- Rain is lovely- It rains here almost every night and it is such a powerful force. I instantly feel Gods presence when it rains here in a way I haven’t ever experienced anywhere else.
- Mosquitos aren’t phased by bug spray- Im pretty sure I’m going to get chikungunya by the time I leave El Salvador.
- Molly is salty. Period.
- God plans, even when you aren’t thinking about it- This past Sunday we went to this beautiful little church that faced the volcano. They has an amazing worship service and a fantastic pastor. While we were passing the offering plate around, the man holding it got this beaming smile on his face. He came up to us and asked us if we were the ones going to Mi Casa next and when we said yes he told us he was our next host! What are the odds that we would meet this man that would be who we live with in a month in a small english speaking church in the middle of San Salvador? It’s so cool!
- White people are seen as circus animals- I’m pretty sure I’ve never been stared at or talked about as much as I have been here.
- DDay is REAL- you all will get sick while on the race and the bathroom tends to become your new home.
- #BLESSED- We are very spoiled at our ministry. We have bunk beds, showers, toilets, purified water, cooked meals, and a pool. The Lord has definitely blessed us with this one!
- You’re always sweaty- El Salvador is HOT!
- Worship is stunning- something about hearing it in another language is just so beautiful to me!
- Smoothies are bomb- We are next door to a smoothie shack and it is so so so delicious! Oh, and also, if you eat the ice out of them, it won’t kill you.
- You won’t ever go hungry- The portion sized here are unbelievable! And its considered extremely rude to not eat all your food, so you’re constantly stuffed.
- You instantly make a family with the other people in your host home- Everyone here tries to make us feel at home and are all so loving!
- You are a drama team- The first day we got asked if we did any dramas, and of course our response was “Why Not?” since then we have become the best King Xerxes and Esthers you have ever seen! This attitude is very important while on the race. You do what they need.
- Everything is cheap- literally everything is less here than in the states! I bought two super adorable rings for only $1 each and Papusas are $0.25 each. This makes my soul so happy.
- Coke might make you cry- during one of our down times a staff member asked us if we like coke and then proceeded to go get us all cold coke to drink. I have never been so happy. It was literally like a gift from God that was followed us with lots of laughs and genuine relationship building.
- Poop stories bring your team together- I think so far thats been the main focus of most of our conversations.
- You can’t be a picky eater- Like i said before, it is rude not to eat your food, so you just have to say yes and get it down!
- Sometimes you fall through the sidewalk and thats ok- El Salvador sidewalks aren’t all nice and pretty like in the states. So, sometimes when its wet, you wont see holes and step in them. Its another bonding thing.
- El Salvadors Starbucks is called Juan Valdez- It is SO much better than Starbucks. And its cheaper too!
- The Lord provides- Our first night we had a rough time. As we called upon the Lord we found all that we asked for. He is FAITHFUL.
- Frogger is a Norm- I’m not sure traffic laws even exist in El Salvador. Pedestrians don’t have the right of way and cars don’t care if you’re in the road or not, they aren’t slowing down. It makes for just a big game seeing where you can cross the street.
- Although the men standing outside all the stars and on street corners with guns may seem like they would be mean, they are actually super friendly- Saying “hello” to these men and seeing their smile make is one of the many joys throughout my day. I don’t know if they aren’t used to being seen or talked to, but they grin when they see us turn the corner because they know we are going to take the time to see them. Its little things like this that make my day joyful.
- You gotta roll with the punches- Last night we were asked to go to a church that only spoke Spanish after our ministry. It wasn’t until we were about to get into the car that they told us the service lasted until midnight. So there we were attempting to stay awake for a four hour service without knowing the language or what was going on. It could have very easily been a bad memory, but thats not what it was, at least not to me. When I think of last night I think of the blessing it was to be able to lay hands on mothers, fathers, grandparents, sons and daughters and to see the Lord work through that! I remember the giggles of Emma behind me, and the winks sent to Allie by the boy sitting on the front row. I remember Emma’s peaceful and kind face as she held a little baby, and I remember the chains broken by the woman on her knees at the altar. Sometimes the most beautiful moments come out of the most unexpected things, so roll with it.
- Coconuts sometimes just fall out of the sky- It makes Hammocking an extreme sport.
- Sassiness is inevitable- When you get a group of six girls together, sass is bound to happen. Not the bad kind though, the kind where you make fun of each other and yourself, but with love. These are some of the funnest memories of mine from the past week!
- Find the Lord in your place, even if people stare- This week I have found the Lord while singing at the top of my lungs and dancing like a crazy person while on the roof of our home. When I opened my eyes to change the song, I noticed our chef, her daughter, and a man on the roof next door were all just staring. I have no idea how long they were there, but it really didn’t bother me. Thats where I found the Lord. Thats our place. And if people want to watch, thats ok too.
- You can have full conversations through google translate- Our first night here, and even a few nights after that, google translate was our only way to have conversations with those who don’t know english or know very little. It really pretty cool asking questions and learning about others via google. Its a nice way to learn too.
- Change your clock- Sometimes your alarm goes off at 4:30 instead of 6:30 and you get caught up in toilet troubles with another team mate. (See Megan Collette’s Blog)
- Beauty is everywhere- This is the most beautiful place I have ever been. God did some good work here.
- Fashion shows round the pool are normal- For family night we all had to dress up and have a fashion show. The night ended with Salsa dancing in the rain and it is definitely one of my favorite memories of this place.
- God puts His face in children- This week a song has been stuck in my head with lyrics that say “I want to see your face, I want to know your heart, I want to walk with you, Every day of my life God.” I have made this my prayer, that I would see His face. Last night he showed it to me. We went out to a gang neighborhood and taught english last night to children of the ages 4-13. I can’t tell you who the boy was or what he was wearing, but when i saw his face with a big grin on it, I heard God say “That is me. That is my Face.” It was one of the most humbling moments in my life, to see God appear is someone who most people deem worthless and inadequate. Someone who shouldn’t be aloud to have space on this earth. But God showed up in Him and made himself known.
- You don’t have to speak the language to know the transformation- My first day of ministry I was at a hospital one day evangelizing and i was sitting witnessing a conversation between one of our translators and a man. Both were speaking Spanish to one another for a long long time, but then i began to hear her speak words, and hear the man repeat them. I watched as his shoulders lifted as if a weight had been taken off, I watched as he teared up and heard the change in his voice. Although I already had a pretty good guess what had happened, I was told later that he had accepted Christ as his father and savior. It is so cool to see God working in ways like this.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this, I know a lot of you are dying to see pictures! I don’t have a strong enough wifi to post any right now, but i will do a picture blog in the next few days that will put an image to everything I’m saying! Thank you for all of your support and prayer over me, my team, my squad, and my family. God is listening and is blessing us here. If you have any questions about anything you can email me at [email protected] or can comment below!
I love you all!
