This year, the WES delegation traveled to El Rodeo, El Salvador at the end of June for 10 days. This year’s delegation included Ross Wells, Peggy Goetz, Susan Runner, Pam Williams, and teens Russell Corbin and Jason Weinfeld. As always, our dentist Susan Runner ran a dental clinic assisted by fellow delegates. They enjoyed handing out all the large tubes of toothpaste that were donated by WES members. The community was greatly appreciative!

Pam William’s connection this year focused on the children, books, and especially, the new babies that had arrived since the last trip. She shared, “It always gives me such joy to meet these new little friends and present them with their first boardbooks.”

Pam also spent time working with Ingris, who maintains the Little Library that the delegation established two years ago. They organized the books and delivered new books that were donated by the members of WES. The community was especially interested in the inspiring biographies of Malala Yousafzai and Michelle Obama, among others.  Ingris is a dedicated preschool teacher who has volunteered to organize and open the Little Library for book check out and story time each week on Wednesday afternoons. Due to her work and the many book donations, children and adults are excited and motivated to increase their literacy skills. There is also an increase in interest to learn English (many of the children’s books are bilingual) and this year Pam started an English class on Tila’s porch alongside the dental clinic. This was a very rewarding experience for all involved.

This year our community “field trip” was to the memorial on the Lempa River where the folks from El Rodeo and neighboring villages had to flee to Honduras to escape the military during the war. Some older members of El Rodeo survived the crossing while carrying children and babies while soldiers and helicopters were shooting. A beautiful mural tells the story and the delegation heard stories from the survivors about their experience. These were such brave men and women. During this horrific crossing, many friends and family members were lost.

Each year, these trips continue to build stronger bonds between our delegations, the larger WES community and the people of El Rodeo. Thank you, again, for joining us in this endeavor and know that your support and contributions are making a difference in the lives of the people of El Rodeo.