NUESTROS SUEÑOS PUEDEN SER REALIDAD

The Final Inauguration has brought a lot of hope into this group. I feel a great sense of relief that this mural is finally finished but completely grateful for how it's changed the attitude amongst the girls in CIPI as much as the attitude of the volunteers in HELP International.

It's taken us exactly two weeks to complete this wall. During that time the CIPI girls ate outside while we were adding our auroma to their cafeteria. At first it seemed like at the rate we were going, we'd never finish. But suddenly it was done and then bam, it was time to celebrate by inviting all the girls back inside for a huge lunch and celebration. The director of CIPI invited all her bosses and people from local universities to come eat and see the finished product.

The hardest part about this whole thing was accepting the fact that everyone was congratulating me on the success of the mural, calling me "the artist." I was told ten minutes before the inauguration began that I was going to say a few words in front of the entire group of educators, administrators, and the CIPI girls themselves. As the cafeteria filled, suddenly I was being introduced to the people and being kissed on the cheek over and over and over and over....and over. Even though I am definitely an awesome person and I can really shimmy when the time is right (especially after midnight), it was hard to accept all the attention that everyone was giving me. To me, this mural was painted by them. To me, this project was a success because everyone other than me pitched in their time and money to make sure it could happen. In my eyes, more people around me put in the hours that accumulated the two-week's efforts. All I did, really, was draw up some crazy cartoons and tell people to get to work. But I was humbled to see the attention that this mural has brought to HELP International and to the girls who are still stuck in their temporary shelter.

Let me tell you why this project has been a success. At the inauguration, the director over the entire company of ISNA stepped in and said a few words, reminding the girls that "NUESTROS SUEÑOS PUEDEN SER REALIDAD" means that their dreams really can become a reality. She reminded them never to give up hope. Since then, a volunteer with us has grabbed a hold of that theme and created an entire curriculum focusing on how the girls can climb out of their current situation and reach the goals that they have for themselves. Currently we are in the process of asking around at Universities for counselors and actual examples of people who have built themselves a better future. Secondly the girls themselves are more excited to be around us and rather than being smart-elics, they're being more positive in the things that they're learning at CIPI. Instead of shooting down ideas of flying airplanes and opening their own restaurants, these girls are encouraging each other to go for it.

I still don't understand how or why this project has turned out so well. Heavenly Father is always aware of His children, I know. He knows what it is that each of us needs to become empowered and useful instruments in his hands. I feel that He has blessed me so much with the success of this mural, but even more through this mural He is blessing the lives His Salvadoran daughters and they too are coming closer to their Heavenly Father. The gospel of Jesus Christ in these Latter Days is being spread through creative manners.

Now it's time to focus on the success of the little boys here. Let's see how we're able to spread the gospel to these ones.

¡Qué Chivo!

I never thought I’d describe my art as being goat-like, but “chivo” is definitely the word to explain what’s been happening in the Children’s Crisis Shelter. Here in El Salvador, if you think anything is cool, impressive, or just dang ol’ enjoyable, you’d probably exclaim, “Qué chivo!” Hopefully you can say the same thing as you see the lunchroom mural that the girls at CIPI have been working on.
First of all, I need to say that this mural project was already in great demand before I got here. Marielos, the director at CIPI, has been waiting for HELP International to come this summer so that we can once again create projects to empower these teenage girls and she felt a mural would help accomplish that goal. Alex, a BYU student volunteering here, has done all the knitty gritty so that all I need to do is design and head the project. After a lot of looking around at other murals, creating questionnaires for the girls, drawing up millions of designs (four, actually), and talking to a local artist, the project was ready to start.

We began by applying a base coat of white acrylic paint.

The next step was taking off all the paint we’d put on. And some people chose to use machetes. It turned out that the paint was lifting off the wall in large bubbles so we had to strip the whole wall down to the cement.

Three days later, NOW we’re ready to apply the base coat. And this time, it’s a silicone-based little number that will hopefully prevent future break-outs. Of water.

Blanca, Blanca, Yahira, Karen, and Samaria were the regulars in this process of preparation and painting. Here you can see Blanca looking over the design, giving it her slouch of approval.

Yahira is tracing part of the projected image while Jaclyn, a HELP volunteer, draws her own little diddy.
Finally we got the entire thing drawn up.

And day after day, a new group of HELP volunteers came ready to work, applying paint section by section. I was expecting to paint, but most of my efforts for the first three days of the paint was spent guiding people on how to paint, where to paint, which colors to mix, and trying to keep each volunteer busy with stuff to do—that and, of course, sneaking up behind them while they strain to keep their balance on a ladder. Here are pictures of the process.

Today is the final day to paint. Monday will be the inauguration for the project where all the workers and girls will come and eat in the cafeteria for lunch and look at the beauty of a “goat-like” mural.
I’m going over there right now to put on the final touches and as I reflect on the past two weeks where I’ve been so blessed to work on such a huge stressful project, I think a lot about how God must feel as our Creator. How did he organize His efforts so perfectly to create such a beautiful earth? And how must He feel now that His greatest creations, you and I, are living here and surrounded by such great beauty? I can’t even begin to explain the profound love that I now feel for each one of the girls here at CIPI while working on the mural with them. I’m so in love with this mural also. But even more beautiful than the product has been the process. I love the mural so much because it represents the frustration that each volunteer felt as she/he struggled with oil paint, the excitement she/he felt as a new technique was discovered without Jeanette’s help, the sheer thrill that the girls expressed as they walked in the door everyday begging for a paint brush, and the tender mercies of the Lord that helped us all get along despite differences.
If this goat isn’t empowering, I don’t know what is.