Caleb & Rebekah help grab tires for a retaining wallSometimes visitors wonder why ENLACE does projects that they do. Why build a retaining wall when some people’s homes don’t have proper walls? Why build a latrine when a community still lacks water or electricity? Sometimes our decision making process may seem a bit odd to the teams that come to help us.
Well, it’s all part of the process. First, ENLACE doesn’t decide what projects to do, but the communities we serve determine that for themselves. Every year the churches and communities gather together and develop and prioritize a list of opportunities. They then work with ENLACE’s Operations staff to determine how to accomplish their goals in a realistic and doable manner. When churches from the States contact us about coming to serve, ENLACE connects them with various projects on the list. This is significant because through the years this process has helped Salvadoran churches and communities organize, procure resources and implement projects—all on their own. And that is a key component of community transformation— it takes mutual work, sacrifice, respect and building each other up in order to build something truly sustainable and transformative .
Once you are here for a while, you actually learn pretty quickly why some projects take priority over others. At the beginning of July a team of 6 students and recent grads from Vanguard University came to Las Delicias and worked on a retaining wall. Mid-week, after a great deal of sweat, dirt and cement-making, the team arrived in Las Delicias to see most of their work washed away in a night-time thunder storm. They were naturally a bit demoralized. But this also proved to be a great illustration of a reality in El Salvador. It rains. A lot. And due to significant deforestation everywhere, there are a lot of mudslides and general deterioration of land. If you have a house or a school or a church below a mountainside--destruction, homelessness or worse can be literally a rainstorm away.
But not if there is a retaining wall! With retaining walls deterioration is slowed down significantly. People and buildings are protected and are the surrounding ecosystems. Additionally, retaining walls recycle old tires that often contribute only to landfills or mosquito breeding grounds. The project is also a relatively cheap and one that can allow a small visiting team when working with a community have a major impact in a short amount of time.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to a wall made of tires! It’s kind of a dream project really! Connecting to one another in Christ’s love, responding, laughing and wading through disappointments is a lot like what Paul said when he encouraged early Christians to bear each other’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Check out some great photos from Vanguard’s week of construction and fun or contact Missionary Director of Development Peter DeSoto and talk to him about your church coming down to help build a wall in El Salvador to.
