Memories of El Salvador 2018 … by Dan Corkery

I had seen the pictures, but the genuine article is better -- much better.

Dan and Francis at the work site.

On Sunday, our second day in El Salvador, we drove a few minutes from our hotel to Cristo Rey, the ELCA church in Santa Ana that our congregation has been helping for the last five years.  Seeing the actual church and its surroundings gave me a fuller understanding of the huge amount of work that happened in 2014-15.  A large, sturdy structure built on faith, prayers and a lot of man-hours.

Being there was a joy in itself.

But the greeting we received from Pastor Vilma and her congregation was many, many times greater. It was clear the entire group put a lot of planning and effort into our visit: music, singing, dancing, skits. They wanted to share their joy and faith with us. Materially, they have so little -- yet, they have so much to give.

I encourage all who have the time and means to volunteer for a future trip. 

Memories of El Salvador 2018 ... by Gordon and Lisa Hack

First off, the Habitat trip was a great experience for both of us.  My father and other family members each have stories from their trips over the years, and now we are lucky enough to have our own.  It is a wonderful feeling to contribute to something relatively small, but so well received.  The people we dealt with from El Salvador are so appreciative and loving.

Gordon and Lisa on their Anniversary, which they spent in Santa Ana, El Salvador.  They have cake frosting on their noses, which is a local tradition of good luck.

It is hard to pick one memorable thing that stood out.  From the folks from Habitat, the members of Cristo Rey, the family of the house we were building, cooking with the ladies from the Co-op, the family we visited from last year’s trip, and the neighbor kids that helped out on this year’s project. They all hold a special place in our hearts.

I would highly recommend this trip to all because you get back ten times what you give.  Now I understand why my son, Nathan, who went in 2016, felt the way he did when he returned! 

“We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do.”  - Mother Teresa

Pictured above (left to right, then top to bottom):

Habitat mason, Nelson and Miguel, at the work site for the Thank-you party.    

Lisa Hack and Douglas Rivas from Habitat with monkey friend.

Gordon saying goodbye to Pastor Vilma’s daughter, Iris.

Lisa Hack and Sofia (2 years old) from our Habitat house family.

Our Habitat house family: Carlos, Melvin, Yenifer, Sofia.

Lisa and Justin, the next door neighbor of the house we worked on.

Lisa and Jennifer, the next door neighbor of the house we worked on.

Francis from Habitat, our host.

Sharing of the peace at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church on Sunday, July 29, 2018.

 

Memories of El Salvador 2018 ... by Pastor Tom Hillertz

Trying to narrow down all my amazing experiences in El-Salvador to one or two highlights is a difficult task, with so many wonderful experiences, and so many loving people. That said, even weeks following our return, the Sunday Worship service at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church remains clear in my mind. 

 In the church parking lot the evening of Friday, July 27, 2018.

Left to right:  Pastor Tom Hillertz, Marilyn Dudley, Tolu Perrin-Stowe, Bob Clark, Dean Olson, Gordon Hack, Lisa Hack, Laurie Johnson, Jim Hack, Nicki Kyle, Dan Corkery.

In San Salvador, the capitol city of El Salvador, Saturday, July 28, 2018.
Left to right (back):  Jim Hack, Bob Clark, Dean Olson, Dan Corkery, Gordon Hack,
Nicki Kyle, Marilyn Dudley.  Left to right front:  Pastor Tom Hillertz,
Laurie Johnson, Lisa Hack, Tolu Perrin-Stowe.

Entering the church to the warm greetings, smiles and hugs by Pastor Vilma made me feel like I had caught up with a dear, long-time friend and not someone I was meeting for the first time. Co-presiding with Pastors Vilma and Tod (from Charlotte, NC), placing the body and blood of Christ in so many hands, dancing following worship is an experience I do not believe I will ever forget. 

Being greeted by the congregation and kids of Cristo Rey Lutheran Church, 

Santa Ana, El Salvador, July 29, 2018.

 

 

Pastor Velma greets everyone, and Bris translates.  We are hoping that Bris, who is in the seminary, becomes a Lutheran pastor some day.

Pastors Vilma and Tom give communion to one of the members from a church in Charlotte, NC, who are building a Habitat home at another site.

Tolu and Nicki were asked by Pastor Velma to come up and bless all the children.

The children put on several skits for us.

The event closes with dancing and more pictures.

 

Dancing and ordained!

 

Nice hat, Jim Hack.

No matter what, the young people like to have their picture taken.  No one has any photos in El Salvador, so many travelers often take some back every year.

Francis Meets Her Monkey Match

We arrived at the beach resort, Rancho Estero y Mar (Ranch of the Estuary and Sea), Saturday morning.  We register and leave our luggage at the front desk to get our rooms later.  In the meantime, we walk about the grounds, which are part hotel, resort, beach, and zoo.  Francis visits the monkeys. 

 The sign above gives an ominous foreshawdowing of events to come.

The culprit.  He spots Francis and her cell phone.

Francis sees something of interest in the monkey exhibit - a new little one.

Though hard to see clearly, this mother has a monkey baby on her back.
We both try to get a good photo, but Mom is always in motion.

Francis drops her phone near the fence, and in an instant, our little culprit grabs it and tries to smash it on rocks, boards, walls, and anything else he can slam it against.  He seems to want to crack it like a nut.  He fails, fortunately, and finally gives it one last fling.

After Francis informs the staff, the Monkey Wranlger arrives and chases the monkeys with water from a hose into a portion of their enclosure that has a door that isolates them from the remainder of the space.  They do not like this and object by squealing and carrying on a great deal.

The Monkey Wrangler pulls the door closed of the isolated portion of the exhibit, which will allow him to enter the enclosure and not be bothered by the monkeys. He ties it tightly in place.  Just prior to this photo, he had one monkey come and pull vigorously on the rope, but he chased that monkey away using the garden hose again.

A small crowd, including Francis, gathers to watch the action.  Everyone is pretty impressed that the staff members know exactly how to isolate the monkeys within their space.

The Monkey Wrangler enters the enclosure to recover Francis's cell phone.

The cell phone is intact, and the gentleman cleans it thoroughly and gently.

Francis gets back her cell phone, and learns that the name of the monkey thief is Paco, which is a nickname for Francisco, which sounds kind of like Francis.

The rope is released and the monkeys are freed from their room within their enclosure.

Thursday, August 2 - Off to the Market

The activity today was not construction.  After another rainy night, we are instead going to the public market in Santa Ana, buying food to prepare lunch, going to the grocery store to get more things, then heading to the women's co-op site, Getsemani.  Dinora from the co-op meets us in town and we head out for a morning of shopping with her and Francis.