The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.
7 October 1990 - Suchitoto
[Our intention for today had been to visit Panchimilama, a village which previous delegations had visited and which had received material support from PVC fund-raising efforts. On the previous evening, however, word had come to the Guest House that a fiesta was planned for the next day by the people of Suchitoto, who had requested that any internationals who were able to do so should come to the city as witnesses, thus providing some protection for the inhabitants as they gathered. After a brief discussion our delegation decided that this was where we were needed most and changed our plans accordingly.]
We leave at 7:30 AM for a 9:00 AM mass celebrating the 25th anniversary of a Sister who works for the church in Suchitoto. We are stopped at two military checkpoints along the way. Both times we are all ordered out of the bus, to line up along the side of the road and have our passports checked and our knapsacks searched. At the first stop we pick up J. and J. and two Salvadorans. They had been on a public bus on their way to Suchitoto, and had been taken off and detained. The bus did not want to wait for them while their documents were cleared, so they had been waiting for another ride to come along.
