Camp Hope: El Salvador [Post 1]

Introduction to Camp Hope: El Salvador

I know this has been a long awaited post. But I have been bombarded with several things this semester. (I have begun my first semester of graduate school.. but that's another post for another day).
I'll be sharing with you all my experiences in El Salvador from this past winter- in January. But to fully appreciate my journey, a brief history of Camp Hope and El Salvador is required. To do this, I must break away from the chronological order of things to help give you a better understanding of the context. 

For this post, it will serve as an introduction to the trip and serve as an informational piece about "why was this work important?"

Brief Camp Hope Summary

Camp Hope Ministries have been in operation in the United States for over twenty years. The focus of this ministry is to empower and build strong young adults as leaders, who will then create a safe learning environment for children to develop and explore their faith. This program has been highly successful at passing on the torch of leadership from adults to youths. It uses a multigenerational model in which, the campers are young children who are taught by the young adults. The young adults are supported by adult mentors along with the pastors and the church. This program successfully combines three different generational groups together to complete one mission. Camp Hope creates its own culture within the community, with songs, games, sharing faith stories, and sharing the Word of God. It offers the young adults a real experience and opportunity to create a positive impact in their community. In most of the camp programs across the nation, about half of the children served are not from the camp's congregation--that means the program serves children in the community as well as the congregation. It creates an opportunity for the church to reach out to young children and adolescents. 

Captain America visits Camp Hope at Ascension Lutheran Church

I've been a part of this program for 9 years, serving 3 years as Camp Director at Ascension Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. And to testify its success, I now have staff members who were once campers in my class! Here's a mini clip of the program at my congregation: [Click Here].

Since the early days of Camp Hope's creation by Peggy Hahn, there had always been talk of bringing this program to El Salvador. In January 2015, that dream was finally actualized.

El Salvador

When my Pastor, Walter Baires, told me I would be joining the team to bring Camp Hope to El Salvador I was very happy. I had taken two Spanish college courses and wanted to put that knowledge to the test. But I was also happy because I would now get to share my wonderful (9 years worth) of experience with others on an international level. So in my excitement, I began to google search all the things I would need and to get a bit of background about the country. Well, that smile on my face was quickly reversed after searching: traveling to El Salvador. 

The first search hit was from the US government: El Salvador Travel Warning.

"A majority of serious crimes are never solved; only six of the 33 murders committed against U.S. citizens since January 2010 have resulted in convictions...El Salvador, a country of roughly six million people, has, according to Government of El Salvador statistics, thousands of known gang members from several gangs including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Eighteenth Street (M18). Gang members are quick to engage in violence or use deadly force if resisted." [Source].

I was aware of the war in El Salvador. Pastor Walter who witnessed the war often shared his experiences with us at church. However, the reality soon hit me; I would now be entering that place of myth in my mind. My parents were a bit worried as well because I would be entering "the most dangerous country in the world for young people." But after the pastor's assurance and a few prayers, my parents became fine with it. They soon became more concerned about what I would be eating there and where I would be staying.

The day finally came to fly into El Salvador. There would be 7 team members: Neil, Michelle, Jason, Peggy, and me. The other two, Walter and Betty were already waiting for us in El Salvador ahead of time. 

(Left to right: Neil, Michelle, Jason, Peggy, and Junior).
Photo courtesy of Camp Hope Ministries.

As I sat on the flight from Houston to San Salvador, I spoke a bit with the man sitting next to me. I told him about Camp Hope and what we were planning to do there. I could feel that he was worried about what we were planning to do. He gave me a few tips about how to be safe in El Salvador. To him, I probably seemed like a kid about to walk into the dark woods with no knowledge of what lay beyond the path. I told him my pastor had lived here before. After telling him that, he seemed much more relieved. I could tell his concern for my safety was real and genuine. 

After landing in San Salvador, El Salvador; we went through customs with no major issues. (One of our huge luggage was inspected--all we had inside were curricula and craft supplies). From San Salvador, we traveled to San Jorge which was about 2-hours away. The weather was warm, sort of like Florida weather. Good thing our van had air conditioning. At first, things seemed pretty normal from the airport impression. There were cars, electricity, and running water. I saw a few brands I recognized. I grew up in Milwaukee, so seeing lots of Hispanics didn't come as a shocker to me. It actually made me feel more at home. But as we began to drive further and further from the airport, things started to change really quick. For one thing, there were no traffic lights. I saw a truck full of coconut on the side of the road. The people there were selling coconuts. Sometimes in Wisconsin, I'd see that too (except it would usually be watermelon or corn). The difference was, I'd maybe see one or two of those trucks during a ride through Milwaukee. In El Salvador, the chain came up sporadically. Sometimes there were these little shelters set up (pictured below) where people sold their fruits. 

A chain of the mini-huts set up for selling items along the roads. Notice the "Gana" poster in the center. That is a political campaign sign. (more on that later).

I also noticed the houses. They were either very fancy and built tall (like fortresses), or they were like shacks made with whatever resources were available. There were a few in-between homes made with modest materials of wood or cement. But one thing was practically universal: all the communities were gated. Some gates were made of cement, others were wire. A few gates had barbed wire fencing and some had broken glass shattered on top. 

