Month of August
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| With Jacob & Kathryn celebrating their wedding |
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| Learned how to make artisan cigars w/ friends from home church in San Diego |
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| At Mayan Ruins with friends from College Janette & Carmel |
Month of July
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| Family in El Salvador plus 2 short term missionaries that stayed with us |
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| Dinner w/ Bible Study |
Month of June
Month of May
I came back to El Salvador from N. America mid-May and those 2 last weeks of the month were spent catching up with work, family and friends. As well as trying to get rid of all kinds of bugs living in my room: cockroaches, ants and mosquitoes. This time back, Ive returned with a "getter done" attitude and so decided to hire someone to put on screens in all the windows in my room to keep off all the mosquitoes, plus install a couple of reading lamps above my bed and a little couch in my room. It was great taking care of these things and making my room more homey. Thankfully fixing all these things didn't cost me too much money.
Month of April
My visit to North America was a blessed one- Thank you God. I had more food than I could dream of and more love and encouragement than I could have asked for. I was so grateful for the time I got to spend with loved ones, family, friends I havent seen in a long time and partners in ministry. It was very nice having hot showers again, not being sick, sticky and sweaty all the time, having signs that direct me where to go and on what street I am on, having everything so accessible and convenient. It was also fun shopping for tools that we needed here in El Salvador and also seeing God provide BIG TIME. I am also grateful for my dual citizenship-that allows me to travel in & out of the States/El Salvador and for the opportunity God has given me to have friends in various parts of the world where I can come to visit, spend time together and continue to be encouraged by their lives. Thank you to all of you that made my visit to N. America so memorable, fun and exciting. It was more than I could have asked and hoped for. Your love, friendship, encouragement and continual support are invaluable. Oh and on behalf of El Salvador, GRACIAS FOR ALL THE DONATIONS! Praise God for your support!
For more pictures of my visit to North America, click here.
Month of March
March 4th-13th: Center Lake Bible Camp is one of partner ministries. They were 1 of the 1st teams that came down to work with us, when CFCI 1st started. There was a special bond and connecting with this team even though I hadn't met any one of them. While they were here we lead a total of 3 camping trips and worked with over 200 kids who share all kids of stories of abuse, neglect, gangs and addictions. Please pray that the time/things we shared with these kids can continue to encourage them and draw them closer to Jesus. Click here to see pictures of our fun time camping.
During these same time, we also had another team from Wake Forest come visit us. They were also 1 of the 1st teams to come work with the CFCI El Salvador base. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be with their team while they were here and don't have pictures to share but their visit was of big blessing to El Salvador. This team's focus was leading medical clinics. In the week they were here they saw over 1,100 patients. This is big time record for CFCI El Salvador. Praise God! Thank you Center Lake and Wake Forest for your partnerships!
Month of February
Feb 14th-- Valentine's Day: I can't remember the last time I was in El Salvador and celebrated valentine's. It must have been a very long time ago. Well this year, I happened to have a cold around these days, however I still had a great time. My girls at Bendicion de Dios decided to fundraise some extra money for our English class and made some candy pinchos (see picture to left). Making the pinchos was very fun, we didn't really make much profit of it, but we had a great time putting them together. Doing this really encouraged me as I saw their commitment to our class and their desire to take initiative and a saying in those things we do. I am so grateful to have these girls in my life.
Also, as part of Valentine festivities, God blessed me this year (and I hope for many more) to have my very own valentine. His name is Darnell Johnson. He is from Canada and we met here in El Salvador last year. By God's grace we were able to spend this special month & a few more together. On this month, I also celebrated my 26th birthday. I had the opportunity to organize a get together with family, which they have rarely done in the past, and thankfully it was a very nice time together. I also got to share a little bit more of why I am back in El Salvador and all that God has been doing. Grateful for this special month.
2011- Month of January
Jan 24th-- Speaking Hope at Siloe: An amazing opportunity and challenge came up this new year. Speaking Hope was asked to teach English to Kinder through 5th grade at Siloe, a school that we have been working with for the past couple of years. Siloe is also a church and one of the churches we work with. Additionally, CFCI has started a new sponsoring project called Por Gracia working with the children that come to Siloe. Most of the children that come to Siloe are up for sponsorship and come from broken homes where 1 or 2 parents have left to the States, or where there is someone in their family that is involved with gangs. This by far will be a big step of faith for me and the other 2 English teachers we have right now. I have been teaching at Bendicion de Dios but not in such structured setting as it will be at Siloe. Also, my class at Bendicion de Dios has been significantly smaller, around 8 students each class, and at Siloe each class will have around 25-30 students. Exciting but nervous. In total I teach 2 levels: Kindergarden and 4th grade. Keep me and the other teachers in your prayers. I will share stories about this new adventure soon.
Jan 19th-- Movies Time: Is time for school to start back up again and it is time for Speaking Hope at Bendicion de Dios to start classes de nuevo. So, I decided to quiz my students to see how much they still remembered or didn't remember. I realized that I was way more nervous than my students for the quiz. The quiz would let me know how much they actually learned or didn't learn and whether the system I am using to teach them is effective or not. Very nervous moment, however very necessary. By God's grace my students did well and remembered a lot of what we had covered. Uff... huge relief. In lieu of this special moment, I decided to take them to the movie theaters to watch "Entangled". Previously they had shared never having been to the movie theaters so I decided to take them out on a special outing. My friend Becky, who is fundraising her support to come serve with us here in El Salvador, was visiting with me this day and also helped coordinate all the details to take my students out. My students were super excited and in awe to see the big shopping center, movie theater, escalators and the elevator. They loved every moment of it but they specially loved the elevator. It was their first time getting on one and they sure took advantage of it, going up and down numerous times. They loved it and I loved seeing their joy and excitement. Pretty much, priceless. I am grateful for my students and continue to learn so much from them, especially learning not to take anything for granted. Humbled & so blessed!
Jan 3rd-- Move In Time: By God's grace, Christ for the City El Salvador has a new place to call "office". God put in the heart of the Marino's couple, who are friends with Karla- one of our local missionaries, to donate their extra house for us to use as our base. The Merinos have been trying to sell this house for a while, but they didn't feel peace about selling or renting the the various offers they received. This house is super ideal for us to use as our home base and also for us to dream as far as the way we want to use it. The house is very big, with over 10 rooms to work with. Additionally this house has this open space where we could build some sort of structure for additional rooms, various conference rooms, a hospitality house or even a church. We are dreaming and praying about how we can use this space. We have started painting, cleaning and equipping our new office space. In the past, we have had one little room as our office and storage room. We are grateful that we now have more space to work, meet and coordinate all the things that we do. This was also a huge blessing given the fact that our team and organization is growing and we needed additional space to work with. Also, right next to this house, there is a very large community called "Villa de Jesus". This community is known to be very dangerous and highly impacted by gang members. We are praying for God to open doors for us to begin working with them. Our office is strategically located in heart of Soyapango and right next to this community so we know it is not without a purpose. Praise God for His goodness!
Month of December
Dec 26th-- Team #4 arrived from California "Mariner's Church": This team came to work primarily at the Island La Calzada, remodeling the roof of a few classrooms for 1 of the public schools at the Island, also teaching them how to build a green house to protect their crops and also led various children activities. Another team from this same church came earlier in the year, and after visiting the island they really felt drawn to continue to come to the Island and continue to pour into the people there, empower them and share about God's love. This church has made a 10 year commitment with us, praise God for the way He works. I love the opportunity to continue to develop strong and deep friendships with this church, the church leaders and the various church members that we have met and will continue to meet during the next 10 years. I am realizing how valuable it is for the people in the communities that we work with to know that we are committed to them. Commitment definitely opens our hearts to trust and to willingly and unreservedly work together as a team. Through this team, I was able to see the power that comes from this, as I saw Salvadoreans eagerly desire to learn from Americans as well as Americans learning from Salvadoreans. A beautiful picture of how we are 1 body in Christ.
Dec 23rd-- Speaking Hope Christmas Party: For the last 3 months or so, Speaking Hope has started to shape up and come together. Speaking Hope has become a ministry that teaches English to children/youth that cannot afford to learn English any other way. Learning English is the tool that we use to get to know these kids better and to start planting in their hearts hope for a better future. God has given me this love and passion for this project, and for the last 3 months I have really enjoyed teaching English and getting to know my students better. To say goodbye to 2010 and with God's provision we were able to put together a Christmas party for the kids that have been part of the program. We had a total of about 25 students that were able to join us and who came out to hear Jesus' birth story, to share a meal and play various games. It was a very special time with them and I just loved loving on them. Also, we prepared Christmas bags for each student and their families. I have noticed that families are not as excited and eager for their kids to learn English, at least not initially or consistently, since children are expected to work and help around the house tons. So I wanted to prepare something that can also be shared with the family as an encouragement for them to continue to allow their children to come to class and to say THANK YOU! The kids were super excited and would not sit still after they were given their Christmas bags, they kept asking if they could go home already so they can show their families all the goodies they got. Such a blessed time and opportunity. Thank you to all of you for your generous donations that allow me and CFCI to love on kids and families in very basic ways.
Dec 11th-- Soccer Tournament at the Island Calzada: For the 1st time at the Island, we organized a soccer tournament. We brought 2 soccer teams to come play against the islanders. One team was formed by our soccer school kids at our program in Altavista and the other team was formed by my church's youth group Centro Cristiano Internacional (CCI). The event was a total success. We had 3 teams from the island that came out to play and we had various teams that split up between playing soccer, cheering the game, mcing and evangelism. Our kids from Altavista ended up winning the tournament, but we invited the team that got 2nd place (which was a local team) to come have lunch with all of us. We had a lunch organized back at the church and it was a very special time hanging out with them and getting to know them better. In addition to the fun adventures of the tournament, it was also a wonderful experience being able to bring a team from my church to the Island. A lot of the youth that came, who were all Salvadoreans shared that they didn't know that communities like that existed in El Salvador. They really enjoyed the differences of how people live at the Island and it was a very good opportunity for them to reach out to different areas of El Salvador that need much help. This was also super exciting because I've been looking for ways to partner with my church's youth group, given my limitations with time. This worked out beautifully.
Month of November
Nov 29th-- Costa Rica: After an 8 hour bus ride from Nicaragua, we arrived to San Jose, Costa Rica. We arrived around 1am into downtown San Jose and where picked up by Pastor Horario, vice-president of Christ for the City Costa Rica. The weather was significantly cooler than Nicaragua and we also had some rain. We stayed at the Costa Rican base and got to enjoy the entire place for ourselves. The base had a spacious living room, conference room and kitchen area. These spaces came in handy as we spent a good amount of time during evenings planning and brainstorming together as a team. Our team time was one of the greatest blessings from this trip. Also, while in Costa Rica, we learned more about Christ for the City and its history (Christ for the City originated in Costa Rica 28 years ago), as well as the various projects coordinated by this base. Some of the main ones that we got to visit where: Children and Youth programs at La Carpio- children and youth are offered tutoring, counseling, academic and vocational seminars to help them have different opportunities than many people living in the slums of La Carpio. We also visited Renacer which is a recovery center for teenage girls under 18 who have been struggling with drugs and are living in the streets. This program is huge and has successfully helped many girls get over their additions. Now, this project receives funding from the government and is one of the 2 most successful programs in the country. We also visited other smaller projects that are very similar to what we have going on: a health clinic, kids activities, sports, and more. All these experiences were of great inspiration and encouragement to us.
Another very good experience was learning more about how the base works and how they handle teams that come. Per year Costa Rica receives around 25 teams. In El Salvador we are currently receiving around 5-6 teams per year. It is our hope to continue to grow and to receive some more teams. And for this we desire to better learn how to handle teams and all those details. So much to learn and to process.
One more thing that I really enjoyed from our visit, was meeting other missionaries. There were around 20+ missionaries working at the CFCI Costa Rica base. It was lovely meeting them, chatting and sharing stories about experiences and adventures they have had while working in Costa Rica. It is always so encouraging meeting other people doing similar things and that speak English.
Nov. 26th-- Nicaragua: After a 12 hour bus ride, we arrived to Nicaragua. We were there for 4 days to meet the CFCI-Nicaragua team and also for an orientation in how to lead Short Term Teams. I traveled with Josue, Jaime and Nikki. Josue and Jaime are going to be working with me in leading Short Term Missions. Our time in Nicaragua was very refreshing and restful. We visited various historical sites and also got to stay with a married couple- Joe and Carolina. Carolina is from Costa Rica and Joe from the States. They met while serving in Costa Rica, fell in love and are now serving in Nicaragua as missionaries. We spent numerous hours conversing and getting to know each other more. We shared many ministry related adventures and all kinds of fun cultural tidbits often associated of Latin Americans. It was so encouraging sharing all of these with friends that understand the cultural dynamics of Latin countries and the States.
Nov. 25th-- Thanksgiving Celebration: By God's grace and infinite mercies I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, truly God is so good and faithful. I was not planning at all to celebrate this holiday since it is not customary in El Salvador to celebrate this day. However, God had other plans and I was invited to join my friend's family who are part of my bible study for Thanksgiving. Boy was I in for a treat, wow. This years' thanksgiving has been one of the best I have ever celebrated (if not the best one). The food was beyond amazing (my friends are both chef), the people that came together-- just wonderful and very welcoming, the time of worship and praise we had together-priceless. I am so glad that the Father we serve knows the desires of our heart better than ourselves and that He desires to give us more than what we expect or deserve. I am thankful for so much that He has given me and done for me!
Nov. 24th-- Visiting Erick, my sponsor child: For the last 3 years, my friend Frank and I have sponsored little Erick Parada. Erick lives here in El Salvador about 3 hours away from the capital by car. In previous visits to El Salvador I have been able to visit Erick and spend some time talking to him about his life, school and all kinds of things. This time, Erick and his cousin came to visit me and Frank in the capital: San Salvador. We spent a whole day together. We went to one of the biggest arcades in the country: Mundo Feliz, ate at Burger King for lunch (it was Erick and his cousin's first time trying this food) and then went to get some doughnuts for dessert. Frank (who is Salvadorean but now lives in Miami) brought him a bunch of school supplies and all kinds of fun things for school and to play, as well as some reading books that Frank's mom gave to Erick. Erick was glowing in excitement and so were his cousin and aunt. His aunt brought Erick to the capital to visit with us and at the end of the day, she was crying in gratitude for the time we had spent together. Im so grateful to be living in El Salvador right now and to get to visit Erick more often than before. I desire with all of my heart to continue supporting Erick and see the man of God he will become.
Nov. 2nd-- Dia de los Muertos: Today, El Salvador celebrates El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) as a national holiday. The streets and businesses are fairly empty because majority of people are visiting, remembering and bringing flowers to dead relatives' graves. The Embassy of El Salvador in Germany describes this celebration well: "The Day of the Dead is a celebration in the entire country. It is customary to go to the cemetery and pray and place flowers on the tombs of the deceased loved ones. One can place wreaths of natural or paper flowers. It is also traditional to place cypress leaves wreaths for their pleasant aroma. The food usually consumed during this time of year is: tamales (chicken or pork, sweet or salty) and sliced pumpkin cooked with brown sugar. This dessert is called "Ayote en miel". My family and I don't really partake in this tradition, therefore, Nicole and I decided to continue our traditional Tuesdays program: catch up in emails & updates at a coffee shop. Beautiful and quiet day to do this!
Month of October
Oct. 29th-- Zoo Visit and Flying Kites Time: Today, Nicole and I decided to join Kevin, my youngest brother, on his field trip to the Zoo. I was very excited to find out what kind of interesting animals I was going to find there. I also wanted to go visit Manyula's grave. Manyula was our very own and only Elephant, who lived to be 60 years old. Manyula was very loved and popular here in El Salvador (seriously, when she died, everyone was talking about her and mourned over the loss. There was an official ceremony and funeral arranged were hundreds of Salvadoreans got together to remember Manyula). Click here for images of her burial. Our visit to the Zoo went well, really enjoyed the nature, the few selection of animals found at the Zoo and also to be there with my youngest brother. I've uploaded some more pictures of this visit to my picasa. Click here.
