Wow today was an emotional day! Today we had the interviews and meetings with 3 of our build families. One from yesterday and then the two final families today. 2 Of these stories are some of the hardest yet!
Marta (26), Adenide (10), Gustavo (9) – Marta is a single mom of 2 boys. She had her first son when she was 16 and has basically raised them on her own since. 8 Years ago Marta’s husband left to go work in the states, again a common story in El Salvador. Marta has heard from her husband a few times but is no longer supporting her family and she says their relationship has ended. You can tell when she is telling us her story that she is really bothered an
d misses her husband greatly, even after 8 years it seems she is lost and lonely. Unfortunately Martas husband has moved to the states and has remarried and has had more children with his new wife. Marta says she knows that he is never coming back, but you can tell that she is still holding out hope, it was soooo sad! I think the hardest part for me was the loss that the boys have not having their father in their lives, and sitting there at 9 & 10 hearing this story about their father, they must understand and it must be hard for them as well. I hope this house can give Marta some new hope for a better future for herself so she can move on for herself and the 2 boys.
Guillermo, Luois, & Ingrid Beatrice – this story has touched every single one of our hearts. There is no real way to sugarcoat this tragic story. Six years ago, The father of this family shot his wife and then killed himself when he thought she was being unfaithful. This left Guillermo who is now 17, Louis who is 14, & Ingrid whos around 10 years old, with their grandparents. The grandfather has since passed away leaving the children with their Grandmother. The house that we built today was built for the children on the families land. Anyone who meets Guillermo can see the weight on his shoulders and the sadness in his eyes. While in our interview with the boys and their grandmother we asked Guillermo what this house means to him and his response was “I am the oldest so i need to do what i need to, to take care of my brother and sister” to see the weight that he holds is devastating!!!! I found it hard to even find a photo of him that he is smiling in, 6 years later. Our friend and translator, Carlos, was explaining to us that he is a great kid, still going through school, and he has had to grow up really fast and he really needs counselling, unfortunately here there are no counsellers other than pastors which wouldnt give him the type of help he needs. You feel so helpless not being able to help him!!!!!!
Sonya (30), Roberto (33), Kevin (12), Merilee (5) - I thought i would end on a possitive note after that heavy story. This family lives on the line in the midst of many of the houses that we had built last year, so we were surrounded by many of our friends which was nice! This was our last house and it seemed to go up flawlessly. This family was a very nice family with the 2 kids both in school, Merilee is in Kindergarten & Kevin will be repeating grade 5 this year. 
School has just started after what we would call “summer break” their school year starts in January rather than September so a lot of the kids are excited to be done school. The children only go to school in the mornings, starting at 7am – so early, and going to about noon, no matter which grade. This means we are always surrounded with kids in the afternoons which is so nice to hear the laughter and see the smiles. Roberto is a farmer & was a huge help on his house. Sonja was working as a waitress in a restaurant but had to take off work when her mother fell ill to be in the hospital with her, when she went to go back to work they had fired her for not being there. When we asked Merilee what she wanted to be when she grew up she responded by saying she wanted to be a doctor so she could take care of her grandmother. Kids have such large hearts!
After our morning of building we went back to town to the sewing center to pack food which we will deliver tomorrow after the key ceremony. For those of us who were here last year we all know how rewarding this can be, I cant wait to see the faces of our 6 first timers when they hand the people the food and see the gratefulness that the people & Families have.
Our night cap was back at the hotel and the Carries brought by some of the artisan goods that they have found in San Salvador. The scarves, purses, Pottery, & Got Goat T-shirts were snatched up, it was so neat to see things made by El Salvadorians that you cannot find at the market. The Got Goat T-shirts are an inititive to raise money for a goat project that the Berstads and McAllisters are offering in San Antonio, so far they have raised enough money for 3 goat farms around El Salvador which is amazing.
Big Day Ahead Tomorrow – Market, Key Ceremony, Food Deliveries, & Our sad Goodbyes to our friends once again!
Todays schedule was filled with many events, of course we had the two houses to build, but we also had a lot of fun too!
We arrived to see the holes already dug from yesterday afternoon which was a nice relief and gave us a bit of time to sort out the kinks that we hit first thing in the morning, we have always been told to expect the unexpected and roll with it, so this morning when we had no material, tools, or help, we rolled with it. Soon part of our materials arrived so we jumped on whatever we could. the tools started to trickle in and then the workers showed up! A lot of them! Unfortunately our other groups site did not get the holes dug, so they had some kinks too! We seemed to have made it through just fine as 2 more families have found happiness and hope in a new home!!!! Unfortunately we were unable to sit down with one of the families as we ran out of time, but we definitely will go back tomorrow.
