El Salvador Day #20 Last Day!

Day #20 Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Today was the last day! We woke up, ate our last breakfast together and got ready to load up on the bus. We said our goodbyes to Juan and his family. They had all taken us in and provided food and hospitality for us the whole time that we had been there. Aroche was also there to tell us goodbye. He works with the church helping to build and do any construction that the churches need in the area. He was at the El Shaddai worksite with us the whole time and loved joking around with us. He understood some English and like to try to have conversations with us. He was joking around the whole time though so that made it even more confusing for us! He kept telling us one day that we had been eating dog, and cat, and horse for our meals...I am really hoping he was joking! Aroche always made the worksites very entertaining and we were all sad to have to say goodbye to him. 

Finally Brian and the bus got to the house, and we headed off waving our goodbyes to the family, the house, the chickens, roosters, Rufo, Rocky, and our home. We got to the airport, hesitantly weighed our bags, got through security and boarded our plane. We landed safely and said goodbye to half of the group that had family and friends pick them up from the airport. Then, the rest of us loaded up on the bus with Dual again. We were all starving and really craving to eat some good 'ole God-blessed American food. So, naturally, we went to Chick-Fil-A. We got back to the college safely and all headed our separate ways. 

We're back. We're home and now we have to process a three-week life changing experience.

*Bear with me as I wait to get all of the pictures from the trip. I promise you will get to see them soon!

El Salvador Day #19

Day #19 Monday, January 21, 2013

Today was our last full day in El Salvador. We woke up early at the resort for a delicious breakfast and then laid out by the beach and pool until it was time for lunch. Then we all gathered at the burger bar and filled our tummies with delicious hamburgers. We enjoyed our resort for a little while longer and then packed up and drove down the road to a public beach. The resort had strange check-out hours, so in order for us to get a full beach day we split it between the resort and the public beach. After the afternoon at the second beach, we were all burnt and ready to get back to Ahuachapan. We all went out for dinner at different places downtown and then met back up at the house. 

Juan joined us after dinner and spent some time answering some questions we had about how the church in El Sal works and what his job includes. He told a story about going to a church that used to be in the center of a community filled with multiple gangs. He had a boy that was 9 years old come up to him and show him a shotgun he had in his clothes and tell Juan that he was going to shoot him and the men that came with him if they wouldn't give him their camera. Juan reacted by telling the kid why they were there and telling him about their work with the children in the church and inviting him to come. The kid did not know about Jesus and said that he did not want anything to do with Him because anytime he prayed to Jesus, He never answered. Juan was able to tell this boy that Jesus loved him and cared about him. Even though Juan ended up having to give the kid money for him to drop the threat, he was able to tell this child, this young boy caught up in a very deadly and sinful lifestyle, about Jesus Christ. I have so much respect for Juan and how he handles his job. He is the President of the Methodist Church of El Salvador. He is over all 13 Methodist churches in the country and he is a pastor. He also is a husband and a father to a teenage girl and a baby boy. He also shares his home with his parents, brother, aunt, and groups like us that come and stay at the mission house. There are so many incredible things to be said about this man. I am very thankful to have been able to spend time getting to know him and to see how the Lord is using him to make a difference in this country.

El Salvador Day #18

Day #18 Sunday, January 20, 2013

Today was beach day #1! We got up, spent the morning around the house, or some went back downtown, and got packed for our beach trip. We ate lunch at the house and gave some feedback to Lingenfelter about the trip. Then we loaded up on the bus and headed to the beach! We spent the afternoon soaking up the sun, playing frisbee, and enjoying the benefits of our all-inclusive resort. 

I think this is the perfect way to end our almost 3 weeks together. At this point, many people have been rubbing each other the wrong way. I think getting us all out of our close-quarters atmosphere and letting us relax the weekend away is the perfect way to give us closure and leave the trip happy with each other and what we have accomplished during our time here. Now, one more day, then we go home!

El Salvador Day #17

Day #17 Saturday, January 19, 2013

Today was a free day for us. Brittany, Olivia, Bailey and I spent the morning braving downtown Ahuachapan and the outdoor and indoor markets. It was quite an experience. None of us are close to fluent in Spanish but we did very well at figuring out where to go to buy certain things, what street to go down to get to certain stores, flagging down taxis, and getting back home safely! 

We all gathered together for lunch at the house and swapped stories about our morning adventures. For example, Brittany showed us her workout Barbie swimsuit that she found for $2 at the market. We found some great deals! 

After lunch, Anna, Angie, Olivia, Bailey, and I went back downtown but around the central park area to look in a few other shops for some specific souvenirs that some of the others had found that morning. Then, we went over to where our tutors teach so that I could meet up with Rachel, my tutor, and give her a gift. I love love LOVED getting to spend time with them again. If anyone reading this ever goes to El Salvador and needs to learn English or Spanish, use the ALC. They are great teachers and incredible people! It was really great to be able to see some of them. When we got there, their students for the day were on break, but when the students got back, we were able to talk with them some as well. We practiced our Spanish with them, while they practiced their English with us! Then, we decided to play a game of Hangman with them, like we did with our tutors in class. Turns out, we were all to smart for each other and each group got stumped all but once each. We ended up having to call it a tie because it was time for their class to be over. Again, I am super thankful for the time that we got to spend with them, not only this day but, during the whole trip. I am going to miss them very much! 

After we left there, we went and grabbed some dinner to go at a little taco shop around the corner. We talked with the boy at the register while we were waiting on our food to cook. He name was Kelbi, he was 18 and was a student there. He knew some good English, especially for not taking any English classes, and he was very friendly. I talked with him some about our work with the church and some of the things that we had done during our time there. I am very thankful for the small amounts of Spanish I do know, because it allows me to get to know the people that, otherwise, I would not be able to communicate with. We made a short stop at the Super-Selectos and then headed back to the house. When we returned, we were surprised to see Lingenfelter returned from his family beach trip, and to see a second dinner on the table. We ate played a few games and then called it a night.

