Today I am starting an accompaniment mission in El Salvador. I am sitting in the offices of our United Church of Canada partner, ADES, Association for Economic and Social Development http://adessantamarta.org who have been partners for over 25 years.
It must be over 35C today, and I understand the rainy season will soon be here, offering some respite from the heat, yet providing an even more humid climate. I am happy and well, feeling very welcomed by this community.
I am the third Canadian to accompany here in recent years. It is with the advise, blessing, humour and sense of adventure of former accompaniers that I travel. Also with friends, family and congregation.
Most importantly, it is with my God that I am traveling.
And why? why accompany? why me and why now?
To accompany is to walk along side. People who have no faith that their human rights or their lives will be protected request accompaniment.
An international presence should not make a difference, but it does.
Previous accompaniment projects I have been involved in include the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine/Israel (EAPPI-2011), http://eappi.org which the United Church of Canada has been sponsoring for over 10 years. I also accompanied Guatemalan indigenous refugees following the 36 year civil war in Guatemala. That was 1998 in Rabinal, Guatemala, site of a massacre in the Guatemalan civil war.
Living in St. Albert, Alberta, close to Edmonton, it may seem unlikely to have a history of accompaniment and social justice. This is a city of wealth. In Canada most of us have a good life without many of the problems experienced by Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Palestinians. Accompaniment is a small thing I can do. How often do we live in community with wonderful, committed people, who continue to fight for their rights, in spite of multinationals, military governments, occupation forces and an absence of human rights. Anyone who has experienced accompaniment will tell you that what they gave was not close to what they received.
As I approach retirement age, I appreciate the benefits of education, employment and opportunity that Canadians have. This is a chance for me to give back, to serve in a way that feels right for me. I can live in the developing world. So why not?
I am eager to have accompaniers with me, as I experience the realities of El Salvador, and many countries in Latin America and the world. So please tune in for more.
Coming next: WHY THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA IS IN EL SALVADOR