Later on, during soccer practice, Julio, the soccer director, decided that it was time to fly piscuchas! Yes, piscucha also know as cometas, barriletes o papalotes (kites) are sold everywhere here in El Salvador during the month of October. Piscuchas of all kinds of colors and shapes decorate our sky and keep children and even some adults, like myself, entertained for hours. The strongest kites that usually survive for the longest time up in the air, usually get the most attention and praise. Various techniques are used and taken in consideration to fly a piscucha, like the kind of cord you use and its thickness. There are also various games that kids play with their piscuchas, one of the most popular ones is called "Coca" which is about using the cord of your kite to cut the cord of other kites that are up in the air. This takes skill and the proper kind of cord. Most kids prefer using a thin cord which they have named "Limon" that makes it easier to tangle up other kites and cut through their cords. If a kid succeeds in cutting the cord of another kite, they get to take that kite home with them as their price. Very fun and entertaining hobby :) except the part where my arms were hurting lots.
Oct. 27th-- Cisna Visit & Youth Gathering: This was such a fun day. It began around 6am with a time with Jesus and some last minute details that still needed to get taken care of for my visit to Cisna (a boys government run orphanage), my English class and a youth event with the kids at soccer.
The visit to Cisna was very exciting and encouraging. About a month ago a friend of mine that visited El Salvador introduced me to Cisna. During my visit I really felt lead to continue to come visit these kids and potentially begin volunteering with them for a couple of hours a week. I also met this incredible art teacher that is committed to loving and sharing God with these boys. During her class she teaches the boys about God and His love for them. She also teaches them to work with their hands and to make all kinds of beautiful cards, jewelry, home decorations, etc. Through art she gives these boys an outlet to express themselves and to open up. As they work in art, she plays some worship music in the background... crazy right?!
The kids that live at Cisna are under 18 years old and have been removed from abusive & neglectful homes. These kids have suffered physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, often leading them to low-self esteem, violent and abusive behaviors, and so much more. It has been painful for me to hear their stories, to see their suffering faces, and to see how much they need a bigger and greater HOPE. This has in many ways encouraged me to come volunteer with them. I want to share Jesus' love for them. I want to plant seeds of love and hope in their hearts, that will grow and heal their deepest wounds, fears and memories.
I started this week, and even though I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing, God figured it out. I ended up teaching some of the boys how to make bracelets with yarn. They really enjoyed it and I even got some good laughs from it. It was awesome too because I am also teaching the girls in my English class to do this, so I already had all the materials needed. The art teacher who I am volunteering with was very excited for some company and support. Praise God for the opportunity!
Later in the afternoon, I went to teach English (by the way, my students are doing so good, Im so proud of them). And after teaching my class, I went over to soccer practice. After practice we had our youth gathering were we gave youth snack and shared a message. Nicole (the missionary we have here with us from Wisconsin) provided the snack for this meeting. Their snack consisted of Salvadorean chips, soda and an apple. I shared from 1 Tim 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity". And challenged youth to be role models in the way they speak, the way they carry themselves and in the way they love/treat others. We also talked about wasted years, and encouraged them to give their youth to Jesus and not waste it in fruitless things. We also had a youth leader from a church we are working with share his testimony. We really had a very good time together.
October 23rd- A Spontaneous Escapade: Early Saturday morning I decided to listen to that inner voice that was crying out for adventure and solitude. Regardless of the condition of my car and dad's advice to not do this, I decided to take off to our family's beach house. I loved having done this and the rest and restoration I experienced. In the time I have been here, I have had my weekly times of rest and solitude while at home. However, I often find it hard to really experience the peace and stillness that comes from uninterrupted times alone with God while at home, mainly because I have 2 younger siblings that are always running around our house, jumping up and down, yelling and making all kinds of noises.
I had no idea how much I needed this and how much my soul craved adventure. It was also very interesting to find out Dad's reaction to my spontaneous escapade. He was shocked and surprised to find out that I wanted to go to the beach house to spend a whole day there, by myself. As I tried to understand what his real concerns were, I realized that people here in El Salvador don't often do things on their own. And as a matter of fact, is often discouraged, for women, for both safety reasons and women's lack of independence. I have to confess that I felt upset and frustrated that my father couldn't understand how important this was for me. However, God put some sense in me and made me realize that dad doesn't really know adult Elsa and that we are currently in this process of getting to know each other better. Looking forward to sharing more of who I am with dad and my family here in El Salvador.
Oct 8th- Salvadorean Wedding: I attended my first Salvadorean wedding since I've been back. This was the wedding of my mom's friend's niece (who I had never met before). Nicole was able to come with me, which I have to say, definitely made all the difference. Nicole proved to be a very fun date: dancing, eating all kinds of foods served and even agreeing to take silly pictures together. We really enjoyed ourselves, met some new people, and danced till we dropped. We also enjoyed the carnival that Salvadorean weddings are famous for: masquerades, whistles, beads, fun looking hats and very old and traditional music. Oh yes, there was also a cart parked in the middle of the dance floor filled with jello-tequila shots... fun times even though we didn't have any, the music and silliness was crazy enough for us. Enjoy the silly video!
Oct 3rd- Jocote Festival: Jocotes are an extravagant Salvadorean fruit that grows in cooler areas of El Salvador only twice a year. It had been one of my favorite fruits growing up and recently discovered that it continues to be one of my favorite fruits. Very unique and tasty flavor. When I found out about the Jocote Festival I knew I had to make everything in power to attend the event. I invited my friend Susy and Lupe (friends from childhood) to go with Nicole and I. We were all super excited about this and looking forward to the adventure. The festival took place at El Cerro Verde which is about an hour and a half away. El Cerro Verde has lots of green and beautiful sights so we definitely enjoyed the drive there. However, the actual festival was not what we were hoping for, at all. You can read more about this experience in Nicole's blog. She did a very good job describing all the details of our adventure. So, Ill let her describe this experience for you all. Click here. Enjoy!
Oct 1st & 2nd- Fresh Start: We had the opportunity to receive a team that came to teach about inner healing and restoration for a few days. I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to be part of this and also for the opportunity that many of the youth and churches we work with had to participate in it. Healing and restoration are issues that are very close to my heart. As I was sitting listening to all that was taught and shared my heart began to glowing, stronger and stronger as the conference continued to take place. It was very rewarding to see the excitement and hear the feedback from the different people that attended. Especially since a lot of them are people that I work with or interact with on a daily basis. Very very exciting opportunity. Since the conference, Ive been praying and thinking lots about imparting additional trainings for church leaders, youth and children. Praying for whatever doors God will open through this. Check them out here.
Month of September
The month of September in El Salvador has continued to be very gloomy. Rain continues. The weather has remained the same as it did in August (82F and 76% humidity) and driving continues to be very challenging in El Salvador. This month has been a lot more relaxed and slower than any of the other months since I have been here. I am grateful for this, as this has given me more time to catch up on emails, developing friendships here in El Salvador and some projects God has placed in my heart like the English program and a soccer youth group. Check my Fall Newsletter for more updates about this. Click here.
Additionally, this month has brought a new missionary. Her name is Nicole Lindroth more affectionately aka Nikico, Nikica, Coco or Mingo (names all given by my youngest brother Kevin). Nicole is staying with my family for the duration of her stay (3 months). She is a soccer player and has come to specifically work with our soccer school, teaching & assisting with all that takes place there. Additionally, she has been helping me with our English program. I am so grateful for Nicole and have loved our numerous conversations (in English) about all kinds of interesting topics or things that are going on around here. I so appreciate having someone around to process through things I experience or feelings Im having. I feel God continues to place people in my life to walk by my side in this exciting journey I am in. So beyond thankful. God has been at work in my new friendship with Nicole. Gracias Diosito. Lots of fun adventures together thus far :)
Working with the CPCI team and with different local churches has been very fun. I've also enjoyed living with my family and getting to know them better. More and more, I've started to feel more myself and more comfortable living here. I'm also getting more familiar with the city and where I am going. Good times!
Month of August
The month of August in El Salvador, has been very gloomy. Lots and lots of rain. I never really liked rain, but I must admit I've discovered a new love for it, especially when I am able to stay home resting, reading a book or watching a movie. Rains in El Salvador are not like the ones I experienced in California. Salvadorean rains have a constant steady-down pour that last for a few hours if not more. When it rains, a lot of people stay home and different activities get suspended. Also, the roads get flooded as most streets don't have a good drainage system. And additionally, many new potholes are formed. Potholes are my biggest nightmare. Some potholes are anywhere from 3-4 feet deep. Typically you will find several pot holes in 1 block, so even if you swerve to miss one, you"ll hit another in the process. Just a pain. Take my word for it.
Temperature in El Salvador has been very hot and humid during this month, somewhere around 82F and 76% humidity. Just HOT all the time. Hopefully, I will get better as we get closer to the end of the year. Most of the times I end up wearing shorts and a tank top. Grateful I brought a number of tank tops of different colors :) to mix and match my outfits.
Ministry: We received our 3rd team since I have been here. This team came from Mariner's Church in Northern California, Half-Moon Bay. This church made the commitment to partnered with our organization for 10 years. Incredible blessing! A team of 7 people came on this trip to work with our various ministries: soccer, teaching bible lessons at Bendicion de Dios and helping set up a new ministry called "Por Gracia" which is intended to be very similar to Compassion or World Vision. The team also visited the Island "La Calzada" to set up an Irrigation system and teach locals to set one up for themselves using very inexpensive materials to help them grow and care for their crops. The team also helped paint one of the local public schools that we have been working with. Lastly, the team helped organize a bonfire for the youth at the Island. There is a number of youth at Island who had never been part of or experienced a real bonfire. In the midst of a heavy storm we managed to put together a bonfire for them, gave them coffee and "pan dulce" (sweet bread) and talked to them about Jesus and His great love for them.
We all got soaked but really enjoyed this time together. Did I mention the fact that we didnt bring any umbrellas? Yes, we didnt, so we completely got soaked. And since there aren't any paved streets at the Island we also got very muddy. I can't complain, it was lots of fun.
The team left on the 2nd day at the Island, I ended up staying for 2 more days. I really wanted to stay there longer to spend more time with the pastoral family we work with but also to prove to myself and the team of boys I work with that it is possible to stay at the Island for longer than 2 days. I must confess that this was very challenging, especially cause I got very bad allergies again. This time my allergies got so bad that my legs became all red and swollen. I had so many bites all over and the itchiness was out of control. Sister Magdalena and a missionary that was there prayed for me lots, sent for medication and tried their best to care for me. Thankfully, I was able to get some allergy shots and pills in a matter of a few hours. There is no pharmacy or medical assistance in the Island, so we had to call a "lanchero" (speedboat driver) to go to the nearest port to get me some medication. Meds worked beautifully, and swinging back and forth in a hammock while talking to Darnell, a Canadian missionary that was there with me, was also very helpful forgetting about my itchiness. Throughout the time I was there, I was able to get to know the pastoral family better, pray with people that came to visit them, and on the last day when I was feeling so much better, we got to visit some people and pray for them. Triumphantly, survived 4 days at the Island. Yeihh... God is good!
Week of July 11th- July 19th
During this time, we had a team that came from North Hills Christian Church, Pennsylvania. This was the 2nd team we received and I helped lead. There were a total of 10 team members (half youth, half adults) + Rick and Judy who are a couple and also missionaries with Christ for the City Int'l. I took this excerpt from Rick and Judy's latest email, in regards to this mission trip:
"Things are hot and steamy at this time of year in El Salvador with their “monsoon type” rains and high temperatures. But, in spite of those elements, the Mission Team from North Hills Christian Church of Pittsburgh literally “dug in” and did some construction work in the ravaged ghetto of Bendicion de Dios. This was the village of shacks built agaisnt a hillside that was badly damaged by the hurricane of November 2009. From the photos you can see that our team worked alongside of the citizens of this poor community in building concrete walkways between the houses. In the background, you can see that the government has secured the hillside with a green nylon material which allows plants and grasses to take root and become a retaining wall to prevent further landslides.
Sadly, five lives were swept away in the flash flooding that occurred there with the hurricane last November. The team held a VBS for the children each afternoon, and participated in the Evangelistic Futbol Program in the evenings".
I truly enjoyed working alongside this team. I confess I didn't really help with construction, mostly because I had to be in various places, doing different things all at once. So while construction happened I limited myself to taking pictures and giving water to the team. I needed to make sure they stayed hydrated and on task. Sadly, 2 team members did get dehydrated. One on them got very sick and had to be taken to the doctors a few times and even to the hospital. The best part of this was that this person was the team leader. Fun times!
It was also very exciting getting to know each one in the team. God gave me the treat of making half of the team-- youth, I loved it. It was super great hanging out with them, being goofy and silly and serving Jesus while doing all of this. I must add that the rest of the team was pretty youthful too, so it was double as fun hanging out with everyone!
Another very special part of our time together was doing the evening soccer outreaches. Julio, our soccer director, organized soccer games in different areas of Altavista. A team of leaders from Altavista Baptist Church joined, along with a few police officers. Yes, a few cops! It was fun going out evangelizing and having cops come with us. It was quite the experience. Apparently, some of the areas we went to where areas were gang members lived and areas that our organization hasn't visited much. Therefore Julio wanted to be on the safe side. The outreaches were very fun, we got to do some soccer matches, organized some jump rope games, and played a game called Ninja that all the kids feel in love with (life changing game I must admit). By the end of the day, the entire team and myself included were completely exhausted. Our days would usually start at 7am and end till around 10pm. Good times!
One other really fun highlight was the amazing slumber party that I got to organize with the youth towards the end of the trip. We had all kinds of classic U.S. junk foods: Doritos, M&M's, ice cream, Coca Cola, Pepsi, popcorn, root beers and cookies. And also had some Salvadorean junk food: more cookies, chips, chocolate and candy. We watched First Knight with Richard Gere and had a blast (seriously, can junk food, chocolate and Richard Gere all together get any better? I think not!) Fun times!
Week of June 13th- July 10th
-On Friday June 4th, I woke up still not feeling very well, so I went to the doctor's office again. He looked at my lab results and told me I have anemia and still have my colon very swollen. He gave me more medication and a few more lab test to get done. He also recommended I get on a strict diet for a few days until I get better. No fun, no fun. Later today, friend Luis Roberto opened his new business "Carnes Rojas". We planed for a small class reunion and went to the inauguration of his new place. It was great being there to support him and also to see old friends. My stomach was still very fragile so I wasnt able to eat very much. I ordered some grilled chicken, vegetables and some mineral water. Booh! (Luis Roberto came and took our order, he's with Susy and I picture left)
-On Sat June 5th, I visited CCI (Centro Cristiano Internacional) with friend Carlos. I had such a wonderful time visiting this church, felt God's presence all around and a special anointing in that place. I was in awe for the way God spoke through this church and even after the service was over, my friend Carlos and I remained seating down processing through all that was said. I then stood and went to introduce myself to the pastor and I was out of words, tears began running down my cheeks and after a minute or so, I finally was able to thank him for the message and introduce myself. It was so embarrassing, however it was such a God-filled moment. I think I've found a church :) praise God!
-Afterward, Carlos and I went to have something to eat and drink and had a great conversation about our relationship with God and the ways we are called to be a light in this world. I am so grateful for my friend and for what God is doing in his life
-On Sunday, June 6th we visited "Bendicion de Dios" again. We brought the kids cookies and juice and had a little activity prepared for them. They were very excited to see all of us. There was: Alexis, Josue, Benjamin, Jerome and I that came to visit them. They learned about Saul's conversion and they were asked all kinds of questions to see if they were really paying attention. During my time there, I was able to visit Ms. Teodora. She is the mother of Danny, Ma. de los Angeles, David and little Jessica. She fell down and injured her knee about a month ago, but hasn't been able to go out to work. I've gotten really close to her and really enjoy visiting her every time I visit the community. I also got to spend some time with Mauri, she is in one of the pictures above by herself. She is very sweet and loving towards me. I am grateful to be called her friend. We also took a group picture with most of the kids that come to be part of our activities (see pic left)
-On Monday, June 7th, we began teaching English and guitar lessons! I had a total of 8 kids in my class (since we only chose a small group to start with, 55 actually signed up) and Jerome had 4 kids in his afternoon guitar lesson (he had 5 more that had signed up for the morning class). It was pretty exciting to finally start teaching the kids and seeing the kids who were really interested. For the English class began with something very basic like "Hello. My name is .... What is your name? My name is .... " The kids really enjoyed learning something new and having an official class. Benjamin taught the class with me. He is such a gifted teacher. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these kids
-On Tuesday, June 8th I visited Sta. Lucia and stayed there all day working on answering emails, hanging out with some of the kids there, meeting with Pastor Javier, doing lots of planning and preparation, etc.