El Salvador Day #16

Day #16 Friday, January 18, 2013

Today was our last work day in Ahuachapan. We woke up and Brittany, Olivia, Anna, and Jacob went on home visits with the clinic. Bailey, Ben, Nate, Megan, Angie, Allison, and I rode over to the El Shaddai new church work site to meet up with the Virginia crew. Brian led our devotion on the Great Commission. Then, Ben and Nate stayed at the site to finish the construction of the walls surrounding the church. Megan, Angie and Allison went to the El Shaddai clinic to translate for the Virginia crew. 

Bailey and I went with some of the Virginia group and some girls from the El Shaddai church on home visits in the neighborhood surrounding the church. We were able to visit two of the same houses as yesterday. The last house we visited was Ceci's house. She was the woman that lost her husband a month ago. I was so grateful to be able to visit her again today. She told us over and over how much she appreciated us being there. Bailey picked out a verse to read before we left for visits and felt that this house was the appropriate place to read it. She read Psalm 34:18-22 and then prayed over the family. As we were walking down the street to return to the work site, Ceci asked us to come back. She had gotten her friend Maria to come over and wanted us to pray over her as well. She was in need of a home. I am very thankful that the Lord placed us there at that time to use us to give hope to these women. 

We returned to the worksite and saw that the first round was finished! The two new walls were completely done! Now the construction crew here will continue to build the church within the walls that our groups completed this week. 

We returned to the house and had green beans and rice for lunch. Then Brian took Olivia, Bailey, and me to the Super Selectos store to buy candy and juice for the kids at New Jerusalem. We also found a soccer ball and all signed it to give to them. 

Angie, Brittany, Jacob, Nate, Olivia, Bailey, and I went to Children of the Future at New Jerusalem for the last time. Victor Andreas taught us to make earrings. Unfortunately, most of the kids didn't have their ears pierced and, of course, the guys didn't want them. So, we took home plenty of extra pairs of earrings! We played soccer with the kids and each team won once! Then we gave them the cookies and juice that we had brought. After they finished their snacks, we gathered them together to tell them how much we appreciated them letting us come visit with them and how much we were going to miss them. Then, we gathered together in a circle and each person from our group prayed over them. I know that the purpose of prayer is not solely to ask for things. But, there were so many things that I wanted to ask for these children. I want more than anything for them to have mothers AND fathers in their lives that love them like Christ loves them. I want them to have families that can provide for them. I want them to be healthy. I want them to have every opportunity to be educated. I want them know Christ and be able to trust completely in Him. I want them to be able to chase and fulfill every dream that each of them has. And I want to see them again. I want to ask all of these things and I want all of them to be true. 

After the prayer, I did not want to let go of the hands of the children beside me. Rosa has been my little shadow since the first day and it absolutely broke my heart to have to let go of her hand as our group had to keep walking home. Jaime has been the boy that grabbed my heart from the day that he came with us to do home visits. He is so smart and sweet and always so happy. Yenci, Daizi and Carina have helped me everyday to try to understand how to make our jewelry because they know how much I am struggling with the spanish. But they have been patience and so helpful. They are going to continue to grow up to be incredible women. Jose has been my soccer buddy every time we have played. He is very quiet but I saw him open up each day that we returned and finally yesterday he practiced some of his English with me. His twin sisters Yasmine and Yamilet have been so kind to me everyday and always run up with a smile when we walk up to the church. As I sit here typing, I look at my hand and see a bracelet from Rosa, Jose, and Yamilet on my arm and have earrings from Jose, Yasmine, Rosa, and Juan Carlos on my bed. I wanted so much to be able to tell them all that we would be back next week. Thankfully, I had my sunglasses to hide my tears as we had to walk away from them. While I don't know if I will ever see them this side of eternity again, I know that God will continue to walk with them and provide for them everyday. I have to put my hope in that. 

El Salvador Day #15

Day #15 Thursday, January 17, 2013

We got this morning and ate some more delicious plantains for breakfast! I am really going to have to figure out how to cook those things when I get back!

We headed over to the El Shaddai worksite for a devotion with the Virginia team. Sexton led the devotion this morning. Sexton is an older man, going on 80, that has more energy than our whole group combined. He is an incredible example of serving others like Christ and he amazes me every time I watch him work! After devotion, Bailey, Olivia, Brian, and I went with Ester, the pastor of El Shaddai, and John and Sexton, from the Virginia team, on some more home visits. This morning before we headed out, I marked some Scriptures to read with some of the families that we visited. The first family we visited was the Chavez family. There was a man, probably in his 40's, caring for both of his elderly parents. His father was very sick. I was able to read Scripture and pray over this family in Spanish. The next house we went to was where a young woman named Carmen lived with her two daughters, Veronica and Catherine. The girls were at the VBS up the road so we did not get to meet them, but we were able to talk with Carmen for a little while. The next home we went to was of a women named Rosa Miriam. Her young son Francisco was there as well. While there, she told us that she sews for a living, but it is hard to provide for her family with just that, so her husband works a lot as well. The next family was the Gonzalez family. The woman owned a small convenience shop in her home to provide for her family. She had 9 people living inside of her small home. The last home we visited was of Ceci, Catalina, and Anderson. Catalina was the grandmother, Ceci the mother, and Anderson the child. While talking with Ceci, she told us that her husband, Ricardo, had been killed only one month ago. Her family was trying to find work to provide, because the husband had been the one to work before. She was very sweet and very thankful for us being there and being able to pray with her. The theme that we saw at all of these houses was the same: the children go to church but the parents don't. One parent works and the other has to stay and guard the house so that no one will break in. It is a sad cycle that I hope the Lord can break with the building of this new church in their community. 

That afternoon we were able to go back to Children of the Future. Jaime, Rosa, Michelle, Yasmine, and  Yamilet were all not there today and I already miss seeing them. We taught the kdis how to play elbow tag. Then, once we found the soccer ball, we split up into 4 teams and played with them for the rest of the time. I love these kids. I cant even put into words how much it breaks my heart that tomorrow is our last day with them. I want so much for these kids to have every opportunity to be healthy and educated and loved. I want to make sure that happens for each one of them, but I can't.

