Mission to build; compassion to give

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This article was published 04/05/2017 (3258 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An El Salvadorian mother must have been confused when a happy throng of 17 Canadian teenagers visited her home made of tin and tarp.

The mother probably figured these strangers were helpers, Steve Buhler assumes, but her reaction suggests the single mother of two boys didn’t know what the Boissevain Youth Group had planned.

It was Buhler, a youth pastor, who had the honour of telling the family they would build them a home.

“Then, of course, it was translated into Spanish, the mother just broke down into tears and was just overcome with joy and emotion,” Buhler recalled.

“That was a really special experience.”

Seventeen teenagers from the Boissevain and Souris area, along with six chaperones, spent their spring break in El Salvador for a mission trip.

The youth group, comprised of teenagers from Boissevain’s churches, partnered with Youth With A Mission. The international organization has a presence in the country, previously connecting with the El Salvadorian mother and her two children to determine if they are candidates for a new home.

It took them three days to have a finished home built; a tangible symbol of what the Westman teenagers accomplished, Buhler said.

“Being able to do something that changes someone’s life, that was one of the big highlights I would say.”

The group’s other activities during their late March trip included feeding children who normally go hungry through the school day, leading Bible lessons, distributing Bibles door-to-door, praying for people at a local hospital and helping university students who are learning English.

The group also built a community bathroom, in a region where flushing a toilet is a luxury.

“This experience really opened my eyes,” said participant Clayton Tufts. “When we handed out food to the homeless, one guy was so happy he started dancing when he received his food.”

Through this I learned that I should not take things for granted. These people have nothing and receiving something makes them happier than anything, and even when we receive something big we are still not thankful.”

On some nights, the Boissevain group filled a pickup truck with bagged meals and drove around to areas of the capital city of San Salvador where homeless people stay.

They would honk their horn — and the food didn’t last long.

“Generally, they’d come running, they’d receive a bag of food and we’d talk with them briefly,” Buhler said.

“We have some issues with homelessness in Westman, but the scale is definitely a lot larger there,” he added, explaining 5,000 people sleep on the streets of San Salvador any given night, they were told.

As a nation, El Salvador struggles with immense poverty and issues of crime, violence and networks of organized gangs.

They were in one specific community in San Salvador that was once a garbage dump. The inhabitants are people who cannot afford to purchase land, stuck in a cycle of poverty because of low wages.

Buhler said the trip taught each person how to make a difference in the lives of others.

“This experience has also been truly invaluable and eye-opening for all of us, to see the struggles these people face and how we can help.”

He added the trip showed the teenagers they do not have to wait until they are adults to help others and make the world a better place.

To read more about the youth group’s trip, visit www.boissevainyouthgroup.blogspot.ca.

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