I absolutely adored our ministry in El Salvador. We partnered with a foundation called Sus Hijos that was started a few years back by a man from Kentucky. They have 2 transition homes for young, struggling men and women, and they also own a restaurant called states diner to help employ those young adults! They are heavily involved in their community as well and visit many people of all ages and different backgrounds.
Our first week there, we got partnered with another ministry that was there to help Sus Hijos for a week, so we got to go around to different orphanages, group homes, and detention centers and throw huge, fun parties for kids! We painted faces, made balloon animals, hit piñatas, played sports, had treats, and gave them new clothes. My favorite, though, by far, was visiting a group home for adults with disabilities and having a ginormous dance party with them! They loved us so well, and man, do they know how to boogie. It was a super fun way to bring Jesus and love to these places, and remind these people they’re not forgotten.
After just 1 week there, I actually flew back to Georgia to go to training camp for the World Racers I’m squad leading in January. It was crazy to transition from my squad on the field to a new squad back in the states who is just going through training camp. It was also a struggle to be in the US after so long out of it, and be so close to home, yet still far! I genuinely enjoyed getting to create relationships and pour into my new squad, though, and it was an amazing opportunity to learn more about intimacy with God and missions through the sessions and my training team. It’s cool to step back from it now that I’m back on the field and realize God’s bigger purpose for allowing me to go to training camp.
It was hard for me to want to go back out to the field and finish up in El Salvador, but once I was on the plane, I actually felt right at home. Ironically, I felt more like an alien in the US and felt more at home when I landed back in El Salvador. The transition was a lot more smooth than I thought, and I absolutely loved getting back into the ministry there!
I struggled for a while in re-visiting the places we had when I was there the first week, because some of the people remembered me, but I was saying goodbye that last time. I couldn’t help but feel bad and like I had missed out on discipleship opportunities and relationships. I tapped into the fact that it’s not about me and what I can or can’t do in those relationships with that time, but God will use it for good and I can trust Him to make an impact on them through others as well.
