Seeds of Learning
is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving educational
opportunities in rural Latin America--El Salvador, Nicaragua, and most
recently, Belize.
It works with North Americans and Central Americans to
build and equip schools in Nicaragua and El Salvador, educate children
and adults, and promote cross-cultural understanding. It is based in
Sonoma, California with field offices and facilities in Ciudad Dario,
Nicaragua, and Chalatenango, El Salvador.
For many years Christ Church has supported the
organization, not only in the form of money, but by sending work
groups twice to El Salvador and once to Nicaragua. On several
other occasions, individuals from the church have joined work groups
from other churches as well.
Our work project involvement has been in the form of
building schools in rural communities. This past summer, we had
the opportunity to visit the school we helped build in Las Minas, El
Salvador in the summer of 2002 and to see how a good school facility can
transform a community.
Again this summer, members of Christ Church will be
involved with Seeds of Learning to build a school in El Salvador.
The following is an account of the trip to El Salvador
in summer of 2003.
Our Trip to El
Salvador in August 2003
By Robin Brown
Ten members from Christ
Church United Methodist took a remarkable journey to the small Central American
country of El Salvador, in August, 2003. We went to help build a school for the Sonoma-based organization, Seeds of Learning. I am unaccustomed to
physically demanding work and was concerned about my stamina.
We were there for 11 days and worked five of them. Sightseeing
and excursions to other parts of El Salvador
filled the rest of our time.
The work days were
grueling as we awoke each morning at
6:00
and ate breakfast by
6:30. The camaraderie and bonding that developed was special. We
laughed uproariously at the silliest incidents and truly cared
for each other.
We began working by
7:30
in order to accomplish as much as possible before the mid-day
sun took its toll. Some days the work consisted of shoveling
dirt to level the area that would become the floor, or mixing
cement (since there are no machines, everything was done by
hand), filling spaces between bricks with mortar, or cutting
metal strips and tying rebar. It was hard work, made even more
tiring because of the 90 degree temperatures and the high
humidity. I wondered if I was capable of this physical labor
and marveled at what I was able to accomplish. As we worked
the children arrived for school clean, smiling, and seemingly
happy to be there.
We worked until
9:30
when they had recess. As soon as we heard their shouts of
laughter, we put down our shovels. We brought different toys
each day and always had a new book to share as well as crayons
and coloring books. These small gifts generated lots of
excitement.
When recess was over, we worked until lunch time when a woman
from the village would carry a hot lunch on her head to the
work site. It usually consisted of rice and beans along with
something else such as chicken, tamales, or vegetables. I was
repeatedly overwhelmed with how much this small, apparently
impoverished community shared with us. On our final day the
entire village gave us a good-bye party. There were songs and
dances and speeches in Spanish and English. It seemed that
everyone in the village was there. We presented the school
with a suitcase full of supplies for which they were extremely
grateful.
I had not expected to be so moved and touched by the people. I
had not expected them to creep into my heart like that. It is
definitely the children I have remembered long after I
returned to the comforts of my life. Their smiles, their
eagerness, their pleasure in the simplest games and toys,
their caring for each other, their families who expressed such
love and gratitude for us, their willingness to share what
little they had, their desire to learn. I easily got more from
them, than I gave in return. The experience changed me in ways
I had not expected.
For many years Christ Church has supported the
organization, not only in the form of money, but by sending work
groups twice to El Salvador and once to Nicaragua. On several
other occasions, individuals from the church have joined work groups
from other churches as well.
Our work project involvement has been in the form of
building schools in rural communities. This past summer, we had
the opportunity to visit the school we helped build in Las Minas, El
Salvador in the summer of 2002 and to see how a good school facility can
transform a community. 
Ten members from 
The work days were
grueling as we awoke each morning at 
We began working by 
We worked until 
When recess was over, we worked until lunch time when a woman
from the village would carry a hot lunch on her head to the
work site. It usually consisted of rice and beans along with
something else such as chicken, tamales, or vegetables. I was
repeatedly overwhelmed with how much this small, apparently
impoverished community shared with us. On our final day the
entire village gave us a good-bye party. There were songs and
dances and speeches in Spanish and English. It seemed that
everyone in the village was there. We presented the school
with a suitcase full of supplies for which they were extremely
grateful.
I had not expected to be so moved and touched by the people. I
had not expected them to creep into my heart like that. It is
definitely the children I have remembered long after I
returned to the comforts of my life. Their smiles, their
eagerness, their pleasure in the simplest games and toys,
their caring for each other, their families who expressed such
love and gratitude for us, their willingness to share what
little they had, their desire to learn. I easily got more from
them, than I gave in return. The experience changed me in ways
I had not expected.