CAMPING SURVIVOR!

Wohoo! I survived camping for 5 days, praise God! And I actually really, really, really enjoyed the experience. I am looking forward to the next opportunity to go camping again. Here are some of the highlights of some of the things I got to do & try out:

-Hiked Lots!!!

-Built tents

-Slept in a sleeping bag on the ground for the 1st time (only for a night though then I slept in a delicious inflatable mattress)

-Learned to build a fire

-Cooked with wood

-Learned to use a chain saw

-Helped build a table and bench from scratch (went and cut down some trees, chain sawed the pieces, dug some holes in the ground to place the table/bench and nailed the wood together)

-Jumped off a cliff

-Bathed my stinky body in a waterfall that we found that was super hidden

-Rock climbed

-Roasted cashews

I really had a blast and enjoyed my time there. The team was so great and they were also expert campers, which really just made everything all the better. The team was from Center Lake Bible Camp in Michigan, and was here for a week. We camped at Cinquera for 5 days and then lead two other day camps at Siloe (a school we work with that deals with children of gang members). While at Cinquera we lead 2 youth camps. One team was from our soccer school in Altavista and the other one was the 7th graders at Siloe. After camping, we lead one day camp with 5th & 6th grade and the other day camp with 8th & 9th grade, both at Siloe. In total and at the end of the week, we worked with over 200 kids, such a blessing. These kids definitely have crazy stories of abuse, neglect, addictions and all kinds of things that they've experienced at such young age. Please do pray that the seeds that were planted this last week, will continue to grow and bring healing and restoration to these young ones. Click here to see pictures of this blessed time.

God was so faithful as He always is. We saw Him moving throughout the week in our team and also in the other team from Wake Forest, North Carolina that was also here during this time. Wake Forest's medical team held various health clinics in different communities that we work with. For the 1st time in Christ for the City El Salvador's history we saw over 1115 patients in a week. Totally amazing, praise God for this as well!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers. Through them, I continually see God at work and experience His grace and overwhelming love for me. So grateful and humbled by your continual love and encouragement.

May God bless you richly and keep you in His infinite love!

Ready for a New Adventure!

Life has been as busy as it could ever be. I am constantly playing catch up and always running around doing all kinds of crazy things. I am enjoying this adventure and the opportunity I have to serve here and work with such wonderful group of people.

Just this last month I have been doing all kinds of preparations for the teams we have this weekend. One of them is from Michigan and the other from North Carolina. I will be leading the team from Michigan and taking them to a camp site away from the city for 5 days. Please do keep this time in your prayers. There are lots of details that come with camping in El Salvador. And lots to plan for 100 kids. I have never been camping before, so this is another big prayer request. I am not sure what to expect and a little bit nervous to know that camping in El Salvador is just very different than it is in the States. I am the team leader and as such I have to coordinate all the details of what the team will be doing, but additionally I have to take care of the team and make sure they don't get sick, etc. Praying I DONT GET SICK! For sure, I am anticipating all kinds of fun stories :)

I promise to update you when I return. I will have no internet access this week, so please be patient if you message me. I will email you back as soon as I can sometime after March 14th.

Also, I will be coming to California in April for about a month and would love love to see you if you are there. I am so looking forward to this visit and the opportunity to visit with friends and family again. Email me if you will be around in April, hopefully we can meet up. I will try to set up a couple of big get togethers and promise to email that information once these are set up. My email is elsa_u@yahoo.com

Much love to all of you with a big Salvadorian hug. Blessings to you and may God keep you in His infinite love and grace.

Elsita

Ps. The picture above-- this is one of our staple meals of Christ for the City. We usually go to the next door flee market, get some cheese, avocados and tortillas and enjoy this for lunch. Yummy!

Ps2. We will be camping at a town called Cinquera. Cinquera has much history as it used to be a territory taken over by the guerrilla during their civil war. To read more about Cinquera, click here. And to check out a video, click here.

Speaking Hope

"So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up HOPE so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this, just keep on doing it" (1 Thess 5:11).

Speaking Hope is now an official ministry of Christ for the City El Salvador! This ministry reaches out to children and youth of low income communities and teaches them English as a means of providing different career options other than joining gangs, stealing or engaging in any illegal activity. Additionally, this ministry seeks to mentor and guide children and youth to live healthier lifestyles, free from violence, abuse and addictions. It is this ministry's desire to encourage and plant seeds of hope in the hearts of all the children and youth that we work with in order for them to dream and believe in a better future.

