With Arms Wide Open

by Sean Brady

The morning after landing in the beautiful country of El Salvador, We all got on a bus to make a six hour drive to the villages of La Hacienda and El Junquillo in the state of Morazán.  Although I got some motion sickness on the ride, it was a great way to get to know the rest of the guys a little more before we embarked on an experience that will surely change our lives.

After struggling to get the bus up hill after hill, we arrived on the road in between the two villages.  We were immediately greeted by some members of the El Junquillo community and they walked us down to La Hacienda.  Once the community of La Hacienda saw us they started to sing us a welcome song.  This was such an exciting moment for me because this is the first time I have been out of the United States and the first time I will interact with people of not just from another country but from a country that had been virtually destroyed by Civil War and injustice.

After we walked into the chapel in La Hacienda we all introduced ourselves and then proceeded to play games with the children as an ice breaker.  I participated in a game where I had to race another kid by sucking a 4 foot string in my mouth like spaghetti.  After choking a bit on the string and uncontrollably laughing, I finally beat my opponent and was rewarded with soda.  This surprised me because a Coke in these villages is a huge luxury and they offered me not one, but two cans of Coke.  This is a simple example of the hospitality of the people in these communities.

Another example was the hospitality shown to me by the family I stayed with. My house father was named José Rosales.  He and his family welcomed Luke and me, complete strangers, into their house with open arms.  There house had two small rooms and they gave one of their rooms to us and had their whole family, which had five members, to sleep in one room with two beds.  This was extremely eye opening for me.  Here is a family that is very poor and is living on only basic necessities and are not only open but excited to allowing strangers to take half their house for two days.

Through my experience in La Hacienda, I became closest with José, my house father.  He was the one who helped Luke and I get comfortable in his house.  That night he came into our room and asked us how we liked the community and if we felt at home.  After a small conservation, he began to tell his story of the Civil War.  He was a guerilla fighter in the war and had participated in many battles, in which he was injured three times. 

He had four operations because one of his wounds left him with an open stomach.  This tragedy was heartbreaking.  What also surprised me was that he shared his story with us and even showed us his scars.  He truly embraced us as not only his friends but also as his children with arms wide open.  Even our mother came in a tucked us in at night.

I tried to put myself into his shoes.  Before this trip, if I had complete strangers in my house I probably would not give them my room, I would not share my stories of events as graphic as war, and I would definitely not tuck them in, and this is exactly what they did.  What always surprised me was that after the earthquake that occurred in the middle of the night, my house father got up to check on me.  I of course slept through the earthquake even though I was wildly swinging in my hammock, but still it was the thought that he came to comfort us just in case we were frightened that made me feel at home because my actual parents would have done the same.  These experiences allowed me to realize and appreciate the hospitality and kindness of these people.

I would like to thank all my family and friends, especially mom, dad, Patti, Poppi, and Alli, for taking the time out of your day to wish me luck in El Salvador. Your comments put a big smile on my face.

            Love, Sean B