-On Wednesday, June 9th I woke up feeling so much better. I got up ready to go to soccer practice, however lots of things happened and I wasnt able to do practice just see the kids work out. I checked out a car in the morning before soccer practice but it wasn't such a good deal after all. Jerome had morning guitar classes in the morning so he went to teach his class. I stayed at soccer practice watching the kids practice and encouraging them. Afterwards, Maltez dropped me off at Bendicion de Dios. After the class was over, we went to the office with Jerome and Josue (another leader) and hung out there, waiting for the afternoon class to start. Later we went to teach our afternoon class. I really enjoyed teaching today. I ended up with 6 girls for my class. The girls were amazing, I had 4 from last Monday and 2 new ones that were absent on Monday. The girls had learned everything from last week and were so eager to learn some more. Benjamin didn't make it on time so I taught this time by myself. I really really enjoyed teaching today and really desire to get to know these girls better :) after classes were over, we went with Alexis grocery shopping for our leadership retreat tomorrow
-On Thursday, June 10- Friday, June 11th we went away with the team for a leadership retreat. Pastor Javier, Josue, Alexis, Maltez, Chamba, Megan, Jerome, Julio and I were on our way to la Libertad around 8am. It was exciting to be all together and have some time for ourselves. We got to know each other better, spend a lot of time together getting to know each other and also resting together. We also worked together cleaning and preparing different meals. We got to go to the beach and enjoy some time at the pool. Later in the evening on Thursday we did most of our planning for the next few years. We set some big goals and were able to dream big. We also spent some time reflecting on God's word and woke up at 5am on Friday to have a devotional. We also watched the opening for the World Cup (the boys managed to borrow a TV from a neighbor) and enjoyed guessing who would win :) I am so grateful we had this opportunity to get away and have some time together. We came back around 3pm. I was extremely exhausted, came home, played a movie and fell asleep right away. Didnt wake up till 1am. Brushed my teeth and went right back to bed...
May 31st
-Woke up around 6:30am
-Received the news that distant aunt had passed away the day before. I called uncle Gus to see if he could pick me up so I could attend the funeral and be with my family (mom's side of the family)
-Went to the funeral and attended memorial service
-Afterward they transferred the body on a limousine for a final tour of the city. Others close to the family and Mami Chela followed behind in their cars. This is a very common custom that is still practiced here in El Salvador at the time of someone's passing.
-Came home and took a nap
-Got picked up by Alexis and visited "Bendicion de Dios" again. I was able to bring some acetaminophen to Teodora, who was in a lot of pain and was out of pain medication. I was also able to pray with her for her knee, her husband and her children. This was such a wonderful opportunity. She was extremely grateful and overjoyed for the visit
-Spoke to Jessica, one of the community leaders, and got the list of kids interested in learning English. The list had about 50+ kids. Praise God. At the same time, I hope we are able to give classes to all of them
-We also got the sign up list for guitar lessons. There was about 9 kids interested in learning. Jerome will be teaching this class. The kids are very excited
Side Note: In the image above you can see the big threat that the hill found right next to the community presents for everyone living there
-Met Megan, who had just arrived from North Carolina and who is here as a short-term missionary for a month. Praise God for another girl in the team :)
-Went to Sta Lucia community, had dinner there and attended a prayer service
-Arrived home around 8:30pm
-Went to bed around 9:30pm, I was very tired
May 30th
-I woke up today around 9am and it was still raining
-I decided to take dad's car and go to a new church even with the rain. I really wanted to visit this church called "Familia de Jesus". The pastor of this church is the president of the board of trustees for Christ for the City Int'l here in El Salvador. I really enjoyed visiting this church and found out they are affiliated with a church called Rios de Agua Viva in Caracas, Venezuela. Familia de Jesus church had around 200 members and a very cozy environment. I was welcomed and introduced to the entire congregation (something I wasn't expecting at all). In many ways this church was a lot like Ethnos (my home church in San Diego, CA), small, intimate, cozy, however the preaching style and worship were a bit different. I have one more church to visit this next weekend. Will post about it soon enough...
-After church went to "Bendicion de Dios" to see how the community was doing. I was really concerned for them as the President of El Salvador declared a state of emergency for our country due to the heavy rains. Also, this community is at risk of a mudslide happening at any time. Last November 5 homes were buried under mud from the heavy Ida storms. People living at this community fear that this will happen again anytime heavy rains begin. Since last November some construction has been done to prevent a mudslide from happening again, however not enough. A lot of the construction plans for this community are still in the works and are not yet done. The biggest problem that this community faces is that they are living right next to a hill and when it rains water comes down with mud falling directly into the community. The community doesn't yet have a proper drainage system so all the water that comes down from the hill plus the water that falls down from the rain, passes through the aisles of the community taking with them whats on the way and taking off some of the mud that has been used to build people's homes. There were a couple of homes that had parts of their homes fall apart. Some people have used whatever they can find to cover the mud that constitutes the foundation in which their homes are made of in order to prevent the water taking away their land. I've posted more pictures of the community after the rains, here.
-We also were able to meet Teodora who we brought some basic foods to. She lives at Bendicion de Dios, is the mother of 4 kids and is the one that supports her family financially. She was badly injured from her knee and now is not able to work until further notice. I was very grateful to have met her. She has such a strong faith in our Lord and looks to Him for her and her family's daily provision. I hope to visit her again and again this week. We also visited the kids and brought them a small snack. They were happy as always to have visitors :)
-After the visit to Bendicion de Dios, Jerome, new friend Juan and I went to eat pupusas at los Planes de Renderos at a place called Carimar. I just to go eat these pupusas back when I lived in El Salvador. It was great going here and reminisced
-We also watched a movie called "Legion" -please dont watch it, this movie has been the worst movie I can remember ever watching... terrible, horrible!
-Went to bed around 10pm, no rain in sight since the morning
May 29th
-Woke up around 9:30am this morning
-Went to lab and got most of lab work done. Let me share a bit about this experience, since I found out that labs are so different here than in the US. First of all, there was only one lady working at the lab. She took the sheet the doctor gave me of various things I had to get tested for. She gave me a price for each one of them, added the total and then gave me a 15% discount (not sure why). Afterward, dad suggested I checked my glucose levels also since we have a history of diabetes in my family. He told the lady to add that test to the list and that was all. Then she drew some blood out. No fancy tools to do this but I was told that everything was sterilized (let's hope so). She then told me that most of my lab results would be ready in about 3 hours. Our of curiosity I asked her how come they would be ready that quick and she said that she was also the one to run the tests ( amazing, just 1 person to do everything). She added that she could do this as quick because business as slow today due to the rain. Then she gave me a small plastic container to pee in. She said that if I didnt feel like peeing at that moment I could take it home and bring it back later (for the record I was able to do this and get this test out of the way). Special note about this container: it didn't come in any special bag or cover that demonstrated it was sterilized or anything along those lines, unlike in the States. Then, she told me I had to bring a poo sample in another little plastic container. This is the part which really got me, since Ive never had to do this in the states before and perhaps was to young to remember doing this while I lived here. I left the lab missing the poo sample that I had to bring back at some point.... grrr!
-I stayed home for the rest of the day. It rained so hard and so much all day that I wasn't able to go out anywhere. I had a few errands to run but that ended up staying in my list to do for another day
-It rained and rained, I went to bed and it was still raining... oh Lord bless all the people that don't have a solid and strong home. Hopefully I can visit our community "Bendicion de Dios" to see how they are doing. Bless them Lord and keep them safe
May 28th
-Woke up around 6am
-Got picked up by Pastor Javier to go meet a couple who is interested in moving to El Salvador to serve with the organization long term. It was great meeting them and getting to know their heart for El Salvador. They have served in El Salvador various times before visiting different orphanages all over the place. I must confess that as they shared about what they have experienced and seeing at different orphanages my heart jumped up and down. I really do desire to someday be able to have a place of my own where kids from all kinds of walks can come and be restored, can come and be healed, can come and be loved and accepted, can come and receive an eternal hope for a good and prosperous future! *Sigh*Sigh*Sigh*
-After our meeting with the Hjemvick's we had our weekly staff meeting. I bought the team some doughnuts and to my surprise one of them asked if we could make an Elsa Doughnut, also known as "dona loca". My heart was glad and happy to be working with a team of people that puts up with my silliness. They are great
-Later went over to Jerome's place to apologize for having forgotten him this morning. Javier, Jerome and I went over to Pollo Campero (famous chicken in El Salvador) and had lunch together
-I came home and answered many emails
-Took a nap, stomach was still feeling a bit funny
-Went out with friend Susy and Jerome for dinner. We went to an Arabic restaurant called "Jeques" located in Plaza Futura. The food was delicious, I was able to task a lot of food I grew up eating and that I missed very much (check picture above)
-Afterward, we took Jerome to La Gran Via and went to Tucson. Saw a few friends there: Lupe, Susana and Raquel
-Later, we went to "La Cocina de Dona Maria" (I had never been to this place before) and meet a few cousins there Simeon, Wilfredo and Monica. I also made a couple of new friends Juan Carlos and Carlos. It was a fun night out
-Went to bed a bit too late
May 27th
-Woke up around 7:30am, it was raining
-Tried to go to lab to get lab work done, but woke up very hungry and had some cereal. The lab work I had to get done had to be done with an empty stomach
-Worked on answering some more emails
-Watched "The four feathers" and fell asleep
-It kept raining
-Received some amazing news (totally answer to prayer): The father of a dear friend Frank offered to donate the complete Sesame Street English set. This program teaches children between the ages of 5-12 years old how to speak English through various video clips, songs, worksheets, etc. This program is primarily conversational English which is very ideal to start with. I am completely overjoyed and look forward to the way this program will help us give children an opportunity for a better future. I am also excited to use this program to start building a foundation for our dream of establishing a program that teaches English to children living in impoverished communities. May God help us with this big dream :)
-Prepared schedule for some of the teams that are coming this summer. So far there are 2 big teams that I am in charge of and about 4 short term missionaries that will be here. Very exciting stuff. Thank you God for sending more volunteers to help us out :)
-Watched "Pride and Prejudice" and fell sleep again
-Updated blog
-Stomach wasnt feeling all that great, pills made me dizzy and body was tired. It was pouring and quickly I feel asleep again
-Cant remember at what time I went to bed
May 26th
-Woke up at 6am
-Got ready for soccer practice
-I still wasnt feeling all that well. And found out that father wasnt feeling good at all. He was in a lot of pain from his lower back
-Went to our health clinic to see the doctor for both father and I
-Dr said I had gastritis, food poisoning and my colon swollen. In addition had many tests to take too. Sad day. He gave me all kinds of medication and 3 days of rest. No soccer practice for me this week
-Went home to rest , rest, rest, rest, rest and more rest (it sure was hard, but all those colorful pills helped)
-Not sure at what time I went to bed
May 25th
-Woke up around 7am not feeling very well. Felt very tired, stomach bloated, with body ache and others
-Took various naps throughout the day
-Worked from home today, in all kinds of emails, phone calls and in coordinating details for teams that are visiting this summer as best as I could
-Went to bed around 10pm
May 24th
-Woke up around 7am
-Worked from home all morning in answering all kinds of emails and coordinating details for a team that is coming from the States June 20-29th
-Went over to Jerome's place to scan some paperwork
-Met the director of the base of Christ for the City Int'l in Costa Rica
-Met Pastor Javier at Altavista
-Stopped by street fair, ate an elote loco and some churros
-Went to Bendicion de Dios to visit the kids and gather some information for the English classes, so far there are more than 50 kids interested in learning English, such exciting news. Now I need to start preparing what to teach them and gathering different resources to do this. It would be amazing to set up an English Institute where people from the States can come for a month, two or a year and teach English for children in impoverished communities. Please keep this in your prayers, this would be something really great to do as it would give children new tools and opportunities for a better future
-Interviewed some of the families in this community that have children with some sort of learning or physical disability. We gather more information about the kids and possible ways to help them
-Arrived home around 6pm not feeling very well. Had a funny stomachache
-Went to bed around 9pm
May 23rd
-Woke up around 8am
-Changed into bathing suit and went to read my bible next to the pool
-Lupe and Carlos made breakfast: beans, eggs, bread and cheese
-Took a nap in a hammock
-Played board game called "okay" which mom bought many years ago in Turkey. Similar versions are called "con quien" or "rummy"
-Packed our bags and drove back
-Stopped by Mister Donuts drive thru for a mocca doughnut
-Went to church with Carlos. I visited a new church called "Centro Evangelistico" which is also an assemblies of God church. Check them here. I really enjoyed their worship time. It reminded me a lot of Ethnos, my beloved church. Their service was very nice, however they had a visiting pastor. So, I didnt get to hear the main pastor speak. I really enjoyed visiting this church with my friend Carlos. We were able to have a great conversation afterward about our thoughts and experiences. So grateful for our friendship and his heart.
-Arrived home, unpacked my bags and rested
-Went to bed around 10pm
May 22nd
-Woke up this day around 8am
-Got ready and went to visit my aunt Elsa and uncle Jose who are like my grandparents. I hadnt had a chance to see them since I got here
-Packed bags to go to the beach for the weekend
-Uncle Joaquin, 2 years older, picked me up and then picked up friends Susy and Lupe
-Stayed at Atami Resort Club in La Libertad at family's beach house
-In the afternoon, slept on hammocks under the heavy rain
-Went to el Tunco for dinner
-Carlos and Alejandro (friends I grew up with) joined us too
-At el Tunco, we went to a new place Ive never been before called "D'Rocas bar and restaurant". It was a great place to visit on a Saturday night, with lot of tourists, backpackers, surfers, locals, great food, drinks, and live music. This place was located right in front of the ocean and even had a little staircase to the beach
-Since we arrived at D'Rocas pretty early we decided to go next door to La Bocana to get something to eat. Check it out! At La Bocana, we order various appetizers to share and I ordered a shrimp in pink sauce cocktail, one of my favorites. At La Bocana they also had a "batucada" (group of drummers) come and perform and even had some fire dancing performances. We danced and had a great time :)
-After a while we returned to D'Rocas where a Reggae band was performing. We stayed there for the rest of the evening
-Arrived at beach house around 1am, safely
May 21st
-Woke up at 6am
-Went to soccer practice in the am and successfully ran for 10 minutes non-stop. However, when I was done, one of the coaches Maltez asked for me to do one more lap which I decided to do as fast as I could. Sadly, I torn the muscle trying to do this and after that I couldn't do anything else. This was bummer cause I really wanted to finish the entire practice
-After soccer training was over, Maltez and I went to have lunch at the public school next door. We had a delicious chicken soup, with cheese, lime, tortillas and all of this for $1.50. It such a good deal :)
-Over lunch Maltez shared his testimony which I wanted to share with you guys as well. It is pretty amazing and encouraging. Here it is: Growing up in a gang, Maltez was all too familiar with the strict set of rules which accompany the volatile life of a gangbanger. Having befriended a member of his rival gang in his early teenage years, he secretly spent a lot of time with this young fellow, and he also spent a lot of time covering this fact up to his own gang. His gang family eventually developed suspicions, and those suspicions came to a head when he was discovered with his rival gang-member friend by the gang leader and his 9mm pistol. The gang leader shot them both in the head multiple times, but apparently Jesus didn’t intend those particular bullets for Maltez, because even though they were fired point-blank, they never hit Maltez. His best friend, however, wasn’t so fortunate. The gang leader ran off, probably feeling certain that he had done the job. Maltez cradled his best friend in his arms as he died, his tears mixing in with pools of blood. It was at this point that Maltez began to desperately want out of this sort of reckless, meandering, empty life. He wanted something real to live for, and he found something more real than he had ever fathomed. He found faith in Jesus Christ, and with it a life overflowing with joy and peace.
