Over the last few weeks I struggled to find an adequate way to describe my recent experiences and thoughts. So much happens every day that it seems unfair to focus on one topic alone. It would take an extended essay worth of writing to sum it all up (and after IB, I’m done with those). So instead of telling you about it, I thought I might show you a few snapshots instead. Enjoy!
A lot of our ministry involves kids. In this photo we helped with a children’s service at our church. This is Daysi Wilkinson, a lovely and hilarious girl who leads Team Meek. She actually still needs monetary support, so if you’re interested in supporting her, head over to daysiwilkinson.theworldrace.org!
This is another class we helped out with/taught. The kids were very excitable but loved acting out the story of David and Goliath and playing Heads Up Seven Up.
Ministry can be exhausting. Luckily we can always curl up in our “cozy” minibus…but at least it’s a great opportunity for naps and bromances.
El Salvador is a beautiful country. We live about an hour from the beach, so we’ve visited a few times on our off days. This beach is named El Tunco (the pig) because the rock in this photo looks like a pig on its back (from a different angle). What a restful place it is.
This incredible view of San Salvador is from atop a volcano while a thunderstorm rolled in. God continually reminds me, through scenes like this, of His vast majesty and sovereignty in a chaotic world. Sometimes we forget about that, but all it takes is for us to open our eyes and hearts and His Presence overwhelms us.
Spontaneity. Sometimes your team buys a watermelon on a whim and carves it up in a truck bed while on the highway. It’s the small moments like this that I hope never to forget in my life. Quick shout out to Team River Jumpers for being fantastic in so many ways – they’ve already taught me so much.
Racing on The Race? Well, it had to happen at some point, I suppose. Jenna, Daysi, Ethan, Rachael, and I all ran a 5k through the Christian organization Operation Mobilization. Daysi and I respectively placed 1st and 2nd in our category!
Every week we visit several kindergartens to sing Jesus songs and do a short lesson. Once, we made over a hundred paper crowns bearing the verse 1 John 3:1 to teach the kids that they are children of the King of kings and share in his inheritance. The joy these kids have is infectious – especially when we give them cookies.
While buying toys for kids with cancer, I noticed something a little off in this set of animals. Can you spot it? Now I didn’t take a lot of biology in high school but I’m still fairly certain that moose do not belong on the African safari.
Here are our cute little treasurers Lauren and Jenna hard at work doing cute little treasurer things. But in all reality, these girls put a lot of time and effort in making sure that our budget works out. I’m so thankful for their dedication and commitment to helping Adventures in Missions run smoothly. And yes, that is a massive pot of beans on the table.
Visiting kids with cancer is heartbreaking but we manage to bring a lot of joy with us all the same. This picture features Hailey as a flamingo, Ethan and I as dinosaurs, and Brady as a horse. All the church volunteers dressed up in crazy costumes to celebrate Children’s Day and the kids absolutely adored it.
Another trip to the hospital, this time with so many balloons they had their own van! I handed balloons to tiny hands so weak they could barely hold one, and yet there were still smiles on their faces. Never underestimate the power of the simplest acts of kindness. Bringing Jesus isn’t all about preaching and reciting Bible verses. God is just as fully present when we sing and dance for the kids and spend time with them. Photo cred: squad leader Katie Ruther.
The contrast between beauty and pain in this country is striking. We’ve seen plenty of both so far. Somehow the pain makes the beauty all the more incredible. Every ministry we do is through the Tabernáculo Bíblico Bautista church, so there are church volunteers with us all the time. I have so much respect for these people because every one of them has an intense passion for their ministry, whether that is in the hospitals, on the streets with the homeless, or with kindergartners. They are very clearly bringing light to the dark places in the world – banishing pain through the beauty of God’s Presence.
A fiesta at the kindergartens! And of course, what fiesta would be complete without a piñata? The people we work with there are hilarious and adore their volunteer work.
My typical end to a day on The World Race: curl up under a bug net in my cozy Eno hammock and read for a while to unwind. I’ve never slept in a hammock before but I’m an addict now.
Sometimes we go out to eat and our host surprises Hailey with a birthday celebration…even if it’s nowhere near her birthday.
I’ve shown you a lot of photos, but in reality you only need this one. Papusas. What are they? Just the delicious national food of El Salvador. We generally eat them at least once a day, so if you want to know what it’s like here, all you have to do is find a papusa!
I hope you enjoyed the tour! If you’d like another one later on, please comment below to tell me so. As always, I’m very thankful for all of you reading my blog. If you ever want to hear more, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to get back to you. I’d also love to hear any prayer requests from you. My request to you would be for Jenna on my team. She’s been sick for a few days and it’s been keeping her from doing ministry. Health in general would also be a request because a lot of our Racers have been getting sick recently. Thank you so much and blessings to all of you.
P.S. Mrs. Webb, if you’re reading this, I apologize for exceeding my exclamation point limit. I couldn’t help myself!
