An Introduction About My Trip to Santiago de Maria

There is a poem that I say to myself everyday and it goes like this:

My actions are one of my only true possessions

I cannot escape the consequences of my actions

My actions are the ground upon which I stand

My actions build the community around me

Life is a gift

And its here right now

I came across the first three sentences of this poem while on flight to El Salvador in February this year to build a home. I was reading the “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. I found that Zen and Christianity shared one concept that is very powerful and that was entering the into realm of being that cannot be expressed by words or conventional fact, a realm that is more true than even the strongest mathematical theorem.

Romans 8:26 – 27 …the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit…

Life is a gift. We are all so lucky to enjoy the fruits of our observations and feelings. Here in America, we are privileged to have a quality of life that is so high, yet we forget how gifted we really are. The American dream cannot be spread by war and domination, but rather through love and sharing. And though the “American dream” as we know it is not possible to spread to every single person in the world, it is possible for people elsewhere to experience a similar experience. Not everyone needs a big house with all the electronics you can think off. But everyone needs a modest house that covers his or her basic shelter and security needs. That is what this blog is about and seeks to achieve starting with the environmental refugees of Santiago de Maria who have been stuck in an ill-constructed and ill-planned settlement ever since an earthquake destroyed their homes in 2001.

My name is Dustin Thompson and I am a full-time volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Charlotte. I have volunteered more than 1,200 hours building new homes and repairing old ones. Habitat is a family and it’s a family that I’m very proud to be part of.

I leave June 17 for Santiago de Maria to show you what these living conditions are like and what it's like to live there. To show you what can be done for them by showing you a model community that was built by Habitat for Humanity El Salvador. There are 400 families who are greatly in need of our love and support. Whether you want to bring a team down to help build a house or donate resources to make this transition possible, know that when you partner with Habitat, you're saying yes! A difference can be made in the world and that impact has future positive impacts.

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

To be mindful is acknowledging that we cannot escape the consequence of our actions. When you're mindful, you start to see even the smallest actions have huge impacts. When you are mindful, you touch the Holy Spirit, you find the place where the great abstractions of math and science are found and you hear music like its never been heard before. You find that you can make a difference and that product of your positive action’s continues to percolate in the universe even after you're gone.

Habitat El Salvador is trying to raise $6 million dollars for the new permanent community that is to be built to replace the temporary settlement. The land has been purchased and is of clean title (which is a big deal down there), now all that is needed is to start construction on the houses. There are houses in Charlotte that are alone worth $6 million and only one family lives there. There will be over 400 families living in this new community. This is a huge undertaking that will have a huge future impact on these peoples' lives and indirectly, our own as well. I hope that you follow my blog as I travel through El Salvador and show you what it's like to live in Santiago de Maria. To do so, enter your email address on the top right of the blog. I also hope that you pass this blog on to your family, friends and co-workers so we can get as much attention on this project as possible. This is the second biggest such temporary settlement in Central/South America and we have an opportunity to make it no longer exist.

I’d like to thank the staff at the Habitat for Humanity El Salvador for accommodating me so quickly, especially Kendal Stewart who was instrumental in helping make this trip possible. I’d also like to thank their Executive Director Jorge Molina for his support and for coming to Charlotte to talk to us about the project.