Serving the Homeless on the Streets of San Salvador
Blog post written by Sammie Evans
On Sunday evening our team had their first experience feeding the homeless. We set up the assembly line and filled the bags with sandwiches, chips, apples, juice and cookies. I was on this trip last year and will be spending 5 weeks in El Salvador this summer. Feeding the homeless on the streets of San Salvador is always emotional and tonight was no different. We see many things while out feeding on the streets. On Sunday night we saw kids sniffing glue to ease the hunger and take away the pain. It was heart wrenching. We also saw prostitutes, cross-dressers and many small children, including babies. It was devastating to encounter a young, pregnant woman living on the streets as well. I thought that I would know what to expect since I've done this before, but it wasn't any less painful or heart breaking.
We handed out bags in one particular area and one man wanted to thank me personally. He reached out to shake my hand along with a few others, so I shook it respectfully. We have been talking every day about the power of touch in serving others. It was hard to see such beautiful people living in such horrible living conditions. Sus Hijos feeds the homeless community regularly, but my heart just wants to keep giving them more.
We also had the opportunity to feed the homeless on Monday. We headed to a different area, where we once again encountered broken people. I love the fact that Sus Hijos doesn't discriminate with who they feed. The meals are distributed to everyone who has a need, whether they are on drugs, inebriated or "ladies of the night." Jesus touched and healed the lepers and prostitutes that came to him, so we do the same.
One moment stood out to me while serving on the streets. After handing a gentleman a bag of food, I was expecting a "gracias," but received something completely different. The man looked me in the eye and began to speak in perfect English. He said, "Thank you, I love your country!" I was shocked. Because I was so shocked, all I could think to say back was a simple, "Thank you." As we drove off, he shouted, "I love your country!" I have been so blessed to feed the "least of these" these past two nights and look forward to serving this community again on Thursday evening.