El Salvador

We continued our Central American tour with two days in El Salvador after visiting Honduras (see post below). Jose joined us because he grew up there during the civil war and gave us a tour of people and places significant during this time. We first visited many places associated with Monseñor Oscar Romero. He was a catholic archbishop who had become a voice for the poor and indigenous people. He was someone who was speaking out against injustice and calling for peace, but was murdered while giving a mass by the army. We also visited the cathedral where they held his funeral with 70,000 people in attendance. Jose was there that day with his younger brother and dad when the army started shooting down on the crowd form surrounding rooftops. Around 200 people were killed that day and Jose described the fear, panic, confusion and courage of many. Many people flooded into the cathedral to find refugee and safety, while the body of Monseñor Romero was rushed quickly inside to be buried out of fear the army would try to take it.  

Jose joined the opposition to fight against the army and government who were accused of several massacres of civilians in various villages. Religious leaders were also targeted who spoke out against the injustice. Priests and nuns were killed in their homes, while attending meetings, performing mass, gunned down in the street etc. We visited a museum of martyrs which included the spiritual mentor of Jose, Mother Sylvia who was killed by the army for her support of the opposition. Jose told us of death squads that would round up all the leaders from the village and kill them, hoping to deter others from joining the opposition, but it had the opposite effect. There are also accounts of kids being kidnapped at age 12 and being used by the army as soldiers. It was a terrible time in the history of El Salvador and unfortunately similar things happened in Guatemala during the civil war here. However, it was a privilege to hear Jose's stories and experiences and honor those that died for their faith.

Honduras

Some of our team, including me got to visit the InnerCHANGE team that works in Honduras. It consists officially of a couple who have been with IC for over 20 years. He is from El Salvador and she is from Mexico and they started their journey with IC in San Fransisco. Now they are working in a poor neighborhood up in the hills above the capital city, that was built in 1998 after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch. As the population grows, houses are built further and further up the hill/mountain. The roads are unmaintained and luckily we had a truck with 4-wheel drive. There are still places without electricity and running water and not a single doctor for tens of thousands of people. It is a very under-served community, but we visited an awesome youth center in the neighborhood, Jose and Celida are helping to build a new church and school. Celida and volunteers cook twice a week for kids who most likely eat very little day to day or sometimes nothing at all. The view of the city is amazing from that high up, both during the day and at night. It was an honor to see their ministry, neighborhood and hear their hopes and dreams. 

We also held a half-day activity for a few people who live in the same neighborhood as Celida and Jose and are interested in joining the team there. They are young people that are already involved in many ways in the community, but would officially join and be mentored by the IC family. I was encouraged by how these awesome people with a passion for their own community are discerning a call to join and serve as missionaries. It isn't just about the work we do, but the work we allow God to do in us. 

We spent a whole day visiting the family of a now grown man, who met IC people 20 years who were working in SF when he immigrated to the states. He has been waiting to take them to visit his hometown and meet his family for 15 years. It was out in the country and home to several young people that the IC team met in SF when they were working with gang members and in juvenile hall. It was a town that a good number of young people have and continue to leave, for the US. We were gifted with breakfast, lunch, snacks, fresh mangos and lemons from their fruit trees. We dropped by 5 homes and ran out of time to visit 2 more. At the last house they gave us two live chickens that would become a very tasty soup the next day. The hospitality was unmatched and an honor to receive.