MISSIONS PROJECT with the LAPKA FAMILY

Feb. 1

We walked to catch a bus into La Libertad, while the kids drank their Fresca from a plastic bag with a straw. We met up with Roy & Becky from Vernon and Ron & Sherry Lapka, Canadians living in El Salvador working on outreach projects. The kids were excited to be allowed to ride in the back of the truck! First stop was a school/church where we experienced “pick up pirates” (kids jumping into the back of the truck for a free ride). Ron was showing us where they do their missions work, it is in the municipality of Zaragoza in the department of La Libertad. We tried to communicate with some locals including the cutest little boy ever, Nelson Armando.  Ron was explaining how their Child Survival Program has expanded to working with young mothers and pregnant women.  You can become a sponsor of this project for $60/year.  It helps children ages 0-4 before they move into the Compassion project which is 5-18yrs. of age.  

Next we drove up high into the mountain on a very bumpy road which Ron said was in great shape compared to how it was a few months ago when the road was washed out and the people in the village at the top of the mountain were stranded for 3 months! They had to walk in and out for food.  We drove past a forest of teak trees which are shipped to Asia and made into furniture which is then shipped to North America for selling.  A metal pipe running along side of the road is for water from a spring, the villages (homes made from scrap metal and some cement blocks) get water every other day from the pipe.

The pipe which transports water to the people!

When we arrived at Corinto Hacienda we were suddenly surrounded by lots of village kids all curious over these white folks who just arrived. Lot’s of questions in Spanish but somehow we managed to communicate through play.  Becky had Canada pins to hand out to all the kids and one girl put 4 of them in her pierced ear holes.

This is Claudia, who knew Canada pins could double as earrings?!

Local soccer stars!

Some of the boys changed into their soccer uniforms and were instant celebrities while everyone was taking their picture before their big game. 

 Sherry & Becki

We enjoyed a delicious lunch of pork chops, veggies, mashed potatoes and ice tea made by a local women and Sherry. We met the group of people from Wisconsin here building a home for a family. Some young girls were selling jewelry they had hand-made and Tianna bought 2 rings.

Tianna making her first purchase

Landon quickly became buddies with a bunch of boys his age. Harris showed Landon a magic trick using a rock. All the boys, Tianna, Becky & I walked further up the hill to some bat caves which were very interesting. One little boy, Jairo had Landon run with him most of the way there and back! The boys nick named Landon ‘Barbie’ because of his white skin and blonde hair.

Dimas killed a bat in the caves, its head was cut off when he came out to show us.

Landon and his new buddies explore the Bat Caves!

JC, Ron & Roy went to the open air church where Roy was able to fix 3 toilets and JC worked up a sweat helping to dig a foundation using a pic axe into the ground which was hard as rock made of solidified volcanic ash!! He dug about 1 foot by 1 foot area which took over 30 minutes.

On the way down the steep bumpy road we had 19 people in the back of Ron’s pick up truck!!! Including our kids…which they loved!....yikes

Landon is in there somewhere?!

Back at Ron & Sherry’s house we ate our first Pupusa's, which is like a flat perogie with beans and cheese inside and on top they put cabbage and tomatoe sauce. They are quite yummy but apparently not very healthy since they use a lot of oil to cook them.

When we arrived back at our hostel the birthday party for the owner’s wife was in full swing including a bon fire and a piñata for the kids. Tianna and I had a nice long swim in our pool and Landon played his guitar for Jasmine, Nelson, & Mauda and the evening ended with a game of musical chairs on our patio.