The second home that we completed today was for a large family, it was very hard to get
straight as to who exactly was living in the house. We can start with the Grandfather, who was not there unfortunately, as i think there were a lot of us who would like to have met this man. Coppertino is the head of this homestead for sure, he owns the current home that is on the land, and I should mention he is 90 & he has lived on the land for 90 years!!! As Gina had said last week some of the structures that were hit badly by earthquakes over the years have become unstable & the El Salvadorians are fine to cook in them & hangout as long as they can escape & run out when needed. Sleeping in a house that they are worried will collapse is not an option. Coppertino was away at work when we visited as was his son in law that will be living in the new Galvanissa home. Coppertino’s day starts at 5:00am to eat breakfast, clean the house, and head off to the farming fields. He will return at 10am when he leaves again to do some “government work” in San Vicente. This is definitely a man who works very hard. Hanging out at the house & helping build today was the rest of his family, his daughter Filomina (52), her 3 boys, Jesus (23), Joswa (10), & William (29), Jesus & Williams spouses, and then their children. This is when it gets a little confusing as to who lives there and who does not. We were finally able to clear up that Filomina, her husband & her youngest boy will be living in the house. Copperton will likely stay in the current house as he will not let them tear it down.
Also on site today we had balloon animals for all of the kids, swords & flowers were definitely popular & many of the ladies painted nails for all of the village girls, complete with flowers of course.
De-Ann was off on a special mission today, she was working down “the line” taking family photos and individual portraits. De-Ann has brought a photo printer from home this year to print photos off everynight of the children, she arrives the next day to eager faces waiting for the photos she promised. It is truly special for these kids & their families to have a photo as they dont have many. Most commonly families will have one album with all the photos of their children as babies, Baptisms, or christenings, & I have even seen soldier photos. They are so proud to show what they have so i am sure the photos De-Ann took of the families will be cherished for a lifetime!
Our day was rushed as we had to make it to the pool in time to enjoy some splashing around before closing at 4:00. When we arrived you could hear
the laughter, and shrieks of joy coming from behind the hedges from all of the children of San Antonio, all 150 of them!!!!! Us Canadians made about 180 people at the pool! The children really do love the pool, i guess as most kids do, but these kids REALLY love the pool! You can just see pure joy and exhaustion on their faces at the end, after an hour or so splashing around in the pool!
Early start tomorrow ~ Buenos Noches, Asta Manana! (Good Night, See you Tomorrow)
Wowzas it was HOT today! Neener Neener Neener! Hope you all are enjoying the Lovely Calgary weather!
Tonight i think we will all sleep like babies from a day in 37 degree sunshine. We drank through all of the jugs of our water, had plans for 3 houses and voted to stop at 2. Many of us had been beaten by the heat and needed a break. So that was exactly what we did……..took a break! We travelled up the road to a lookout point of the volcano, the valley, and a little restaurant/cafe/bar/paradise up the road for sodas, lemonade, and Agua (water).
Alright back to the rest of our day. Another build day with hopes of 3 houses. Our first family today was a family of 5 – three boys and Mom & Dad. Dad was off at work at the sugarcane factory, he works from 2 until 10pm at the factory. Their 3 boys are Freddy (15), Jose Steven (14), Santos Ismael (11). Mom & Dad are Catalina & Freddy. This couple has a little bit of a funny beginning, when asked how they had met the whole family started to chuckle, Catalina & Freddy met at a Funeral. I guess you had to be there, cause we all thought it was pretty humerous!
Catalina’s youngest son goes to school but the oldest have chosen not to go to school because they would rather work. We had asked Ismael what he would like to do for work when he grows up and he responded that he would like to be a teacher. There are a lot of children in the community that answer the same way, hopefully someday there will be a larger need for many teachers!
When we showed up to our second site it was a sad scene. Large black tarps draped on large poles covered as a roof over their beds, a stove, kitchen table set, and hutch were also hudled under this plastic sheet, totally exposed, no protection from elements, strangers, animals & BUGS!!! This is why we are here to put roofs over these peoples head so they can sleep at night. This is another family with 3 boys, Miguel is the father of the youngest boy Oscar Mondo (3), but also raises the older 2 boys with his wife Maria. The Eldest boy, Miguel(15), and the middle boy Alex (12) both attend school during the day, when asked what they would like to do when they grow up Miguel responded that he would like to be a secretary, but Alex didnt know what he wanted to be. Both Parents in this family work, Maria works making Papoosas in a restaurant in San Vicente called “Papoosaria” & Miguel (father) repairs shoes.
When we did the final interview with this family many of us were exhausted, we were out of water, and couldnt wait to be getting back to shower and get out of the sun. It was a very nice surprise to feel so rewarded and honoured to give this family a house when Miguel asked us to come back on Friday after our key ceremony for some cake, he even asked what was our favorite kind! We were all so humbled by this & i think i speak for many of our group when i say we will not miss that opportunity for the world! Such an amazing gesture!!!!!
A nice change this year to last, is the amount of time we are getting to spend with the kids of the community. Today De-Ann became a human canvas, we danced and sang kids songs, apparently about a green frog that is very cold, complete with actions, and played a singing game about a cat and mouse that turns into a chase game. We were having a blast especially when De-Ann became the cat and had to use her Spanglish to repeat the phrases of the game – Laughter all around!
