Don and Pat Clausen are lay missioners in El Salvador, with the Franciscan
Mission Service, in the rural town of Chiltiupán, about one and one half hours
from San Salvador. We started our three year commitment on January 4, 2005.
Pat works in the parish clinic and Don in the school. We try to update this
site every two to three weeks with descriptions and reflections on our
experiences. Please send us any comments, questions and thoughts via e-mail or
snail mail.
Final blog
Our last entry was a little over three months ago. We had just returned to the States, the Christmas holiday season was upon us, and we were just starting the process of figuring out the next steps in our journey from lay mission in the field to the work of “reverse mission” here at home. A lot has happened in those three months both here and in Chiltiupán. In January FMS sponsored a three week reentry retreat program for the recently returned lay missioners. It was an opportunity to reconnect with the other members of our group (from our original formation program in 2004) and in a quiet, prayerful space look at the past three years and the experiences as a whole. We also examined the changes that had taken place here in the US in those three years – and started to identify some of the aspects that we must deal with as we get re-established in the US and started to discern what reverse mission would look like for us. Just as we began the retreat process we heard from our friends in Chiltiupán about the devastation caused by an unusually violent wind storm. Many homes were destroyed or damaged by the winds; the town was without water, lights and phones for several weeks. Part of the school’s roof was blown off and school was delayed in opening for the new school year by several weeks. It was frustrating to know what was happening and not be there to help, but it also pointed out to us the friendships and connections we made there are binding and that we’re still called to respond to the needs as best we can from here.
In the weeks following the retreat we started the process of getting settled in the area, close to our children and grandchildren. We found a small townhouse in Maryland in a very diverse neighborhood. I think there will be lots of opportunity to keep up our language skills – and learn a few others if we want to! Now that we’re living in Maryland instead of Virginia where we lived for 35 years we’ve also had to work at what a friend of ours calls “building the infrastructure of your live” – finding the best grocery stores, getting to know the roads and shortcuts, finding a dentist and doctor as well as the more important things like getting to know your neighbors and finding a good parish. In short doing what needs to be done to become a part of the community. Like most things for us now it’s a process and we are learning as we go. We moved into our new home the end of February and are more settled each day. Several neighbors came over last week to officially welcome us to the neighborhood and they gave us a good orientation to the areas that are new to us.
Now that we’re finally getting settled in here we’re making plans for a return visit to El Salvador and Chiltiupán for the first part of April. We’re going to assist with a medical brigada in Chiltiupán that is sponsored by the Cleveland parish of St. Dominic’s. They are bringing 15 medical providers and plan to do medical consults and treatments for three days straight. In addition Sister Sharon, the new director of FMS will join us for a week. We will visit with Beth, the FMS missioner at Calle Real as well as help Sister Sharon get a good overview of El Salvador and the mission opportunities there. Finally, we plan to visit friends, former co-workers and catch-up on all that has happened in the past few months. For starters we know that the police arrested several people responsible for the break in at the school (see prior entry), and the stolen computers were replaced by a friend of Fr. Rob’s. However the internet connection that was damaged during the wind storm in January is still not fully repaired and is intermittent at best – but work continues in this area. As for the clinic, the community support group has been very active in looking for ways to support the work both with fundraising activities and in-kind support. I am looking forward to seeing the clinic staff and the people that I came to know through the work in the parish clinic. I think it will be a busy three weeks.
So the question remains – what next for us? How do we continue to nourish the relationships that we developed over the past three years, foster new relationships especially in areas of social justice here in the States as well as participate more fully in family life here? We don’t have a road map for all of this but are confident that the way will become clearer to us with time. Over the past three months one thing though has become very clear to us – the negative feelings toward immigrants. An issue that is complicated and complex has been reduced to sound bites and misinformation. For starters there is no real discussion on the reasons that drive so many to leave their families, often with the prospect of not returning for years. We now see many undocumented immigrants living in fear- fear of being caught and deported, fear that even with the risks they took to get here, they will not be able to provide for their families back home that are depending on them for survival. How we will become involved in this issue is still unclear but I do think we have a perspective to offer and something to say. We do know, however, that after the privilege of these past three years of living with Salvadorans and sharing both their daily struggles for survival and their successes, we owe a great debt. Their faith has strengthened ours and we hope to use that new found strength to continue to respond to the needs of poorest and those without a voice. At this time and in this country the undocumented immigrant is indeed voiceless.
