My eyes open. It is another new day in the beautiful country of El Salvador. I sit up and look at the astounding view before me. I see palm trees and mountains as far as my eyes can reach. I thank God for bringing me to this place and on this adventure. I couldn’t have made it here without him. I wouldn’t be able to go on without him. He fills me. He gives me life. He gives me purpose.
Then, my day begins. I roll out of my hammock and set my feet firmly on the ground. It is 7:12 and I get ready to go for a run with my dear friend Jordan. We run around the beach town where we now live and see what are becoming friendly faces. The locals here are so kind and welcoming with an “hola” at every passing person. This place is kind of starting to feel like home and it is barely week two.
After our run and workout, I shower and then have some quality time with Jesus. We talk and hangout and grow closer. I couldn’t do this without him. I sit in my ENO and read my bible and write in my journal until breakfast comes. Breakfast and all of our meals are an adventure in itself. We can always count on pupusas once a day, but the rest of the meals are a mystery. One time, before us was a fish that looked like the chef plucked it out of the ocean, put it in a pot, then served it to us: eyeballs, tail, and all. However, I always find the food delicious. We have such a lovely cook.
After breakfast, we start our ministry. Since it is cooler in the mornings, we decide to weed. Oh how I love to weed. I sit down and begin to dig my nails into the dirt, searching for the roots. My team learned the hard way that if you don’t get the root of the weed, they just keep sprouting up like wildfire. So, I dig and I dig for those nasty roots; I dig so hard my fingers begin to bleed. And as I sit there, I realize that our problems in life are the same, unless we dig up those snarling roots, our problems will never go away. Many of us look at our problems and pick them like weeds on the surface, and never look deeper. Then, we get frustrated when the problems shoot back up again. In order to truly find healing, we need to reach down deep inside of us, find those roots, and rip them out. I pray God helps me to do this while on this trip. Heal me, Lord.
After the joy of weeding, we rest. We lay down, defeated by the sun and by the dirt. I travel back to my ENO, I swear I spend 40% of my day swinging in that wonderful hammock. Then, lunch rolls around. Yum. I am so hungry. After lunch, we decide what to do next. Depending on the day, we have tasks to complete. If it’s Tuesday, we watch kids at the church during a women’s ministry. If it’s Friday, we go disciple teenage girls at the orphanage. If it’s Saturday, we help with the church service.
However, today is not one of those days, so we go to the beach. We love the beach; I love the beach. I am proud to announce that I have seen the ocean every single day since arrival in El Salvador. Walking down the strip leading to the water, I see a couple of my new friends. Their names are Edgar, Louise, and Ul. They are young chicos that sell necklaces on the sand and I have befriended them. Edgar is a rascal, Louise is funny, and Ul smiles a lot. Together, we joke and laugh (and they try to sell me their necklaces). Then, I sit on the rocks and stare off at the sea. It is so big, so beautiful, so vast. I watch
in awe with each crashing wave. I enjoy seeing God in his magnificent creations.
Finally, it is dinner time. We grudge back to our new home and what is waiting for us?Papusas! Our prayers have been answered. Papusas for dinner are always such a blessing, such a great way to end an El Salvadorian day. But the day is not over yet, our lovely host, Andrea, has decided to pay us a visit. It is always amazing to see her, and she has a surprise for us. She has prepared a sunset devotion for us at the beach (good thing it’s only a 2 minute walk).
After the lovely devotional, we again walk back to our home and have some much needed team time. Today, the team time leader decides we should watch a movie. Delightful! After the movie, I snuggle back into my ENO and drift off to the steady rain beating on our tin roof.