After dinner at the house, some of us went with Brian to El Shaddai for a service with the Virginia group. They had a presentation for the church and the church had a presentation for them, thanking them for their work. It was a really neat thing to see the relationships that they have made with the people here by being consistent and coming back year after year. The worship team finished the service by playing Trading My Sorrows, which I love! They fed us all cake and gave each of us El Salvador keychains. It was a really neat service to be a part of.

El Salvador Day #14

Day #14 Wednesday, January 16, 2013

This morning we woke up to a breakfast of chicken biscuits and pancakes! It was SO good. We are definitely getting spoiled here with these home cooked meals three times a day!

We met up with the virginia team at El Shaddai church and then went with them to do a devotional at the worksite before they started the building for the day. After the devo, Angie, Bailey, Olivia, and I went back to the squatter village with the VA group to help with the clinic they were doing and to help a family move to a larger space of land. The woman whose house we were building apparently burned a fire to cook her food inside of the house. So, most of the bamboo that was used for the walls was covered in soot. I looked like I was a chimney sweep by the time we were done moving the house! 

After we moved everything, it was time for lunch and our crew headed back to the house to join everybody for some steak and rice. Then we went back to Children of the Future at New Jerusalem. Victor Andreas was back and taught us how to make more bracelets. Unfortunately, the Gringos took forever to finish ours! While I was making my bracelet I was watching Rosa make her craft with the younger kids. I decided that I wanted to give her my bracelet when I finished and I started praying over her while I was making the bracelet. There is just something about that girl that grabs my heart.

El Salvador Day #13

Day #13 Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Today our group went on another field trip. Since Lingenfelter's kids missed the first volcano, we took a trip to Cerro Verde, another national park with volcanoes. We hiked through the park, stopping when we or the tour guide saw something interesting. We took some really awesome pictures with the volcanoes and some cool trees. But one of the neatest things we saw was a baby deer right beside the trail. We were walking on the trail and I looked over to my right to see the little baby sitting in a bed of leaves, literally right beside the path. I said "Oh my gosh, a baby deer!" And immediately Brian says, "No way, they don't exist up here." So I got everyone to come look at it, and sure enough, baby deer! They said that you hardly ever see them in that area. It was so neat, it just sat there quietly as we stood there and took pictures of it. After we finished the hike, we loaded back up on the bus and headed back down to Ahuachapan. Since my iPod had decided to die on me, I didn't have any music to listen to so I had a nice long drive to think. To think about the trip, to think about school, to think about graduation, to think about what in the world I want to do after graduation. I needed some time to get all my thoughts in order, so I was thankful for this time to think.

After we got back and ate lunch, we went back to the El Shaddai worksite to meet up with the Virginia work crew. Then we left on some home visits with some of the Virginia crew. The Virginia group is made up of adults from their 40's to their late 70's. They are from Lebanon, Virginia. Their church has a continued ministry with the Methodist Church of Ahuachapan and they return to this area at least once a year. They are very nice group of people and I am excited about getting to know them better this week! On our home visits, we were blessed to be able to meet the man that built the cross for the new El Shaddai church site. He and family were extremely nice, welcoming us to their home to speak with them and pray with them. I am very thankful for opportunities like this to be able to pray specifically over families in these different communities.

After we were finished with home visits, Brian picked up the rest of the group and got us all down to the ALC school where our tutors work to take some pictures with them. One of the tutors messaged me about wanting us to take pictures with them for their advertisements, so, of course, we decided to help them out! I was so happy to be able to see them again and hang out for a little while. Unfortunately not all of them were able to make it. But I am very thankful for the time that we got to spend with the ones there. I am going to miss all of them very very much!

We got back home, showered, and ate dinner, then some of us loaded up and headed over to where the Virginia group was staying. They put on a Game Night every time they come with the youth from the Methodist churches in the community. There were probably close to 100 people there with our group, the VA group, church office staff, and students from the churches. We split up in two big groups and played the game of Signs the whole time we were there. It was so much fun to be able to play and interact with the students without having to worry about saying something wrong. Signs didn't require any talking so the language barriers didn't matter. It was so much fun! After the game we loaded up on the big bus with the students and Jonathan and Emerson. Thankfully, Jonathan's English is very good, so we spent a lot of time talking with him on the way back. Unfortunately, Jacob and I found out we won't be able to play with their band though, because they have to go out of town for a workshop this weekend :( Oh well, I am still thankful for the time that we have had to get to know these guys!

El Salvador Day #12

Day #12 Monday, January 14, 2013

We woke up early this morning, ate some delicious plantains, and then headed off to the hospital for a 7AM tour. We were toured around by one of the doctors. We got to go into every wing of the hospital, walking past men with AIDS and tuberculosis to women who were minutes away from having a baby. It was very interesting seeing just how different health care is here. In the States, there is much more privacy and we go to a different place for a different type of doctor. Here, every type of doctor is all in one place. They also have one separate wing for patients that have the ability to pay for health care. Because it is a public hospital, it is not required that you pay if you need healthcare, however, your level of care would not be the same as if you paid or went to a private hospital.

After the hospital, some of the group went to their clinics and the rest of us went over to the El Shaddai worksite. While there, the group was finishing clearing out all of the plants and trees where the walls were going to go. The men thought it would be entertaining for everyone to get me, Bailey, and Olivia to start whacking down some of the trees with a machete and an ax. I was horrible. Brian has a picture of me trying to cut it down and it looks like I am swinging a golf club. I guess my high school golf coach would be proud! Needless to say, we handed the tools back over to the men and let them finish it off for the morning.

Then,we went home and had a delicious lunch of fried chicken and rice. Afterwards, Anna went with Jacob and I to translate for us as we talked with Emerson. Emerson works with Brian and Juan in the church office. He is 26 and has been the President of the Youth of El Salvador for the past 4 years. He also is a part of the worship team at New Jerusalem and the 360 band. When we went to the youth service the first Saturday we were there, he was leading worship singing and playing the drums at the same time...it was crazy. We asked him a lot about how he got his position, how long he would have it for, what his responsibilities were, what his goals were, and what he wanted to do next. We were able to learn a lot about how the Methodist Church works here. We were also able to relate with him a lot on some of the struggles that come with working with students. We also talked with him about the band the music that they play and are planning on playing worship with them Saturday night at the youth service! 