We started this “blog” 3 1/2 years ago as a way to stay in touch and share some of our experiences during our three year commitment as lay missioners with Franciscan Mission Service. It was a way for us to let family and friends share in our journey as well. While we won’t be living in El Salvador as before that experience will always form a part of our lives as we look to how we will live out the challenge of “reverse mission”. We will not be making any new entries in this blog but will leave it and the archived entries posted for several months. We’d like to thank the many friends and family members who shared in our experience either through donations to support FMS and our work with the school and clinic in Chiltiupán, reading the blogs and offering your comments or visiting us in El Salvador. Thank your for your support and sharing these past three years with us. ;
Paz y bien – peace and all good,
Pat and Don
Below are some pictures taken over the past three months- Our FMS group of returned missioners with FMS staff during the re-entry retreat; Pat enjoying a moment with our youngest grandson, Ethan; Jackson at his birthday party (3 years old) – can you tell the theme was “firemen”?
Our last entry was a little over three months ago. We had just returned to the States, the Christmas holiday season was upon us, and we were just starting the process of figuring out the next steps in our journey from lay mission in the field to the work of “reverse mission” here at home. A lot has happened in those three months both here and in Chiltiupán. In January FMS sponsored a three week reentry retreat program for the recently returned lay missioners. It was an opportunity to reconnect with the other members of our group (from our original formation program in 2004) and in a quiet, prayerful space look at the past three years and the experiences as a whole. We also examined the changes that had taken place here in the US in those three years – and started to identify some of the aspects that we must deal with as we get re-established in the US and started to discern what reverse mission would look like for us. Just as we began the retreat process we heard from our friends in Chiltiupán about the devastation caused by an unusually violent wind storm. Many homes were destroyed or damaged by the winds; the town was without water, lights and phones for several weeks. Part of the school’s roof was blown off and school was delayed in opening for the new school year by several weeks. It was frustrating to know what was happening and not be there to help, but it also pointed out to us the friendships and connections we made there are binding and that we’re still called to respond to the needs as best we can from here.
In the weeks following the retreat we started the process of getting settled in the area, close to our children and grandchildren. We found a small townhouse in Maryland in a very diverse neighborhood. I think there will be lots of opportunity to keep up our language skills – and learn a few others if we want to! Now that we’re living in Maryland instead of Virginia where we lived for 35 years we’ve also had to work at what a friend of ours calls “building the infrastructure of your live” – finding the best grocery stores, getting to know the roads and shortcuts, finding a dentist and doctor as well as the more important things like getting to know your neighbors and finding a good parish. In short doing what needs to be done to become a part of the community. Like most things for us now it’s a process and we are learning as we go. We moved into our new home the end of February and are more settled each day. Several neighbors came over last week to officially welcome us to the neighborhood and they gave us a good orientation to the areas that are new to us.
Now that we’re finally getting settled in here we’re making plans for a return visit to El Salvador and Chiltiupán for the first part of April. We’re going to assist with a medical brigada in Chiltiupán that is sponsored by the Cleveland parish of St. Dominic’s. They are bringing 15 medical providers and plan to do medical consults and treatments for three days straight. In addition Sister Sharon, the new director of FMS will join us for a week. We will visit with Beth, the FMS missioner at Calle Real as well as help Sister Sharon get a good overview of El Salvador and the mission opportunities there. Finally, we plan to visit friends, former co-workers and catch-up on all that has happened in the past few months. For starters we know that the police arrested several people responsible for the break in at the school (see prior entry), and the stolen computers were replaced by a friend of Fr. Rob’s. However the internet connection that was damaged during the wind storm in January is still not fully repaired and is intermittent at best – but work continues in this area. As for the clinic, the community support group has been very active in looking for ways to support the work both with fundraising activities and in-kind support. I am looking forward to seeing the clinic staff and the people that I came to know through the work in the parish clinic. I think it will be a busy three weeks.
So the question remains – what next for us? How do we continue to nourish the relationships that we developed over the past three years, foster new relationships especially in areas of social justice here in the States as well as participate more fully in family life here? We don’t have a road map for all of this but are confident that the way will become clearer to us with time. Over the past three months one thing though has become very clear to us – the negative feelings toward immigrants. An issue that is complicated and complex has been reduced to sound bites and misinformation. For starters there is no real discussion on the reasons that drive so many to leave their families, often with the prospect of not returning for years. We now see many undocumented immigrants living in fear- fear of being caught and deported, fear that even with the risks they took to get here, they will not be able to provide for their families back home that are depending on them for survival. How we will become involved in this issue is still unclear but I do think we have a perspective to offer and something to say. We do know, however, that after the privilege of these past three years of living with Salvadorans and sharing both their daily struggles for survival and their successes, we owe a great debt. Their faith has strengthened ours and we hope to use that new found strength to continue to respond to the needs of poorest and those without a voice. At this time and in this country the undocumented immigrant is indeed voiceless.
