“You can do everything here”
That’s what I said when I first toured “Amigos de Israel.” This is more than a church, it’s a community, and a big one at that. They have a 9,000 seat sanctuary with multiple services, a radio/tv station, a school of 2,000 students, Sunday School buildings, a bookstore, a drug rehabilitation center, an orphanage, and lots more. But let’s back up and talk about the miracle of finding this gem.
This month my team was assigned Unsung Heroes, which means our task was to find new contacts that Adventures in Missions can possibly work with in the future. At this point we had found some other ministries and some leads that seemed promising but we were waiting to set up appointments and confirm details. So, one day we decided to just walk around town and ask the Lord what He wanted us to do for the day. He led us to a park where a couple people were sitting during lunch hour. We split in groups of three and started talking and praying with people. When we came back together two different groups said there was a church around the corner we should check out. So we headed off to see it.
When we first walked up to Amigos de Israel, we saw the students. It was a huge building and we were amazed by how many people were in the courtyard. We started drawing some attention from the security guards and were asked what we needed. We said we were looking for a church in the area, not realizing this school was a part of the church. Shortly after we were being ushered into the radio station and asked to wait. About 5 minutes later, Pastor Ronaldo walked in and said, “Everyone is asking why you guys are here and I’m the only one who speaks English so….” We probably looked ridiculous, we were way under dressed for this nice suit wearing professional staff, but it didn’t seem to matter. We explained what we were doing and Pastor Ronaldo immediately got excited. He said he would love to show us around and talk about the World Race more.
One of our goals this month was to spend time with the ministries we found before submitting them. We thought this was important so that we could give an honest assessment of if this would be a good fit for future racers. We know what a difference a “good host” and a “bad host” makes on a racer’s month and we wanted solid ministry, an involved host, and an environment that would be inspiring for racers to do what they are called to do. This was shaping up to be all of those.
Over the next two weeks we saw some of the most well organized, loving, thoughtful, caring, and Biblical ministry we’ve ever seen. We were able to visit with men in the drug rehabilitation center, where the staff’s goal is to not just help these men with their physical addictions but point them to a relationship with Christ, who will ultimately be the only thing that will fulfill them more than drugs.
We visited the church’s orphanage, that has been caring for orphans for over 20 years. Several of the kids that have been raised at the orphanage are now working there to serve the next generation of kids.
We served with the Sunday School team one morning, where they are teaching children how important Jesus is in their lives. They even had a whole floor of classes specifically for kids with special needs.
Another Sunday we joined the hospital visitation ministry team. They had busses lining several blocks of streets for people who spend their Sunday afternoons loving and praying on people in the hospitals. We went with the children’s hospital team and before we knew it we were dressed liked clowns, making balloon animals, and singing up and down the hallways.
The ministry we spent the most time was Pan y Chocolate (Bread and Chocolate). This group of around 50 people go out on the streets of San Salvador 3 times a week and feed the homeless. It was amazing to see how they love on the people by meeting their basic needs and then they follow up by telling them the most important story they will ever hear, how Jesus died for their sins and wants to live in relationship with them.
We spent a lot of time seeing the inner workings of this ministry. We were able to talk to Pastor Ronaldo about their vision and how they want to make an impact in not just the San Salvador area but in their over 500 other locations in El Salvador and all over the world. I have never been treated with more hospitality and kindness than I’ve experienced by this ministry. We were immediately welcomed into the family and they took every advantage to bless us.
It was such a blessing to see people serving God with such conviction and truly seeking to serve every aspect of their community. They go after the lost, the broken, the hurt, and the sick. They encourage more than a Sunday morning Christianity. They empower believers to take responsibility and to act on the Great Commission. This church is a beautiful representation of the impact we can make when the body comes together to share the love of God.