Our Newbies got another first experience today as many cattle drives strolled down the line where we were building – at least 10 times throughout the day we had to move our material for mutiple cows to pass on through. Always quite the sight!
We also got to make a stop at the corn grinders to see how they grind the corn they grow or purchase and grind it with a little bit of water to create the dough for their tortillas, this was quite a neat machine with many spinning belts that of course to us looked extrememly dangerous! It was cool to see that the whole community uses these machines daily to make the food that they are eating and that we have also eaten many times while visiting!
Well i have already told you about our fabulous winding down on a beautiful grass covered patio over looking the valley, so we will move on to Enchiladas, Boston Ice Cream Sundaes, and climbing the clock tower! A very busy day but full of many great adventures! Tomorrow is pool day & myself along with some others are really looking forward to it!
Our first build day has flown by just as quickly as the houses have gone up. 3 Houses in 1 Day! Yes, its’s true, a house in a few hours. Hard to believe until you experience it for yourself. I guess with a crew of over 100 you can get the job done & FAST!
Our day began with an early morning breakfast, mmmm Pancakes! We were then whisked off to the site to start building. Sites were prepped and ready for when we arrived and many people of the community had arrived to help. Our first family is a family of 6,
husband & wife have been together for 32 years. Daniello Antonio wooed his wife, Rosa Lydia Sanchez Divielta, by coming to San Antonio everyday from a town an hour or so away, 3 years later they were married. They now have 2 kids, Juan Roberto(19), and Elisa Bialta (23). Elisa is a hairdresser in San Vicente, so Rosa watches her 2 children all day while she works. Gizelle Elisa is 2 1/2 and Matias Esial is 8 months. Rosa’s life has been particularily hard as her husband is in a wheelchair & does not have a lot of hope for his life most days. Antonio was walking through San Antonio one day when a group of men attacked him for his watch & pushed him off a bridge, he had broken many parts of his legs & back resulting in him being paralyzed & bound to a wheelchair. Rosa’s days are long & very hard taking care of her husband and 2 grandchildren. Her son, Juan has been working for months now to help build the other homes in the community earning his family their home. Juan also attends high school which is rather uncommon here for many children to contiune through to that level of schooling, his teachers say he is very very smart, & he will be graduating in 4 months. Finishing his high school will give him an accounting program, but his big dream is to be become a lawyer. Rosa holds a lot of hope for Juan and is very proud of her son!
The second home that we built for was a home for a mother Maria (33), her son Christian ( ), and Maria’syounger brother, Oscar(28). Their situation is quite common in El Salvador but very different from most we have come accross already. Maria’s husband of nine years, is in jail in California, he went to the states to work illegally and in turn ended up in jail. He is expected to
return to El Salvador in a year at which time Maria hopes to live in her new home with her husband, Christian, and her brother. Oscar was also living in the states, in Los Angeles for 4 years but returned home to take car of his mother when his father became very ill. Maria and Oscar will now live only a couple minutes walk away from their parents. Currently Maria is not working and stays home to take care of her son, once Christian is in grade 1, Maria will start to work, when asked what she would like to do for work, she responded by saying “it doesnt matter, anything to be able to provide for my son”.
When we showed up to our third build site there was over 80 people to help!!!!!! With us Canadians we totalled over 100 workers, it was truly amazing! The community involvement is so great to see this year, Trent & Stuart, with their wives, are trying to build a sense of community for these people, you help your neighbour and they will help you, they hope that after the houses are c0mpleted these neighbours will be there for each other still. On a tight site, with 100 workers, things got going quickly & many of us didnt even know who we were building for! After all of the chaos had come to completion we all gathered to hear the story of this single mom Santos Pedrina
(36) and her only son, Elmer(17). Elmer worked extremely hard on his house, digging out a large boulder from one of the post holes & working non stop! The land was donated to Santos by her aunt, who gave her the land saying that if it meant she could have a house she could absolutely squeeze it in on her land. No 4’0 minimum sideyards in this place! we will go 
with 2’0 sideyards on either side! To be able to support her family Santos cleans houses and does housework in the city, a very common job for many of the ladies around the villages. Elmer was asked if he had a girlfriend, he responded by holding up 2 fingers! Yes he has 2 girlfriends! They dont know about each other though, so i guess he thinks its ok, it gave us all a chuckle.
This year we meet with each family when the job is done, sit down with them as a whole group to ask them some questions, and get to know their situation. Many of us are really enjoying this as we get to know all of the families regardless if we built with them or not. The families also get to meet all of the group and see what we are all about. Dave will usually start out by thanking them for having us to their home, asking what this home means to them, and what their story is. All three of the families we built for today were very very thankful, grateful that we are there for them, and thank Jesus for giving them this blessing. I can only imagine what it would mean to be able to provide for your family and put a roof over their heads, the level of security that it offers, and have a concrete floor to have a place to at least get your feet out of the dirt. We are so lucky to represent the many people that have donated from our trades, friends, & families, and made it possible, we really are the ones receiving a gift, to experience this is truly a gift of a lifetime to see the childrens smiling faces, the laughter of happier people, and the love from someone who doesnt even know you, but hugs you anyways – so thankful!
