First off: Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU, Gracias, Mahalo to all who prayer for me and my team while we were in El Salvador. And thank you to all those who supported me financially to go to El Salvador for a week (I'm still working on writing thank you cards to you and I'm sorry if you got two or none I'm having a hard time keeping track of which ones actually made it to the mailbox).
We departed the airport in Chicago Saturday November 28th at 2 in the morning. We spent a week in El Salvador and arrived back in the United States Saturday December 5th before 2 in the morning.
Our team was able to minister to the Shalom Children's Home. We helped with a lot of physical labor on the property. A few weeks before we arrived a hurricane came through El Salvador. I believe it was Hurricane Ida but don't quote me on that one. Our team was able to do a lot of painting, built a new gate by one of the houses, cleared fallen branches and trees from the hilltop behind their office building, cleared debri from a mudslide that took out part of their fence, decorated their church for Christmas, and other things I cannot remember but I know there were more.
Last year our team was able to come to El Salvador and help at the Children's Home. A lot of the children remembered me, by name. It was an amazing experience. Last year I played soccer with the 8 to 12 year old boys. It was very neat when I saw them because they ran out to meet me while we were touring the Home. I was sad that I wasn't able to play much soccer with them this time. We had a lot less time to play with the children this year because of the amount of work they needed help with at the home.
One day while we were hauling a lot of branches some of the teenage girls were calling for me to come over. I told them "no puedo" which means I can't. They asked "why" and I had to tell them I was working and I wasn't allowed to leave what I was doing.
This year I was able to spend time with one of the girls at the home. She is usually shy but I was able to befriend her. I heard her story when I got back to the states last year. I knew I wanted to meet her on this trip. The first day I saw her I told her "hello" and said her name. I think she was a little surprised that I knew who she was. But from then on she said hello to me every time she saw me. She was a great helper and by that she was an encouragement to me. She didn't look like she had a lot of friends but yet she still had a joy in her life. She was an example of serving regardless of being thanked or appreciated.
I plan to share more about the trip, but this is all I have time to write right now. The next time I get a chance I'll share about the church we were able to minister to on Sunday.
