Final Countdown

Today at First Trinity, service focused on El Salvador. Throughout Epiphany we have been highlighting a different world culture, celebrating the message of Epiphany that Jesus came to Earth to share God's message of love to all people. And so, as a send-off to our Habitat team, this week we celebrated the Salvadoran music and culture. In addition to special music and hymn selection, our post-service reception featured Salvadoran-style quesadillas and delicious tamales!

I also gave a "mission moment" during the announcements. Due to a printer malfunction, I realized once I got to church that the first page of my speech had never made it to a hard copy. As a result, the text below is not quite what I actually said, but I think it still worked!

¡Hola! Buenos Dias, hermanos y hermanas.

Hello! Good morning, brothers and sisters.

My name, for those of you who don’t know me, is Amanda Wahlig. I am here this morning, full of excitement and joy, to thank you on behalf the 11 people that you, the people of First Trinity, are helping to send to the beautiful country of El Salvador for a week to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

When many people think of El Salvador, they think of the horrible civil war that ravaged that country throughout the 1980’s. And that war has left deep scars that will take lifetimes to heal. But since the peace accords were signed in 1992, the country has been undergoing a dramatic turnaround and rebuilding process.

One of the biggest remaining effects of the war has been its impact on the Salvadoran economy. Since 1990, El Salvador has experienced an inflation rate of 7%, while its economy has averaged only 5%. Annual remittances from family abroad, particularly in the US, total approximately $2 billion, while external aid is only $500 million per year. The minimum wage is only $145 a month, while the cost of basic necessities for a family of four is approximately $600 a month. This means that there are many families who have to go without the basics of food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education, even if more than one family member works full-time outside the home.

Shelter is the one area that Habitat for Humanity can, and does, help dramatically. In El Salvador, the concrete-block houses are typically 450 square feet, with two bedrooms, living and dining areas. Some houses, depending on the site, will either have an outdoor latrine or an indoor bathroom and shower. In 2007, one of these houses cost between $4500 and $5000, plus land and utility fees. The average family is only able to pay $45 a month.

The housing need is great in El Salvador. Between the poor economy and the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, earthquakes in 2001 and January 2007, plus volcanic eruptions and Hurricane Stan in 2005, there are over 720,000 families in need.

Habitat El Salvador was founded in 1992, and it is one of the fastest-growing and most stable programs in the developing world. Despite the lack of domestic funding and an almost exclusive dependence on foreign volunteers and monies, Habitat El Salvador has been able to build over 8,400 houses all over the country. Since June 2007, Habitat El Salvador has expanded their mission to reach an even lower economic stratum of families, working with so-called “model” communities, providing families with land, a house, basic services, and community development social structures, such as a community center or daycare facility. The goal of this is to encourage the families to unite and work together for their communities.

That’s why our ability to go down as a team is so wonderful. Because we are able to pair up with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Thrivent will be donating an additional $8,000 because of our team!

Our team will be going down this Saturday and, after having a chance to see some of the capital city of San Salvador, will be going to the region of Ahuachapan, the poorest region of the country, and near the Guatemalan border, to worship with a local community on Sunday and then to build for five days. While we don’t know the exact stage of construction the house will be in, we will be moving the blocks around, mixing the mortar, helping to form the dirt foundation for the floor, and perhaps helping to lay the blocks. Through it all we will be working with experienced masons, and, depending on the family’s schedule, with the family who will be living in the house. We will then have one more day to experience some of the incredible natural beauty and hospitality of the Salvadoran countryside before returning on Sunday.

As I finish up, I would like to thank those of you who have supported us, both financially and with your prayers. This trip is a wonderful opportunity for us to do some extremely valuable work in the name of God, and it would not be possible without your help.

One final note—this trip has a blog! There is a link to it on the home page of the First Trinity website. As internet access permits we will update it while in country, and we will definitely post stories and pictures upon our return.

Pr. Tom also spoke about our trip in his sermon today, which can be heard here. Please note this may take a few days to post.