Seeing all this reminded me of a line from Carolyn Forche`'s poem The Colonel: 

"Broken bottles were embedded in the walls around the house to scoop the kneecaps from a man's legs or cut his hands to lace." - The Colonel, 1978

Residence fenced with barbed wire in El Salvador

Even our church at San Jorge was guarded by wire fences on all sides.

  As we drove past a few business areas, I noticed guards standing in front of stores every block or so. All the guards were equipped with shotguns. Pastor Walter noted that it would not be uncommon for the guards to use the weapons. 

Security guard on duty at a gas station in Usulutan, El Salvador.

El Salvador is a young country, in terms of development. El Salvador just survived its Civil War (1979-1992) and is still somewhat in its reconstruction phase. The two factions at odds against each other were the El Salvadorian Military against the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). Peace agreements were signed in Mexico City on January 16th, 1992. 

Ticket Stub from the El Salvadorian Revolution Museum. (Jan. 15th, 2015).

On January 15th, 2015, the sixth day of our mission trip, our team went to the Museo de la Revolucion Salvadorena. This museum contained informational pieces regarding the Civil War in El Salvador. The memories of this tragic history still runs deep in the minds of the people. Our tour guide told us, "We want all our children to go to school so that they can learn how to settle things without having to resort to war. We never want to go through that again..."

El Salvadorian Civil War Photos

"The Revolution Will be televised."

Miscellaneous Weapons

Anti-War Posters

Side Story- Mozote Massacre

The Civil War in El Salvador is one of America's darker (untold) stories. During the war, the U.S. sided with the El Salvadorian government/military. The U.S. trained the El Salvadorian military in our School of Americas academy located in Georgia. After completion of their training, the officers returned to El Salvador and implemented some inhumane acts. [Source]. The most infamous event was the Mozote Massacre in 1981.

The baptismal fount is the only thing that survived of the church
where the children were all massacred.

The story retold to us by our guide at the Mozote was a narration from Rufina Amaya, the sole survivor of the massacre:

The military came into Mozote claiming to distribute aid and supplies to the people. When all the people were gathered; the children, men, and women were separated. The children were all killed in the church. The men were killed on the streets. And the women were raped and killed in a building. Rufina witnessed her infant being impaled by a bayonet. Rufina survived only because a passing herd of cows cut her off from the execution line. She hid within the herd until she moved away to safety. When the FMLN (guerrilla) forces found Rufina, they thought she was a witch because she had become so traumatized by the massacre.

The Mozote Memorial

Rufina Amaya requested to be buried at the memorial site.

The El Salvadorian Military was backed by the U.S. government. They were well equipped and well fed. During the war, the FMLN (guerrilla) forces utilized all the resources that they could get to fight. They noticed the Military left their food cans on the ground after they ate. The guerrilla forces collected these cans and used them to create grenades.

I made an unexpected connection to my own ethnic history in El Salvador. These canons were the same kind used during the Vietnam War. It means that my grandparents' generation would have been familiar with this same technology used half way around the globe.

(Our Tour guide and Pastor Walter Baires).
"We want all our children to go to school and get an education so
that they can learn how to settle things without having to resort to war.
We never want to go through that again..." 

Unfortunately, the Civil War caused a lot of damage to an entire generation. Some of the youth who grew up exposed to all the violence became gangsters. Gang violence is still a real threat in El Salvador. 

Upon arrival in San Jorge our host, Pastor Julio, shared his own real experiences with local gang activities. He explained that if we were ever confronted, we should comply and usually all it takes is one or two dollars to get out of a situation. He told us a story of how gangs stopped his car at night and collected a toll to travel through their territory. The pastor assured us that it was safe in our area (although gang activity was slightly present). 

Pastor Julio explained that the gangs would start the recruitment process at an early age, targeting boys. There may be several factors to this as well. The obvious ones are the economic situations. Higher poverty means the people will have to resort to more drastic means (crime) to make a living. Jobs are also hard to find. I could tell by the number of people trying to make a few bucks from the selling of coconuts. Many people were desperately trying to do what they could to survive. Of course there is the other factor to consider: what other activities are available for young adults?

Why Camp Hope is so important in El Salvador?

Camp Hope offers a chance to gather these young adults for a positive cause. It gives the opportunity for teens to take on leadership roles and use their time to contribute to their community. These are children in need of Hope. The generation that survived that war must pass on their wisdom to the next. The Camp Hope program can connect the adults with the youth and connect the youth with the local children. This structure fosters a strong bond between the different generations. Camp Hope gives a chance for youth to grow in faith, to plant the teachings of love in others, and empowers youth to become positive leaders in a recovering nation.

So even though I was a bit nervous when I landed in El Salvador, I kept the vision of Camp Hope at the back of my mind. 

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." -Hebrews 6:19

 Pastor Julio showed us one of his church's projects, which was a local hardware store. In the courtyard of this store was a tree. Who knows what blew a hole through it. But the tree still stands. It is still very alive and still bears many fruits despite its brokenness. It reflected the El Salvadorian spirit: the will to keep trying even when the times are hard, never giving up...never dying.