We have been in El Salvador for almost 3 weeks now and it has been amazing. The country is beautiful and the people are simply amazing. I had plans to come to here several years ago with my church but it didn’t work out so here i am now enjoying every minute. We are working with Iglesia Gran Comision helping out in their children’s development center and it has been wonderful.
It had only been a few days since we arrived here in La Libertad before we were introduced to Vladimir and his pupusa restaurant. By the way, pupusas are bomb if you have never had one. As we were conversing, our host Alex was mentioning to us about what the average daily pay for people down here is and i was baffled. He told us that the upper-middle class makes about $8-10 a day and that was the higher end. The lower end folks make maybe $3-5 per day. Wait, what? So you’re telling me that they survive on that? Yes they do. I was in utter-shock at those statistics.
Most us if not all of us who live in America make at least that higher amount in ONE HOUR. I am very aware that we live in totally different conditions but just the idea of that fact is crazy. Heres the even more crazy part of it, all of these people that live on that small amount that we have been interacting with and fellowshipping with practically give us the shirt off their back. They have treated us to dinner and get this, THEY WONT LET US PAY THEM ANYTHING. Seriously? These people make basically no money at all yet they are willing to cook us dinner and not accept anything. Talk about humbling. They are so willing to share everything they have with us which is not much at all.
Does that not sound completely opposite of how we operate in America? We can barely give up a dollar or two for a good cause or even open our homes to each other. This theme is something that has been reoccurring in every country that i have been in this year and each time i am more and more humbled. I hope that as i grow closer to getting home that i will apply these lessons that i have learned upon my return.