-Maltez is awesome, he is only 20 years old but old beyond his years. He is an amazing servant of God with a pure and precious heart, ready to serve all those around him anytime. Grateful for him
-In the afternoon we headed to "Bendicion de Dios" to bring the kids a pinata and chocobananos. We had around 40 kids join us. We taught them a bible story, gave them chocobananos and broke the pinata
-Afterward, we met with the community leaders of Bendicion de Dios to share with them the desire we have to teach the kids English and guitar lessons. The leaders of the community were very excited to hear the news. The leaders at Bendicion de Dios are really great people a loving and kind heart. They are humble and filled with so much love for others and their own community
-Arrived home around 6:30pm
-Took a shower, got ready and got picked up by cousin Simeon and his girlfriend. I saw Simeon last, 8 years ago. It was great to see him again and catch up. We went to a restaurant called Tucson, had a couple of drinks and then went to a graduation get together at a place called "Circo". This is a newer, upscale, modern and very artistic night bar. I enjoyed visiting a new place and spending time with my dear cousin
-Went to bed around 1am & fell asleep in no time
May 20th
-Woke up around 7:30am
-Went over to Jerome's place (he is staying at the missionary house where we house most short term missionaries)
-Made chocobanan0s for the 1st time ever
-Susy came over to help us out
-Successfully made about 80 chocobananos. They looked pretty and tasted pretty amazing. I couldn't help but to eat a couple of them :)
-Got picked up by Alexis, one other leader that I am working with who has been working with the community "Bendicion de Dios" for a while now. He drove us to the office in Altavista for our staff meeting
-As soon as I arrived to the office, I went in to see the dentist at our health clinic (which is right next door). I finally had a cleaning done and found out I have 2 cavities :( so sad
-Had our 1st official staff meeting which lasted close to 3 hours. It was a very productive and encouraging meeting
-After our meeting was over, went across the street to this little carnival with rides and all kinds of foods. Rode "el gusanito" several times (we paid for 2 and they gave us like 5 or 6)
-Also got in the "carritos chocones" (bumper cars) once, so much fun
-Arrived home around 7pm
-Worked in some emails
-Went to bed around 10pm
May 19th
-Woke up around 6:10am
-Tried out a new route to Altavista. This new route took 15 min less than the one we took on Monday. It is still very hard to remember all the little streets. Dad is driving me to work these days until I get my own car
-Arrived in time for my very 2nd soccer practice, saw a lot of familiar faces
-Worked out with kids for almost all of the training. I ran and did most of their rotations, played a game with the youngest kids in the program as one of their defense. I enjoyed it very much even though our team lost :(
-As a consolation price, I ate some yummy minuta (shaved ice with all kinds of flavors) I also treated the winning team to a minuta. With this a new tradition has began for the youngest kids like Bladimir and Velio (kids in the picture). Every Wednesday whichever team of the youngest kids wins, gets a minuta at the end of practice. The kids were really excited and motivated to play hard and to give their best in the field. They are so cute
-After practice we went to the public school and had some tasty pupusas that were being handed out. We hung at the cafeteria for a while: Jerome, Maltez and I
-We were dropped off at the office and waited for Javier
-Went to try out choripanes. These are very famous for their flavor and price. They are hot dogs with a special dressing and cabbage! Very tasty I must confess. Check out the pictures
-We finished work sort of early today because we had some bananas to freeze to make chocobananas. However, Jerome volunteered to doing them himself, so I got to come home early and work in some more emails
-Around 8pm Susy and Carlos (friends I grew up with) came over for a movie night. We watched leap year, ate some tasty chips ahoy with milk and a very flavorful tuna dip handmade by Carlos
-After movie went to bed, around 11:30pm
May 18th
-Woke up at 8am, very sore
-Spent all day working in emails, preparing information for teams that are you coming to El Salvador and other administrative tasks. Tuesdays will be my work from home day for now. We don't have any internet access at the office yet, therefore Ill be working from home to answer and coordinate many things I need to do online.
-Around 6:30p I was picked up by Pastor Javier and his family. I finally met his wife Karlita and got to spend more time with their kids: Carlitos and Valeria. We went to a pupuseria called "Pati" which is located in "Los Planes de Renderos" a higher point in the city. We ate some pupusas and had some hot cocoa with quesadilla (sweet bread). It was a really wonderful time to hang out with Javier and his family.
-Arrived home around 8:30pm
-Called family in Los Angeles
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 17th
-Woke up very early around 6:15am
-Went to Altavista for 1st day at work
-Worked out with kids at soccer school for 15 min and was done for the rest of the training. I realized how hard these kids work. Their training is an hour and a half long. They are great players and have a lot of dedication to the sport. They are also in excellent shape, unlike moi!
-After training went over to Altavista's public school to check it out
-Went to Plaza Mundo to buy some tennis shoes for Jerome. I rode a bus for the very first time in El Salvador. This was an exciting experience. I was a bit nervous but glad to have 4 other guys with me on this adventure. Somehow we managed to take a couple of picture while on the bus and of the bus. Check them here!
-Had lunch together: Maltez, Julio, Chamba, Jerome and I. We at at "Biggest" El Salvador fast food restaurant. After 8 years I had their "pita" again. This is made out of pita bread stuffed with cheese and ham. It was as I remembered it, very tasty and delicious
-Took another bus back to Altavista (successful experience again)
-Met with Pastor Javier at the main office
-Met with Alexis to brainstorm on what we can do at community: "Bendicion de Dios"
-Met Pastor Javier's kids and in-laws (wonderful people)
-Arrived home around 5:00pm
-Answered a few emails
-Went to bed around 9:30pm
May 16th
-Woke up at Susy's place again, just with Hugo (puppy) this time
-Went to a new church called "Iglesia Josue" of the Assemblies of God. I really enjoyed visiting this church, especially because God spoke to me there so clearly. The message was based from Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy-two messengers to spread the Good News. The title of the sermon was "Let's embrace the adventure of being a missionary of God". The friend that I was with that took me to this church was filled with so much joy too. She said, "Elsa God loves you so much. This entire sermon was for you. God gave you these words of instructions the day before your 1st day of work, to encourage you, guide you and bless you". It was so exciting and just what my heart needed. Check their website: http://www.iglesiajosue.org/site/
-Had lunch friend I was with and her family
-Friend Monica who I grew up with came over with her son Alejandro and we celebrated her 25th bday
-Watched "Dear John" bootleg copy :-S
-Had a very good conversation with Monica
-Worked in some emails
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 15th
-Woke up at Susy's house with Lilo and Hugo (puppies) in the bed with me
-Had a bowl of cereal
-Enjoyed a day of rest and solitude: reading bible, watching the story of Esther, listening to Adrian Rogers and praising God for the many blessings He has given me
-Susy and her family arrived around 5pm
-Walked with puppies and Susy to the park
-At the park, had all kind of traditional foods: 2 elotes locos (crazy corn), 1 torreja (french toasts w/ a special sauce), 2 riguas (made out of corn w/cheese and beans), 1 atol de elote (corn drink) and 1 pastelito de chucho (dough with vegetables inside).
-Bought my 1st set of pirate movies and had very mixed feelings about it
-Went out to eat some pistacho ice-cream with Susy and LuisRo (friend from childhood)
-Watched Hachi with Susy, she cried and cried and cried some more
-Ceron came by to say hello for a little bit (another friend from childhood)
-Saw 1st frog so far in El Salvador very very gross looking
-Spent the night at Susy's place and went to bed around 11pm
May 14th
-Woke up
-Didnt work out :(
-Went out to run a few errands with dad
-Did my laundry, Salvadorean style (pic on left)
-Took a nap
-Hung out with cousin Alicia who is 14 years old at la Gran Via (shopping center)
-Met friend Monica & her son for coffee at Viva Express
-Had a delicious Chai Latte
-Went over to Susy's house to house sit and watch over her puppies: Lilo and Hugo
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 13th-Woke up at 6:30am
-Had a bowl of cereal
-Got picked up by Pastor Javier, director of base, around 8am
-Picked up Jerome and moved his stuff to the Missionary house
-Visited "Altavista" another community where I will be working at which is about 30 minutes away from my place. The central office for the org. is also located there. I had my first staff meeting today and met the rest of the team. They introduced themselves, shared their vision for the different projects in place, and brainstormed about new ideas. It was so great to get to know the hearts of my teammates. I am very grateful for each one of them, they each have such a unique and inspiring story.
-We had lunch at a Taco place in Altavista and then headed to Mister Donut for dessert
-Went over to "Bendicion de Dios" which is a small community of about 88 families in Altavista. Homes in this community are made of metal sheets. Click here for more pictures. At the end of last year, El Salvador experienced very heavy rains and at this community 6 homes got buried in mud. Most of these homes have been reconstructed but there are still many repairs to be done to prevent another mudslide. It was so encouraging to met some of the families that live there, they are people of great compassion, generosity, love, joy and kindness. I am excited to do life and learn from them
-Did a few errands with Pastor Javier: supermarket and bought a fan
-Took a nap
-Had some beans, tortilla and some potatoes for dinner
-Went to bed around 10:30pm
May 12th
-Woke up
-Worked out
-Drove in El Salvador for the 1st time in a very long time (maybe 5 years), didn't get into any car accidents or got lost
-Met Jerome, new friend who is going to be helping out with the org. and who is also from San Diego, small world.
-Had lunch at Mister Donut and went to check out a Missionary House for Jerome to live at for the time he is here. This will also be the house where other missionaries that come for short-term trips can stay at. This house can host about 50 people, has its own laundry room, kitchens, dinning room, library and backyard. A lovely place.
-Answered many emails
-Went to bed around 11am
May 11th
-Woke up
-Ate a bowl of cereal
-Got picked up by Pastor Javier (Director) at 11:30a
-Visited the community "Sta Lucia". This area is known to be very dangerous and to have much gang activity. However, to my surprise the areas where we went through felt safe, looked clean and in order. Currently, the organization has a ministry called "Por Gracia" there, where they have a Christian School+Church. The school has around 400 students going to school and many of these same kids attend church there on Sunday. Majority of these kids have very difficult living situations at home and are exposed to all kinds of crazy and wicked things (Im not sure how much I can share here). My heart was broken for these kids as I heard many sad and horrible stories about what these kids have gone through. However, I also heard many stories of restoration and transformation that many of these kids have experienced. Praise God for the ways He heals us and restores our hope again. My heart walked away caring deeply and hopeful for all that is in store
-During this visit I also was able to participate in a Mother's Day celebration. Some of the kids performed a dance to their mothers, made them a beautiful craft, recited poems and served them cake. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the mom's. Ill post some more pictures of this event later. Cant wait to go back...
-Went for ice-cream on our way back with Pastor Javier (Director) and Maltez (Soccer School Coach)
-Took a nap and read my bible
-Called mom and friend Brian
-Went to bed around midnight
May 10th
-Woke up to Mother's Day here in El Salvador. El Salvador celebrates Mother's Day every year on May 10th regardless of the day of the week it falls on. Beatriz, my stepmother received a cute handmade purse that Susy had made, a paper flower from Kevin, and a desk lamp from me. She seemed very happy with her gifts and the many phone calls she got
-Called my mommy to wish her a happy Mother's Day and thank her for her love and care of always. I am so thankful for my mommy
-Had breakfast: beans, eggs, cheese, cream and tortilla
-Worked in answering emails, posting updates to blog, coordinated details of trip that is coming to El Salvador on June 20th and many more administrative related tasks
-Decided to work out and watch Gilmore Girls
-Received a random call from someone called Jerome who is traveling through Central America and who is interested in helping out with the organization. It was pretty cool cause he is from San Diego, we have 1 friend in common: my beloved friend Heather Gaines and he is staying at a hotel a few blocks away from my dad's. Crazy small world, isn't it???!!!
-Took pictures of siblings playing in their very own pool (pic above)
-Called Tara in San Diego
-Had some tasty rice, breaded fish, salad and tortilla for lunch/dinner
-Finished my past due, Spring Newsletter
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 9th
-Woke up feeling very weak, body aches and a slight headache
-Went to church with Julio, older brother, and his sons, my nephews (in the picture: susy-younger sister, me, Cesar 8, Josue 10, Kevin-youngest brother, Ederson 6). His church's name "Mision Cristiana Nuevo Pacto" (http://www.misioncristiananuevopacto.org). This church branched out from "Mision Cristiana Elim International" which happens to be one of the biggest churches in the world. Nuevo Pacto has also adopted the model of celulas, which is a very well-known model for home group/bible study/community group, multiplication. There must have been around 800-1,000 people at the service. There was also a big sense of freedom to feel/act/do whatever you felt lead to do. Many people would go to the front to worship, to repent, to dance, to sing, to cry and to pray to God. This church also had a wonderful children's program, for babies through 5th grade. I really did enjoy the visit, the people I met and the experience. I am praying over which church to attend regularly, I have a few more to check out
-Continued to feel ill and slept for several hours
-Woke up by the heat, covered in sweat, literally
-Managed to answer a few emails
-Went out for dinner and to watch Iron Man 2 with a couple of friends from High School
-Enjoyed some chicken burger with fries and a nutella & banana crepe for dessert
-Went to bed around 12:30am
May 8th
- Woke up and successfully worked out again :)
-Went to return DVD player but found out that there is NO RETURN POLICY IN PLACE AT ALL. Also, found out that this is true for most places here in El Salvador, sadness. They ended up configuring the settings of the DVD player I had bought to read all regions. I left happy after all
- Went over to a birthday celebration for an old friend from high school. Got to see her and her family who I haven't seen in years. So good to catch up and see them again :)
- While on the road (friend Susy was driving) I came across this scene (see picture). A man on a wheelchair sitting in the back of a pickup truck. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing, no seat belts, no safety measures for this man on a wheelchair, no nothing. It is one of those things that they say here in El Salvador: "You can only see this in El Salvador"
-Came home and tried out DVD player again and IT WORKED! Watched "Becoming Jane" for a bit with sister Susy (who loves to hang out in my room).
-Uncle Joaquin came to visit me. He is my mom's brother who is only 1 year older than me. Pretty cool right? We got to catch up with life. He also shared the story, that happened a few months ago, where he started getting threatening calls from someone asking for money in exchange of his life. Thankfully nothing happened, but Joaquin changed his phone number, left his house for a few days and altered his daily routine. Joaquin said that this kind of situation is very common nowadays. He said people are getting phone numbers from the yellow pages and calling people randomly. What a scary and terrible thing to do. Lord protect me
-Called family in LA and went to bed around 11:30
May 6th
-Had some Frosted Flakes for breakfast and found out that Frosted Flakes in America taste different: they are much sweeter
-Around 9am Mr. Plumber arrived to fix my toilet. Toilet has a big leak and needed to be fixed. Mr Plumber took all day, literally, fixing my toilet, therefore I had to stay home all day supervising his work. Mr Plumber replaced the entire system, apparently everything was very old and rusty. He finished fixing the toilet around 530pm. But once he was done, there was still a little leak. He is supposed to be coming tomorrow to finish it. Picture on the left, shows toilet under construction :(
-Began doing all kinds of paperwork/tasks in preparation to the team I will be leading that is coming to El Salvador from June 20-29th. So excited for this opportunity
-Played with younger siblings: Susy (7 y.o.) and Kevin (2 y.o.). I nicknamed Kevin: Mumu (short for mumuja which means little thing) and Susy: Sra Palitos (Lady Stick because she is very skinny). Mumu secretly likes his nickname, but most of the time he frowns, looks at me with a very upset face and then says NO! He is such a cutie. Sra. Palito doesn't mind her nickname at all.
