A small update

First and foremost I would like to thank you all for the incredible response I have received so far. Your words, your donations, everything has been absolutely incredible. I don't think I'd be able to keep pushing through all of this if it were not for all of your support.

Here are a few updates on the situation:

-It's not raining. It has not been raining for 24 hours. This is huge. The sun is out and we're hoping it stays out so it can begin drying everything up.

- Last night I went to a nearby community called San Ramon. San Ramon is much more urban than Tepecoyo but it has been suffering just as much. I was able to bring food along with my program director and one of my CC's to a mechanic shop where 28 people are seeking refuge. There were older men and women as well as young children, one of which just had surgery yesterday. It was hard seeing these people living in a mechanic shop, a very far from clean location, with very little food and 5 mattresses to share between everyone. But they were still smiling. They are together and for now they are safe. They all hugged me and kissed thanking me for remembering the forgotten. It was a really great experience and it got even better when we took the leftover food and began walking through the streets giving food to the hungry. Kids came running from their houses, looking at me with their big eyes, holding their plate up to the large bowl of rice and beans. Even though we were already late to our own dinner back home we stayed. We stayed until every grain of rice, every bean had been distributed. It was a really moving experience, to bring a little bit of joy to the dark streets of San Ramon. This experience also showed me that even though the rain has stopped we need to keep fighting. There are still so many people without food and if the government hasn't helped them now I'm not sure they ever will.

- Finally, tomorrow Katie, Ella, Marie, Nate, and I are going to try to go to Tepecoyo. The roads seem passable but we won't really know until we begin the journey. I'm leaving for Nicaragua on Sunday for a week and to be able to see Angelica before I leave would make me incredibly incredibly happy. We don't really know what we're going to see. Angelica has warned us that it is ugly, dirty, and smelly. But we're ready. We just want to see the people we love. Keep your fingers crossed. Keep praying. And keep donating.

Again if you have any questions or are interested in donating please email me at lweston@slu.edu