Pura Vida

Hello to all, from Jacob in Central America. Our trip thus far has been a smashing success, with pleasantly uneventful flights, and plenty of eye-opening sights since we arrived. Our enthusiatic host families are making us feel right at home. Marc Betz and I are staying with a young couple and their two wonderful children: a bright and effervescent four-year-old girl, and a sports-loving, cognitively disabled ten-year-old boy. The kids are extremely excited to have us in their house, and we have played soccer, danced, sung songs, and watched their father harvest fruit from their backyard.

This lovely middle-class family stands in striking contrast to the poverty and social injustice we have also witnessed. Our leader in country, Gail Nystrom, is confronted daily with domestic violence, drug abuse, abandoned children, and the other terrible symptoms of economic inequality. We have already met several people, all female, whom Gail has helped transition from a life of chaos toward a life of stability. However, much work remains to be done, and many of her accomplishements are still fragile. While here, we hope we can learn from these people, and share our love and our energy, to help create permanent change.