El Salvador Day #11

Day #11 Sunday, January 13, 2013

This morning we went to church at the Methodist Church in San Salvador, Vida Nueva. The pastor here spoke very clearly so we were actually able to understand some of what he was speaking about. The pastor read out of Psalm 28:1-9, Isaiah 42:1-7, Acts 10:34-38, Luke 3:15-16, 21-22, 2 Corinthians 5:22-20 and Hebrews 10:25. He preached on the ministry of reconciliation.

 The band also put the lyrics on the wall so that definitely helped us to figure out what we were singing about. We sang "How Great Thou Art", "From the Inside Out", and "No Basta", a song that we sang at New Jerusalem the weekend before. When we got back, I looked up the lyrics and the meaning. It is a beautiful song by Juan Carlos Alvarado. Here is the basic translation in English:

Not enough just to sing
not enough just to say
is not enough just to want 
I have to die

It is not enough just to dream
not enough just to say
not enough just to want 
I have to die

Give me your life
that kind of life that you know
give me your life
I want to live only for you Lord
give me your life
revive me in you
I want to live only for you

I want to live only for you
I want to live only for you
Help me Lord Jesus
I want to live only for you

And here is a link to the song on Youtube: 

We got back to the hotel and packed up our stuff. We were waiting in the lobby when this man was at the counter. He had a shirt on that was a map of the world with the flag of each country filling it in. It was a really cool looking shirt, so I told him I liked his shirt. 10 minutes later, he has told us his life story, sold Brittany, Bailey, Olivia and me all shirts, gone back to his room and brought us back candy. Now, because I know way to many horror stories, I chunked that candy in the trashcan as soon as he walked away. Never take candy from a stranger. Duh. 

We had our second American meal of the weekend at Wendy's and then got back on the buses to make the trek back to Ahuachapan. While everyone else, but the driver, was asleep on the bus, I stayed up chatting with Layton, Lingenfelter's daughter. She was asking me all kinds of questions about the other people on the trip, laughing at them sleeping, and making all kinds of crazy things with her silly puddy. Although a nap would have been nice, Layton is a pretty cool kid, so I was glad to stay up and keep her entertained.

After we got back and ate dinner, some of us headed over to the worksite that we had cleared earlier that week. El Shaddai, the church that was going to be constructing a new building there, was having a joint service on the worksite with New Jerusalem, and La Providencia. The Virginia team that was coming to work with the Methodist Church had just gotten in and we got to met them before the service started. One of them helped to translate during the service as well. Some of the pastors and lay people spoke, thanking everyone for coming, and blessing the property that we were on. They read out of Psalm 133 and Psalm 127. The 360 band, the band that Jonathan, Emerson, and Fernando play in, led worship, along with a group from El Shaddai. We sang "Holy, Holy, Holy" and two other Spanish worship songs. The first was "En tu presencia", a beautiful song that some of the girls from El Shaddai sang then worshipped through interpretive dance to. Here is the translation and a video of the song.


I'm glad I meet You
You cleanse me of all fear, Lord
In your presence.

My profits are not as bright
as your crown of surrender
In your presence.

Heaven trembles to see your greatness,
queens and kings are amazed you.

In your presence, we consume,
In Your Presence, Heaven and Earth are one,
In Your Presence you renew all
In Your Presence, all fall before you.

We bow before your presence,
before your power, with your beauty,
to your majesty, there is no one like you.

Splendid, beautiful, glorious,
unsurpassed master 

The other song was "Alaba a Dios" by Danny Berrios. Even before I looked up the full translation of the song, I could feel the power behind it. After reading the lyrics, I get chills thinking about all of those singing this song and fully praising God in the midst of countless trials in their life. Here is the translation and a video of the song. Please take a listen.

God doesn't reject prayer
Prayer is life-sustaining
I've never seen a righteous one without response
or left in suffering.

It's enough to wait for what God will do
When He lifts His hands
It's the hour to win.

Oh, praise, simply praise
if you're crying, praise
in times of testing, praise
if you're suffering, praise
no matter what your praise
He will hear your praise.

God goes before you opening the way
breaking chains, removing thorns
He sends His angels to fight beside you
He opens doors no one can close.

He works with those who trust Him
He walks beside you day and night
Raise your hands, your victory has arrived
Start to sing and praise God.

Praise God
Praise God
Praise God
Praise God

People need to understand
what God is saying
When He is silent, it's because He's working
It's enough to wait for what God will do
When He extends His hands,
it's the hour to win.

 It was a wonderful service. Afterwards, they proceeded to plant a concrete cross that a man from the community had made into the concrete. It was probably eight feet tall and was the symbol for the Methodist Church, a cross with two flames going through it. It was beautiful. However, it took forever for them to get it set up... So while they were setting it up, everyone began mingling around. After a few moments, I felt a hand grab mine and I turned around to find sweet Rosa! Rosa is one of the children that is in the program at New Jerusalem, Children of the Future. Rosa is also the young girl that I saw on home visits, hand-washing the clothes and dishes at her house. She is a beautiful young girl and so sweet. She grabbed my hand and didn't let go until her family had to leave.

El Salvador Day #10

Day #10 Saturday, January 12, 2013

Today was another field trip day! We got up and drove over to San Salvador to the Romero Museum. If you don't know anything about Oscar Romero click here >  Romero info

We were able to walk through his house and see photos of when he was shot and killed along with photos of the funeral. They had his wardrobe from when he got shot preserved and hanging behind glass, the blood stains still prominent. They had saved everything of his that there was, from his rosary to his toothpaste in the bathroom. It was a very interesting place to see. Informative, yet haunting at the same time. 

After leaving his house, we walked back up to the chapel where he was shot. A service had just finished and people were leaving the chapel as we walked inside. We all spent a few minutes admiring the building and taking in the many things that we had just seen and heard about Romero and this chapel.

We had plans to take a tour of the University of Central America and learn more about the killing of the nuns that happened there around the same time Romero was killed. However, the school had just closed when we arrived. So, we spent a few minutes looking at the chapel there and then left.

We had Pizza Hut for lunch today! SO good. Praise the Lord. The food here has been awesome, but we were all missing American food so this was the perfect lunch.

