31 enero y 1 febrero - San Salvador

I didn't write yesterday because it was a bit of a long day.

Before I get into the day, I want to make sure to update you on Jesús. They did release him from the clinic Friday night to head home. We actually saw him one more time as he, and the Pastoral Team/Community members who had gone with him to the clinic, stopped at the Pastoral House on their was back to Alejandría so they could pick up the rest of the Team members and go home. We don't have a lot of details on what they discovered beyond the fact he seemed to have a number of additional medicines with him and everyone was saying is health is "más o menos" which basically means it's so-so.

We do have another prayer request, though. On our visits we learned that Erick, one of our children in the community has also been dealing with health issues. He has nose bleeds and bad headaches. He and his mom, Erika, were at a doctor's appointment to get the result of some tests that have been run. We don't know anything more than that, but if you would hold them in prayer, we would appreciate it.

Now, on to the day. We were up for breakfast at the regular time, 7:00 a.m., and then we packed. We had one final family to visit, as they are part of the Alejandría community but live in Berlín. This was Margarita's family. She is one of the Pastoral Team members and Saturday was the day that both of her children were going to be home. We always enjoy visiting with them as they were both scholarship students for a number of years.

First, though, before the visit, we went up to the cross. The cross is high up in the mountain/hill above Berlín and offers some beautiful views of Berlín, the surrounding communities, and the country of El Salvador itself. When up there on a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean. We spent some time there and then I learned there was a volcano crater nearby that we could hike to. So we went on a hike. Again, beautiful views, though the trail was a bit steep! I can feel it in my legs today for sure. But that's El Salvador - nothing is flat. And it's not just hilly, but steep! It was totally worth the hike, though, as the landscape and flowers are gorgeous and a volcano crate is not something we're going to see everyday in Iowa. I'll be able to share more photos after returning home.

Then it was on to our visit with Margarita and her family before heading back to the Pastoral House for a great lunch of fish, salad, rice, and fruit. 

Our driver, a good friend of Alefredo's, was scheduled to arrive at 3:00 p.m. so we had a little bit of time. We gathered around the table, the center of the Pastoral House where everything happens, so we could all offer our final thanks and goodbyes. Each Pastoral Team member that is present is given the chance to say something, as well as each delegation member. We are also able to offer our thanks to Oscár, our translator who traveled with us. We had time for a final walk up to the market at the center of town, stopped for some fabulous ice cream (I had a banana/strawberry mix - it was good!), and then headed back to the Pastoral House where we were picked up at 3:00 p.m.

Then it was the lengthy drive to San Salvador and our guest house there, Casa Antigua. We arrived in time to have a little bit of a break before heading out for supper. Then we spent some time the rest of the evening debriefing the trip. What meant the most to each us, what did we notice, what, if any, challenges were there, and so on. 

Today, we walked up to the Iglesia Reformada Calvinista de El Salvador (IRCES) (the Calvinist Reformed Church of El Salvador) for worship and a chance to visit with the people there. It is the only Presbyterian Church in El Salvador and for many years had a connection to the PC(USA) through our denomination's mission co-worker program. This is partly how we first connected with them. One of the church leaders, Carmen Elena Diaz Anzora, came to Iowa as part of the PC(USA)'s International Peacemaker program, and Joseph Russ, who was the PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker came as her translator. We hosted them in Corning on October 2, 2022, just a few months before our January 2023 trip to El Salvador. Since then, Tim makes a point to visit for worship and conversation in order to continue to nurture that relationship, especially since the PC(USA) basically ended the Mission Co-Worker program and Joseph is no longer connected with IRCES. So, we were there for worship and then they invited us back to the kitchen/dining area for coffee and snacks. We learned more about some of the challenges they are facing, the projects they are working on, and the struggles of the church here. You'll notice in the photo that I took after worship, it is a very small group. The church members have a lot of difficulties in making it to worship. Today, part of it was the weather. The temperature in El Salvador has been below normal the entire time we've been here. It was 70-72F when we went to worship and very windy. This is cold for them and so prevented a number of people from coming to worship as it adds to the other difficulties, which include the fact most of the members do not have a car and the public transportation is not reliable, doesn't really run on Sundays. It was a good morning but definitely a different experience from when I visited three years ago.

The afternoon has been one of rest. I told Gary and Tim they could go out and explore all they wanted but I was going to stay at Casa Antigua. It's been a lot of people, travel, and conversations these past 6 days and my introvert was ready for some time alone. Then tomorrow it's head to the airport and fly back to Iowa. We're hoping all goes smoothly with the return trip.

I know I'll write more in the coming days to update all of you a bit more in depth about the community and the projects. This coming Sunday (February 8th), though, I offer reflections from the trip during worship and so don't want to give everything away ahead of time. :-) We do livestream our services so if you're not near Corning and would like to hear more about the trip on Sunday you can find our livestream here at 10:00 a.m. 

Grace and Peace,

​Pastor Jessica