My Mother is Not Happy

Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 01:38:45 EDT
Subject: El Salvador Trip

Hey! Just had a few random thoughts...

First, when are you guys leaving/coming home? Second, have you gotten your shots yet? Remember, they take time to be effective...

xoxo/Mom

My own mother hasn't been too thrilled about the idea of us going to El Salvador. She didn't seem to have a problem when Michele and I jetted off so many times to so many other parts of the world. But this particular trip just isn't sitting well with dear old Mom.

As we pack our bags tonight, I can only imagine what must be swirling around in her burdened mind: What happens if there's an accident or they get sick? The hospitals there are horrible. Did they get all the shots they need? Will Jay be smart enough to resist his usual urge to ingest anything sold by a ramshackle food cart on the street? The crime rate in San Salvador is through the roof. Will they get mugged or murdered? And if so, will Jay be wearing clean underwear?

So why on Earth are we going to El Salvador?

Good question. Something has pushed us toward taking this trip, but we're not exactly sure what. Maybe it was a TV news story about a group called Airline Ambassadors, which was formed to make better use of the extra space in the overhead bins on flights to El Salvador. Why not use the space, one flight attendant asked, to carry clothes and supplies to orphanages? Neither Michele nor I are actually in the airline business, but anyone is welcome to help Airline Ambassadors out. So we are.

A few weeks ago, Michele sent an e-mail blast out to several friends and acquaintances. She asked for donations of clothing for children and toddlers. We thought we'd pack a suitcase full of donations and take it down with us. What happened next surprised us.

Last Sunday, we were invited to show up for services at Saint John's United Methodist Church. As we sat down in the pew I opened the church bulletin, and there was a big article:

Amy McBride is collecting clothes for her young friend Michele who is going to El Salvador July 17th to work with three orphanages. Much needed are infant, toddler and young children's clothes. ALL garmets will be hand-carried directly to the children by Michele. Chothes boxes will be in the foyer Sunday. Thank you so much!

Well, we checked the foyer. Here's what it looked like:




And when it was all said and done, the back of my SUV looked like this:




So a BIG thank you to the St. John's congregation, and all the other friends who donated. Because of their generosity, we are now stuffing two extra-large suitcases and one big box chock full of donated items. And, since Michele and I will need something to wear ourselves during our week-long trip, we'll take one extra duffle bag just to hold our own stuff.

Like Mom, I'm not sure exactly what to expect from El Salvador. But we're bound to find some deserving young people who could really use those clothes and shoes. I am sure of that.

It's now Sunday night. I've been brushing up on my Spanish. We leave Tuesday, and I can't wait.