After our lunch, Lingenfelter went with Jonathan (one of the guys that works with Brian at the church office) to pick up his wife and kids at the airport and the rest of us went to El Boquerón National Park to see a volcano there. We climbed about 10 minutes on a trail until we got to the top of the mouth. El Boquerón literally means wide mouth. The crater from this volcano was HUGE! I will post pictures later when I get all of the pics from the trip together. We spent some time taking pictures at each of the lookout sites and then headed back down. I decided to lead our group down the "Extreme Exit" rather than the main path, hoping for some adventure. Turns out the only difference is that the steps are steeper...whoopie. After we got back down, we loaded back up in the van, drove back down the volcano and headed to our hotel for the night. At the hotel, we found the Lingenfelters! Alvin had picked up his wife Lindsay, his son Amos, and his daughter Layton. We watched as the kids played in the pool for a while as we enjoyed a time of just relaxing. 

We went to Los Cebollinas for dinner and were "serenaded" VERY loudly by a Mariachi band. They were playing so loud that it was pointless to try to have a conversation while they were playing. We headed next door to Pops for some ice cream and then went back to our hotel. Brittany, Bailey, Olivia and I stayed up for a while chatting, enjoying our mini-vaca, and getting scared by the air vents then we finally headed to bed.

El Salvador Day #9

Day #9 Friday, January 11, 2013

Today was our last day of Spanish tutoring :( After an hour of tutoring, all of us and our tutors took a little field trip downtown. We walked to the library, and to the museum/theatre. While in the museum, we were able to look at a lot of pictures that were taken around El Salvador. Many of the pictures reminded us of places we had been already, the coffee plantation, home visits, clinics, the cross over Ataco. We went inside of the theatre there and looked around. It reminded me a lot of Price Theater, the one at LaGrange College. Very similar in size and an intimate setting. Then, we walked up to the park and to the ice cream shop. I think we definitely got our money's worth at that ice cream shop! (If you ever see a La Nevaria, stop and treat yourself. It will be worth it.) After having ice cream, we all caught some of the little motor taxis and rode back to the school. Rachel and I felt like we were in a little race with Wilber and Bailey's taxi with us driving beside them. So we started cheering our driver on, and we ended up beating them back to the school! Once back at the school, we convinced the tutors to not make us watch a video interview that they had planned, and instead, play us one last time in a game of basketball. We did win the game of basketball, making us the winners of the week: 2 wins in basketball and 1 in hangman, versus 2 wins in soccer. We had all of the tutors over for lunch one last time and had a great lunch with them.

After lunch, Brian took us out to a squatter community. This was a small area of land where 150 families were living, with over 300 children. All of the houses were lined up right next to each other and they were built with bamboo, cardboard, and plastic. There was no running water, meaning that they had to walk over 7 blocks to the nearest church to get water. There were community latrines built for 4 or 5 families to share. There were piles of trash everywhere, where the people had burnt it. Everything about this community was unsettling. As Brian and Pastor Maritza were telling us that there was no water, each of us were standing there with our own personal water bottles in our hand, full of purified water. Many of us had snacks in our backpacks, some had cameras. As I was walking around and listening to Brian tell us about this community, I felt more and more ashamed to be there. I did not feel blessed or thankful for what I had. I felt ashamed. I looked at the children there that had not been able to bath in days. I saw the mothers and grandmothers walking around wondering what got them to this place. I wanted to leave. I had been slapped in the face with the reality of the poverty in this community and I just wanted to get out. I did not want any of them looking at us, wishing they had that water or our clothes or anything else. I felt like by us waltzing through, touring their community, that we were blatantly showing them the things that they didn't have. And I felt awful for doing that. I am very thankful that we got to see this community, I just wish we could have seen it without them seeing us.

El Salvador Day #8

Day #8 Thursday, January 10, 2013

Today was another very very good day. We started off our spanish lessons by playing hangman vs the tutors, alternating spanish and english words, and we won! Then, in my lesson, we learned the present perfect and past perfect tense. During our break, we played soccer against the tutors, and unfortunately, they won....but tomorrow is basketball so we've got that one in the bag...hopefully. 

After tutoring, our group was able to go back to the kids program at new jerusalem. Today there was a teenager, Victor Andreas that was there to teach the older kids how to make bracelets. After we finished that, we played some more soccer with the kids. Later tonight we took a trip to the Super Selectos! We stocked up big on some Coke and junk food and then basked in our American-food mountain.

El Salvador Day #7

Day #7, Wednesday, January 9, 2013

This morning was a very good morning in tutoring. Rachel and I went over a Bible story and common phrases used in the church here. She also got me to write out a prayer and we translated it into Spanish so that next time we go out on home visits, I will be able to pray in Spanish over the families that we meet! Here is the prayer in Spanish: 

Padre Celestial, te damos gracias por este dia y por la oportunidad de conocer esta familia. Te pido que bendigas esta casa y los que las habitan y que ellos te conozcan y que experimenten tu amor y misericordia. Sana cualquier enfermedad que ellos puedan tener y dales fuerza y paciencia para enfrentar cualquier problema sabiento que ti estas con ellos en cada paso que ellos dan. Telo pedimos en el nombre de Cristo. Amen.

And in English: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and for the opportunity to meet this family. I pray that you will bless this household and each person that lives here. I pray that they will come to know you and that they will experience your love and mercy. Heal any illnesses that they may have and give them strength and patience to get through any trials, knowing that you are with them every step along the way. We ask all of these things in Christ's name. Amen

We also came up with a short devotion on Hebrews 4:14-16, my favorite verses: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points, tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
We explained these verses by saying: Estos versos nos dicen que Jesús Cristo es nuestro gran sumo que ha sido tentado en todo de la misma manera que nosotros. Así nosotros deberiamos ir a Él en cualquier situación. (These verses tell us that Jesus Christ is our High Priest who has been tempted in every way that we have been tempted. So, we should go to Him in every situation.)
I am so thankful for being able to study the Word in my tutoring sessions. That is one of the many reasons why I am so thankful for Rachel! :)

Our afternoon was also incredible. We got to go back to New Jerusalem and play with kids during the afternoon program. I had the opportunity to pray over them, using the prayer that I had prepared that morning. I tried to take out the phrase that did not apply to them since it was not a home visit, but I'm pretty sure I still didn't make sense...oh well, it was still neat! We got to listen to the story of Lazarus, help the kids put together and color a puzzle, and then play soccer with them. These kids are incredible. So many faces and names that I will never forget: Yenci, Deizi, Jaime, Hayti, Arturo, Michelle, Rosa, Jose, Yasmin, Dani, Brayan. 