We started this “blog” 3 1/2 years ago as a way to stay in touch and share some of our experiences during our three year commitment as lay missioners with Franciscan Mission Service. It was a way for us to let family and friends share in our journey as well. While we won’t be living in El Salvador as before that experience will always form a part of our lives as we look to how we will live out the challenge of “reverse mission”. We will not be making any new entries in this blog but will leave it and the archived entries posted for several months. We’d like to thank the many friends and family members who shared in our experience either through donations to support FMS and our work with the school and clinic in Chiltiupán, reading the blogs and offering your comments or visiting us in El Salvador. Thank your for your support and sharing these past three years with us. ;
Paz y bien – peace and all good,
Pat and Don
Below are some pictures taken over the past three months- Our FMS group of returned missioners with FMS staff during the re-entry retreat; Pat enjoying a moment with our youngest grandson, Ethan; Jackson at his birthday party (3 years old) – can you tell the theme was “firemen”?
TRANSITION
The past three weeks as we’ve continued our transition from lay missioners in the field to lay missioners with a focus on “reverse mission” have gone by all too quickly. Leaving Chiltiupán was harder than we had imagined. These past 6 months we had worked to make a smooth transition – Don had updated the computer lab and installed their first brand new computers bought with a generous donation from friends. I had been working with the doctor and clinic staff to orient the new nurse so she would be ready to take over the nursing areas in the clinic. We had both been working with community volunteers to finish the clinic’s accounting and pharmacy inventory control program. And we almost made it!! The things that still need to be addressed are now in the hands of community/pastoral de salud volunteers and those who work at the clinic and school. We hope in the future to be able to support them in some way as they move forward in both the areas of health care and education.
I guess you could say the last two weeks in Chiltiupán (we left November 30) were bittersweet. The bitter part came when we were awakened early Saturday morning to the news that the school had been robbed. A very organized group (at least we think it was a group) managed to break the huge padlock and chain on the fence, pry off the security bars that covered the windows to the principal’s office and the computer room. The robbers went straight for the 3 new computers, a lab top, the school’s media system (TV, sound system, VHS, DVD player). Everyone in the town was stunned – the night watchman slept through the robbery, the policemen who are only ½ block away didn’t want to come investigate at all – took them two hours to make it up to the school. Everyone seems to think it was a job based on inside information if not actually carried out by someone in the town. These kinds of robberies are all to common in the city but it was a real shocker to have one happen in a municipio as rural as Chiltiupán. After the initial shock everyone is starting to regroup and look at how perhaps to trace the computers, replace the stolen goods, and have better security at the school – although the security was already better than average. Keep the students, teachers, the administrative staff and all those who work so hard to support them in your prayers. As one person put it – the robbery didn’t just take valuable goods, it also was a robbery of future learning affecting all the children of the school.
Now for the “sweet part” – the community support group (like a Community Advisory Board) that we had been working with for the past three months to complete the parish clinic’s written plan for the coming year arranged another despedida. This one had a special twist. They arranged for a bus to pick up Don and I and all the committee members and transport everyone to a small restaurant on the beach for a dinner and final farewell. The food was delicious, the scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous sunset, and the memories that we have are the best part of it all. We plan to stay in touch with this group as they are the ones who are taking on the hard work of keeping the parish clinic going and true to its mission.
The last week in Chiltiupán found us “redistributing” our goods. We had lived a pretty simple life but still since there won’t be FMS replacements for us in Chiltiupán, we needed to find a home for most of our things. Much of our furniture went to furnish an apartment for two new Maryknoll lay missioners, a couple, who will be arriving in San Salvador in December. Some of it also went to clinic and the “casas de salud” in the more remote cantones. Ticho, one of the lead health promoters, was especially glad to get a sturdy table for the “casa de salud” in Siberia. It will help improve the storage and work areas.
We said good-bye to the town one last time on Friday, Nov. 30 with the promise it wasn’t “Adios” forever, but only “hasta pronto”. Our good friends the Palacios not only helped us with the final packing, but also with getting to the city and took us in for the weekend. Transitions are difficult and sometimes it’s hard to find the right place to “stand” while you’re in the midst of it. The Palacios who have been friends, supporters, co-workers, and at times counselors during these past three years also helped us with the transition. It was as though they as our Salvadoran family helped us cross that bridge and reunite with our North American family. We spent a relaxing weekend with them and then they took us to the airport on Monday, December 3 for our return home.
We are now spending the days getting acquainted and reacquainted with our grandchildren, our children, family and friends. The holidays will be a challenge not only for the weather but also for the emphasis on all the material things that is hard to escape if you live in the USA. We are looking forward to the re-entry retreat at Franciscan Mission Service in January as it will give us a chance for deeper reflection on the experiences of these past three years and perhaps help us more clearly discern our path for our “reverse mission.”
