St. Mary's Youth Group visits Anglicans in El Salvador

Fifteen youth and leaders from St. Mary's, Kerrisdale, spent two weeks in El Salvador this August.

They flew to the Central American country and met Archbishop Martin Barahona at the Synod office in the city of San Salvador, who greeted the group warmly.

Early in the trip, the group visited the tomb of the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero, killed during a church service during El Salvador's civil war.

In the city of El Congo, the group split into teams and helped in the construction of one of many "Villas Anglicanas" (Anglican Villages) - community building projects, being built to replace housing lost in a recent devastating earthquake. Each of the teams was responsible for a particular aspect of the project - mainly moving piles of dirt, digging trenches, and landscaping around the existing houses.

During a visit to San Miguel they were greeted by a crowd of children at an orphanage which houses 90 children from infancy to 20 years old or so. The children were very affectionate, holding hands and hugging many members of the team. And they were fascinated with the digital cameras which allowed them to see themselves in photographs almost immediately.

On the first Sunday, the Rev. Kevin Dixon celebrated at Eucharist with Archbishop Barahona and other priests in San Salvador. In the afternoon, the group visited an area of very poor homes on the outskirts of the city. There, they were involved in a short teaching session to educate the residents about how to eliminate the breeding areas of disease carrying mosquitoes.

These homes have no plumbing, so rainwater is captured from the roof in steel barrels. These were the most obvious places for mosquitoes to breed and spread dengue fever. The youth went from house to house looking for signs of larvae, and distributing covers to go over the open barrels to prevent further breeding.

This was a truly Third World experience, said one participant. The poverty was unmistakable but the efforts to address this epidemic under abominable circumstances were commendable and very well-organized.

Another visit was to an industrial area for a tour of a maquiladora (special assembly plant) where many Salvadorians are employed. The Bishop's daughter, Elizabeth, works for a company that audits the maquilas to ensure that they are maintaining environmental and labour standards set by the government

The group felt a bit hesitant walking out onto the floor unsure of what to expect. The doors opened and the sound of hundreds of sewing machines filled the air.

Lunch was provided for the workers, but it cost a dollar a day, or a fifth of the $5 a day many workers make. There are 400 maquilas in El Salvador alone (El Salvador is the size of Vancouver Island). Some of the shops make familiar products like Revlon makeup, Gap clothing, and Fruit of the Loom underwear and clothing.

In the company of Archbishop Barahona, who drove two hours from San Salvador to join the group for lunch, they walked through the newly planted orchards of mangos and other tropical fruits near El Maizel, a church near San Pedro y San Paulo, then planted new trees.

Dixon and his wife Diane had the opportunity to plant one for themselves - it was their wedding anniversary the following day.

A final trip to a beach with "awesome" waves crashing about came before the return trip to Canada. A closing Eucharist included the presentation of the gift of crosses by the Archbishop to each team member.

This is a country where people have remarkable and often tragic stories to share. The church itself is a miracle of faithful determination and survival.