Léalo en español.

Let’s return to La Manuela, I want to share a testimony of how youth are responding, but before this I want you to be able to see the community where they live.

The street leads to a neighborhood down a hill. Going down to the right is an elevation on which irregular housing has been set up. To the left, a properly built neighborhood has 4 paths between closely built houses. When the street ends you reach a big square parking lot, like the size of a large pool. Facing the parking lot is the community’s public space, elevated by like 10 feet. A path to the right leads to the Church and the Youth house. Another path to left goes up the hill. To the right of it are the walls of the first house on which youth have painted murals with the 10 commandments, one of which:-Though shall not kill-.

The public space is about 15 mts wide and 20 mts long. The roof of garage leading into the parking lot is part of the plaza. Next to it is a patch of land and in it a beautiful ceiba tree. This piece of land is about 15mts long and up on a step is a beautiful almond tree surrounded by a cement base which serves as seating.

This public space is the meeting point for the gang-members.

On the first path before going up to the public space to the left are several houses that were transformed into the youth house organized by Eduar. Following this area is the church’s kitchen, an open area of about 10 square feet, another almond tree and then the temple of the New Hope Baptist Mission, which occupies the area of about two houses.

The last house on this path belongs to Mr. Ángel Alcántara.

Let me give you 2 examples.

Paramilitary Training Center

One day I was talking with Torivio, Tom’s brother, who always listened attentively. He is the gang leader in this area. While we spoke, a car arrived and a young man got out. Everybody turned their full attention to the man. Torivio talked on his cellphone. Some youth close by greeted the man who entered the neighborhood. After the incident, we continued our talk. During our conversation I heard shots. Those who were listening to my conversation with Torivio looked up at me to see if I was scared. Unflinchingly, I asked Torivio:-What is that?-. He replied:-That is what each of us has gone through. That young man came to us to be trained in firearm use. La Manuela is the center for paramilitary training.   

Subdued

Another day I was in the neighborhood, after Tom’s death. The gangsters had called a community meeting. The whole neighborhood was there. On behalf of the gang only its spokeperson was there along with a few others near the gate. The meeting was in the Youth House.  Mr. Amaleón, president of the community, before giving the word to the gang’s representative, offered his excuses and explanations. He said the Civil National Police had approached him to ask him to introduce the community police to the neighborhood.  He said:-To clarify, just in case you saw me talking to them, I told them we did not want that-. It was a self-defense speech submitted to the power of the gang due to his fear of being killed.

After his sharing his part, he gave the word to the spokeperson of the gang. The man proposed building a wall with barbed wire over the mountains that border the colony to restrain other gangs from entering their territory. The community, without any objections, agreed to cooperate with their labor and financial resources. I saw that people were terrified; that said project would squeeze their pockets and energy tight, but is still approved because otherwise their lives would be the payment. Seeing that subjugation pained me.

However, not all is disheartening in this community. There are very hopeful signs, one of which is Eduar.

Eduar is a young man 30 years old. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2015. He is a writer, has a blog. He’s the son of Sister Daisy, the mission leader whom I highly respect, a sensible woman, a wholehearted servant to the will of Christ, who is a cook at the local elementary school. Eduar grew up with revered fear of the Creator thanks to his mother’s upbringing. His father is a farmworker of few words who travels to another county to work in his lands.

Along with the Emmanuel Baptist Church and U.S. based groups, Eduar helped open the Youth House at La Manuela and build a space for youth. He organized a competition for naming the Youth House. The winning name was Punto Var, for the first letters of the colors green, yellow and red in Spanish, because they respectively represent hope, happiness and Christ’s blood which frees. This house doesn’t work with the gangs, its work is preventive. They meet three times a week for workshops on computer science, art, drawing, painting, music, chorus and to reflect upon life and support each other. About 20 community youth participate in these activities. Punto VAR is a presence that humanizes.

The New Hope Baptist Mission has about 30 members. It is a group that plans its work and each member assumes responsibility for their assigned tasks. It is not a group with an open extended hand expecting to profit; it is a dynamic group that walks on its own, stirring itself with its own energy and the Spirit. If they party or travel, everybody cooperates and celebrates life. Their theology is conservative and their approach to the community has been mostly through evangelical services rather than addressing the pain through evangelism. Still, Eduar is motivating the mission to get out of its walls, to be present in the community, to go find youth and give hope to them.

I invited him to go with me to talk with the gangs.

He answered with a forceful NO.

But his no, was not passive

His no was a strong yes to the Calling.

His yes had a preventive hue.

They hook you up… and once in there is no exit

They corner people because of lack of opportunities

Because its friends inviting, candying.

His ministry is an alternative pathway.

When Tom was killed,

Eduar told me.

When Tom was killed I went to his house, held a service, visited his grandmother, spoke with the other gang-members,

They cried with me.

Eduar did not accompany me in this.

But don’t get this wrong

I gave a YES.

His Yes was forceful

But different from mine.

With the mission and the youth house

He called to the community (churches, residents, youth, children, women, men, the elderly)

To the 1^st Community Peace festival.

They took over the public space that was possessed by evil and played soccer,

They had bag competition (I participated and came in last)

They had piñatas (which I don’t like because it’s not a culture of peace, but the community smiled).

His yes was more eloquent than mine,

The most beautiful thing I saw in El Salvador.

His yes was to serve as a leader to unify other youths

To build together a youth network for peace

To analyze

To imagine paths for peace

To build a counterculture of peace

To resist suffering

To laugh and celebrate

To connect and nurture the heart

His Yes defined that path of the network:

Education for peace,

A continental campaign against the violence suffered by youth

Accompanying youth

In all of the countries in the network.

His yes was a divine calling

His yes IS a divine calling, that awaits an answer, don’t hang up.

Vídeos:

 Festival Comunitario por la PAZ (1)

 Festival Comunitario por la PAZ (2)