Our dinner at the house was absolutely incredible! It was chicken pasta...oh my gosh...it was SO good! Then we took a nice little adventure to the store and got our Coke and chocolate fixes for the trip. Once we got back we had a really good group reflection time. I think everyone is really beginning to see deeper into this trip and into our surroundings. So many times we just see things and look right past them, but it is very important for us to really see what we are seeing while we are here. Because that has been happening, there were some very cool things shared tonight.

El Salvador Day #6

Day #6 Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Today was our second day at Spanish tutoring. I really like my teacher. I feel like I am actually learning a lot! Today we started by playing a review game where I had to come up with a word in different categories that started with whatever letter she gave me. Then we spent some time going over reflexive verbs, the present continuous tense and the future tense. We did a lot of practice on these with different scenarios and learning new verbs. During our break we played a 5 on 5 game of basketball with the students vs the teachers. We killed them...but they requested soccer for tomorrow... Then we talked about the churches and different denominations in El Salvador. I feel like we had a very successful morning and I am excited about the rest of the week! 

After we came back and ate lunch with the rest of the group, our group went out on home visits with Marta, the pastor of New Jerusalem church. We visited with 4 different families. It was such an interesting experience to be able to see the range of how different people live as we walked through the streets. We discussed at dinner how crazy it was to be looking up at incredibly beautiful landscape only to look down and find unexplainable amounts of trash under your feet. At one of the houses, as Marta was talking with the woman, we watched as her 9 year old daughter was hand-washing her own clothes and dishes, while the younger children were playing in the yard. At another house, we all got to hold a 6 day old baby girl as we prayed over the mother. I am very thankful for the opportunity we had to visit these families today. It is truly remarkable how each of them live happily in their conditions, when you couldn't pay most Americans to stay on that property for just one night. I am very thankful for the blessings that God has given me to be able to live with abundantly more than I need.

El Salvador Day #5

Day #5 Monday, January 7, 2013

We got up bright and dang early this morning for a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and beans. Then, Alvin, Jacob, Ben, Olivia, Bailey, Allison, and me went back over to the New Jerusalem church to meet our individual tutors for the week. My tutor's name is Rachel. We spent the morning reviewing over common greetings, going over the food and culture of El Salvador, teaching me how to bargain at the market, past tense, and how to ask someone questions about a trip. We will be doing this for 4 hours each morning this week. While we were doing that, Brian went with Nate, Anna, Meagan, Angie, and Brittany to the clinics. We all came back to the house for a lunch of chicken and noodles, and cucumber salad. Then, the clinic group went to their spanish class and our group went to help clear out a lot that one of the churches is about to build on. We got done so early that Brian took us to get a treat at the ice cream shop! :) So worth getting dirty for! Then we came home, took nice cold showers, and then had a yummy dinner of steak, potatoes, rice, and ice cream cake for dessert! :) Then we all placed bets on the National Championship game and found it on ESPN. Alabama obviously won, and Olivia won the bet with the closest predicted score. A good first day of work in El Sal!

El Salvador Day #4

Day #4 Sunday, January 6, 2013

We got up this morning and had a breakfast of fried eggs, sausage, beans, plantains, papaya, and bananas (they feed us good here) and then loaded up on the bus for our adventure for the day. We went right down the road to a geothermal site that had hot springs. We spent a little while climbing around the rocks at looking at the hot springs. Then, we headed up the road a little bit to a town called Ataco, where we walked around for a couple of hours looking at shops and picking up souvenirs. Then we went to this incredible restaurant called Entre Nubes. The business opened in 2000 as just a coffee farm that served coffee in the morning. Then they grew to sell one breakfast item and one lunch item. Now it is a full restaurant connected to a coffee farm and a beautiful garden. We ordered our lunch and then were taken on a tour of the coffee farm and the gardens. Our tour guide told us all about the coffee making process and let us try some of the coffee beans, which are actually very sweet. Then we ate our delicious lunch and incredible passionfruit smoothies. We saw some incredible views on the road there and back. There is just nothing like the untouched landscape in central america. It is breathtaking.

We spent some time hanging out at the house and then went to church this afternoon at New Jerusalem where we went yesterday. All of the churches that we will go to here are Methodist because we are working with a Methodist missionary while we are down here, and we are a Methodist college. The church service went well, most of us understand very little, but I still enjoy being there. The people are very friendly and try to accommodate for us as much as possible. After every scripture reading, the pastor would give Brian, our missionary guide, time to read it to us in English. During the service we read, Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-2, Psalm 72-17, Matthew 2:1-12 and we sang "Blessed Assurance" in Spanish. I love being able to recognize the songs and hymns that they are singing and to be able to sing along with them in English. After we got back, we had a dinner of fish, avocado, cucumbers, and rice. During our reflection time, Brian read us this excerpt from one of Henri Nouwen's journals:

Friday, March 5: "The two most damaging motives in the makeup of missioners seem to be guilt and the desire to save. Both form the extremes of a long continuum, both make life in the mission extremely painful. As long as I go to a poor country because I feel guilty about my wealth, whether financial or mental, I am in for a lot of trouble. The problem with guilt is that it is not taken away by work. Hard work for the poor may push my guilt underground for a while, but can never really take it away. Guilt has roots deeper than can be reached through acts of service. On the other hand, the desire to save people from sin, from poverty, or from exploitation can be just as harmful, because the harder one tries the more one is confronted with one's own limitations. Many hardworking men and women have seen the the situation getting worse during their missionary career; and if they depended solely on the success of their work, they would quickly lose their sense of self-worth. Although a sense of guilt and a desire to save can be very destructive and depressive for missioners, I do not think that we are ever totally free from either. We feel guilty and we desire to bring about change. These experiences will always play a part in our daily life. The great challenge, however, is to live and work out of gratitude. The Lord took on our guilt and saved us. In him the Divine work has been accomplished. The human missionary task is to give visibility to the Divine work in the midst of our daily existence. When we can come to realize that our guilt has been taken away and that only God saves, then we are free to serve, then we can live truly humble lives. Clinging to guilt is resisting God's grace, wanting to be a savior, competing with God's own being. Both are forms of idolatry and make missionary work very hard and eventually impossible. Humility is the real Christian virtue. It means staying close to the ground, to people, to everyday life, to what is happening with all its down-to-earthness. It is the virtue that opens our eyes for the presence of God on the earth and allows us to live grateful lives. The poor themselves are the first to help us recognizer true humility and gratitude. They can make a receptive minister a truly happy person."