Day 1 down for the second group of Stepper travellers & we are full of memories or wide eyed from new experiences. The newbies were well informed before the trip so not a lot of unexpected events, just the unknown of what it is REALLY like… … … … …
Our day of travel from Calgary to El Salvador yesterday, was long but went well, uneventful flights & a very warm welcome from our colleagues & friends when we finally showed up at the hotel in El Salvador around 10:30pm. Everyone from the first group, painted a beautiful picture in our minds of the amazing black sand beach & resort they spent the day surfing, sunbathing, shopping, & relaxing at. We had a few quick minutes to ask questions as to how the week went, what the building was really like, how our old El Salvadorian friends have been, and what their favorite part of the week was. Then it was back on the bus to make the trip to San Vicente, swerving to miss a drunk sleeping in the road, & barely missing a ratlike animal the size of my cat! And it has begun! Happy to be in the heat & eager to get the journey underway. Today I (Christa) take over writing the blog from Georgina & Vanessa, they did a fabulous job, & I will do my best to keep it up!
Our day began with a familiar Breakfast of Beans and rice, avocados, & Plantains. Followed by loading up the cattle truck and heading to San Antonio to visit our old friends at the build sites from last year and to see some of the new sites we would be building at starting tomorrow. First a pitstop to pick up Trent, Stuart, and their young gang of translators, their kids, and off to the sewing centre. Within minutes De-Ann had purchased the first quilt they had shown us, we heard about all of the great things they have set up for the single woman of the community to be able to provide for their families & where they hope the project will go in the future. This was also when we started to see a new more feminine side of Randy that we would find to continue throughout our day.
At this point our day had already seemed rather eventful but there was so much more in store for us. It was off to San Antonio to see the families we built for last year. Myself, Darrin, Murray, & Brenda all went to catch up with Walter (Dad) & Franklin (10Years old)! It was so nice to see their smiling friendly faces when we drove through on the cattle truck! We shared photos & had Kade, one of Stuarts young boys, translate for us while we caught up with Franklin & Walter & shared in a cool glass of Cola from their store. They shared stories of additions they have done on the house, took us on the tour of their home & showed us Franklins room, he said his favorite part of his room was his bed! Walter then went on to tell us that his wife, Sandra, and their 1 year old daughter, Alison, shared the other room. When we asked where Walter slept he pointed to the Hammock! We all had a good chuckle, some things are very much the same so far away! I am sure the rest of the group also enjoyed this time catching up with the rest of the people on “the line” where we built last year. Too bad we all couldnt have shared in these heart warming conversations.
We then moved on for some lunch, went to view the sites we are to build at tomorrow, & loaded up the truck for the very emotional trip down to the river where so many people had lost their lives during the hurricane a couple years back. Overall the day was very familiar for most but was very new for the 6 newbies who were able to have joined us this year. I had asked Jennifer what she was most surprised about this trip so far, she took a minute to respond but then said with tears starting to fill her eyes that she could never have 
expected the level of poverty that these people lived in, a similar response came from Darrin when i asked him the same thing; he couldnt believe that the people had no running water, no place to wash their dishes and lived in dirt. 
Brenda was amazed with the amount of Garbage! ” There is just sooooo much of it, they just throw everything on the ground” There was a broken plate in the dirt at one of our build sites, this family has a baby, and she just couldnt get over the fact that they dont pick up and dispose of such things with the baby around.
It is quite interesting to get the points of view of these first timers, it is all so familiar to what we had experieced that first day last year. I cant wait to build tomorrow and see how the process has changed, and continue to see the emotions, shock, & levels of surprise in the new 6′s eyes.
It was an early start for everyone today as we had much to do, so it was up and at it for 6:30 and out the door for a 7:00 am breakfast. Breakfast was pancakes, pineapple,papaya and of course coffee.
Then off to the market for a little bartering, practicing our spanglish, and of course some piñatas and candy for the celebration. After a quick stop at Pollo Campero for a coffee we headed off to load the food and gift baskets in the trucks for delivery.
We arrived at Candida’s house for the Key Ceremony at 11:00 am. Waiting patiently were all the families, their neighbours, our helpers to share in the celebration. For those who followed our journey last year you know this is a highly anticipated event, with allot of laughter and many happy tears. It was no different today. Some speeches were long, some were short but all were heartfelt, loving and emotional. The presentations were done by Matt, Kory, Dave, James, Carol, Christian, Christen, Craig and Stuart and Kat teamed up for their family. As the families came up and each spokesperson shared their thoughts the family then reciprocated. Patricia and Stuart helped to translate their messages through the laughter and the tears and everyone shared the moments. Most said it was considered a blessing from God and that with his guidance he brought their brothers and sisters from Canada to help. They asked that we not forget about them and to come back and see them again. It was a wonderful time.
