Planting Seeds
The youth of Pines Presbyterian
church arrived not knowing what to expect. They knew that they would be
working on a reforestation project, trying to bring back the forested area that
was burned during the war, trying to smoke out the guerilla forces (and innocent
villagers). Beyond that, it was all going to be a surprise.
When we heard that Solome, the
project leader from Diaconia (the social outreach arm of the national church),
had purchased 15,000 small bags in which to plant individual seedlings, we knew
that we would NEVER get the work done in our three short days in the
village. Still, we worked as hard as we could at 10,000 feet, trying to
catch our breath as we hauled dirt, sand and mulch up and down dangerous
mountain slopes. Here, there is no Home Depot truck that delivers bags of
mixed soil. Instead, you find the stuff nestled on the mountainside, dig
it up, put it in heavy duty feed sacks, and slug it on your back to the work
site.
Though we didn't plant 15,000
trees, we DID build a fence, mix a ton of soil, and filled a few hundred
seedling bags to get the project off to a good start. However, the most
important job of all was building relationships with the people of San Carlos,
working side-by-side to better the community. The youth and their sponsors
were touched deeply by the people they met, and learned a lot about living in
solidarity with the poor. It's a trip the Guatemalans and the youth from
Pines won't soon forget. Just a small seed planted that we hope gives
fruit for a lifetime.
|