This passage is definitely a challenge for us on this trip. At this point we are about to start our work here. We have been doing sightseeing and getting a feel for the place, but now it is time to work. This challenge to work out of humility is one that we definitely needed to hear. Also, before we all left the table, our teacher, Lingenfelter, made this statement, “Work, live, and love as if you aren't leaving.” It is very easy on short-term trips to fall into the mindset of “I'm not ever coming back. I won't be here long enough to really make relationships. I need to distance myself.” However, that is not how we should be working. We should live our 2 weeks out like we are just moving in. We should work as hard as we can and we should love to our fullest ability.


Very good challenges for us as we prepare to start the work that we came here to do.

El Salvador Day #3

Day #3 Saturday, January 5, 2013

We started off today with a hearty breakfast of eggs, ham, beans, cantaloupe, and cereal. It was delicious! Then, two of the Spanish tutors came and evaluated each of us individually on our Spanish skills by talking with us, giving us a test, and then getting us to write a bio of ourselves and what we want to learn in El Salvador. I did pretty good at the writing, but the rest was a struggle. I am very much looking forward to getting tutored one on one all week.

Then we rode over to Chalchuapan to look at an old Mayan ruin and shop for souvenirs. The ruins were really neat. The name of the ruins stands for “burning your enemies”. There was a trench on one said where Brian told us they burned people...who knows if it's true. We got to climb up and get some really neat pictures. I got some pretty sweet souvenirs too, but I can't tell you about those yet, I don't want to spoil the surprise! Also, we walked through the cemetery there. It was crazy. Very bright. Very decorated. Very...lively. Many of the grave sights were nicer than homes here. One of the tombs read (in Spanish) “this tomb guards your body, God guards your soul, we remember you.” I thought that was pretty neat. We got back from the cemetery, I took a really cold shower (not by choice) and worked some more on my blog for Honduras. At 5, Brittany, Allison, Anna, Jacob, Nate, Brian, and I went over to New Jerusalem church for their youth service. It was a really great service and I am very glad that we decided to go. When we got there we were graciously welcomed. Natalie, one of the students and the pastor's daughter, led a game (that Brian translated to us) with all of the students there. There was about 25-30 people. The game was fun and was a good icebreaker for us to get comfortable with the students and leaders there. After the game, the band led. Emerson, who is president of the youth of the country, played drums AND led worship, Jonathan played electric guitar (extremely well), Fernando played keys, and Adela's husband played bass. They played extremely well and we even knew the songs! They played Freedom Generation by Matt Redman, Reign in Us by Starfield, and Revelation Song by Kari Jobe. I absolutely love being able to sing along with their worship because it doesn't matter to God what language we praise Him in! After worship, Fernando gave a message on Matthew 4:12 and on. He talked about Christ being the light (luz). He used the example of how when we are in the dark, you can't see stains on your shirt, but you can when you are in the light. So then, you get clean. You must see the light before you can be cleansed. The light is what shows you just how dirty you are and how much you need cleansing. Seeing the perfection of Jesus shows us just how much we fall short. And this magnifies the grace that God gives us. It was a very good message. Then, we went into a courtyard area where we watched the guys play 3 on 3 soccer until it was time to leave. I am very excited to go back in the morning. I liked the people here very much. I am hopeful for how the Lord is going to use them.

El Salvador Day #2

Day #2 Friday, January 4, 2013

Here we go! After a few hiccups, like having to wake up one of the students and having to show the bus driver how to get to the airport, we finally got to the airport, got through smoothly and landed in El Salvador. Brian, the missionary that we will be working with the whole trip, met us at the airport with a tricked out school bus for us to ride to Ahuachapán. We stopped a little ways outside of the city to eat some pupusas for lunch. Pupusas are a traditional El Salvadoran food. They are corn or rice tortillas made with any variety of meats and vegetables inside. I got a corn tortilla with cheese and pork and a rice tortilla with cheese and shrimp and they were both delicious! Then we got back on the bus and drove a couple of hours to the mission house. Got settled in, met the people that lived there, ate a delicious dinner of chicken, vegetables, rice, and bread, and then conked out! We were all exhausted and went to bed fairly quickly. Some initial thoughts from El Salvador: landscape and culture seem similar to Honduras and Costa Rica so far except that there are a lot of volcanoes here. But the traffic just as bad! I am excited and hopeful for the opportunities that we are going to have over these next few weeks to be immersed into this culture!

El Salvador Day #1

* I apologize for these posts being so far behind. Currently it is Friday and we are leaving next Tuesday. Our internet has not been cooperating and I had to get up Honduras posts before starting El Sal posts. Also our internet is being really weird so I am going to try to save time and put up all the pictures after I get back. Don't worry, I promise there will be pictures, just not for a few days. Now, enjoy the blog!

Here the info about the trip that I sent out in my support letters last summer:

My trip to El Salvador will take place for three weeks during the month of January. I will be between the capitol, San Salvador, and the town of Ahuachapán. I will be traveling with a group of ten other college students and two faculty members from LaGrange College. During this trip, we will get to experience a full cultural and educational immersion in Ahuachapán, El Salvador, by spending three weeks working with and for the El Salvadoran people. As a student in the field of ministry, I will be placed working with a church and doing ministry with the people of Ahuachapán. The difference with this trip verses the others is that I am blessed to be able to get internship credits towards my degree with this trip. I have also been blessed to receive a scholarship from LaGrange College that covers 85% of this trip, leaving my estimated cost to be $350.

