How do I begin to explain living in El Salvador for 35 days?
Five weeks in feels about like going on a short mission trip with your church then not going home. In the beginning this trip felt almost the same as my trips to Central America have felt over the years. It was a strange realization that this isn’t a two week mission trip. That after E.S. I do not go home; I press onward to my next adventure.
Whoa! I live in El Salvador!
That sentence still sounds weird to me.
BUT I do. So let me tell you what is going on down here.
MINISTRY
We have a large variety of ministries that we have been partnering with, here are a few of them:
Hospital Ministry — This ministry involves visiting a children’s hospital whose patients are victims of terminal illnesses. We join with 20 locals and focus all of our efforts and attention on the kids. We do skits for them, dance, talk with them, feed their parents, pray with them, and most importantly speak Life into them. This opportunity is heart melting but entirely a blessing. It is rough to accept that most of the children will not live to be adults. But God is sovereign and they are his children.
Their smiles are the best of smiles.
Tabernacle Baptist — This is a church that greatly affects El Salvador. It is a very large church with campuses all over San Salvador and neighboring cities. I was skeptical at first because of my experience with some mega-churches. But this church has blown me away. Their work for the kingdom is HUGE. I am more than excited I get to be a part of it. During the week we work with several volunteers and go into local kindergartens to spend time with the kids. We sing songs, play games and give them a Bible lesson. They are the greatest and I love spending time with them.
On the weekends we attend one of their campuses on the outskirts of the city, an area that is heavily influenced by the local gangs. We preach there, share testimonies and help teach the kids Bible classes. AND we are helping them clear a new piece of land they just purchased for the church.
Pan y Chocolate— This is another ministry of Tabernacle Baptist and is perhaps my favorite.
P. y C. (Bread and Chocolate), is a very effective homeless ministry in San Salvador. The ministry consists of about 80-100 volunteers that go out to the community every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night. We split up into groups of 10 to 20 people, hop into cars and trucks, and spread out around the city. They give the homeless food and coffee (lots of coffee) and build relationships with the people. They also pray with them and preach the Word for all who want to listen. It is beautiful. The homeless community is massive in San Salvador and is heartbreaking to see. We see hundreds of men and women with nothing but a cardboard box to sleep on. Not only are the streets filled with adults but also children. It almost does not seem real to see kids of all ages with no parents and no home. It breaks my heart to see little boys whose only hope is the bottle of glue they are sniffing or teenage girls whose only option is sell themselves as prostitutes. The impact these volunteers make is massive. Every time we are driving to our normal spots the people cheer when they see us coming. They also have built very strong relationships with the people through their consistency and evident love. I am so happy I get to be a part of this ministry look forward so see what God is going to do.
God is letting us experience all types of ministry and we could not be happier.
ALSO
This weekend I have been in Meritt Island Florida to celebrate my brothers wedding! The wedding took place yesterday (the 17th) and it was the most beautiful of weddings! Andrew and Mo (his wife) both serve and follow Christ with all that they are and truly love and cherish each other. My eyes were filled with tears of joy (the best of tears) as they danced out of the church together. This week has been a great week of rest with my family and a great time to celebrate God’s faithfulness. HE is so great. Please pray from Andrew and my new sister as they begin this journey together. They will be the worship leaders for their home church here in Merit Island.
I fly back to El Salvador tomorrow to see my other family again. This short break has been a blessing but I am ready to get back.
PRAYER REQUESTS
ANDREW & MO as they start their life together. Pray for their ministry and their marriage.
ETHAN PUGH has had Dengue Fever this week. Pray for a safe and speedy recovery.
TRAVELS pray for me as a travel back to E.S. that everything will go smoothly.
MINISTRY pray my team and I, that we will strive all the more to seek HIM in all they we do, be it little or large.
Keep on planting and watering, GOD IS GOOD
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each. I planted. Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Cor. 3:5-9
