Our plane landed at 1:00 in San Salvador, and one by one we filed off of the plane. I could feel the thick, hot air in stark contrast to the freezing weather that I shivered through just hours before.
instead of clean-cut men in business suits, I was now surrounded by beautiful, indigenous-looking people traveling in large groups. The police officers wore uniforms that I have only seen in movies with pants tucked into combat boots and large rifles. I took two mental notes:
1) Don’t mess with them.
2) How are they not having a heat stroke?
After a few moments, our ministry contact found us. we piled into the van and drove to our new home for the month of January. Our cozy home is nestled in the El Tunco territory of a city called “La Libertad” which means “freedom.” (Prophetic?)
Every year, I try to have a theme. Last year, the theme was “New Wine Skins” which showed up all around me last January. A few days passed into January this year, and I was wondering what my new theme was. As it turned out, all I had to do was ask Jesus.
So I sat down and simply asked. What came up was Galatians 5:16. I had no clue what this verse was. I’ve read through the bible, and I’m a lover of Jesus and The Word, but I was never an Awana, and to this day I’m not the cookie-cutter church girl. I was thinking “What if this verse is ‘Jesus Wept,’ and my year is just going to be me sobbing in the fetal position?
I turned to the book, and read:
“But I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing what you don’t want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not u dear the law.”
I’m still chewing on this particular scripture and what it means for me, but I’ve really been camping out in Galations which is my new favorite book…a book all about freedom:
A beautiful verse is “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit to the yoke of slavery.”
i can’t get enough of it. Our team name is called Team Relentless which we chose as a declaration to relentlessly love each other and the people, and where there is love, there is freedom from fear, bondage, the law and wounds.
Now, we are here in the city of freedom to grow and love on each other and the people here. This comes in many forms.
First of all, a classic part of the world race is called “feedback time” which is designed to call each other into who we were created to be, but can also make us feel like we would rather chew off our own arms. There is “positive feedback” and there is “constructive feedback. In this, we’re challenged to call out the gifts in each other as well as the way we can improve. Giving both kinds of feedback is not optional. Choosing whether or not to receive it in a mature way and grow into more free versions of ourselves is optional.
Another part of our ministry is the church we’re working with here called: La Red which started as a ministry for surfers. The territory we live in is a surfer community on the beach, and the surfers here do not fit in with the very traditional churches with their long hair and lifestyles. Years back, this family started the ministry to reach them with The Gospel without the agenda to change them, and now it’s a growing church of people who are free from the oppression and discrimination of religion that meats under a straw and wood pavilion.
We we also work with orphans- all abandoned by their parents and some with traumatic pasts of sexual abuse. I had no idea what to expect meeting these kids, but what I was surprised about is that none of them live in bitterness or oppression. They are so grateful, love relentlessly and live freely and joyfully. They give to each other, and they live the way I believe everyone should live. We got to play with them, we got to got to have a time of sharing with the teen girls, and I got such a beautiful picture of openness and joy. I shared my story with them, and the sweetest moments were at the end when the girls surrounded me and hugged me and talked to me about how they were walking through the same things. There is no sweeter feeling than a deep connection with strangers. I have never seen love like I’ve seen in these girls.
Finally, I got to give a sermon…first week…diving right in. I’ll give more details on it soon, but it was so beautiful to see an alcoholic man tearing up and praying for a while after everyone was done.
We are here here for two more weeks. Please be praying for deep connection with the people here and with each other. The team is adjusting to a new normal, and learning to be family to each other.
Also, I am still raising support. I am 60% funded, and my next deadline is coming up in two months. Please pray about giving a tax deductabl donation and being an advocate for us.
