It is Finished

This trip has finally come to an end, and these last few days were some of the most blessed days of my whole six weeks in El Salvador. Wednesday, Miriam and Doctora Sanchez took Lainey and I out to dinner in San Miguel. We first saw Dra. Sanchez's beautiful house, and then we met her husband and Buffalo Wings. Yes, we did go to Buffalo Wings in El Salvador, and we had a BLAST. We shared so many laughs, and I felt just as if I was home and out with some of my friends at college. It was amazing to share such a wonderful time with them. Then on the car ride home, we introduced them to Nutella, and I must say it was the best 30 minute car ride ever. There is nothing like nutella and girl talk with Miriam.

Thursday, we helped Debbie prepare for the team that was coming, and although we were all a little stressed with the amount to do, I was glad I got to see a glimpse of what it's like for them when teams come. Debbie and David both put so much time and energy into preparing for them, and I admire how Debbie literally spends all day cooking amazing meals for so many people. She is a wonderful humble servant of God. So we helped out any way we could, making banana nut muffins for the team and cooking dinner for Debbie. We made Rosemary Lemon Chicken. Delicious.

Yesterday could not have been any more perfect for our last day. We had breakfast with the team and then headed to the clinic to say goodbye to all of our friends. I've never been good at goodbyes, but it was nice to take some final pictures and share those final moments with these special people. They touched my life, and I wanted to touch theirs as well. Be looking for pictures on facebook of the doctors and us...funny stuff.

After lunch, we walked around with the team, and it was an odd feeling because I felt more like a Latin in that moment than an American. I was so familiar with the culture and people of Jucuapa that I was the one answering their questions and telling them about the culture. It really was a weird feeling to be on the other side of things. I constantly was thinking about when I take a team to the Dominican Republic, and I was hoping we were not as....American in the way we presented ourselves. It definitely made me more aware of being culturally aware.

We has our last English class, and even though it was raining and the school was locked, 5 students showed up. We took them back to the Hawks to have class in the garage, and we played jeopardy. It was a truly wonderful ending to that class, and I was touched that they showed up when rain so often stops people from going places in Jucuapa.

After dinner, we did our evaluation with the Hawks, and it certainly provided some closure as we shared openly, and less sarcastically than normal, how we felt about the trip and each other. God was present in that moment, and I thank Him for the discernment he provided to all of us.

When we finally arrived at the Rodriguez's an hour later than we were supposed to, we were surprised to find the whole youth group there to say their final goodbyes. It was such a blessing and I thank Sammy and Timmy for planning that. Each person said something to us, and we share some last words with them. Then of course we ate food and sang songs. It was sad but also provided so much closure. I pray that God spoke through me when I left them with one last piece of advice.

It's humbling how the lats few days we have been showered with gifts and thanks, when I feel like I should be thanking them! They are the ones who accepted us into their homes and communities so willingly, and I do not deserve all they have done for me. They are special people, and Jucuapa has a special place in my heart. I know I will always remember the laughter and memories I shared with these people, and I pray God continues to foster these relationships. One day I will see them again, if not on this Earth than in Heaven when we worship our holy, loving Father.

Dios Le Bendiga

Special Friends

With only three days left, I am coming to realize just how much I will miss these people. Tonight, we had our regular Tuesday night church service, but at the end, they prayed for Lainey, Tiffany, and me. It was all I had in my sick-riddened body to not cry, but the love I felt was overwhelming. As Vivian wrapped her arms around me, and Miriam passionately prayed over us, I felt like I was truly in the body of Christ.

It was six simple words that nearly put me over the edge as Miriam told me, "I've never had friends like you." In six short weeks, I have made a friend so special, and the craziest part of that is we don't even speak the same language. My God is so great, and He is a God of love. He fosters relationships, all kinds of relationships. Tonight, I heard so many people tell me, "You are very special, and it's been a blessing to have you here!" Little do they know that they are the ones that should be told that. Everyone I've met here has been so special, and I truly have made friendships I pray last a lifetime.

