January 29, 2005
| I can see already that politics looms large in any discussion of El Salvador. We met at check in at SeaTac. Most of us do not know each other so there were many friendly overtures. I overheard a number of one-on-one conversations on American politics; this seems like a well-informed group. |
 Dr. Dale Heizinger shows map of El Salvador to (L-R) Mark McEathron, Patty Hamel, Sister Beth Taylor, Diane Spada and Dr. Lauren Herbert. |
 Dr. Dan Herron and bins at the San Salvador airport |
It was a long but uneventful travel day, with chances to get to know each other on the two flights. We were happy to land, delighted to see Sister Eleanor and Jonathan waiting for us, and even happier to collect the 40 tubs of medical supplies.
On the bus ride to our home base of Suchitoto, Sister Eleanor and Sister Margaret Jane gave us a brief taste of the talk of politics that was to take center stage later in the evening. We heard of assassinations, bombings, guerillas, fixed elections, government sponsored terrorism. This is El Salvador politics, the politics of revolution and civil war. |
| Once we settled in to La Posada, our home here in Suchitoto, Sister Margaret Jane and Sister Eleanor gave us their first hand account of what it’s like to be in a country in the midst of a revolution. In the 1980’s, during the worst years of the civil war, the Sisters were here assisting in the refugee camps, flooded with people from villages where constant warfare made day-to-day living untenable. Both Sisters were arrested and interrogated and Margaret Jane eventually forced to leave El Salvador after multiple arrests. Both described the chaos that consumed El Salvador during that period. |  Sister Eleanor Gilmore and Sister Margaret Jane Kling |
I write this in the safety of a lovely guesthouse in Suchitoto, but on the way here Eleanor gave us a glimpse into what it was like by telling us that along the road to Suchitoto, we passed the spot where government death squads murdered four Americans during the civil war; the press referred to the four women as the ‘United States church women’ (two sisters of Maryknoll, an Ursulan Sister from Cleveland, Ohio and a lay woman with the Cleveland team). When Eleanor also informed us that many of the residents of Suchitoto fled to the hills to join the guerillas, one member of our group seemed surprised; these good people joined guerillas? But another member commented: “The guerillas were the GOOD guys. For those of us who remember what the U.S. Government was saying at the time, the truth was just the opposite.” Like I said, it’s hard to talk about El Salvador without discussing politics.
Will it be ten days of politics, health care and religion? What a powerful mix.
This is a great group of people; they are enthusiastic and looking forward to what lies ahead. I’m honored to be here, to help record this one small step toward making the world a better place. I also consider this good medicine; I hope this experience might help me put my own life and challenges in better perspective.