After the ceremony we hung up the piñatas and called to the children to come and play. The squeals of delight rang throughout the area as they each took turn trying to knock the candy from the doll. They hit and hit until the candies began to fall and then children and adults alike were scrambling for the sweet treats, including Trent.
After the celebration we had a quick lunch break and off to deliver food to a new area. We rode in three vehicles, with some ladies from San Vicente to deliver food to the people of El Playo. El Playo is a small village approximately 45 minutes from San Vicente, where the need for food is very high and it is a rather dangerous place. Upon arriving we were directed to a small structure with ladies waiting for us. As introductions were made we learned that it was a sister church to Pastor Jorge’s that was being ministered to by Maritza’s brother, Pastor David and his wife America. Pastor David is away in Honduras but his wife took us around to deliver the food. We delivered approximately 120 bags of food to families in the village. After delivering the food we took a water break as the temperature was in excess of 39degrees. During the break we hung the last piñata and let the kids go at it once again.
We headed back to San Antonio to deliver the balance of the food. After delivering the food we were able to join Stuart and Trent as they announced to two families that they would be receiving their houses next week. As we waited, a cattle drive meandered down the road towards us, the brahmas paid no head to the funny people taking pictures. There were more blessings and tears as they were told the happy news.
We headed back to San Vicente to drop off our helpers and to say good bye to our translator Patricia. She is off to university tomorrow and we will not see her again. Many hugs and some tears and we were off again back to the hotel for a shower and change then off to dinner.
Supper was BBQ beef with Maritza’s yummy rice and salsa. Then off to Boston Ice cream and a stroll around the clock tower. There is allot of excitement about going to the resort and beach tomorrow and then home to our families. You can tell with the horseplay in the hotel with jumping on beds, stealing water and giggling ringing throughout the hotel complex. Safe travels to our team on route tomorrow morning see you at the hotel.
Thanks for checking in. Good night.
Hello all, just an addition to yesterday. As I am sure you all saw Dave did his John Wayne impression once again. He went bareback on a pony and started to trot quite quickly up and down the road, then he had grabbed Noah’s cowboy hat, we guess he thought it would make him a better horseman….he did stay on which was a feat in itself. It was a sight to see, again lots of laughter. There was a compliment that was given from Rosa that Canadians are very happy people because we are laughing and smiling all the time.
Now onto today…we all woke to the sound of construction in the restaurant area. The truck came at 7:30 again and off we went for breakfast. We were joined today by Eppo the videographer that is documenting our journey. Breakfast this time is was fried eggs, salsa and buns with coffee.
Then off to our last house for the week. We were all excited to start on our last house of the trip, and of course right after the comment that the digging had been pretty easy going so far, bang we run into the biggest rocks we have seen all week. Each rock weighed at least a hundred pounds and took a few hours to get dug out and broken into manageable pieces. So while some of the men were digging the rocks the rest of the team started to build the walls on the ground. Shortly after we went over to check on the first two houses that were built as the concrete work was being done. It is amazing the quality of the work when it is all hand mixed, no electrical mixer here, and hand trowel throughout the house as well. They also like to add to color to the concrete so some rooms are red and some a dark blue.
Back to Candida’s house to keep on working. As the men continued to work on the walls and the boulder, some of the ladies started to help make lunch. Then a couple of the fellas tried to get in there and make tortitas. That lasted about two minutes and the El Salvadorian ladies were shooing them away saying “no good”, obviously there talents lie in building homes.
Then it was time for a quick lunch break and back at it to get the house done. We finished about 1`:30 and sat down to visit with the family. Candida (43) is a single mother of four children. Two are grown and work as secretaries in San Vicente, and Marcella (9) and Jose (17) live at home, with Jose going to high school. Candida has been working with the teams for six months in the morning, helping to prepare the sites and lunches and then she if off to sell bread in San Vincente to raise money for her family. She earns $30 per week and uses this money to feed her family and to send her son to school.
She was born and raised in San Antonio, however her husband abandoned her about 10 years ago. She was asked what is the hardest part of being a single mom, and her answer was not having a home for her children, second was providing for her family.
She said she felt very blessed because now she has a safe place for her children to live, and now she can focus on providing for them.
After leaving Candida’s the team loaded up again into two trucks, as we now had food supplies to prepare for delivery on Friday. We pulled up to the Sewing Center building and unloaded. Then off to the corner store for a quick treat and a cold drink. Then we paired up and started to bag the corn, beans, rice, milk, oil, soup, sugar and salt. We had prepared approximately 140-150 bags of food it short order. Then the ladies headed over to the Carries squared home and started to prepare the home owner gifts for the Key Ceremony. The gifts had food items, toiletries, clothes, toys, toothbrushes, blankets, linens, coloring books and even vitamins for the children.
