Testimony from Past El Salvador Encounter Participants

I went looking for the bathroom at 4 am and stepped on three kittens and their mom.  She let out a ‘hiss!’ and this set off three dogs.  I opened the barn door and they showed their teeth.  The dogs set off the roosters.  The bathroom was just a few feet away and just as I got there, an old man whom I had never met came out of the door!  I’ve been speaking a little bit of Spanish since I’ve been here, but at the moment I just couldn’t speak.  In the morning, everyone had a polite little sinker.”

--Daniel Seiple, April 2008

This encounter has totally opened my eyes, which were probably very close to being closed…My encounter in El Salvador was one of the greatest experiences of my life (50 years).  My eyes have been opened to a humble, faithful people who are full of hope and only want an opportunity to work hard, stay safe and practice their faith.  They could teach the world a lesson or two.

--Maureen Neary, April 2008

My experiences of the last week didn’t answer any of the great questions that permeate my mind regarding life and its meanings. Instead it renewed my interest in such questions and gave them new context. I’ve always struggled with the difference between charity and social justice, but my experiences here in El Salvador here have made the difference abundantly clear. Social justice is equivalent to empathy, and it entails becoming one with the people in need of aid. Instead of sympathizing with the child in the UNICEF ad and asking for donations we were able to spend time in an impoverished community. The message they shared with us in that community was deep and profound and cannot be communicated through ink on a page. The smiles, laughs, kisses, and tears shared with all the people I encountered will stay with me.¨

                                                                        - Elizabeth Crosby

¨I feel that sometimes as humans and as people living in the U.S. we often forget about others and focus more on ourselves and our goals. I felt desensitized in a way – so involved and driven by my own life, goals and those of the few around me. I’ve been here before. But this time was different. Way different. I’ve learned so much about this country and I have been living in solidarity with the amazing people of this place. I can’t live life, look at life, or even imagine life the same way that I did before. So many people have died for peace and justice in this place, and their legacy lives in their people. I have witnessed this, so now it lives in me. I have the social responsibility to not only encourage others to witness this, but also live in this legacy.¨

                                                                       - Juan Velasquez

¨This was the most incredible and life changing experience. I have a new understanding of the world that I would not have had the chance to have if not for this trip. I am a new and more aware person and for that I will be forever grateful to CRISPAZ and the wonderful people I met. The incredible and humble community we were lucky enough to stay with for two nights was so welcoming and loving and it gave me great hope, courage, and drive to make a difference. I am so grateful.¨

                                                                                       - Justine Darling

Faith – Credo – Tumaini
This summer I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to El Salvador . I met a woman, Marta at her small farm and we shared a simple meal of potatoes and plain spaghetti. I would like to share her story with you. Marta told me about her life which has been filled with more challenges and adventures than anyone I know. There was a civil war in El Salvador from 1982 – 1992. Marta told me of how for her safety she had to flee from El Salvador during the war. She went to Panama while her husband stayed behind in El Salvador to fight for their home and freedom. In Panama , Marta lived for a while in a home built on stilts over the water. She lived there that is, until a hurricane came through and tore her home apart. Only sticks remained where her home once stood. She didn’t have any family in the area with whom to stay so she decided to leave this destruction behind and move on to Honduras . She had heard that there would be work available in Honduras . Marta booked passage on a boat to take her there. Unbelievably, the boat she sailed on sank in the middle of the night. Marta swam and floated for hours praying all the while to be rescued. Incredibly, she had faith that she would be saved, in spite of the sharks that constantly circled her through that long night. Fortunately, Marta was picked up by a rescue boat the next morning. Undeterred and with no other options, she continued on with her plan to establish a new life in Honduras . Shortly after she arrived, monsoon rains of historic proportions swept in turning everything to mud. Marta resolved to stay and do what she could to make a living, in spite of daily having to slog through mud that often was up to her thighs. Eventually a peace was declared in El Salvador . Marta eagerly returned home to find her husband, filled with dreams of farming and starting a family. However, Marta soon discovered that her home had been reduced to rubble. Even worse, she found out that her two brothers had been executed during the war. continue reading

"This experience was one of the best in my life. I’ve learned about so many types of groups that exist; young, old, free, trapped, rich, poor, oppressed, and liberated. It was amazing to see how many struggles these people face every day and to see how they are able to go on with life. Their motivation and warmth have deeply touched me and this is an experience that I can never forget. I just wish that someday I can come work at CRISPAZ and share the experience with others!"
- Participant from Purcell Marion High School , March 2004