May 5th
-Began the day by working in answering emails, making phone calls and updating blog
-I was able to connect with Pastor Javier, Director of CFCI in El Salvador, who I will be working under. Scheduled a meeting for next Monday and found out I will be meeting with the rest of the team next Thursday
-I FINALLY EXERCISED. Dad has a mini gym here in the house and I did 30 minutes in his spinning bike. I felt very accomplished
-Had lunch with the family: breaded fish, rice, salad and a tortilla
-After 2 hours and a half I was able to get my DUI, which is the national ID here in El Salvador. I am now an official Salvadorean citizen. This was not easy, the lines were long and the system they have to process these is very very old school. They had me carrying a folder with my information from station to station. It was somewhat painful to see the many steps people have to take in order to get their Id's. -Finished unpacking one more suitcase, just have my carry-on left
-Had dinner with the family: chicken, beans and a tortilla
-Talked to family in Los Angeles
-Found out that they show "Ugly Betty" here and watched an episode
-Went to bed at 11:30pm
May 4th
-Began going through old boxes I had left here a long time ago. Found lots of funny memories from my days as a teenager, including old classmates notes and all kinds of random things
-Organized my room some more
-Went to run errands with father including a run to one of my favorite traditional places: Mister Donuts. I must add that they have the best Mocha donuts ever tried, yummy
-Sang Happy Birthday to sister Susy who today turned 7 years old (meet my family on pic above)
-Responded emails/updated blog
-Enjoyed thunderstorm and 72 degree F weather
-Went to bed at 12midnight
May 3rd
-Woke up to a beautiful day without any mosquito bites
-Realized that made it through the night without a fan
-Began cleaning my bathroom and room
-Got picked up to go shopping for a dresser, organizers and all kinds of things to arrange my stuff. Found most of what I needed :)
-Found out there is a Radioshack and Office Depot here
-Learned that today we celebrate El Dia de la Cruz. "Catholics celebrate today May 3rd as the party of the Holy Cross. Families usually decorate the cross with all kinds of fruits and colorful paper as a way to be thankful for the supplies received. The celebration of the day of the cross dates back to times where the natives who inhabited the territory of what is now El Salvador, worshiped the earth, trees, fruits and crops.On the arrival of the Spanish, this commemoration is Christianized and changes from the tree worship to the adoration of the Cross, the highest representative symbol of Christianity." (ireport.com) Also, the Catholic tradition also says that Satan will come and dance in your house if you don't have your cross on this day. For the record: we didn't put up a cross and satan didn't come dancing either! Woof!
-Worked in cleaning/organizing my room some more
-Spent some time with family
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 2nd
-Went to church with oldest sister. Her church has a total of 30 members, very nice and cozy. Everyone was very nice, friendly and welcoming
-Got my first mosquito bites
-Got to ride in a cool little van (pic on left) with no seat belts, no seats and no windows on the sides just a cute tiny chair :) what a fun ride!
-Went to downtown San Salvador to buy "jocotes" (red mombin)
-Went shopping for cleaning supplies
-Visited with a couple of very good girlfriends
-Had pupusas for dinner
-Tried some Torrejas (similar to french toast: they are eaten with this delicious sweet sauce as a dessert)
-Stopped for a Mocha Donut from Mister Donut, so delicious
-Going to bed, night night!
May 1st
-I arrived safely into El Salvador
-Flight went well: no delays, all bags arrived unharmed, decent airplane food, great conversations and sleep some
-Weather this evening is simply wonderful, nice breeze
-No mosquitoes yet
-Extremely tired, going to bed @ 10:30pm (central time)
-Note: pic of left is new room
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| Started new Arts Class |
Month of May
I came back to El Salvador from N. America mid-May and those 2 last weeks of the month were spent catching up with work, family and friends. As well as trying to get rid of all kinds of bugs living in my room: cockroaches, ants and mosquitoes. This time back, Ive returned with a "getter done" attitude and so decided to hire someone to put on screens in all the windows in my room to keep off all the mosquitoes, plus install a couple of reading lamps above my bed and a little couch in my room. It was great taking care of these things and making my room more homey. Thankfully fixing all these things didn't cost me too much money.
Finally, at the end of this month, we had 2 new missionaries come work with us from Los Angeles, California. Richard and Alice had lots of energy and were lots of fun to work with. I enjoyed engaging in very very interesting conversations about all kinds of things. Also, I found it interesting that Salvadorans referred to Richard and Alice as "chinos" (literally translates to Chinese). Everyone called them chinos regardless of the fact that Alice was from Korea. Interesting, especially because they continued to called them chinos even after I corrected them and explained. I think its probably hard form them grasp this and realize how offensive this can be. Richard and Alice were so kind and loving about this. Thank you! For all your support, your love, and service to El Salvador. We miss you!
Month of April
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With beloved brothers
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| Visiting w/friends in LA |
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| In Canada w/ Ogopogo |
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| With more special friends! |
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| In Tijuana Mexico |
Month of March
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| Showering Camping Style |
During these same time, we also had another team from Wake Forest come visit us. They were also 1 of the 1st teams to come work with the CFCI El Salvador base. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be with their team while they were here and don't have pictures to share but their visit was of big blessing to El Salvador. This team's focus was leading medical clinics. In the week they were here they saw over 1,100 patients. This is big time record for CFCI El Salvador. Praise God! Thank you Center Lake and Wake Forest for your partnerships!
Month of February
Feb 14th-- Valentine's Day: I can't remember the last time I was in El Salvador and celebrated valentine's. It must have been a very long time ago. Well this year, I happened to have a cold around these days, however I still had a great time. My girls at Bendicion de Dios decided to fundraise some extra money for our English class and made some candy pinchos (see picture to left). Making the pinchos was very fun, we didn't really make much profit of it, but we had a great time putting them together. Doing this really encouraged me as I saw their commitment to our class and their desire to take initiative and a saying in those things we do. I am so grateful to have these girls in my life. Also, as part of Valentine festivities, God blessed me this year (and I hope for many more) to have my very own valentine. His name is Darnell Johnson. He is from Canada and we met here in El Salvador last year. By God's grace we were able to spend this special month & a few more together. On this month, I also celebrated my 26th birthday. I had the opportunity to organize a get together with family, which they have rarely done in the past, and thankfully it was a very nice time together. I also got to share a little bit more of why I am back in El Salvador and all that God has been doing. Grateful for this special month.
2011- Month of January
Jan 3rd-- Move In Time: By God's grace, Christ for the City El Salvador has a new place to call "office". God put in the heart of the Marino's couple, who are friends with Karla- one of our local missionaries, to donate their extra house for us to use as our base. The Merinos have been trying to sell this house for a while, but they didn't feel peace about selling or renting the the various offers they received. This house is super ideal for us to use as our home base and also for us to dream as far as the way we want to use it. The house is very big, with over 10 rooms to work with. Additionally this house has this open space where we could build some sort of structure for additional rooms, various conference rooms, a hospitality house or even a church. We are dreaming and praying about how we can use this space. We have started painting, cleaning and equipping our new office space. In the past, we have had one little room as our office and storage room. We are grateful that we now have more space to work, meet and coordinate all the things that we do. This was also a huge blessing given the fact that our team and organization is growing and we needed additional space to work with. Also, right next to this house, there is a very large community called "Villa de Jesus". This community is known to be very dangerous and highly impacted by gang members. We are praying for God to open doors for us to begin working with them. Our office is strategically located in heart of Soyapango and right next to this community so we know it is not without a purpose. Praise God for His goodness! Month of December
Dec 23rd-- Speaking Hope Christmas Party: For the last 3 months or so, Speaking Hope has started to shape up and come together. Speaking Hope has become a ministry that teaches English to children/youth that cannot afford to learn English any other way. Learning English is the tool that we use to get to know these kids better and to start planting in their hearts hope for a better future. God has given me this love and passion for this project, and for the last 3 months I have really enjoyed teaching English and getting to know my students better. To say goodbye to 2010 and with God's provision we were able to put together a Christmas party for the kids that have been part of the program. We had a total of about 25 students that were able to join us and who came out to hear Jesus' birth story, to share a meal and play various games. It was a very special time with them and I just loved loving on them. Also, we prepared Christmas bags for each student and their families. I have noticed that families are not as excited and eager for their kids to learn English, at least not initially or consistently, since children are expected to work and help around the house tons. So I wanted to prepare something that can also be shared with the family as an encouragement for them to continue to allow their children to come to class and to say THANK YOU! The kids were super excited and would not sit still after they were given their Christmas bags, they kept asking if they could go home already so they can show their families all the goodies they got. Such a blessed time and opportunity. Thank you to all of you for your generous donations that allow me and CFCI to love on kids and families in very basic ways.
Dec 11th-- Soccer Tournament at the Island Calzada: For the 1st time at the Island, we organized a soccer tournament. We brought 2 soccer teams to come play against the islanders. One team was formed by our soccer school kids at our program in Altavista and the other team was formed by my church's youth group Centro Cristiano Internacional (CCI). The event was a total success. We had 3 teams from the island that came out to play and we had various teams that split up between playing soccer, cheering the game, mcing and evangelism. Our kids from Altavista ended up winning the tournament, but we invited the team that got 2nd place (which was a local team) to come have lunch with all of us. We had a lunch organized back at the church and it was a very special time hanging out with them and getting to know them better. In addition to the fun adventures of the tournament, it was also a wonderful experience being able to bring a team from my church to the Island. A lot of the youth that came, who were all Salvadoreans shared that they didn't know that communities like that existed in El Salvador. They really enjoyed the differences of how people live at the Island and it was a very good opportunity for them to reach out to different areas of El Salvador that need much help. This was also super exciting because I've been looking for ways to partner with my church's youth group, given my limitations with time. This worked out beautifully.
Month of November
Another very good experience was learning more about how the base works and how they handle teams that come. Per year Costa Rica receives around 25 teams. In El Salvador we are currently receiving around 5-6 teams per year. It is our hope to continue to grow and to receive some more teams. And for this we desire to better learn how to handle teams and all those details. So much to learn and to process.One more thing that I really enjoyed from our visit, was meeting other missionaries. There were around 20+ missionaries working at the CFCI Costa Rica base. It was lovely meeting them, chatting and sharing stories about experiences and adventures they have had while working in Costa Rica. It is always so encouraging meeting other people doing similar things and that speak English.
Nov. 26th-- Nicaragua: After a 12 hour bus ride, we arrived to Nicaragua. We were there for 4 days to meet the CFCI-Nicaragua team and also for an orientation in how to lead Short Term Teams. I traveled with Josue, Jaime and Nikki. Josue and Jaime are going to be working with me in leading Short Term Missions. Our time in Nicaragua was very refreshing and restful. We visited various historical sites and also got to stay with a married couple- Joe and Carolina. Carolina is from Costa Rica and Joe from the States. They met while serving in Costa Rica, fell in love and are now serving in Nicaragua as missionaries. We spent numerous hours conversing and getting to know each other more. We shared many ministry related adventures and all kinds of fun cultural tidbits often associated of Latin Americans. It was so encouraging sharing all of these with friends that understand the cultural dynamics of Latin countries and the States. 
Nov. 22nd-- Last English Class of 2010: Time goes by so quickly, it seems like just yesterday when I started teaching my first ESL class. My students are teaching me so much about myself, about them, about loving others and about God's kingdom. I have seen the way our relationship has deepened and grown stronger. I love my students and I love being their teacher. With them I have discovered this hidden passion to teach and to invest in others in the way a teacher does. I want to be a better teacher for the kids I am serving and desire with all my heart for them to learn English but above that desire that they come to love our Jesus as well as to love themselves. We celebrated the opportunity to learn together, watched a movie together, ate some cake & pizza and gave them each little notes of encouragement. A blessed time indeed!
Nov. 15th-- Christ for the City El Salvador's 3 Year Anniversary: For this special occasion, we spent a day of fun at the beach. Our newest member Guillermo Strader, had just arrived to El Salvador and was able to join our celebration. Guillermo arrived from North Carolina and will be here serving with us for two years. It is amazing to see the ways that God continues to raise leaders to serve and work with us. In total there were 10 of us celebrating this special day, praise God for His faithfulness. For this special day, I made everyone in the team cups and encouraged everyone in the team to write notes of appreciation to each other. It was interesting how foreign this idea was amongst the team, however I thought it was a good opportunity for people to practice giving encouragement to each other for the work they are doing and who they are. So much to say and to thank God for.
Nov. 10 thru Nov 12th-- Timothy Bernabe Conference: For 3 days, Nikki and I received the big blessing of attending this conference for Baptist pastors and church leaders that was held by one of the churches that CFCI works with here in El Salvador. Initially I felt guilty for signing up to go, but once I got there, everything became more clear, God had once again a purpose. I am indeed so grateful that God is in control when I am not and when I think I have it all figured out. I was so encouraged by the numerous messages that were shared and the many workshops taught. I was specifically encouraged by Numbers 6:254-26 "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace". What does it really mean that God turns his face towards me? Am I worthy enough for our creator, our mighty king to turn his precious face towards me? I think not, not at all. I am a sinner, I am broken, I am selfish and certainly not worthy. However, I love that our God, despite all of this, still turns His face to us, He looks at us with delight and sees through all my brokenness and sin. I am humbled by God's continual outpouring of blessings, guidance, grace and peace into my life. I was both challenged and encouraged to continue to move closer and closer towards God, trusting in His perfect and mighty plans for my life. Additionally, it was wonderful meeting Johnny Hunt and his staff, what an awesome group of faithful servants.
Month of October
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| Learning to fly a piscucha (kite) |
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| Pistuchas (Kites) Flying Up High |
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| Making Bracelets at Cisna |
The visit to Cisna was very exciting and encouraging. About a month ago a friend of mine that visited El Salvador introduced me to Cisna. During my visit I really felt lead to continue to come visit these kids and potentially begin volunteering with them for a couple of hours a week. I also met this incredible art teacher that is committed to loving and sharing God with these boys. During her class she teaches the boys about God and His love for them. She also teaches them to work with their hands and to make all kinds of beautiful cards, jewelry, home decorations, etc. Through art she gives these boys an outlet to express themselves and to open up. As they work in art, she plays some worship music in the background... crazy right?!
The kids that live at Cisna are under 18 years old and have been removed from abusive & neglectful homes. These kids have suffered physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, often leading them to low-self esteem, violent and abusive behaviors, and so much more. It has been painful for me to hear their stories, to see their suffering faces, and to see how much they need a bigger and greater HOPE. This has in many ways encouraged me to come volunteer with them. I want to share Jesus' love for them. I want to plant seeds of love and hope in their hearts, that will grow and heal their deepest wounds, fears and memories.
I started this week, and even though I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing, God figured it out. I ended up teaching some of the boys how to make bracelets with yarn. They really enjoyed it and I even got some good laughs from it. It was awesome too because I am also teaching the girls in my English class to do this, so I already had all the materials needed. The art teacher who I am volunteering with was very excited for some company and support. Praise God for the opportunity!
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| Some of the Soccer Youth |
I had no idea how much I needed this and how much my soul craved adventure. It was also very interesting to find out Dad's reaction to my spontaneous escapade. He was shocked and surprised to find out that I wanted to go to the beach house to spend a whole day there, by myself. As I tried to understand what his real concerns were, I realized that people here in El Salvador don't often do things on their own. And as a matter of fact, is often discouraged, for women, for both safety reasons and women's lack of independence. I have to confess that I felt upset and frustrated that my father couldn't understand how important this was for me. However, God put some sense in me and made me realize that dad doesn't really know adult Elsa and that we are currently in this process of getting to know each other better. Looking forward to sharing more of who I am with dad and my family here in El Salvador.
Oct 8th- Salvadorean Wedding: I attended my first Salvadorean wedding since I've been back. This was the wedding of my mom's friend's niece (who I had never met before). Nicole was able to come with me, which I have to say, definitely made all the difference. Nicole proved to be a very fun date: dancing, eating all kinds of foods served and even agreeing to take silly pictures together. We really enjoyed ourselves, met some new people, and danced till we dropped. We also enjoyed the carnival that Salvadorean weddings are famous for: masquerades, whistles, beads, fun looking hats and very old and traditional music. Oh yes, there was also a cart parked in the middle of the dance floor filled with jello-tequila shots... fun times even though we didn't have any, the music and silliness was crazy enough for us. Enjoy the silly video!
Oct 3rd- Jocote Festival: Jocotes are an extravagant Salvadorean fruit that grows in cooler areas of El Salvador only twice a year. It had been one of my favorite fruits growing up and recently discovered that it continues to be one of my favorite fruits. Very unique and tasty flavor. When I found out about the Jocote Festival I knew I had to make everything in power to attend the event. I invited my friend Susy and Lupe (friends from childhood) to go with Nicole and I. We were all super excited about this and looking forward to the adventure. The festival took place at El Cerro Verde which is about an hour and a half away. El Cerro Verde has lots of green and beautiful sights so we definitely enjoyed the drive there. However, the actual festival was not what we were hoping for, at all. You can read more about this experience in Nicole's blog. She did a very good job describing all the details of our adventure. So, Ill let her describe this experience for you all. Click here. Enjoy!Oct 1st & 2nd- Fresh Start: We had the opportunity to receive a team that came to teach about inner healing and restoration for a few days. I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to be part of this and also for the opportunity that many of the youth and churches we work with had to participate in it. Healing and restoration are issues that are very close to my heart. As I was sitting listening to all that was taught and shared my heart began to glowing, stronger and stronger as the conference continued to take place. It was very rewarding to see the excitement and hear the feedback from the different people that attended. Especially since a lot of them are people that I work with or interact with on a daily basis. Very very exciting opportunity. Since the conference, Ive been praying and thinking lots about imparting additional trainings for church leaders, youth and children. Praying for whatever doors God will open through this. Check them out here.