I do not know what God has in store for me in the future, but I pray I can one day return here and perhaps even when I speak Spanish! Regardless, I will continue to pray for this community and these faithful believers. I pray God blesses them and their work here in Jucuapa.

Solamente Un Semanas Mas

After 5 weeks here, it's hard to believe this is my last week in El Salvador. I've come to realize that God is always with me, guiding me in this life through experiences such as this. My prayer was that I would have discernment on this trip, and God has certainly provided that. It is clear to me that God has a plan for me, and there is no need to worry about tomorrow. My experience here has made me even more excited for what the future holds, and I am daily falling more in love with my Savior.

I have become so acutely aware of my many blessings. Except for two hours a day, we haven't had running water here for two weeks. Water is definitely something I've taken for granted, and until you don't have it, you never realize how important it is for cooking, cleaning, laundry, and especially bathing. People here live such simple lives with only what they need. The grocery store is small and has mostly essentials. In America, we are bombarded by so many choices and so much abundance, we often don't know what to do. Why do we have such a need to live in such excess? I appreciate the opportunities I was provided, and I thank my father for always providing for our family. Why did I deserve to be born into a place where I had so much freedom, so many opportunities, and lived in such abundance? It doesn't make sense to me why some people are born into wealth and others are born wondering when they'll get their next meal. But I praise my God for the blessings I've experienced here, and it has been so humbling to spend five weeks among this wonderful community.

I have definitely been learning how to be a more humble servant. I'm so used to serving God in a leadership role, but here in El Salvador, I have learned how to be a humble servant and actively look for the needs of others. I have been learning to lower myself and serve those in any way I can, in a more supportive role than leadership role. I pray I can be more like Christ in the way I serve and humbly approach the throne of God.

Today my mom and dad returned from Mexico, and I couldn't help but run to them and greet them with a great big hug. And as Sammy and I fought to hug Miguel, and he kissed me on the cheek, I couldn't help but feel like a family. And I got a glimpse of what it might be like to spend eternity in heaven with our family in Christ. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and it will be beautiful when we all worship at the feet of Jesus together.

I have seen so much and experienced God in so many ways, and while I don't want it to end, I am excited to take what I've learned and apply it to the ministries I am involved with back home. I pray God continues to work through me, and that I might be his humble servant.

I will miss this place and these people so much, but I pray I might see them again one day. But I must wait and see what God has in store.

Dios Le Bendiga

Bless the man who created Hammocks

As I'm relaxing in a hammock in the beautiful El Salvador sun under a lime tree, I can't help but thank God for the man who created hammocks. Lainey and I are down to our last two weeks, and it's hard to believe it's come so quick. At first I couldn't wait to leave and now I can't imagine leaving this place and these wonderful people. I've shared some wonderful moments with many of them, and even though a whole language separates us, they have become my friends. We still laugh and joke together (mostly at my poor Spanish), and I see Christ in them and their willingness to accept me (and not call me gringa).

Today another girl will join us here for our last two weeks. Tiffany will be teaching in the special education school, and hopefully Lainey will accompany her. I'm excited to see what these next two weeks hold, but I'm also eager to make the most of them. My devotion this morning was about "Initiating." We should be the ones who initiate the conversation with sinners, with other believers, with those in pain. Everyone needs the gospel, and we have been called by God to share it with everyone. So these last two weeks, I pray I can be bolder in my witness and show at least one person Christ and His love for us.

A few things I've come to love about El Salvador:
1) Liquada de pina

2) Spanish worship music and the Spanish language in general
3) My two families- Hawks and Rodriguezs

4) My friends Patti, Miriam, Maricela, and more!
5) Sunday morning breakfast

6) God's continual presence in this place

I have been so blessed this past month, and God has been slowly guiding me towards my next steps in life. I can only trust Him and His perfect plan. "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless." Psalm 18:30

Guardian Angels

I was going to write a really fun and short blog about the most shocking thing I saw today and the biggest blessing today. I was gonna chalk up the most shocking thing to watching boys cut grass with a machette, and I was still thinking about the blessing when something happened that blew all that out of the water.

