St. Francis Episcopal ChurchHolden, Massachusetts

Good News in El Salvador

Several years ago the vestry and people of St. Francis chose to tithe generously from our Capital Campaign and decided to work with Cristosal in El Salvador. Cristosal is based in Vermont and is a nonprofit organization, which raises funds and supports people working with and for the Anglican Church of El Salvador. Much of the work there has focused on community development in the war torn country, which is still working to
heal from the trauma of the devastating 12-year battle. Cristosal believes strongly that while financial support is always an important part of helping others, mission starts with accompaniment, the ability to share God's love with others through personal relationships.

The first group from St. Francis went to El Salvador in November 2007, with the goal of acquainting ourselves with the country, its needs, and the work being done there through Cristosal and the Church. We learned that ex-military and ex-combatants were given parcels of land as a result of the 1992 Peace Accords which ended the civil war; however, people had not been able to efficiently farm their land for a variety of reasons, leaving many hungry and very poor. After seeing this, the recommendation was made to support Hasta la Cosecha, an indigenous farming project located primarily in the Bajo Lempa region of the country which in Spanish means "until the harvest."

We first met Noah Bullock during this first trip to El Salvador. He had been the community organizer for the Bajo Lempa region for Cristosal for over a year and had been instrumental for defining both the needs of the people and the interventions that could address those needs. The second trip from St. Francis to El Salvador happened in February 2009. This time Noah met us at the airport and was our constant guide and companion. He helped us further acquaint ourselves with the country and its people, and he introduced us to the progress in Hasta la Cosecha, including a visit to a successful family farm. Progress at work! When asked, program participants told Noah that the most important thing Hasta la Cosecha gave them has been the ability to finally feed their families.

We hope you will mark your calendar for the weekend of June 6-7, 2009, to hear Good News from El Salvador. Nancy Brunelle will be preaching at all services about the spiritual journey to El Salvador, Noah will be speaking after the 5 p.m. Saturday service at a potluck supper (sign up in Narthex) and 10 a.m. Sunday service at coffee hour and Kathy Halloran will speak after Noah about accompaniment. You won't want to miss it!

If you have any questions about this or the mission trips to El Salvador, you can speak with any of the following travelers: Jim Bourque, Mary Jude Pigsley, Kathy Diehl, Graham Simpson, Nancy Brunelle, MaryAnn Dipinto, Lori Churchill, Kathy Halloran, Jen Delorme, Roger Jones, Dianne Wilson, Tom Wilson.