Success

Just to set the record straight -- not EVERY family in Cristo Salvador is living in poverty. (Nearly every family, but not all...)

Last week I had a dinner invitation to a very gracious and lovely family who are members of the congregation. To be sure, through hard work they have lifted themselves into the middle class (upper middle class). The parents both grew up in the barrio where the church is located, and the father was basically illiterate, and learned to read as an adult through a program at the Church. Despite that handicap, he had a good business sense and an excellent work ethic. He built up a business that (as I understand it) tansports produce from the fields to the local supermarkets. Or something like that. His two young adult sons also work with him.

Dinner was typical Dominican fare, which is to say that it was very flavorful, meat simmered slowly with an abundance of herbs and aromatics, served with rice, beans, and salad. Dessert was absolutely the sweetest thing I have ever eaten in my life. It tasted like pineapple jam straight from the jar, mixed with coconut.

It's encouraging to know that it is possible to lift oneself out of poverty in this country, even with what seems like the odds stacked against one. It offers hope not only to me, but to others in the church, especially since this particular family has been generous with their time and their money to support the ministry of Cristo Salvador.