As the ladies prepared the home owner’s gifts the men took a brief tour of some of San Vicente’s cathedrals and the government building. The Cathedrals were beautiful with some very old architecture, one was built in 1769, the other was quite old too, with severe damage from the earthquake in 2001. The government building was damaged too however they are unable to afford to repair it. So instead they are utilizing the second floor for firework displays.
Then it was off to the hotel for a shower and change and off to dinner. Tonight was enchiladas, made with chicken, egg, salsa and cheese. Many of the men ate four or more, hungry crew.
While finishing dinner, we heard some vibrant music coming from outside. So we wandered down the street to listen to the band. It was the Mayor out campaigning for the upcoming elections in March. At first we stood by and listened and then Christian and Dave jumped right and started to play the drums and before you know it our dancing girls, Carol and Vanessa were getting their groove on with some of the locals. Many commented that if Canadian political parties were this vibrant more of us would be involved.
Then it was off to Super Selecto for some munchies and back to the hotel for a lively game of 7up and 7 down.
Thanks for checking in, see you all tomorrow.
We were able to sleep in a little this morning as our chauffeur didn’t arrive until 7:45 am. Breakfast was beans, tortilla chips, cheese, avocado and coffee.
We headed out to our job site to work on our next two houses for the Ramirez family. The sites were next to each other which made for lots of laughter and a little competitive spirit. Both sites were well prepped and the digging went quickly. With so many busy hands the work went well and the homes were both finished within minutes of each other just in time for some lunch.
After lunch the entire group sat down to share some time with the families we had built for.
Team Bieber built for Grandma Lydia (87) who has lived in San Antonio for over 60 years. She had a large family of ten, but sadly now only three children remain. Her son Jesus who lives next door, a Daughter , Peace, who is married and lives a short distance away, and a son who is in jail in the USA. Her Daughter came to assist her Daughter in law, Rosa, with the cooking for the volunteers today. Grandma Lydia lost her husband in a car accident three years ago, but has some joy in that she helps to raise her great Grandson. To ease her loneliness when he is away she was given a dog named Oso (Bear) and a cat which Vanessa named Bongo. Remember the one from Day 2 with the mouse in his mouth….that’s Bongo. For the last 10 years she has lived in a hut constructed of mud and plastic. She felt that the house was a blessing from God and us, her angels from Canada.
Team Duxbury built for Jesus (39) and Rosa Ramirez (30). Jesus is also a bean and corn farmer. Rosa said that when she saw all the materials and helpers she felt as though she was in a beautiful dream and didn’t want to wake up. They lived in an adobe house but each time there was an earthquake she would run out of the house for fear it would collapse on them. They both worked very hard today helping with preparing the food for the volunteers and with building the houses. They feel very blessed and will sleep peacefully tonight knowing they are safe in their new home.
After we finished visiting it was time for some fun and relaxation at the pool. So back to the hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes and off to the local pool. So picture our local pools, they have NOTHING on this one. It has 7 pools, a natural waterfall and even an underwater cave that you swim through a tunnel to get to a pool on the other side. A few of our guys found out that Canadian men are a little bigger then El Salvadorian men when they chaffed their chests or banged their heads trying to fit through tthe tunnels. Laughter and little screams could be heard ringing off the rocks when the fish started to nibble at our feet as we stood in the pool next to the waterfall. Little black fish that look like minnos nibble at your feet if you stand still. There is a beautiful tree that stands at the wall of the upper pool and creates shade and an interesting swing if you were brave, or maybe foolhardy enough to try it. It seemed surreal to be in such a beautiful spot then to look up and see a soldier standing three feet away holding an M16 rifle, and of course Dave, Christian and Matt chatting with the soldier and taking photos with his rifle.
It is a harsh reminder that no matter how beautiful it may be, danger can lurk anywhere. That aside it was an excellent way to cool off from a morning of work and have some fun with our team.
Then back to the hotel for a siesta and then off to Pastor Jorge’s for dinner. Chicken, broccoli and Maritza’s famous rice for dinner. We relaxed for awhile visiting then off to Boston Ice cream for a treat before heading back to the hotel for a good night sleep.
Today started as the last two have, with a toot toot from the truck at 7:30 for breakfast call. We had ham and cheese omelettes with fried plantains.
Then off to see one of the projects that the Carrie’s squared have created. It is called the Sewing center. There they employ women to learn a skill and to earn extra income to support their families. We met Pimpa who helps the Carrie’s to manage the center; she is a single Mom of two. There was also Margarita who used to help Maritza cook at Pastor Jorge’s. Also there helping is Papa Julio who used to be a shoe maker. He enjoy working with the denim materials, he is Maritza’s Papa.
They make beautiful quilts from materials that are either donated or that the ladies find when shopping in the markets. They have to be trained to work on the industrial machines but take a great deal of pride in what they do. The quilts are all sizes from single to king size and are available for sale. The Carrie’s have started to make arrangements with stores in Canada to sell the quilts for them. It is heart warming to see how happy these women are to do something productive and helpful for their families.