For now we want to wish all those reading this a “Feliz Navidad” and peaceful new year.
Paz y bien
Pat and Don
Below are some pictures of our final days in Chiltiupan – the beach despedida, Ticho as he heads to Siberia (2 hour walk) with the new table for the casa de salud, the Palacios and visit to one of El Salvador’s national parks. Finally a poinsettia, from a plant native to Chiltiupán.
The past three weeks as we’ve continued our transition from lay missioners in the field to lay missioners with a focus on “reverse mission” have gone by all too quickly. Leaving Chiltiupán was harder than we had imagined. These past 6 months we had worked to make a smooth transition – Don had updated the computer lab and installed their first brand new computers bought with a generous donation from friends. I had been working with the doctor and clinic staff to orient the new nurse so she would be ready to take over the nursing areas in the clinic. We had both been working with community volunteers to finish the clinic’s accounting and pharmacy inventory control program. And we almost made it!! The things that still need to be addressed are now in the hands of community/pastoral de salud volunteers and those who work at the clinic and school. We hope in the future to be able to support them in some way as they move forward in both the areas of health care and education.
I guess you could say the last two weeks in Chiltiupán (we left November 30) were bittersweet. The bitter part came when we were awakened early Saturday morning to the news that the school had been robbed. A very organized group (at least we think it was a group) managed to break the huge padlock and chain on the fence, pry off the security bars that covered the windows to the principal’s office and the computer room. The robbers went straight for the 3 new computers, a lab top, the school’s media system (TV, sound system, VHS, DVD player). Everyone in the town was stunned – the night watchman slept through the robbery, the policemen who are only ½ block away didn’t want to come investigate at all – took them two hours to make it up to the school. Everyone seems to think it was a job based on inside information if not actually carried out by someone in the town. These kinds of robberies are all to common in the city but it was a real shocker to have one happen in a municipio as rural as Chiltiupán. After the initial shock everyone is starting to regroup and look at how perhaps to trace the computers, replace the stolen goods, and have better security at the school – although the security was already better than average. Keep the students, teachers, the administrative staff and all those who work so hard to support them in your prayers. As one person put it – the robbery didn’t just take valuable goods, it also was a robbery of future learning affecting all the children of the school.
Now for the “sweet part” – the community support group (like a Community Advisory Board) that we had been working with for the past three months to complete the parish clinic’s written plan for the coming year arranged another despedida. This one had a special twist. They arranged for a bus to pick up Don and I and all the committee members and transport everyone to a small restaurant on the beach for a dinner and final farewell. The food was delicious, the scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous sunset, and the memories that we have are the best part of it all. We plan to stay in touch with this group as they are the ones who are taking on the hard work of keeping the parish clinic going and true to its mission.
The last week in Chiltiupán found us “redistributing” our goods. We had lived a pretty simple life but still since there won’t be FMS replacements for us in Chiltiupán, we needed to find a home for most of our things. Much of our furniture went to furnish an apartment for two new Maryknoll lay missioners, a couple, who will be arriving in San Salvador in December. Some of it also went to clinic and the “casas de salud” in the more remote cantones. Ticho, one of the lead health promoters, was especially glad to get a sturdy table for the “casa de salud” in Siberia. It will help improve the storage and work areas.
We said good-bye to the town one last time on Friday, Nov. 30 with the promise it wasn’t “Adios” forever, but only “hasta pronto”. Our good friends the Palacios not only helped us with the final packing, but also with getting to the city and took us in for the weekend. Transitions are difficult and sometimes it’s hard to find the right place to “stand” while you’re in the midst of it. The Palacios who have been friends, supporters, co-workers, and at times counselors during these past three years also helped us with the transition. It was as though they as our Salvadoran family helped us cross that bridge and reunite with our North American family. We spent a relaxing weekend with them and then they took us to the airport on Monday, December 3 for our return home.
We are now spending the days getting acquainted and reacquainted with our grandchildren, our children, family and friends. The holidays will be a challenge not only for the weather but also for the emphasis on all the material things that is hard to escape if you live in the USA. We are looking forward to the re-entry retreat at Franciscan Mission Service in January as it will give us a chance for deeper reflection on the experiences of these past three years and perhaps help us more clearly discern our path for our “reverse mission.”
For now we want to wish all those reading this a “Feliz Navidad” and peaceful new year.
Paz y bien
Pat and Don
Below are some pictures of our final days in Chiltiupan – the beach despedida, Ticho as he heads to Siberia (2 hour walk) with the new table for the casa de salud, the Palacios and visit to one of El Salvador’s national parks. Finally a poinsettia, from a plant native to Chiltiupán.
