Comments from Nicki Kyle

Nicki Kyle is a member of Good Shepherd and is on her first El Salvador trip.  Her remarks below were written at our beach hotel Saturday, in preparation for our Sunday morning departure to Dallas, then Indianapolis.

*****************************

As I sit reflecting on this past week, I realize how many selfish people are often around me in my day-to-day life in the USA.

Wealth isn't measured by the size house you have.  It isn't measured by the "stuff" you own or don't own.
Wealth is measured by how you touch others, no matter how small:  a simple gesture of a greeting, smile, or wave; complementing a person about something positive that catches your attention.

Not once did I meet a judgmental person while in El Salvador.  I did not see one person on the street begging for food or money with a sign of "will work for food" or "unemployed veteran" (exception was the intoxicated man we saw in Ataco).  Everyone went out of their way to help their neighbor.  This included a boy about 10 or 11 years old, who after school came to the worksite and helped shovel, haul, etc., for the afternoon.  Believe me, this kid worked exceptionally hard, and still walked away with a huge smile and run in his step.

Former Miss El Salvador (who owns the Mamapan Hotel, where we are staying) didn't look at the ladies of the co-op as beneath her, she saw them as her equals, her sisters.

We are all equal. We ALL are born onto this earth the same way. We ALL bleed red, and we all die.  Stop looking at the person next to you as the enemy, and start looking at them as your equal and friend.