We also have a new translator, Patricia. She is 21 years old and has a big heart along with an unwavering faith in Jesus. She lost both of her parents and her Mom only 3 months ago. However, due to her background she has been the primary parent for her younger sister as her mother suffered from alcoholism and drug addictions. She became involved with the ministry when she was tutoring Stuart and Trent’s children in Spanish and English. She has just found a sponsor to help her with her university as she is studying to become a flight attendant.
Then off to another day of building. We managed to finish three houses again today.
Team Beiber built for Manuel (46), Gladys (33), and their four children, Evelyn (15), Maritza (13), Fernando (11) and Lucia (4). They are both from San Antonio and have been married for 16 years. Manuel is also a bean and corn farmer but as with many of the farmers this year suffered from poor crops due to the heavy rains in October. It is difficult for the farmers as they need to spend what money they have earned on the necessities for their family, such as food. It leaves very little for any other needs. They originally lived in an adobe house but it was destroyed in an earthquake 11 years ago. They have been living in a home owned by a family from San Salvador. The family allow them to live in their home in return they farm their land for them. When asked what the home meant to them Gladys said that she now hopes that her children will be safe and can finish their education. The house went up in pretty good time; however there were a few hiccups with the front door. It was very hot today so lots of water and Gatorade with frequent rest breaks.
Team Duxbury built for William Antonio (28) and Christina Rodriquez (34). They have been living with her sisters, Fransisca, Blanca and Anna Julio and their Grandmother Monica (98) and Fransisca’s daughter Monica Alexandra. Grandma Monica has lived on this land her entire life, except during the civil war, she is believed to be the oldest person in San Antonio. William Antonio is a sugar cane truck driver; he leaves for work at midnight and delivers it all night and into the day. He was away working while the house was being built. This is seasonal work and the rest of the year he farms. When asked what the house meant to her she said it is a blessing and they are very very happy. She appreciates all her family has done for her but is happy to have a home of her own. Her hope for the future is now to start a family.
Then off for lunch and a short break. We then joined forces once again for the last house of the day.
We arrived at the next build site and it was a very tight space with at least 15 volunteers to help. So as there were lots of hands on deck the ladies decided to spend some time getting to know the El Salvadorian ladies. So we did what women do, we sat and did our nails and chatted about our families. It was a mixture of emotions, as many have had to travel a difficult path in their young lives, but also fun to hear their questions about Canada. They laughed when we told them it was snowing and very cold at home right now. Also they found it funny that we have out dogs in our houses and we treat them like a part of our family. The men worked very hard today and the house was finished by about 4:30.
This house was for Jose (78) and Maria (70). They have two daughters who both live in San Antonio and have three grandchildren, two boys and one girl. They have lived in San Antonio for over 50 years. Jose is also a farmer and has experienced a difficult year. Jose said that this house is their Christmas gift from us and God and they are very thankful for the kind people who came to help them.
Then of course back to the hotel for a shower and off to Pastor Jorge’s for dinner. Pupusa’s and cabbage with salsa, and of course jalapeno peppers for some.
Trent and Stuart’s family invited us over for a visit. They had stopped at a market in San Salvador and brought some items they thought we would like. There was artwork, pottery, handmade purses, aprons and of quilts. The children put on a brief show for us singing and dancing, it was good fun.
Texaco stop for some magnum bars, Gatorade and munchies. Then back to the hotel for some sleep.
A little more on last nights’ frivolities. As we worked on the blog laughter rang throughout the compound. As many of you know we have several team members with slightly warped senses of humour. So one idea was to tease our youngest couple as they slipped off by themselves…by running up and knocking on the door, and the other was to leave a bucket of water leaned up against Kory and Vanessa’s door and knock until they opened it. So I am sure without naming names we all know who the culprits were. Laughter fills the heart with love they say, if so we must be overflowing.
Onto our third day…..
The morning started with a 7:30 breakfast. Yah…pancakes with Aunt Jemima syrup, papaya, hot coffee and of course orange juice. We set off for the building sites across the main road at San Antonio. Our first two houses were almost side by side. Upon our arrival we noticed a lot of people, we had no idea that there would be over 30 volunteers from the surrounding villages. It was a little overwhelming at first and chaotic but soon a rhythm developed and we were all pitching in. The men were doing the heavy work, digging, setting the walls while the ladies were cutting the trim, drilling and climbing ladders. It was truly a team effort on both sites. The process has been improved immensely with Trent and Stuart’s help. Both houses went up in about three hours. As our mothers used to say, many hands make light work.
Team Beiber built the home for Carlos, Yarina and 41 day old Jhoan. We spent some time with them asking them about the home and their backgrounds. Yarina comes from a family of 11, yah I said 11. Her family is from a village approximately 10 minutes outside San Vicente, whereas Carlos is from San Antonio, a family of four. They are very happy about their new home so they can be a true family. They have some education, with Carlos finishing Grade 9 and Yarina Grade 7. They worked hard, Carlos building their new house, Yarina helping her Mother-in-law to prepare food for the local volunteers.
