Emanuel Swedenborg is: “You are what you love, and you love whatever you
give your attention to.” I wanted to give my attention to one of many struggling
families in El Salvador because I trust in the good that charity can do.
By the end of my senior year, I felt like I had not done as much as I wanted
to. I was a part of Delta Mu and other various service projects, but I felt that I
had not yet fully understood the developing countries I wanted to help. I not
only wanted to help, but to learn about other cultures and customs.
The trip lasted nine days.
On day one, I arrived at San Salvador airport where the Habitat staff
welcomed me. I travelled to the housing accommodations and joined my team.
On day two, the staff oriented me to their work in El Salvador, and introduced
me to the community where I would work. Days three to seven were building
days, with meal breaks and evening activities. Day eight was spent immersed
in the wonderful Salvadoran culture, and then a final team dinner. On the final
day, I departed for home.
Success is never easily measured; however, I planned to measure my
success on how I thought I had impacted the family receiving the home. Many
families give testimonies to Habitat for the work they did for them. After
reading many of these, I hoped to impact the family there as profoundly as
others have.
My experience is something I will never forget.
It sounds silly, but I worried about having no building experience prior to
this. I did not think I would be of value. I quickly learned that this was not the
case! I learned how to mix cement, use tools, and handle other laborer-type
devices. It was tiring and required a lot of hard work, but I could not help but
feel satisfied knowing I was helping.
Along with the building crew and masons, it was nice to spend time with
the family we were building for. Each day we started work at nine, ate lunch,
and then continued to work until dinner. Lunch was always my favorite part of
the day. Not just because I rested, but because the mother of the family brought
out homemade meals for all of us.
Although no one there spoke English and I did not speak Spanish, I became
good friends with them. We communicated through physical gestures such as
secret handshakes or goofy faces. A principle of Habitat is to “demonstrate the
love of Jesus Christ.” I am only one girl, so I can only do so much. However,
even without the power of verbalizing my words I can emulate the Lord’s love
through genuine human connection.
I worked with a diverse group of people, which was a huge treat. Thanks
to Charity Works, I helped build a house for a family I would not have known
otherwise. The staff at Habitat worked collectively with the family to teach
them how much money they can spend each month on their home, and how
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