Hello from San Vicente! Sorry it's been a while since my last blog. Internet access and speed can be a challenge. However I want to share what we have been doing! Soon I will write about what God is doing in my heart.
We arrived in El Salvador about two weeks ago. We spent the first week in El Sunzal, a beautiful beach for a time of debrief. It was a nice week to relax and have time to just soak in the Lord!
Last Friday we took three buses with our big packs to San Vicente. It is an awesome town with so much hospitality, sincerity, joy, energy and family! Needless to say, I love it here!
Our living and our ministry is also so very different from Honduras!
Living
This is the first month of living with just our team and we are also living with 2 ministry contacts. We are in a 2 bedroom (girls in one, guys in the other), 1 bathroom house.
We are sleeping on our sleeping mats, cooking our meals which consist of mostly: eggs, beans, plantains, salads, rice, avocado, thick tortillas, fried mashed potato, onion, pepper and tomato patties, pancakes… And this month we are doing laundry in our “hot tub”. The water is warm and is city water. The house is cute, but tight and crowded; thus making team time tricky especially while having our contacts with us. One time we all went into the tiny bathroom to have feedback until we were all sweating.
Feedback is an important aspect to AIM. It is designed to create open and honest communication. It can be positive or constructive. Through it was are growing in awareness, love and discernment. It can be a challenge living with eight other individuals with different desires, interests and habits. Having no alone space also can add to tension. I have had many moments of frustration but it is growing me and my team. We have also been able to really incorporate reading a devotion, scripture and praying together every morning.
Another thing we are incorporating this month is a health track. Some of us have been going to a local gym early in the morning, before it is in the 90s or so…it’s hot here…all the time! I am on the health track team and it has been really fun to see my team become more excited about exercise, eating healthier, cutting sugary drinks and desserts and drinking more water!
Ministry
Our contact is with a ministry by the name of GPS which is out of a local Assemblies of God church. This is really exciting to me, being a member of an Assemblies of God church. It is very comfortable for me with natural Holy Spirit worship that is mostly in Spanish.
We arrived Friday evening and attended our first service (then ate Pupusas!). Sunday afternoon we had another service. Sunday morning was a service for the kids where we performed a skit we had learned the day before and Sunday afternoon attended and danced and sang during the main service. Monday evening was a service in a member’s house. Tuesday evening was a service for women, but anyone can go. Wednesday evening was another main service where we were able to lead worship and do a dance again.
During the days we have gone to a poor community to ask to help and pray. Some of us were able to help build on to a home and throw water on the ground to prevent dust. Then we all got to help make corn mill filled tamales and then had them for dinner.
We also have been able to go to multiple schools to do an activity on making decisions which was an outlet to share the Gospel. Seven young children have accepted the Lord thus far. We also have had the chance to teach English which I thoroughly enjoyed, lead worship with music, dance and message in the school.
Another morning we went to a nursing home. I went and sat with a precious lady Behilda the whole time. She began crying when I sat down with her. I felt as if I could sit with her forever. It made me think of and miss my four incredible grandparents so much. Next week we get to go back and I plan to take pictures of my family to share with her and nail polish to repaint her nails. While we were there we were able to pray for a lady whom suffers from PTSD and has some strong behaviors of constant bodily movement and incoherent speech. She was saying “bad spirit” about herself and we were able to pray against that and for freedom and peace over her.
This next week we will be going to more schools, doing more dances and skits in the schools and on the streets. We will also be making and serving food to communities near San Vicente.
Thank you for your prayers and support, it is so appreciated! I still need 1,850 to be fully funded! Please consider investing in what God is doing around the globe in these beautiful places by giving!
