mud. Wow! Perspective is an awesome gift. As others have mentioned, our day on Thursday visiting 2 Compassion projects was overwhelming, humbling, and precious. Fireworks, marching bands, balloons and El Salvador flag pins were only the beginning. The amount of love and passion that the workers shared for their ´kids´was truly awe inspiring. God´s love is clearly evident in all of their hearts.
We met my sponsored child, Bessy, during the first project visit. They had to drive her, her mother, and little sister almost 3 hours to meet us. They announced the meeting from the stage, so that everyone could see us meet for the first time. It was a little awkward, especially since I found out that Bessy had not received my last correspondence which included a picture of our family. So, she didn´t even know what I looked like! I can only imagine how she felt. It must have been very overwhelming for her. Bessy is from a small village and has never been to a ´city´before. I can´t begin to imagine the rollercoaster of emotions she was feeling that day.
When we went to visit the home of one of the project children, I couldn´t believe my eyes. I asked our interpreter what in the world we were doing in the middle of a car graveyard. He told me that this is where most of those kids lived. What!? While walking through the rows of discarded vehicles, I remembered what I drove back in Canada, then I saw a Ford. But there was a bigger story to be told and it wouldn´t come from the ghosts in the junkyard. Along each side of the public property that housed these relics, were created subdivisions littered with shacks where people have tried desperately to create ´homes´for their families. As I was seated on the porch of the first house, holding Bessy in my lap, I asked her what her casa was like. A few tears were shed while she described a very similar picture like the one we were seeing. But, her family only had 2 beds for the four of them, and she often slept on the floor.
At the 2nd project I had a chance to spend some one-on-one time with her and her family. Out came the gifts. Her 10th birthday is October 25th so I bought her a doll. I instantly knew, that the doll should have been the connection between us right from the start. Her smile lit the room like the dawning of the morning sun, as she realized that it was for her to keep. Her mom reservedly smiled at the hairbrush and accessories which she recieved. Then we had some photos taken so that we could cherish that moment for a lifetime.
Next time, she said, she wants me to bring my husband.
Lets pray for ¨next times¨.
Tracy
