Happy New Year’s Eve! As someone who is always looking of an excuse to be cheerful, any holiday is a happy day. December has forever been my favorite time of year. It is typically filled with a lot of parties, traditions, and loved ones. This month looked quite different than my typical season back home. It was rather warm here, in the 80s every day. We are living in the capital city, San Salvador, which is surrounded by volcanos. The view and the people have been lovely, but I experienced a lot of homesickness.
Our ministry was almost always in the evening, so our mornings and early afternoons, were personal time. Previously in month 1 and 2, we did not have as reliable of wifi, or as much free time as we do here. What typically would be looked at as blessings, brought about challenges. Instead of being thankful for what God had given me in these moments, I focused more on what I did not have, and that was my family and fun back home. I was praying one morning in frustration to God, and he gave me a reality check, telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself. I needed to not be consumed with what I did not have, and instead be overflowing with what was in front of me.
He was right, nothing new lol… He sent me here to serve His people this month. I needed to shift my focus.
I have been overwhelming blessed to live with a pastor’s family. They founded a sweet little church eleven years ago. There is a lot of youth involvement thanks to their weekly young adults group, and intentionality with the community. In addition, three days a week there are free english classes for children aged 6-14. We got to teach these! The students were so engaged and it was always my favorite hour of the day. The Lord has definitely given me a deep passion for educating. It always comes back into my life, regardless of how far I run from it. I’m excited to listen to where that will take me in the future!
I have grown some sweet friendships with members of the church who have been nothing but welcoming to my team. There have been numerous fiestas for just about anything you could imagine! One of my favorite experiences has been traveling two hours to a church in an impoverished village. We were able to help bring some sunshine to the children and their families. There were several piñatas and a lot of happy faces.
For so much of my life I have spent this month focused on getting the perfect gifts for my favorite people, making it to every gathering, and watching as many Hallmark movies as I could. But, CHRISTmas is not about any of that, really. It’s about celebrating the one who came so we all could have the opportunity to go to heaven. I’ve heard that a million times, but never fully received that until this year. I am so thankful to have had this month in El Salvador and a God that is always trying to grow me.
I will be leaving for Vietnam on Saturday… month 4 baby! I will have another blog post later this week to give some updates on how my communication will change, and the importance for my safety in that country! I pray that you all have a wonderful year filled with opportunities to grow intimately with our savior. Peace and blessings to all xo