Month of September
The month of September in El Salvador has continued to be very gloomy. Rain continues. The weather has remained the same as it did in August (82F and 76% humidity) and driving continues to be very challenging in El Salvador. This month has been a lot more relaxed and slower than any of the other months since I have been here. I am grateful for this, as this has given me more time to catch up on emails, developing friendships here in El Salvador and some projects God has placed in my heart like the English program and a soccer youth group. Check my Fall Newsletter for more updates about this. Click here.
Working with the CPCI team and with different local churches has been very fun. I've also enjoyed living with my family and getting to know them better. More and more, I've started to feel more myself and more comfortable living here. I'm also getting more familiar with the city and where I am going. Good times!
Month of August
The month of August in El Salvador, has been very gloomy. Lots and lots of rain. I never really liked rain, but I must admit I've discovered a new love for it, especially when I am able to stay home resting, reading a book or watching a movie. Rains in El Salvador are not like the ones I experienced in California. Salvadorean rains have a constant steady-down pour that last for a few hours if not more. When it rains, a lot of people stay home and different activities get suspended. Also, the roads get flooded as most streets don't have a good drainage system. And additionally, many new potholes are formed. Potholes are my biggest nightmare. Some potholes are anywhere from 3-4 feet deep. Typically you will find several pot holes in 1 block, so even if you swerve to miss one, you"ll hit another in the process. Just a pain. Take my word for it.
The team left on the 2nd day at the Island, I ended up staying for 2 more days. I really wanted to stay there longer to spend more time with the pastoral family we work with but also to prove to myself and the team of boys I work with that it is possible to stay at the Island for longer than 2 days. I must confess that this was very challenging, especially cause I got very bad allergies again. This time my allergies got so bad that my legs became all red and swollen. I had so many bites all over and the itchiness was out of control. Sister Magdalena and a missionary that was there prayed for me lots, sent for medication and tried their best to care for me. Thankfully, I was able to get some allergy shots and pills in a matter of a few hours. There is no pharmacy or medical assistance in the Island, so we had to call a "lanchero" (speedboat driver) to go to the nearest port to get me some medication. Meds worked beautifully, and swinging back and forth in a hammock while talking to Darnell, a Canadian missionary that was there with me, was also very helpful forgetting about my itchiness. Throughout the time I was there, I was able to get to know the pastoral family better, pray with people that came to visit them, and on the last day when I was feeling so much better, we got to visit some people and pray for them. Triumphantly, survived 4 days at the Island. Yeihh... God is good!
Week of July 11th- July 19th
During this time, we had a team that came from North Hills Christian Church, Pennsylvania. This was the 2nd team we received and I helped lead. There were a total of 10 team members (half youth, half adults) + Rick and Judy who are a couple and also missionaries with Christ for the City Int'l. I took this excerpt from Rick and Judy's latest email, in regards to this mission trip:
I truly enjoyed working alongside this team. I confess I didn't really help with construction, mostly because I had to be in various places, doing different things all at once. So while construction happened I limited myself to taking pictures and giving water to the team. I needed to make sure they stayed hydrated and on task. Sadly, 2 team members did get dehydrated. One on them got very sick and had to be taken to the doctors a few times and even to the hospital. The best part of this was that this person was the team leader. Fun times!
Another very special part of our time together was doing the evening soccer outreaches. Julio, our soccer director, organized soccer games in different areas of Altavista. A team of leaders from Altavista Baptist Church joined, along with a few police officers. Yes, a few cops! It was fun going out evangelizing and having cops come with us. It was quite the experience. Apparently, some of the areas we went to where areas were gang members lived and areas that our organization hasn't visited much. Therefore Julio wanted to be on the safe side. The outreaches were very fun, we got to do some soccer matches, organized some jump rope games, and played a game called Ninja that all the kids feel in love with (life changing game I must admit). By the end of the day, the entire team and myself included were completely exhausted. Our days would usually start at 7am and end till around 10pm. Good times!
One other really fun highlight was the amazing slumber party that I got to organize with the youth towards the end of the trip. We had all kinds of classic U.S. junk foods: Doritos, M&M's, ice cream, Coca Cola, Pepsi, popcorn, root beers and cookies. And also had some Salvadorean junk food: more cookies, chips, chocolate and candy. We watched First Knight with Richard Gere and had a blast (seriously, can junk food, chocolate and Richard Gere all together get any better? I think not!) Fun times!
Week of June 13th- July 10th
I am summarizing all the the ups and downs of these last few weeks. So much has taken place that I found this to be the best way to share and to update you with all that has taken place. Enjoy!
"UPS"
- Officially led 1st short term trip from the States to El Salvador. From June 20th-29th a team of 7 came to serve with Christ for the City Int'l El Salvador. I know very few words to describe the experience. I have led various trips before, however this one was very special. I felt as if God sent a group of angels to bless me and encourage me in the work He has me here to do. I loved getting to know the team more, serving with them, sharing new adventures, exploring new possibilities and making new memories. Some of the things we did: led 2 VBS per day, taught English and guitar lessons, played soccer, worked with a neighboring church called "Altavista Baptist Church" and visited an Island called La Calzada in the department of La Paz.
- About La Calzada: This is an Island that is 90 minutes away from the capital plus 40 more minutes by lancha (speed boat sorta). The Island has a population of 1,500 people. There are no cemented roads, only dirt roads with lots of rocks, sticks of wood and puddles. There is also no running water or drinking water in the Island, only wells from where people draw water from for everything they need: shower, dishes, drink, cook, wash dishes, etc. They also don't have a regular toilet (like the ones we are used to) instead they have a hole on the ground with a cement seat on top of it for you to sit while you go. With this kind of toilet, you don't have to flush, you just go. I've uploaded some pictures, for you to get a better idea of it (hopefully) check them out. Also, people at the Island, walk everywhere. Some youth rides bicycles. Some other people use a carreta (wagon) pulled by 2 oxes (see pictures), and a very very small few use a car to move around the island (they are pickup trucks which sort of act as a bus, I saw 2 total in the 2 days we were there).
- Fun adventure while at the island: we hired a carreta to take us to the school we were going to and it was such a fun and wild ride. We fit about 15 people in it and rode it at night where there was no light whatsoever, only a dirt road, many puddles, rocks and sticks. It was very fun :) oh did I mention there were also flying branches that came out of nowhere. Watch out!
- I loved loved the island. The Pastor and his family who we stayed with, the people we met and worked with, and all the beauty of this island: livestock, open fields, fruit trees, all the green, the rain, the hammocks, all the loose animals: chicken, hens, dogs, pigs, cows, ducks, roosters and horses. Life happened in a very different way that I am used to, I really enjoyed this. Life was much simple, I liked that. So grateful for the gateway!
- Prayer Request: please pray for the Island and all that God wants to do there. There is already a church that we work with that wants to commit to coming to the Island on a monthly basis, helping with the needs of the island and sharing with people about God's love for them. They are also particularly interested in developing leaders and working with the youth. Also, pray that God leads us, the organization, in what our commitment to them should be like. We are taking a medical outreach at the end of this month and preparing a soccer tournament for next month.
- Have continued to teach English to initial group of kids in the afternoon which ended up with all girls between the ages of 12-16 years old. The girls are great and love coming to class (praise God). Additionally, we have started another English class in the mornings, led by two short term missionaries who are here for 1-2 months: Savanna and Annie. Their class is of 12-15 kids in the mornings, also 3 times a week. So exciting :)
- Prayer Request: please pray that we continue to have all that we need to continue to teach these classes: materials, resources, staff and the time to do this!
- God has opened the hearts of the girls that are coming to my English class. I am really excited for the opportunity to get to know them more deeply, to hear their stories and to share life with them. Just yesterday, a few of them shared a bit of their lives at home, giving me a better picture of what these girls have to face on a day to day basis. My heart is already committed to these girls and wants more than anything to care for them, love them and share God's unfailing love with them.
- Prayer Request: please pray for my relationship with these girls, for their hearts to be open and for all the pain these girls have gone through and are currently going through. Also for favor with their parents so that they are able to continue to come to class and to spend time together. And also pray for the possibility of starting a more formal discipleship group with them.
- Guitar classes will continue. After Jerome left (guitar instructor who started giving the kids guitar lessons and who left 3 weeks ago) we were unsure who would help teach the kids guitar, however God has provided for someone to help us with his, Jaime from a neighboring church. Starting July 19th we will resume guitar lessons again and continue teaching the kiddos. Thank you Lord for helping us continue your work.
- Prayer Request: that God continues to orchestrate all the details of guitar lessons: materials, classroom space, resources, staff, etc. and that through guitar lessons we are able to share with the kids about God's love for them and also give kids hope for a brighter future.
"Downs"
- 3 weeks ago, a close friend of mine, who I went to school with, lost her father and grandparents. At 3 am on a Sunday morning, a group of 5 men broke into her house with the intention of killing her entire family. They killed her father and grandparents, thankfully the people that broke in ran out of time and left my friend and her mother alive. This was a horrible tragedy for her, her family, and everyone who knew them. I was close to her and her family and this has been very shocking, alarming and disturbing. This happened the same day, the team I led, arrived to El Salvador. I surely received God's strength during that time to lead the team I had. This tragedy took place on a Sunday morning, by Monday afternoon they were having the viewing of the bodies and by Tuesday morning they were having the funeral. All about this was devastating, emotionally draining and overwhelming. The craziest part of all is that probably 1% of crimes here in El Salvador get resolved so up to this point my friend still doesn't know why this happened or has any clue of who these people were. Since the incident, my friend and her family have left the country for safety reasons. In a matter of seconds, their lives changed completely and will never go back to the way they used to be. I cant even begin to imagine what this is all like for her.
- Prayer Request: please keep her and her family in your prayers. Pray for safety, protection and guidance as they seek to start a new chapter in their lives. Also pray for God to meet them in this place, to be their comfort and their hope.
- Crazy things happen daily in El Salvador, however a national tragedy which the country hadn't experienced since war times happened 3 weeks ago. A gang decided to set on fire a bus with people in it, killing around 14 people. This has been alarming for everyone in the country, causing a lot of fear in people's hearts. Things in El Salvador sure work differently than in the States. In El Salvador, whoever is the strongest is the one most likely to excel and succeed. The government has very little power or control over all that is going on, cops can't be trusted, the system can't be trusted or relied on, gangs are out of control, crimes don't get resolved, ... these all causes people to live in fear and frustration of not being able to do nothing about anything. If you want to read more about the bus incident, click here.
- Prayer request: please pray for peace on our little El Salvador. Please pray that God would heal our nation and restore our sense of trust and safety. Please pray that we become a united nation that believes in The Savior, just as our name stands for "El Salvador" = "The Savior".
- I got sick again! This time I had strep throat and really bad allergies. The doctor gave me a couple of allergy shots in addition to a bunch of meds and thanks to them, I was out of order for a several days. I really think my body needed the rest and to a have a few days of not doing much. Gratefully I am all better now.
- Prayer Request: pray that my body finishes to adjust to life here in El Salvador and that it has the strength it needs to do the work I am here to do :)
-On Friday June 4th, I woke up still not feeling very well, so I went to the doctor's office again. He looked at my lab results and told me I have anemia and still have my colon very swollen. He gave me more medication and a few more lab test to get done. He also recommended I get on a strict diet for a few days until I get better. No fun, no fun. Later today, friend Luis Roberto opened his new business "Carnes Rojas". We planed for a small class reunion and went to the inauguration of his new place. It was great being there to support him and also to see old friends. My stomach was still very fragile so I wasnt able to eat very much. I ordered some grilled chicken, vegetables and some mineral water. Booh! (Luis Roberto came and took our order, he's with Susy and I picture left)-On Sat June 5th, I visited CCI (Centro Cristiano Internacional) with friend Carlos. I had such a wonderful time visiting this church, felt God's presence all around and a special anointing in that place. I was in awe for the way God spoke through this church and even after the service was over, my friend Carlos and I remained seating down processing through all that was said. I then stood and went to introduce myself to the pastor and I was out of words, tears began running down my cheeks and after a minute or so, I finally was able to thank him for the message and introduce myself. It was so embarrassing, however it was such a God-filled moment. I think I've found a church :) praise God!
-Afterward, Carlos and I went to have something to eat and drink and had a great conversation about our relationship with God and the ways we are called to be a light in this world. I am so grateful for my friend and for what God is doing in his life
-On Sunday, June 6th we visited "Bendicion de Dios" again. We brought the kids cookies and juice and had a little activity prepared for them. They were very excited to see all of us. There was: Alexis, Josue, Benjamin, Jerome and I that came to visit them. They learned about Saul's conversion and they were asked all kinds of questions to see if they were really paying attention. During my time there, I was able to visit Ms. Teodora. She is the mother of Danny, Ma. de los Angeles, David and little Jessica. She fell down and injured her knee about a month ago, but hasn't been able to go out to work. I've gotten really close to her and really enjoy visiting her every time I visit the community. I also got to spend some time with Mauri, she is in one of the pictures above by herself. She is very sweet and loving towards me. I am grateful to be called her friend. We also took a group picture with most of the kids that come to be part of our activities (see pic left)
-On Monday, June 7th, we began teaching English and guitar lessons! I had a total of 8 kids in my class (since we only chose a small group to start with, 55 actually signed up) and Jerome had 4 kids in his afternoon guitar lesson (he had 5 more that had signed up for the morning class). It was pretty exciting to finally start teaching the kids and seeing the kids who were really interested. For the English class began with something very basic like "Hello. My name is .... What is your name? My name is .... " The kids really enjoyed learning something new and having an official class. Benjamin taught the class with me. He is such a gifted teacher. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these kids
-On Tuesday, June 8th I visited Sta. Lucia and stayed there all day working on answering emails, hanging out with some of the kids there, meeting with Pastor Javier, doing lots of planning and preparation, etc.
-On Wednesday, June 9th I woke up feeling so much better. I got up ready to go to soccer practice, however lots of things happened and I wasnt able to do practice just see the kids work out. I checked out a car in the morning before soccer practice but it wasn't such a good deal after all. Jerome had morning guitar classes in the morning so he went to teach his class. I stayed at soccer practice watching the kids practice and encouraging them. Afterwards, Maltez dropped me off at Bendicion de Dios. After the class was over, we went to the office with Jerome and Josue (another leader) and hung out there, waiting for the afternoon class to start. Later we went to teach our afternoon class. I really enjoyed teaching today. I ended up with 6 girls for my class. The girls were amazing, I had 4 from last Monday and 2 new ones that were absent on Monday. The girls had learned everything from last week and were so eager to learn some more. Benjamin didn't make it on time so I taught this time by myself. I really really enjoyed teaching today and really desire to get to know these girls better :) after classes were over, we went with Alexis grocery shopping for our leadership retreat tomorrow
-On Thursday, June 10- Friday, June 11th we went away with the team for a leadership retreat. Pastor Javier, Josue, Alexis, Maltez, Chamba, Megan, Jerome, Julio and I were on our way to la Libertad around 8am. It was exciting to be all together and have some time for ourselves. We got to know each other better, spend a lot of time together getting to know each other and also resting together. We also worked together cleaning and preparing different meals. We got to go to the beach and enjoy some time at the pool. Later in the evening on Thursday we did most of our planning for the next few years. We set some big goals and were able to dream big. We also spent some time reflecting on God's word and woke up at 5am on Friday to have a devotional. We also watched the opening for the World Cup (the boys managed to borrow a TV from a neighbor) and enjoyed guessing who would win :) I am so grateful we had this opportunity to get away and have some time together. We came back around 3pm. I was extremely exhausted, came home, played a movie and fell asleep right away. Didnt wake up till 1am. Brushed my teeth and went right back to bed...
-Woke up around 6:30am
-Received the news that distant aunt had passed away the day before. I called uncle Gus to see if he could pick me up so I could attend the funeral and be with my family (mom's side of the family)
-Went to the funeral and attended memorial service
-Afterward they transferred the body on a limousine for a final tour of the city. Others close to the family and Mami Chela followed behind in their cars. This is a very common custom that is still practiced here in El Salvador at the time of someone's passing.