Day #1 Thursday, January 3, 2013

Our teacher asked us to start our blog the day before the trip, so here it is.

Today was an exhausting day. Brittany and I ran some last minute errands in Columbus to get luggage, devotionals, and bilingual Bibles...and our nails done. I am still recovering from the trip to Honduras, and I am sick. But, I am very much looking forward to being back in Central America. I have realized from my past two trips just how much I love that area of the world. The landscape is beautiful. God's handiwork is evident everywhere you turn and so many parts have remained untouched from human destruction.

I am excited about being in El Salvador for longer than a week. These past two week-long trips have been torture to end. It is just long enough to begin making relationships with people and then having to tear away from them. Almost three weeks is going to allow us to really build relationships with each other and the people in the community that we are going to be serving in, and I am super excited about that.

Honduras Day #6 - our last day!

Monday, December 31, 2012

We started off the day again by making more pb&j sandwiches, or samiches as we like to call them. This is John showing off his jar emptying skills...lovely right?

We did our last VBS at San Pedro this morning. We were all very excited because this was the place that we poured the floor on the first day and we were going to be able to see the kids that we had met earlier in the week again. We were welcomed at this church with all of the kids singing us a song. Then we went through our VBS program of songs, skit, and crafts. Except this time when John O. and Bo (the lions) started growling at Collin (Daniel) 2 kids started crying! Whoops... 

We brought all the toys and stickers that we had left from the week to give out to the kids and they LOVED them. You would have thought we were giving out gold.

Cristiano really liked the stickers...

We got back and said our goodbyes to everyone at the compound. It was so hard to tell them goodbye! They have all been so good to us while we have been there! This is a picture of me with JJ one of the special needs residents at the compound. He is one of the nicest people on the whole planet! It was very hard to tell him bye!

Our whole group: (left to right from back) Danielle, Bo, Morgan, John O., Pablo,  Mr. Gary, JJ, Sheila (in the corner), Karla, Andrew, Collin, John G., Mcauley, Regito, Torre, Alexa, Melissa, Sam, and me

After we got everything loaded up, we started the short trek to Juticalpa, where Karla, our translator, is from. We only had about an hour drive there, and we stopped to get some sweet pictures on the way!

Once at the hotel in Juticalpa, we walked with Karla over to her grandma's house to meet her family. Then we returned to the hotel. The guys found some coconut trees by the pool and decided they would try to open them and try to eat or drink them. Bad idea. Those things were disgusting!

Later we went back to Karla's grandma's for dinner that night. They cooked all of us SO much food and it was all DELICIOUS! Also, all of Karla's younger cousins and her younger brothers speak English so we were able to talk with them the whole time we were there.

We went outside and shot off some small fireworks and fire crackers. And then lit some sparklers!

It was an incredible last dinner in Honduras. We had so much fun getting to know Karla's family and we were so thankful for not only their hospitality that night, but all of her help translating for us all week.

After dinner we went back to the hotel, played some dutch blitz, and celebrated the Georgia new year and the Honduran new year with style and sparkling grape juice!

*There is so much that I still have to process from this trip. However, I am posting these blogs while I am in El Salvador. So I am going to be processing for a while. I promise this is not the last you will hear about Honduras. Now I will begin the daily updates from El Salvador, but they will be a few days behind. Sorry! Please continue to bear with me as I try to get caught up!

Honduras Day #5

Sunday, December 30, 2012

We had church this morning at the compound! A few minutes in, the music director started talking directly to Karla, our translator, and was pointing towards our group. Turns out, he wanted our group to sing for them! Thankfully we had Bo with us and he led us in How Great Is Our God in front of the congregation. They didn't know what we were saying, but He did, and that's all that matters. After we sang, Alexa, Melissa, Sam, and I went outside to help occupy the children. We gave them the coloring sheets that we had been using at the VBS and they really enjoyed them. Even the teenagers!

And one girl REALLY enjoyed coloring...

We were also able to spend some time listening to Oscar and Ella Marena speak to the youth group. After church, we had an incredible lunch of chicken rice and beans, I mean INCREDIBLE! Then we played some kings in the corner and king queen, peon, peasant, and dutch blitz. We really enjoyed playing cards in case you couldn't tell..
Our plan for the afternoon was to go hike up to a cave that was in the mountains. But, unfortunately, it had been raining all day and Pablo said it would be too dangerous. So, Mcauley, Bo, and Torre went with the youth group to go play some soccer.
Apparently Mcauley was pretty good...but the Gringos still got killed.

The rest of us spent the afternoon at the compound playing with Pablo's kids...

And relaxing on the incredibly comfortable hammocks!

While we were at the compound, a woman named Bonita came by. Mrs. Jan said that word gets out fast when American's are there and lots of people will show up looking for help. Mrs. Bonita showed us pictures of her work with special needs children and adults in honduras. She was in dire need of anything we could give. John, Mrs. Jan, and Mr. Gary were gone at the time so Melissa, Bo, Collin, Sam, and I listened to her tell us about all the things that she is doing for these people that everyone else is rejecting. She is teaching them how to do everyday tasks such as washing their hands and teeth. But she was in need. Collin and I got her info, we prayed with her and then we promised that we would put it on our list of ministry opportunities to talk to our church about when we got back and we would pray that the Lord would provide for her, whether through us or through someone else. By the grace of God, later in the afternoon, Mrs. Jan told us that we had extra money from this week and that we could give this woman $200 today. It was such a blessing to be able to help a women that is truly sacrificing all of herself to help those that could not survive without her.

Later, we had an incredible dinner of empenadas and homemade guacamole. Then we spent some more time playing cards. And I realized as I was writing this that I made a mistake on my earlier blog. Saturday night was the first night that we beat Bo and Collin in spades, and tonight was the 2nd night. They beat us the first 2 times and then we won 2 times. So at this point, we were even! We also spent some time just hanging out with Sheila and JJ, two special needs teenagers that spend their time at the compound. Then we all got to sign the wall in the dining room for our last night.