Trinity UPC Delegation & Friends - Day 8

Day 8 - Standing in solidarity with our El Salvador brothers and sisters

This was a hard morning. We had to say good-bye to our delegation buddies. We have lived and breathed with them for the past 7 days and it’s going to be hard to be without them. After the obligatory delegation photo in front of the Pastoral House mural that appears on the front of the house, Larry Leper, Denise Core, Margaret Blair, Linda O'Connell and Betty 'Liz' Sandy were picked up at 8:30 a.m. by Alfredo in the white microbus – the same driver and vehicle that had brought us to this place.

That left us (Maurice and Betty Dyer), at the house with the pastoral team, Kathy Mahler, our fearless mission co-worker and Alisha Lundberg, who arrived the day before we did in San Salvador. Alisha is a native of Des Moines and the Westminster Presbyterian Church and has arrived down here for a 10-month stay to teach English at one of the local schools, along with the possibility of another school and private lessons. We had the privilege of having her join us for the week during all of our adventures. She was a true delight and we did so much enjoy her company and it felt like she’d been made an honorary delegation member.

No sooner had our delegation buddies left, then it was announced by Blanca that they were very sad to tell us that WE WERE GOING TO THE BEACH! They wanted us to have a relaxing day at the beach and honestly, not only did we need it, but I think they all did, too! We packed up everything needed for a day at the beach and headed to Usulutan where we just had a little farther to drive to the local beach.

It was unbelievably beautiful! We had our own little hut complete with mucho hammocks. We waded in the Pacific Ocean, got soaking wet and lounged to our heart’s content. We ordered lunch that came with giant fishies on our plates. We bought jewelry from the locals when the little girl showed up with her big eyes. We also bought from a gentleman who came with a larger variety of items.

We were home again by 5:00 p.m. and after finishing up our decorations for the Alejandria celebration on Thursday and we crashed. It had been a long day and a long week.

A big thank you goes out to the wonder members of the pastoral team here. Blanca, Cecilia, Idalia, Aminta, Balmore & Jesus.

They go so far above and beyond to make our visits great ones. What wonderful individuals they are and such dedicated ones! Who else would do the wonderful work that they do and not get paid for it?

And Kathy has outdone herself, yet once again. The relaxed way that she takes on any and all situations never ceases to amaze me. She has such a gift for doing the work that she’s doing here. We are so blessed to have her in this position representing all of us in the Des Moines Presbytery. If you have experienced her work first hand, then you already know what I mean. If you have not, ask anyone who has been on a delegation here.

Thanks to my wonderful traveling buddies for the past week: Larry Lepper, Denise Core, Margaret Blair, Linda O’Connell, Betty Sandy and the love of my life, Maurice Dyer. I can’t tell you how glad I am that he was able to come with me on this trip. I know that all of my traveling buddies, and especially Maurice, “get it.” They understand the importance of coming to El Salvador to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters here. ~Betty

Pictured above: Larry Lepper, Betty Sandy, Margaret Blair, Betty Dyer, Denise Core, Linda O'Connell and Maurice Dyer.