Our first FULL day in El SalvadorWe woke up bright and early for our first full day in El Salvador. This is a day spent in learning a bit about the history of the people we plan to serve.
We started the day with a delicious breakfast at our Guest House. Our trusty microbus driver Alfredo picked us up and delivered us to our historical sites. This morning we went to the Divina Providencia to see where Monseñor Oscar Romero lived while he was Archbishop and the chapel where he was assassinated. Romero was canonized on October 15th of this year and is now El Salvador’s first saint! Then we drove to the UCA (University of Central America) to see where 6 Jesuit priests were killed along with their housekeeper and her daughter. They have an impressive museum for not just them, but for other martyrs throughout El Salvador and the world. We were very lucky that a student was able to accompany us in the museum to explain the exhibits to us. A bonus for me is that she spoke English so I didn’t have to translate! By then it was time for lunch – we always enjoy going to the Artisan Shops where they have a buffet with an assortment of very good (and safe) food at a reasonable price. Since it is part of the artisan shop compound, we are able to purchase some crafts for our loved ones back home - or even for ourselves! From here, we loaded up the microbus for the 2+ hour drive to Berlín. We arrived at the Pastoral House about 4 p.m. and almost as soon as we landed, we started organizing for our clinic days. All the medicines need to come into the country in their original unopened containers and we needed to count and divide them up into little zip lock baggies. We are talking about 10’s of thousands of pills. We have acetaminophen, ibuprofen, antihistamine, children’s and adult vitamins, pills for acid reflux, Tums, anti-fungal creams, etc. The Pastoral Team purchases the antibiotics and parasite medicines we need. We also had to count out several thousand toothbrushes and tooth paste to put into our daily pharmacy tubs – everyone gets these items! After we filled all our baggies, we needed to count and organize those bags in the quantities we will need for each day’s clinics. We worked between 4 p.m. and about 10:30 p.m., taking only a small dinner break. ALL 13 of us worked through the night. What a great team! Everyone is excited to begin! Thank you to everyone who collaborated with this Medical Delegation; either with funds, goods or prayers. Please continue to keep us in your prayers so that all our staff stays healthy so we can serve our brothers and sisters well throughout the week! With love and gratitude, Kathy Bassett
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AuthorThese are our stories and the stories of our brothers and sisters whom we serve in the cantons of Berlin, El Salvador. Archives
November 2019
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