Working with the medical team was a great experience. I was especially impressed with the Salvadoran volunteers from the grassroots organization CIS (Center for Exchange and Solidarity). These are the people who are really going to make a difference in El Salvador. There are many strong women leaders among the younger generation -- women born during the years of the bloody civil war. Their courage was an inspiration to me.

Elaine interpreting for Ron and patient
 

Of the people who came seeking medical services, there were many who will remain in my memory -- the woman who had until very recently been carrying her 25-year-old invalid son on her back because there were no wheelchairs available, the older campesinos who had survived the war and the hard farm work they were still engaged in, the many people who embraced us and blessed us for coming.

I also want to thank Kathy Garcia and Sister Eleanor, as well as Sister Barbara in Tamanique, for the wonderful food and accommodations that were provided. No one could have done a better job than they.

Elaine, Hernan, and Retha sightseeing