Team Duxbury built a home for Antonio (29), Naomi (26), Eliseo (3), and their 42 day old baby boy, Gustavo. They have been living with her grandparents and her sister for over six years while Antonio worked as a farmer and helper. With the help of over 15 volunteers and Antonio the house went up very quickly. They are both from San Antonio, but have no close ties with their parents, just their grandparents. They celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on January 6th. Antonio said he is so happy and excited because its impossible for them to build their own home due to the expense. I know you have big hearts for the people here so we thank you for everything. Naomi said I am so excited for my new house. When asked if they had questions about our group they were just too excited about their house to think about it.
We finished the houses by lunchtime and had our peanut butter and jam sandwiches and a short siesta.
Then we combined forces and went to build the house for Dolores aka Loli. We loaded up Bacilio’s truck with tools and some volunteers. The balance of the group came with us, 48, yup 48 people loaded into the cattle truck to go to the next site. We had to drive very slowly, as the weight caused the truck to be a little ungainly, and our safety lady popped about 20 new gray hairs. This house went up in record time, just over two hours. As we had so many helpers, some of the ladies went to spend time with the young girls of the village, doing their nails and chatting. Once the house was done we went to spend some time with Dolores to hear her story. She is a true inspiration and a survivor. She had been dealing with a debilitating disease for over 12 years. Her youngest son Jesus Alberto (16) still lives with her and goes to school taking a computer class. She told us that she had two dreams, one that God would heal her of her lupus so that she could earn enough money to build a home for her and Jesus, and the other was to have a house built for her. So she feels blessed that we have helped have one dream come true. It has been a long and difficult journey for her but she is very happy that she now has a home so that she and her son will be safe.
Then it was off to the hotel for a shower and a short break. We went back to see Pastor Jorge’s for a hamburger steak with macaroni dinner and tortitas.
After dinner we headed off to the clock tower for a tour and some photos.
Then off to Boston ice cream and Super Selecto for a little shopping.
We had a productive and laughter filled day. Thanks for checking in.
Marta (26), Adenide (10), Gustavo (9) – Marta is a single mom of 2 boys. She had her first son when she was 16 and has basically raised them on her own since. 8 Years ago Marta’s husband left to go work in the states, again a common story in El Salvador. Marta has heard from her husband a few times but is no longer supporting her family and she says their relationship has ended. You can tell when she is telling us her story that she is really bothered an
d misses her husband greatly, even after 8 years it seems she is lost and lonely. Unfortunately Martas husband has moved to the states and has remarried and has had more children with his new wife. Marta says she knows that he is never coming back, but you can tell that she is still holding out hope, it was soooo sad! I think the hardest part for me was the loss that the boys have not having their father in their lives, and sitting there at 9 & 10 hearing this story about their father, they must understand and it must be hard for them as well. I hope this house can give Marta some new hope for a better future for herself so she can move on for herself and the 2 boys.
Guillermo, Luois, & Ingrid Beatrice – this story has touched every single one of our hearts. There is no real way to sugarcoat this tragic story. Six years ago, The father of this family shot his wife and then killed himself when he thought she was being unfaithful. This left Guillermo who is now 17, Louis who is 14, & Ingrid whos around 10 years old, with their grandparents. The grandfather has since passed away leaving the children with their Grandmother. The house that we built today was built for the children on the families land. Anyone who meets Guillermo can see the weight on his shoulders and the sadness in his eyes. While in our interview with the boys and their grandmother we asked Guillermo what this house means to him and his response was “I am the oldest so i need to do what i need to, to take care of my brother and sister” to see the weight that he holds is devastating!!!! I found it hard to even find a photo of him that he is smiling in, 6 years later. Our friend and translator, Carlos, was explaining to us that he is a great kid, still going through school, and he has had to grow up really fast and he really needs counselling, unfortunately here there are no counsellers other than pastors which wouldnt give him the type of help he needs. You feel so helpless not being able to help him!!!!!!
Sonya (30), Roberto (33), Kevin (12), Merilee (5) - I thought i would end on a possitive note after that heavy story. This family lives on the line in the midst of many of the houses that we had built last year, so we were surrounded by many of our friends which was nice! This was our last house and it seemed to go up flawlessly. This family was a very nice family with the 2 kids both in school, Merilee is in Kindergarten & Kevin will be repeating grade 5 this year. 
School has just started after what we would call “summer break” their school year starts in January rather than September so a lot of the kids are excited to be done school. The children only go to school in the mornings, starting at 7am – so early, and going to about noon, no matter which grade. This means we are always surrounded with kids in the afternoons which is so nice to hear the laughter and see the smiles. Roberto is a farmer & was a huge help on his house. Sonja was working as a waitress in a restaurant but had to take off work when her mother fell ill to be in the hospital with her, when she went to go back to work they had fired her for not being there. When we asked Merilee what she wanted to be when she grew up she responded by saying she wanted to be a doctor so she could take care of her grandmother. Kids have such large hearts!