-Came home and took a nap
-Got picked up by Alexis and visited "Bendicion de Dios" again. I was able to bring some acetaminophen to Teodora, who was in a lot of pain and was out of pain medication. I was also able to pray with her for her knee, her husband and her children. This was such a wonderful opportunity. She was extremely grateful and overjoyed for the visit
-Spoke to Jessica, one of the community leaders, and got the list of kids interested in learning English. The list had about 50+ kids. Praise God. At the same time, I hope we are able to give classes to all of them
-We also got the sign up list for guitar lessons. There was about 9 kids interested in learning. Jerome will be teaching this class. The kids are very excited
Side Note: In the image above you can see the big threat that the hill found right next to the community presents for everyone living there
-Met Megan, who had just arrived from North Carolina and who is here as a short-term missionary for a month. Praise God for another girl in the team :)
-Went to Sta Lucia community, had dinner there and attended a prayer service
-Arrived home around 8:30pm
-Went to bed around 9:30pm, I was very tired
-I woke up today around 9am and it was still raining
-I decided to take dad's car and go to a new church even with the rain. I really wanted to visit this church called "Familia de Jesus". The pastor of this church is the president of the board of trustees for Christ for the City Int'l here in El Salvador. I really enjoyed visiting this church and found out they are affiliated with a church called Rios de Agua Viva in Caracas, Venezuela. Familia de Jesus church had around 200 members and a very cozy environment. I was welcomed and introduced to the entire congregation (something I wasn't expecting at all). In many ways this church was a lot like Ethnos (my home church in San Diego, CA), small, intimate, cozy, however the preaching style and worship were a bit different. I have one more church to visit this next weekend. Will post about it soon enough...
-After church went to "Bendicion de Dios" to see how the community was doing. I was really concerned for them as the President of El Salvador declared a state of emergency for our country due to the heavy rains. Also, this community is at risk of a mudslide happening at any time. Last November 5 homes were buried under mud from the heavy Ida storms. People living at this community fear that this will happen again anytime heavy rains begin. Since last November some construction has been done to prevent a mudslide from happening again, however not enough. A lot of the construction plans for this community are still in the works and are not yet done. The biggest problem that this community faces is that they are living right next to a hill and when it rains water comes down with mud falling directly into the community. The community doesn't yet have a proper drainage system so all the water that comes down from the hill plus the water that falls down from the rain, passes through the aisles of the community taking with them whats on the way and taking off some of the mud that has been used to build people's homes. There were a couple of homes that had parts of their homes fall apart. Some people have used whatever they can find to cover the mud that constitutes the foundation in which their homes are made of in order to prevent the water taking away their land. I've posted more pictures of the community after the rains, here.
-We also were able to meet Teodora who we brought some basic foods to. She lives at Bendicion de Dios, is the mother of 4 kids and is the one that supports her family financially. She was badly injured from her knee and now is not able to work until further notice. I was very grateful to have met her. She has such a strong faith in our Lord and looks to Him for her and her family's daily provision. I hope to visit her again and again this week. We also visited the kids and brought them a small snack. They were happy as always to have visitors :)
-After the visit to Bendicion de Dios, Jerome, new friend Juan and I went to eat pupusas at los Planes de Renderos at a place called Carimar. I just to go eat these pupusas back when I lived in El Salvador. It was great going here and reminisced
-We also watched a movie called "Legion" -please dont watch it, this movie has been the worst movie I can remember ever watching... terrible, horrible!
-Went to bed around 10pm, no rain in sight since the morning
May 29th
-Woke up around 9:30am this morning
-Went to lab and got most of lab work done. Let me share a bit about this experience, since I found out that labs are so different here than in the US. First of all, there was only one lady working at the lab. She took the sheet the doctor gave me of various things I had to get tested for. She gave me a price for each one of them, added the total and then gave me a 15% discount (not sure why). Afterward, dad suggested I checked my glucose levels also since we have a history of diabetes in my family. He told the lady to add that test to the list and that was all. Then she drew some blood out. No fancy tools to do this but I was told that everything was sterilized (let's hope so). She then told me that most of my lab results would be ready in about 3 hours. Our of curiosity I asked her how come they would be ready that quick and she said that she was also the one to run the tests ( amazing, just 1 person to do everything). She added that she could do this as quick because business as slow today due to the rain. Then she gave me a small plastic container to pee in. She said that if I didnt feel like peeing at that moment I could take it home and bring it back later (for the record I was able to do this and get this test out of the way). Special note about this container: it didn't come in any special bag or cover that demonstrated it was sterilized or anything along those lines, unlike in the States. Then, she told me I had to bring a poo sample in another little plastic container. This is the part which really got me, since Ive never had to do this in the states before and perhaps was to young to remember doing this while I lived here. I left the lab missing the poo sample that I had to bring back at some point.... grrr!
-I stayed home for the rest of the day. It rained so hard and so much all day that I wasn't able to go out anywhere. I had a few errands to run but that ended up staying in my list to do for another day
-It rained and rained, I went to bed and it was still raining... oh Lord bless all the people that don't have a solid and strong home. Hopefully I can visit our community "Bendicion de Dios" to see how they are doing. Bless them Lord and keep them safe
-Woke up around 6am
-Got picked up by Pastor Javier to go meet a couple who is interested in moving to El Salvador to serve with the organization long term. It was great meeting them and getting to know their heart for El Salvador. They have served in El Salvador various times before visiting different orphanages all over the place. I must confess that as they shared about what they have experienced and seeing at different orphanages my heart jumped up and down. I really do desire to someday be able to have a place of my own where kids from all kinds of walks can come and be restored, can come and be healed, can come and be loved and accepted, can come and receive an eternal hope for a good and prosperous future! *Sigh*Sigh*Sigh*
-After our meeting with the Hjemvick's we had our weekly staff meeting. I bought the team some doughnuts and to my surprise one of them asked if we could make an Elsa Doughnut, also known as "dona loca". My heart was glad and happy to be working with a team of people that puts up with my silliness. They are great
-Later went over to Jerome's place to apologize for having forgotten him this morning. Javier, Jerome and I went over to Pollo Campero (famous chicken in El Salvador) and had lunch together
-I came home and answered many emails
-Took a nap, stomach was still feeling a bit funny
-Went out with friend Susy and Jerome for dinner. We went to an Arabic restaurant called "Jeques" located in Plaza Futura. The food was delicious, I was able to task a lot of food I grew up eating and that I missed very much (check picture above)
-Afterward, we took Jerome to La Gran Via and went to Tucson. Saw a few friends there: Lupe, Susana and Raquel
-Later, we went to "La Cocina de Dona Maria" (I had never been to this place before) and meet a few cousins there Simeon, Wilfredo and Monica. I also made a couple of new friends Juan Carlos and Carlos. It was a fun night out
-Went to bed a bit too late
May 27th
-Woke up around 7:30am, it was raining
-Tried to go to lab to get lab work done, but woke up very hungry and had some cereal. The lab work I had to get done had to be done with an empty stomach
-Worked on answering some more emails
-Watched "The four feathers" and fell asleep
-It kept raining
-Received some amazing news (totally answer to prayer): The father of a dear friend Frank offered to donate the complete Sesame Street English set. This program teaches children between the ages of 5-12 years old how to speak English through various video clips, songs, worksheets, etc. This program is primarily conversational English which is very ideal to start with. I am completely overjoyed and look forward to the way this program will help us give children an opportunity for a better future. I am also excited to use this program to start building a foundation for our dream of establishing a program that teaches English to children living in impoverished communities. May God help us with this big dream :)
-Prepared schedule for some of the teams that are coming this summer. So far there are 2 big teams that I am in charge of and about 4 short term missionaries that will be here. Very exciting stuff. Thank you God for sending more volunteers to help us out :)
-Watched "Pride and Prejudice" and fell sleep again
-Updated blog
-Stomach wasnt feeling all that great, pills made me dizzy and body was tired. It was pouring and quickly I feel asleep again
-Cant remember at what time I went to bed
May 26th
-Woke up at 6am
-Got ready for soccer practice
-I still wasnt feeling all that well. And found out that father wasnt feeling good at all. He was in a lot of pain from his lower back
-Went to our health clinic to see the doctor for both father and I
-Dr said I had gastritis, food poisoning and my colon swollen. In addition had many tests to take too. Sad day. He gave me all kinds of medication and 3 days of rest. No soccer practice for me this week
-Went home to rest , rest, rest, rest, rest and more rest (it sure was hard, but all those colorful pills helped)
-Not sure at what time I went to bed
May 25th
-Woke up around 7am not feeling very well. Felt very tired, stomach bloated, with body ache and others
-Took various naps throughout the day
-Worked from home today, in all kinds of emails, phone calls and in coordinating details for teams that are visiting this summer as best as I could
-Went to bed around 10pm
-Woke up around 7am
-Worked from home all morning in answering all kinds of emails and coordinating details for a team that is coming from the States June 20-29th
-Went over to Jerome's place to scan some paperwork
-Met the director of the base of Christ for the City Int'l in Costa Rica
-Met Pastor Javier at Altavista
-Stopped by street fair, ate an elote loco and some churros
-Went to Bendicion de Dios to visit the kids and gather some information for the English classes, so far there are more than 50 kids interested in learning English, such exciting news. Now I need to start preparing what to teach them and gathering different resources to do this. It would be amazing to set up an English Institute where people from the States can come for a month, two or a year and teach English for children in impoverished communities. Please keep this in your prayers, this would be something really great to do as it would give children new tools and opportunities for a better future
-Interviewed some of the families in this community that have children with some sort of learning or physical disability. We gather more information about the kids and possible ways to help them
-Arrived home around 6pm not feeling very well. Had a funny stomachache
-Went to bed around 9pm
-Woke up around 8am
-Changed into bathing suit and went to read my bible next to the pool
-Lupe and Carlos made breakfast: beans, eggs, bread and cheese
-Took a nap in a hammock
-Played board game called "okay" which mom bought many years ago in Turkey. Similar versions are called "con quien" or "rummy"
-Packed our bags and drove back
-Stopped by Mister Donuts drive thru for a mocca doughnut
-Went to church with Carlos. I visited a new church called "Centro Evangelistico" which is also an assemblies of God church. Check them here. I really enjoyed their worship time. It reminded me a lot of Ethnos, my beloved church. Their service was very nice, however they had a visiting pastor. So, I didnt get to hear the main pastor speak. I really enjoyed visiting this church with my friend Carlos. We were able to have a great conversation afterward about our thoughts and experiences. So grateful for our friendship and his heart.
-Arrived home, unpacked my bags and rested
-Went to bed around 10pm
-Woke up this day around 8am
-Got ready and went to visit my aunt Elsa and uncle Jose who are like my grandparents. I hadnt had a chance to see them since I got here
-Packed bags to go to the beach for the weekend
-Uncle Joaquin, 2 years older, picked me up and then picked up friends Susy and Lupe
-Stayed at Atami Resort Club in La Libertad at family's beach house
-In the afternoon, slept on hammocks under the heavy rain
-Went to el Tunco for dinner
-Carlos and Alejandro (friends I grew up with) joined us too
-At el Tunco, we went to a new place Ive never been before called "D'Rocas bar and restaurant". It was a great place to visit on a Saturday night, with lot of tourists, backpackers, surfers, locals, great food, drinks, and live music. This place was located right in front of the ocean and even had a little staircase to the beach
-Since we arrived at D'Rocas pretty early we decided to go next door to La Bocana to get something to eat. Check it out! At La Bocana, we order various appetizers to share and I ordered a shrimp in pink sauce cocktail, one of my favorites. At La Bocana they also had a "batucada" (group of drummers) come and perform and even had some fire dancing performances. We danced and had a great time :)
-After a while we returned to D'Rocas where a Reggae band was performing. We stayed there for the rest of the evening
-Arrived at beach house around 1am, safely
-Woke up at 6am
-Went to soccer practice in the am and successfully ran for 10 minutes non-stop. However, when I was done, one of the coaches Maltez asked for me to do one more lap which I decided to do as fast as I could. Sadly, I torn the muscle trying to do this and after that I couldn't do anything else. This was bummer cause I really wanted to finish the entire practice
-After soccer training was over, Maltez and I went to have lunch at the public school next door. We had a delicious chicken soup, with cheese, lime, tortillas and all of this for $1.50. It such a good deal :)
-Over lunch Maltez shared his testimony which I wanted to share with you guys as well. It is pretty amazing and encouraging. Here it is: Growing up in a gang, Maltez was all too familiar with the strict set of rules which accompany the volatile life of a gangbanger. Having befriended a member of his rival gang in his early teenage years, he secretly spent a lot of time with this young fellow, and he also spent a lot of time covering this fact up to his own gang. His gang family eventually developed suspicions, and those suspicions came to a head when he was discovered with his rival gang-member friend by the gang leader and his 9mm pistol. The gang leader shot them both in the head multiple times, but apparently Jesus didn’t intend those particular bullets for Maltez, because even though they were fired point-blank, they never hit Maltez. His best friend, however, wasn’t so fortunate. The gang leader ran off, probably feeling certain that he had done the job. Maltez cradled his best friend in his arms as he died, his tears mixing in with pools of blood. It was at this point that Maltez began to desperately want out of this sort of reckless, meandering, empty life. He wanted something real to live for, and he found something more real than he had ever fathomed. He found faith in Jesus Christ, and with it a life overflowing with joy and peace.
-Maltez is awesome, he is only 20 years old but old beyond his years. He is an amazing servant of God with a pure and precious heart, ready to serve all those around him anytime. Grateful for him
-In the afternoon we headed to "Bendicion de Dios" to bring the kids a pinata and chocobananos. We had around 40 kids join us. We taught them a bible story, gave them chocobananos and broke the pinata
-Afterward, we met with the community leaders of Bendicion de Dios to share with them the desire we have to teach the kids English and guitar lessons. The leaders of the community were very excited to hear the news. The leaders at Bendicion de Dios are really great people a loving and kind heart. They are humble and filled with so much love for others and their own community
-Arrived home around 6:30pm
-Took a shower, got ready and got picked up by cousin Simeon and his girlfriend. I saw Simeon last, 8 years ago. It was great to see him again and catch up. We went to a restaurant called Tucson, had a couple of drinks and then went to a graduation get together at a place called "Circo". This is a newer, upscale, modern and very artistic night bar. I enjoyed visiting a new place and spending time with my dear cousin
-Went to bed around 1am & fell asleep in no time
-Woke up around 7:30am
-Went over to Jerome's place (he is staying at the missionary house where we house most short term missionaries)
-Made chocobanan0s for the 1st time ever
-Susy came over to help us out
-Successfully made about 80 chocobananos. They looked pretty and tasted pretty amazing. I couldn't help but to eat a couple of them :)
-Got picked up by Alexis, one other leader that I am working with who has been working with the community "Bendicion de Dios" for a while now. He drove us to the office in Altavista for our staff meeting
-As soon as I arrived to the office, I went in to see the dentist at our health clinic (which is right next door). I finally had a cleaning done and found out I have 2 cavities :( so sad
-Had our 1st official staff meeting which lasted close to 3 hours. It was a very productive and encouraging meeting
-After our meeting was over, went across the street to this little carnival with rides and all kinds of foods. Rode "el gusanito" several times (we paid for 2 and they gave us like 5 or 6)
-Also got in the "carritos chocones" (bumper cars) once, so much fun
-Arrived home around 7pm
-Worked in some emails
-Went to bed around 10pm
-Woke up around 6:10am
-Tried out a new route to Altavista. This new route took 15 min less than the one we took on Monday. It is still very hard to remember all the little streets. Dad is driving me to work these days until I get my own car
-Arrived in time for my very 2nd soccer practice, saw a lot of familiar faces
-Worked out with kids for almost all of the training. I ran and did most of their rotations, played a game with the youngest kids in the program as one of their defense. I enjoyed it very much even though our team lost :(
-As a consolation price, I ate some yummy minuta (shaved ice with all kinds of flavors) I also treated the winning team to a minuta. With this a new tradition has began for the youngest kids like Bladimir and Velio (kids in the picture). Every Wednesday whichever team of the youngest kids wins, gets a minuta at the end of practice. The kids were really excited and motivated to play hard and to give their best in the field. They are so cute
-After practice we went to the public school and had some tasty pupusas that were being handed out. We hung at the cafeteria for a while: Jerome, Maltez and I
-We were dropped off at the office and waited for Javier
-Went to try out choripanes. These are very famous for their flavor and price. They are hot dogs with a special dressing and cabbage! Very tasty I must confess. Check out the pictures
-We finished work sort of early today because we had some bananas to freeze to make chocobananas. However, Jerome volunteered to doing them himself, so I got to come home early and work in some more emails
-Around 8pm Susy and Carlos (friends I grew up with) came over for a movie night. We watched leap year, ate some tasty chips ahoy with milk and a very flavorful tuna dip handmade by Carlos
-After movie went to bed, around 11:30pm
-Woke up at 8am, very sore
-Spent all day working in emails, preparing information for teams that are you coming to El Salvador and other administrative tasks. Tuesdays will be my work from home day for now. We don't have any internet access at the office yet, therefore Ill be working from home to answer and coordinate many things I need to do online.
