The Presidential Candidate's Story

This is the story of a man running for president of El Salvador.

While were were staying at a hotel in San Miguel, the ARENA political party was holding rally at the hotel for the candidate's seeking ARENA's presidential nomination for the 2009 national elections.

If you thought the U.S. primary season was long.....just imagine. Their general election is not until next year and they're already in the thick of it.

So....he we were at the Hotel Tropic, eating our lunch, being goofy Americans, and surrounded by ARENA supporters with their red, white & blue polo shirts and campaign signs.

Innocents abroad....

Michael & Louise

John & Molly

Connie decides the water is too cold

John & Father Tommy

Connie, Lois & Molly

Now, I must confess that this whole situation did not make yours-truly terribly comfortable, as my politics don't veer to the right much, and ARENA is the right-wing party in El Salvador. And while the gentlmen milling around were wearing polo shirts and not carrying machine guns that I could see, they did look grim and I was certainly not going to provoke them. The candidates, however, were another story. Although surrounded by grim types that looked as though they would just as soon shoot you as break bread with you, the candidates themselves were right out of a talk show....all pearly smiles and well coiffed hair.

A little diversion into current Salvadoran politics before we get to the candidate's story itself. There are two main parties in El Salvador. One is ARENA (Nationalist Republican Alliance) founded by gentlemen like Roberto D'Aubisson, a former president of El Salvador that was widely rumored to have been behind the military death squads and the assassination of Archbishop Romero. ARENA currently controls the national government. The other main party is FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front). FMLN is the political successor to the insurgents who fought the government during the civil war. FMLN controls many city and local governments, including that of the capital, San Salvador, and is particularly strong in some regions, like the eastern part of the country that were guerilla strongholds during the war. The FMLN candidate for president has already been selected. He is a widely popular television journalist named Maricio Funes. ARENA, as I said, is in the middle of it's primary and the leading candidates include the current vice-president, Ana Vilma de Escobar

and the man who until a few months ago was head of the National Police, Rodrigo Avila.

So....we're sitting there eating lunch, and there's this pleasant looking gentlement being interviewed by the television station. Turn's out he's Mr. Avila, the former head of the National Police and current presidential candidate.

Later, Mr. Avila spots us for the obvious Americans we are and walks over to ask me where we're from. "San Francisco", I reply. "Ah! San Francisco! What a beautiful city. My father went medical school at UCSF". So then Rodrigo asks where we've been (when I say Baja Lempo I swear I can see the wheels turning in Mr. Avila's head...Baja Lempo...former guerilla stronghold...now controlled by the FLMN....not my friends....but he continues, friendly as ever), what group are we with in the U.S. etc. He says he went to school in North Carolina, thanks us for helping the people of El Salvador. He also says that it is a little awkward that until a few months ago he was head of the National Police. This seemed odd, but then I could have misunderstood embarassment for pride. Then presidential candidate Avila drives off in a caravan of large SUVs filled with men who are now visibly carrying weapons.

Now, this may not be much of a story, but it's not every day that I get to have a one-on-one with someone running for president of El Salvador....or any country for that matter. And his story did tear at me, because as much as I wanted to think of Mr. Avila and his associates as bad people (and used a bottle of hand sanitizer after he'd driven away) God kept pestering me and reminding me that I am no better than Mr. Avila. That in eyes of God, Mr. Avila is a precious being. So my prayer for Mr. Avila, and Mr. Funes, and Ms. de Escobar, and most especially myself, is that our hearts be broken open by God to the suffering of our fellows in El Salvador, and San Francisco and every other place in the world...and that whatever Rodrigo and Ana and Mauricio and me are struggling with, wherever we need your help and comfort today - I pray God may grant it to us and that we may come to feel and know God's love.