As the waves crash in and roll back out, you can hear what sounds like a symphony of applause. The thousands of rocks surrounding the shore and shallows are smacking into each other, making it sound like they are clapping. As though they were cheering on the waves. It’s a mesmerizing sound.
It’s been so easy to fall in love with La Libertad. We are a few steps away from good food, the beach, and coffee shops. A lot of tourists come here to surf, so there are many foreigners mixed in with the locals. Dreads and tattoos are everywhere, along with street dogs who will sometimes join you for a morning run.
Our contact is wonderful. Her name is Andrea and she works with a few different ministries here in El Salvador.
As far as ministry goes, this past Wednesday we drove almost 3 hours to hang out with some orphans. There were about 20 of them, and they don’t get a lot of contact with people. As we pulled up, you could tell many of them were a little apprehensive about these strange looking girls who wanted to play with them. We started off with a couple of games to break the ice, which they seemed to enjoy. As the day progressed, they were warming up to us. One of the little boys asked me to play soccer with them, which I gladly accepted. Soccer is definitely a love language down here. Maybe it is for me because I’ve played my whole life and love the game. But the kids love the game too, and they will give you a run for your money. Talented little nuggets.
Side note: For those of you that know me, you know I was doing my best not to quote Nacho Libre. When we all piled on the bus with the niños, I couldn’t help but hear the music from Nacho Libre playing in my head.
But anyways. Back to more important things.
They are in good hands, which made it easier to leave by the end of the day. We met a married couple that currently work there. The wife, Kristina, has a degree in counseling so she helps the kids with the emotional issues they are facing. Her husband, Jason, teaches the boys carpentry, so when they leave the orphanage they know a trade of some sort.
Sadly, that will probably be the only day with those children. We have a budget, and the cost of travel to get there is too much to do it again. It was only one day, but I know God used that short amount of time because I could see a difference in them in the end. That’s all that matters.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now.
My next blog will be featuring other blogs from my squad. I will be selecting a handful of stories from my squad so that you aren’t only getting what’s going through my head and heart, but also to keep you updated on what’s going on with my peers.
Until next time. Much love to you all.
