Day of Martyrs

Well, Wednesday was another full and rich day.  We started (after breakfast) by going to see the place where Monsignor Oscar Romero preached and was killed.  It is a local hospital run by Carmelite nuns, and it has an accompanying chapel where he often preached.  I have to say that it impacted me more than I thought it would.  Here are a couple of photos:

outside the church

Inside where he was standing behind the altar when shot

outside the little house where he lived

The overarching questions that I was left with are, "Am I faithful enough to die for what I believe in?"  "Am I willing to lay down my life for God?"  At times in my life I could answer, "Absolutely!"  Right now I hear this as a call to remember my calling, that my life "is not about me" and "God wants it all."

We then went to the Central Cathedral and saw the church, as well as the place where Oscar Romero is entombed.  And no...  we did not get kicked out for singing like the last group did!  Sorry, but I don't have pictures of that one right now.  Maybe later.


We then went to the church where 20 or 21 students died in a massacre as they protested outside "Freedom Park."  Truly an amazing story and reminded me of standing in Tianamen Square in Beijing where students were massacred for protesting in 1989.  I will get a better picture tomorrow.

Our last stop of the day was a talk about the political and economic realities of El Salvador with a man who serves as the economic advisor to the current president.  Very interesting, and he was pressed with some very difficult questions from the group (especially Digger - a former banker, and Don - who gives everyone a hard time  :)

We actually only thought that was our last agenda item for the day.  Francisco stopped by after dinner and shared the story of his family during the war.  His dad was a high ranking officer in the army and grew increasingly uncomfortable with the brutality and inhumanity with which peasants were being treated.  He even disobeyed orders and avoided a 5,000 person massacre in a northern village, ending up calling in food, water and medical supplies for this village filled with women, children and war time refugees who were starving to death.  He finally, after several assassination attempts fled with his family and joined the "other side."  Eventually he was one of the men who helped negotiate the 1992 peace accords which ended the armed conflict.  It really is an amazing story.

We are again very tired, but will be rested and ready when tomorrow comes.
Dios le bendiga,
Gregg