Mom, if you're reading this before I've called you, don't panic. I am fine. Now here's the story. We were driving back from El Sembrador, the farm school, to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The farm school was a really neat place by the way. I couldn't help but think it's something Grandpa would approve of. They teach the boys how to be farmers, and they have cattle operations, pig operations, planting, a dam that provides electricity for the school during the rainy season. Everything they helps pay for the school so it's self-supporting. They also provide an education to a some 100 boys that have had no opportunity for education. It was a really neat ministry.

But back to the story. We left El Sembrador and were headed to Teguc. It was around 4:30 pm, and we were on really bumpy, windy roads. We came upon a bus that was backing up, and we couldn't figure out why, so we simply drove around it. The rest happened kind of fast. Debbie was yelling, "Gun David! Gun!" Then David was yelling, "Everyone get down!" There were three gun shots, and I felt two of them hit my side of the truck. After we had sped by, we made sure everyone was alright, and praise God we were. It was two guys in black masks that had been shooting at us, and we believe they had intended to pull over the bus and rob them because that's been happening a lot in Honduras. When we passed by though, they tried to shoot out our tires. One of the bullets was awfully close to the tire. The bullet hole is right in the hinge of the driver door, so praise God it didn't go through and hit David's leg or hit anything important in the truck under the hood. We definitely felt like we had a guardian angel.

Everyone was a little shaken, but I couldn't help but ponder on the reasoning for it all. We almost didn't leave for Teguc today. We almost left tomorrow, and then we would have avoided the whole situation. But after we got past the shooting, David proceeded to stop all the cars we passed and warn them not to continue on, two of which were school buses. I couldn't help but wonder if God was using him to save those people. It's hard to know what God's plans are, but I know he was looking over us today, and He is every day. His sovereignty and providence are something I've been daily experiencing here in El Salvador, and one thing is clear: My God is always with me, and He guides me and protects me. He has plans for me, and I will follow Him.

"Lord I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

Expecting the Unexpected

I waited all week for this Quincinera, and the day had finally come! I was even excited to get a little dressed up and perhaps look decent since my last three weeks have been spent with my hair up and no make up. But if something can go wrong it will go wrong...according to Murphy. Yesterday Lainey and I helped Maricela and Kaitlin get ready since they are two of the lovely damas. Around 3:30 we went back to the house so we could change. Well it was pouring rain, and David drove off as soon as we were under the porch. Unfortunately, no one was home. We then proceeded to spend the next hour on the porch. We went through all the typical conversations people have when lost. Should we try to find our way back or stay where we are? Surely someone will come back for us right? At one point we were about to venture into the rain when lightning struck the house. We took that as a sign to stay put.

Finally we did venture out, and we arrived back at the Hawk's house. When I had thought I was doomed to go to the Quincinera in the scrubs I still had on, we found some clothes in Kaitlin's closet and was off. My hair was wet, I was sweaty, and I was no longer excited for this Quincinera... regardless it was still a wonderful experience. The food was good, and the company was even better.

Today we headed to Honduras, and around 5:30 we arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital city. It's pretty exciting that we got to come to another country. We experienced the famous food of Honduras, baleadas. They were soooo good. I'm still having a hard decision between baleadas and pupusas though. They are both so good! Tomorrow we head to the farm school, and I get to see where Jessica (another VIA) will be spending 7 weeks!

As I get closer to the end, I grow sadder. I truly love this place and these people. They feel like my family, and I thank God for bringing me to this place. It was definitely an unexpected blessing, and I can't help but feel that I will be back here again.

But mostly I have learned to expect the unexpected because God has things we could never imagine instore for us.

A Review of the Last Three Weeks

Today marks three weeks in El Salvador. I've experienced so many things, but mostly I've come to love this community and these people so much. I don't have too many pictures, but I'll try to give you a review of the last three weeks in photos!