Overflowing with Gratitude
Note: Rev. Duke Fries is Associate Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore – LWR’s next-door-neighbor. He was in El Salvador last week with a group from his congregation when devastating flooding and landslides hit the country and they had to be evacuated. We are thankful that Pastor Fries and the rest of the group made it home safely, and thank him for sharing his story on our blog.
Photo by James Calder. More of James’ photos are available in this CNN report.
In so many ways, November 8, even from the very beginning, was no ordinary day.
It was the last day of my trip to El Salvador with a group from my congregation. We had come to help build homes in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in the community of La Esperanza.
I awakened early that morning to the sound of running water that I thought was an overflowing toilet, until I got out of bed and realized that there was water everywhere. Looking out the glass door of the hut I shared with my son Aaron, I saw a wall of water rising quickly and I knew we had to get out fast.
We decided to make our way to the main building of the resort and were joined by two women from our group. Once there, we did a quick head count and realized that three from our group were missing—a man and two ladies.
The three had gotten out of their rooms and had taken refuge on a concrete wall, but it eventually gave way to the rushing water. They would have been swept into the ocean had they not held onto a tree. A young Salvadoran used a garden hose to pull them to safety.
From there the day was surreal—we moved from the huts to the beach and then eventually on to a helicopter. It was from the helicopter that we first saw how widespread the damage was. The flooding and landslides were devastating. Houses were submerged, crops destroyed. For farmers and their families these crops are all they have as income for the year. I wondered, what they would do? How would they support themselves?
We eventually ended up in the middle of a large field. As soon as our feet sunk into the muddy ground the local people rushed out to help us. It occurs to me now that all the kind and helpful Salvadoran people I met that day may have lost their homes, or even a family member, yet their chief concern in those hours was helping others. Once we were situated in the evacuation center, an elderly lady came by and asked in Spanish, “are you comfortable and well?”
All in all, it was a frightening and taxing ordeal—we lost our luggage, I cut my leg, and we were all understandably shaken, but we made it home safely and are resuming our normal lives. Many people of El Salvador cannot say the same. And many more must now return to homes and crops that are destroyed and figure out how they will feed their children and families.
That is why I hope you will support Lutheran World Relief as they work to help the people of El Salvador. The need there in the aftermath of this disaster is so great. LWR is delivering food, hygiene supplies, and potable water to families who have lost so much. I know firsthand that these items are desperately needed.
Photo by James Calder. More of James’ photos are available in this CNN report.
In so many ways, November 8, even from the very beginning, was no ordinary day.
It was the last day of my trip to El Salvador with a group from my congregation. We had come to help build homes in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in the community of La Esperanza.
I awakened early that morning to the sound of running water that I thought was an overflowing toilet, until I got out of bed and realized that there was water everywhere. Looking out the glass door of the hut I shared with my son Aaron, I saw a wall of water rising quickly and I knew we had to get out fast.
We decided to make our way to the main building of the resort and were joined by two women from our group. Once there, we did a quick head count and realized that three from our group were missing—a man and two ladies.
The three had gotten out of their rooms and had taken refuge on a concrete wall, but it eventually gave way to the rushing water. They would have been swept into the ocean had they not held onto a tree. A young Salvadoran used a garden hose to pull them to safety.
From there the day was surreal—we moved from the huts to the beach and then eventually on to a helicopter. It was from the helicopter that we first saw how widespread the damage was. The flooding and landslides were devastating. Houses were submerged, crops destroyed. For farmers and their families these crops are all they have as income for the year. I wondered, what they would do? How would they support themselves?
We eventually ended up in the middle of a large field. As soon as our feet sunk into the muddy ground the local people rushed out to help us. It occurs to me now that all the kind and helpful Salvadoran people I met that day may have lost their homes, or even a family member, yet their chief concern in those hours was helping others. Once we were situated in the evacuation center, an elderly lady came by and asked in Spanish, “are you comfortable and well?”
All in all, it was a frightening and taxing ordeal—we lost our luggage, I cut my leg, and we were all understandably shaken, but we made it home safely and are resuming our normal lives. Many people of El Salvador cannot say the same. And many more must now return to homes and crops that are destroyed and figure out how they will feed their children and families.
That is why I hope you will support Lutheran World Relief as they work to help the people of El Salvador. The need there in the aftermath of this disaster is so great. LWR is delivering food, hygiene supplies, and potable water to families who have lost so much. I know firsthand that these items are desperately needed.
--Duke Fries
posted by John Nunes at
12:06 PM
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