-Around 6:30p I was picked up by Pastor Javier and his family. I finally met his wife Karlita and got to spend more time with their kids: Carlitos and Valeria. We went to a pupuseria called "Pati" which is located in "Los Planes de Renderos" a higher point in the city. We ate some pupusas and had some hot cocoa with quesadilla (sweet bread). It was a really wonderful time to hang out with Javier and his family.
-Arrived home around 8:30pm
-Called family in Los Angeles
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
-Woke up very early around 6:15am
-Went to Altavista for 1st day at work
-Worked out with kids at soccer school for 15 min and was done for the rest of the training. I realized how hard these kids work. Their training is an hour and a half long. They are great players and have a lot of dedication to the sport. They are also in excellent shape, unlike moi!
-After training went over to Altavista's public school to check it out
-Went to Plaza Mundo to buy some tennis shoes for Jerome. I rode a bus for the very first time in El Salvador. This was an exciting experience. I was a bit nervous but glad to have 4 other guys with me on this adventure. Somehow we managed to take a couple of picture while on the bus and of the bus. Check them here!
-Had lunch together: Maltez, Julio, Chamba, Jerome and I. We at at "Biggest" El Salvador fast food restaurant. After 8 years I had their "pita" again. This is made out of pita bread stuffed with cheese and ham. It was as I remembered it, very tasty and delicious
-Took another bus back to Altavista (successful experience again)
-Met with Pastor Javier at the main office
-Met with Alexis to brainstorm on what we can do at community: "Bendicion de Dios"
-Met Pastor Javier's kids and in-laws (wonderful people)
-Arrived home around 5:00pm
-Answered a few emails
-Went to bed around 9:30pm
-Woke up at Susy's place again, just with Hugo (puppy) this time
-Went to a new church called "Iglesia Josue" of the Assemblies of God. I really enjoyed visiting this church, especially because God spoke to me there so clearly. The message was based from Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy-two messengers to spread the Good News. The title of the sermon was "Let's embrace the adventure of being a missionary of God". The friend that I was with that took me to this church was filled with so much joy too. She said, "Elsa God loves you so much. This entire sermon was for you. God gave you these words of instructions the day before your 1st day of work, to encourage you, guide you and bless you". It was so exciting and just what my heart needed. Check their website: http://www.iglesiajosue.org/site/
-Had lunch friend I was with and her family
-Friend Monica who I grew up with came over with her son Alejandro and we celebrated her 25th bday
-Watched "Dear John" bootleg copy :-S
-Had a very good conversation with Monica
-Worked in some emails
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
-Woke up at Susy's house with Lilo and Hugo (puppies) in the bed with me
-Had a bowl of cereal
-Enjoyed a day of rest and solitude: reading bible, watching the story of Esther, listening to Adrian Rogers and praising God for the many blessings He has given me
-Susy and her family arrived around 5pm
-Walked with puppies and Susy to the park
-At the park, had all kind of traditional foods: 2 elotes locos (crazy corn), 1 torreja (french toasts w/ a special sauce), 2 riguas (made out of corn w/cheese and beans), 1 atol de elote (corn drink) and 1 pastelito de chucho (dough with vegetables inside).
-Bought my 1st set of pirate movies and had very mixed feelings about it
-Went out to eat some pistacho ice-cream with Susy and LuisRo (friend from childhood)
-Watched Hachi with Susy, she cried and cried and cried some more
-Ceron came by to say hello for a little bit (another friend from childhood)
-Saw 1st frog so far in El Salvador very very gross looking
-Spent the night at Susy's place and went to bed around 11pm
May 14th-Didnt work out :(
-Went out to run a few errands with dad
-Did my laundry, Salvadorean style (pic on left)
-Took a nap
-Hung out with cousin Alicia who is 14 years old at la Gran Via (shopping center)
-Met friend Monica & her son for coffee at Viva Express
-Had a delicious Chai Latte
-Went over to Susy's house to house sit and watch over her puppies: Lilo and Hugo
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 13th-Woke up at 6:30am-Got picked up by Pastor Javier, director of base, around 8am
-Picked up Jerome and moved his stuff to the Missionary house
-Visited "Altavista" another community where I will be working at which is about 30 minutes away from my place. The central office for the org. is also located there. I had my first staff meeting today and met the rest of the team. They introduced themselves, shared their vision for the different projects in place, and brainstormed about new ideas. It was so great to get to know the hearts of my teammates. I am very grateful for each one of them, they each have such a unique and inspiring story.
-We had lunch at a Taco place in Altavista and then headed to Mister Donut for dessert
-Went over to "Bendicion de Dios" which is a small community of about 88 families in Altavista. Homes in this community are made of metal sheets. Click here for more pictures. At the end of last year, El Salvador experienced very heavy rains and at this community 6 homes got buried in mud. Most of these homes have been reconstructed but there are still many repairs to be done to prevent another mudslide. It was so encouraging to met some of the families that live there, they are people of great compassion, generosity, love, joy and kindness. I am excited to do life and learn from them
-Did a few errands with Pastor Javier: supermarket and bought a fan
-Took a nap
-Had some beans, tortilla and some potatoes for dinner
-Went to bed around 10:30pm
May 12th -Worked out
-Drove in El Salvador for the 1st time in a very long time (maybe 5 years), didn't get into any car accidents or got lost
-Met Jerome, new friend who is going to be helping out with the org. and who is also from San Diego, small world.
-Had lunch at Mister Donut and went to check out a Missionary House for Jerome to live at for the time he is here. This will also be the house where other missionaries that come for short-term trips can stay at. This house can host about 50 people, has its own laundry room, kitchens, dinning room, library and backyard. A lovely place.
-Answered many emails
-Went to bed around 11am
May 11th-Ate a bowl of cereal
-Got picked up by Pastor Javier (Director) at 11:30a
-Visited the community "Sta Lucia". This area is known to be very dangerous and to have much gang activity. However, to my surprise the areas where we went through felt safe, looked clean and in order. Currently, the organization has a ministry called "Por Gracia" there, where they have a Christian School+Church. The school has around 400 students going to school and many of these same kids attend church there on Sunday. Majority of these kids have very difficult living situations at home and are exposed to all kinds of crazy and wicked things (Im not sure how much I can share here). My heart was broken for these kids as I heard many sad and horrible stories about what these kids have gone through. However, I also heard many stories of restoration and transformation that many of these kids have experienced. Praise God for the ways He heals us and restores our hope again. My heart walked away caring deeply and hopeful for all that is in store
-During this visit I also was able to participate in a Mother's Day celebration. Some of the kids performed a dance to their mothers, made them a beautiful craft, recited poems and served them cake. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the mom's. Ill post some more pictures of this event later. Cant wait to go back...
-Went for ice-cream on our way back with Pastor Javier (Director) and Maltez (Soccer School Coach)
-Took a nap and read my bible
-Called mom and friend Brian
-Went to bed around midnight
May 10th-Called my mommy to wish her a happy Mother's Day and thank her for her love and care of always. I am so thankful for my mommy
-Had breakfast: beans, eggs, cheese, cream and tortilla
-Worked in answering emails, posting updates to blog, coordinated details of trip that is coming to El Salvador on June 20th and many more administrative related tasks
-Decided to work out and watch Gilmore Girls
-Received a random call from someone called Jerome who is traveling through Central America and who is interested in helping out with the organization. It was pretty cool cause he is from San Diego, we have 1 friend in common: my beloved friend Heather Gaines and he is staying at a hotel a few blocks away from my dad's. Crazy small world, isn't it???!!!
-Took pictures of siblings playing in their very own pool (pic above)
-Called Tara in San Diego
-Had some tasty rice, breaded fish, salad and tortilla for lunch/dinner
-Finished my past due, Spring Newsletter
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
May 9th -Went to church with Julio, older brother, and his sons, my nephews (in the picture: susy-younger sister, me, Cesar 8, Josue 10, Kevin-youngest brother, Ederson 6). His church's name "Mision Cristiana Nuevo Pacto" (http://www.misioncristiananuevopacto.org). This church branched out from "Mision Cristiana Elim International" which happens to be one of the biggest churches in the world. Nuevo Pacto has also adopted the model of celulas, which is a very well-known model for home group/bible study/community group, multiplication. There must have been around 800-1,000 people at the service. There was also a big sense of freedom to feel/act/do whatever you felt lead to do. Many people would go to the front to worship, to repent, to dance, to sing, to cry and to pray to God. This church also had a wonderful children's program, for babies through 5th grade. I really did enjoy the visit, the people I met and the experience. I am praying over which church to attend regularly, I have a few more to check out
-Continued to feel ill and slept for several hours
-Woke up by the heat, covered in sweat, literally
-Managed to answer a few emails
-Went out for dinner and to watch Iron Man 2 with a couple of friends from High School
-Enjoyed some chicken burger with fries and a nutella & banana crepe for dessert
-Went to bed around 12:30am
May 8th- Woke up and successfully worked out again :)
-Went to return DVD player but found out that there is NO RETURN POLICY IN PLACE AT ALL. Also, found out that this is true for most places here in El Salvador, sadness. They ended up configuring the settings of the DVD player I had bought to read all regions. I left happy after all
- Went over to a birthday celebration for an old friend from high school. Got to see her and her family who I haven't seen in years. So good to catch up and see them again :)
- While on the road (friend Susy was driving) I came across this scene (see picture). A man on a wheelchair sitting in the back of a pickup truck. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing, no seat belts, no safety measures for this man on a wheelchair, no nothing. It is one of those things that they say here in El Salvador: "You can only see this in El Salvador"
-Came home and tried out DVD player again and IT WORKED! Watched "Becoming Jane" for a bit with sister Susy (who loves to hang out in my room).
-Called family in LA and went to bed around 11:30
May 7th
-Woke up and was successful in exercising again. Woot Woot!
-Went to eat at Hola Beto's (www.laholabetos.com) with a few girlfriends from high school. Had some yummy ceviche (shrimp & fish) & saw friend's beautiful daughter Ariella
-Spent almost 2 hours renewing my driver's license
-Did the last of my grocery shopping at Hiper Paiz (big supermarket) and found a Phillips DVD player on sale
-Organized the room some more with all the new groceries and things I bought
-Discovered that DVD player doesn't play region 1 dvd's which is most of what I have :(
-Went to bed, feeling very accomplished, at around 1230am
-Woke up and was successful in exercising again. Woot Woot!
-Went to eat at Hola Beto's (www.laholabetos.com) with a few girlfriends from high school. Had some yummy ceviche (shrimp & fish) & saw friend's beautiful daughter Ariella
-Spent almost 2 hours renewing my driver's license
-Did the last of my grocery shopping at Hiper Paiz (big supermarket) and found a Phillips DVD player on sale
-Organized the room some more with all the new groceries and things I bought
-Discovered that DVD player doesn't play region 1 dvd's which is most of what I have :(
-Went to bed, feeling very accomplished, at around 1230am
May 6th -Around 9am Mr. Plumber arrived to fix my toilet. Toilet has a big leak and needed to be fixed. Mr Plumber took all day, literally, fixing my toilet, therefore I had to stay home all day supervising his work. Mr Plumber replaced the entire system, apparently everything was very old and rusty. He finished fixing the toilet around 530pm. But once he was done, there was still a little leak. He is supposed to be coming tomorrow to finish it. Picture on the left, shows toilet under construction :(
-Began doing all kinds of paperwork/tasks in preparation to the team I will be leading that is coming to El Salvador from June 20-29th. So excited for this opportunity
-Played with younger siblings: Susy (7 y.o.) and Kevin (2 y.o.). I nicknamed Kevin: Mumu (short for mumuja which means little thing) and Susy: Sra Palitos (Lady Stick because she is very skinny). Mumu secretly likes his nickname, but most of the time he frowns, looks at me with a very upset face and then says NO! He is such a cutie. Sra. Palito doesn't mind her nickname at all.
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
-Began the day by working in answering emails, making phone calls and updating blog
-I was able to connect with Pastor Javier, Director of CFCI in El Salvador, who I will be working under. Scheduled a meeting for next Monday and found out I will be meeting with the rest of the team next Thursday
-I FINALLY EXERCISED. Dad has a mini gym here in the house and I did 30 minutes in his spinning bike. I felt very accomplished
-Had lunch with the family: breaded fish, rice, salad and a tortilla
-After 2 hours and a half I was able to get my DUI, which is the national ID here in El Salvador. I am now an official Salvadorean citizen. This was not easy, the lines were long and the system they have to process these is very very old school. They had me carrying a folder with my information from station to station. It was somewhat painful to see the many steps people have to take in order to get their Id's. -Finished unpacking one more suitcase, just have my carry-on left
-Had dinner with the family: chicken, beans and a tortilla
-Talked to family in Los Angeles
-Found out that they show "Ugly Betty" here and watched an episode
-Went to bed at 11:30pm
May 4th-Began going through old boxes I had left here a long time ago. Found lots of funny memories from my days as a teenager, including old classmates notes and all kinds of random things
-Organized my room some more
-Went to run errands with father including a run to one of my favorite traditional places: Mister Donuts. I must add that they have the best Mocha donuts ever tried, yummy
-Sang Happy Birthday to sister Susy who today turned 7 years old (meet my family on pic above)
-Responded emails/updated blog
-Enjoyed thunderstorm and 72 degree F weather
-Went to bed at 12midnight
-Woke up to a beautiful day without any mosquito bites
-Realized that made it through the night without a fan
-Began cleaning my bathroom and room
-Got picked up to go shopping for a dresser, organizers and all kinds of things to arrange my stuff. Found most of what I needed :)
-Found out there is a Radioshack and Office Depot here
-Learned that today we celebrate El Dia de la Cruz. "Catholics celebrate today May 3rd as the party of the Holy Cross. Families usually decorate the cross with all kinds of fruits and colorful paper as a way to be thankful for the supplies received. The celebration of the day of the cross dates back to times where the natives who inhabited the territory of what is now El Salvador, worshiped the earth, trees, fruits and crops.On the arrival of the Spanish, this commemoration is Christianized and changes from the tree worship to the adoration of the Cross, the highest representative symbol of Christianity." (ireport.com) Also, the Catholic tradition also says that Satan will come and dance in your house if you don't have your cross on this day. For the record: we didn't put up a cross and satan didn't come dancing either! Woof!
-Worked in cleaning/organizing my room some more
-Spent some time with family
-Went to bed around 11:30pm
-Went to church with oldest sister. Her church has a total of 30 members, very nice and cozy. Everyone was very nice, friendly and welcoming
-Got my first mosquito bites
-Got to ride in a cool little van (pic on left) with no seat belts, no seats and no windows on the sides just a cute tiny chair :) what a fun ride!
-Went to downtown San Salvador to buy "jocotes" (red mombin)
-Went shopping for cleaning supplies
-Visited with a couple of very good girlfriends
-Had pupusas for dinner
-Tried some Torrejas (similar to french toast: they are eaten with this delicious sweet sauce as a dessert)
-Stopped for a Mocha Donut from Mister Donut, so delicious
-Going to bed, night night!
-I arrived safely into El Salvador
-Flight went well: no delays, all bags arrived unharmed, decent airplane food, great conversations and sleep some
-Weather this evening is simply wonderful, nice breeze
-No mosquitoes yet
-Extremely tired, going to bed @ 10:30pm (central time)
-Note: pic of left is new room
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