A Reflection on 3 Funerals

Friends,


Nine days…three funerals.

Yesterday we buried Nina Chana. She was 93 years old. She was a
Chalateca and a fighter that lived through two wars and knew a
poverty that we can’t even imagine. She gave herself and the lives of
her husband and children to the revolution. As she grew old she knew
darkness, solitude and heartache. Danny said, “I guess she was just
too tired and died.”

I always thought she resembled a mountain lion. She was strong, lean
and had steely blue eyes that seemingly could penetrate through
anything. She couldn’t see from those eyes, despite surgery by George
and treatment from Tom (they may remember her as the women the people
called “the Witch”).

Despite being blind she spent most of her days gathering wood in the
hills where she would carry her machete in one hand and large loads of
tied, cut trees on her head. She would navigate rocks, stumps,
streams, animals, buses and cars with a very long, thin wooden staff
cut from a tree branch.

She didn’t speak much. She just seemed to cry out most of the
time….”aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh, aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”, and however it is
written, it sounded like it came from a very deep place, a very
painful place.

She never liked sleeping in a house and chose to live alone in a
small, open, “lean to” along the side of the road. She had nothing
there; just stacks of wood, a dog and a pot where she would cook
some kind of soup daily.

She had long ago lost flesh and muscle and was mostly bones ( a
walking skeleton). She had long legs and thin, white hair. Her skin
was dark and dry from years of sun and seemed to fit tightly around
her bones; like a sheet to a bed. As she walked her heart beat heavy.
Looking at her you could see both her chest and ribs rise and fall
with every breadth. She wore the same mended dress most days and it
was almost transparent from years of washings on rocks.

Yesterday I loved what Don Teecho said about her at the funeral mass,
“Chana was the revolution, in heart, body and soul. She worked on the
supply lines and was an expert at sneaking food and batteries past the
soldiers….more than anything else she always shared her food and
water.”

She suffered rejection by her own family. They always seemed to be
ashamed of her. Only one son came to the funeral and he stood off in a
distant corner during the mass, not wanting to be noticed by his own
community.

She was also mistreated by the gangs. They would tie her up and knock
her to the ground. They would burn her few positions as she cried
out….not being able to see who was committing those atrocities against
her.

Yesterdays mass was full of her friends. The great women of Guarjila,
mother’s, grandmothers, revolutionaries; sang, cried and walked with
their comrade for the last time.

Feliciana Menjivar (Nina Chana), a veteran of a “rough life” will no
longer suffer. I can only hope has she has found comfort, somewhere.

Then there is the case of Abel (the second of two Abel’s to die….just
days apart). He was 20 years old. On Wednesday he decided to put rat
poison in his beer and take his own life.

He was always a troubled kid. Never did well in school and dropped
out. He made an effort to be a Tamarindo early on, but too many rules
and structure drove him elsewhere. He then dedicated himself to
“Guarjila crime” stealing chickens and robbing houses (he became
particularly fond of robbing my house).

He then graduated to selling drugs; pot and crack mostly. He would
eventually go to San Salvador where he joined an organized gang and
became a “street dealer” for them.

A year ago he became involved with Maria a fifteen year old Tamarinda,
not long after, Carlos came, their first and only son. Abel seemed to
have found some peace when Carlos was born. He always wanted people
to see him as a dad.

Just before Christmas he disappeared. They say he went back to the
street. They also say that he stole money, (or didn’t pay off) the
“big guy”. He apparently couldn’t pay what he owed and in his
desperation he took that last drink.

Not many people came by to pay their last “respects”, not even his own family.

We helped bury him; Gio, Luis, Rosibel….we seem to have the routine down by now.

We pray for him and his tormented soul. We pray that he has found forgiveness.

And so begins a new generation of poverty. Maria and Carlos. Child with child.

Peace.

jg

Christmas Flashes

Hello to everyone,

I realize that it must be so very cold for all of you, as I write it's 93 here. How about the NY Jets? (That’s sort of a joke).

Just some quick Christmas flashes.

Senora Luisa is the reigning champ in almost every game we played with the seniors….what a day we all had.

David Petete did an excellent job as Santa (although he did eat many of the candies designated for children....)

During our Christmas breakfast the kids ate their usual "ton" of food. I was amazed when Teresa, who isn't that big, ordered a half a dozen eggs, and a small stack of pancakes......incredible. We were also quite surprised how Chul really is an amazing chef (Wilbur also did a great job on the grill).

I'm writing to let everyone know that Sarah and Chele should be receiving Clare sometime this afternoon. December 29....what a great birthday for our Clare to have. Please include them in your thoughts and prayers today.

Our Christmas continues with the soccer school at the Planchita (with over 100 kids). Santos began by explaining how this "soccer school" is really about formation and transformation of people. I really like that. He began by testing his athletes and we were amazed how Kevin Gordo just ran away with the Cooper Test. Jobel also demonstrated what military training has done for him as he lapped (I think several times) his fellow athletes in the upper division. As the kids ran I could only dream about one day having a track for these kids to run on....maybe we can get NIKE to donate that to us.

The Men's Indoor Soccer league and Christmas Hockey continue. Norelvi has come back from the UCA to dominate hockey. I have to say I love to see that. She took two big whacks from the puck the other day and just kept skating.

We also just concluded the Planchita Christmas Soccer Tournament (won by team Indiana) and the Women's Christmas Tournament. We are keeping a lot of people busy and focused. I am so proud of the Planchita team for their work during this vacation. They ran great events and did a great job to prevent violence (which has always been a part of tournament play here).

We still have our end of year reflections, visits to the elderly in San Salvador, and the Feast of the Three Kings.......

Christmas is a long way from done, so don't lose your Christmas focus (stay focused....)



I send my love,


JUST IN>>>>>>

Clare Henriquez was just born……8 pounds/21nches long…….

Felicidades Chele and Sarah……..


JG

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve......

We've checked the list twice,

We have the premium Ring Pops and Roll Up Candy,

.....and Oreo's for the top of Santa's List,

The stockings are filled,

Luis, Carlos, Gio are putting the last screws on the Christmas Fusbol game (the rush is on....Christams will soon be here),

Jairo, Cobra, Rosibel are at the fences keeping the kids away....

No one allowed in until after mass (and Santa's work is done)

The Christmas lights are on,

The candles are lit,

Christmas will soon be here,

We can feel it

We can hear it

We can taste......

We can smell it,

Thanks to all of you

for this Christmas

and everyday,

you make it all possible,

dreams,

possibilities.

We "gift" you with our love,

Merry Christams to all,

the tamarindos

and john