With this said, Speaking Hope has been growing and shaping up. Most recently, we have been working in one community called "Bendicion de Dios" with about 20 children. Additionally, the new year has brought an opportunity for Speaking Hope to teach 5 new English classes to children of gang members or children who have a gang member living at home with them (brother, cousin, uncle or friend). Working with these children is specially challenging, as must of them have very little respect for others and themselves, very low self-esteems and are very resistant to any form of discipline.

But despite the challenges, it has been very exciting and purposeful investing in the growth of these little ones. I am learning how to love and serve better. Learning how to reach out to these kids, how to show them my love and care for them and how to teach them to love themselves, others and God better.

Last week, I shared with some of my students a list of jobs that use English. And one of them, exclaimed in amazement, "Really? Those kinds of jobs are accessible to people that speak English? So if I learn English well I could apply for some of those jobs?". I said "yes. Then she was quiet for a bit and then said, "I never thought those opportunities could ever be available for me". Jacky is 16 years old, takes care of her ill mother and younger sibling during the day time and goes to school at night time. She has always thought that her life will continue to be the same and that if it changes she will work cleaning homes, selling food or babysitting- making a few dollars a day as her family does. I love having the opportunity to tell Jacky that her future could look differently and that she doesn't have to be limited by what her parents have done or haven't done. I love being able to plant seeds of hope in her heart for her to dream and wish different things. I love that I can teach her English and give her an additional tool to fight for her dreams.

So grateful to speak English and for the opportunity to share this with others. So grateful for my students and for this new ministry where I can love on others more and can learn how to do it better.

For more updates, click here.

For more pictures, click here.

Visiting with Erick

At last, I was able to see Erick again. Erick is a very special and dear friend. For the last 4 years my friend Frank and I have been sponsoring Erick through World Vision. Erick is now 11 years old and lives here in El Salvador. He lives with his grandmother, an aunt, a couple of siblings and a couple of cousins. Erick's mom left him at a very young age and he has never heard/seen her since. Erick doesn't know anything about his dad. Erick lives very far from the capital about 3 hours by car and about a day and a half via public transportation.

I am grateful to be living here in El Salvador so that I can visit with Erick more often. By more often I mean a few times a year, instead of once every other year. It is still somewhat hard to see him more often than once every other year, but I'm hoping that World Vision can accommodate for the many visits I want to have with Erick. I look forward to seeing more of Erick this 2011 and enjoy many more adventures.
During this visit, Erick met Frank for the 1st time and also got to visit "Mundo Feliz" which is the biggest arcade place in El Salvador (it was Erick's 1st time there too). Also, Erick got to try hamburgers for the 1st time. We asked Erick what he wanted to eat and he said, "Those things that I've seen in TV occasionally and in those big signs (as he pointed to a Burger King sign), they look so tasty". It was so hard to believe that he had never tried a burger before, wow, not sure how many kids have gone without ever trying a burger. So, we took him in, got him a kid's meal and saw the glow and excitement with which he devoured his burger.

This really got me thinking: Wow, I have tasted such a variety of foods and eaten at a variety of places. Since I've been in El Salvador a lot of what I think about are foods that I miss from back home. I crave all kinds of foods and favorite restaurants and at times I have even become frustrated for not being able to have certain of these foods that I am craving. How selfish am I! I definitely need to be grateful for the opportunity to have enjoyed such foods and not take these experiences for granted, rather enjoy them each time they are available and whenever they are not, continue to be grateful for the opportunity to at least once in my lifetime having tried them. Oh, Elsa, you have much to learn. It is so easy to start complaining and overlook the fact that I have a choice to pick wherever I want to eat, whenever I want to, and whatever I like. There are so many people all around that don't have these options. They are grateful to have rice and beans on their table, even if this is all they eat every day, all the time. Grateful to be encouraged and challenged by such awesome young fellow. I love you Erick!

To read more about fun adventures, click here!

Some Thoughts from Nicaragua

I arrived to Nicaragua after a 10 hour bus ride. I was able to sleep for most of that making the bus ride shorter than it really was (grateful for the ability to fall asleep anywhere and quickly after half an hour of movement). Fabricio and Claudia (Christ for the City base directors in Nicaragua) picked us up and took us to the base for lunch. There we met Joe and Carolina, a missionary couple that leads the Short Term Missions Ministry in Nicaragua. Nicole and I stayed with them for the duration of our time in Nicaragua. And Josue and Jaime (the other team members) stayed with Fabricio and Claudia.

I cannot describe how big of a blessing it was to stay with Joe and Carolina. I was so encouraged by them and learned so much from them. Joe is from Ohio and Carolina is from Costa Rica. Both of them were working with Christ for the City International Costa Rica when they met, then fell in love and eventually got married. Later, God called them to Nicaragua and that is how they ended up there. Hearing their stories and adventures as International missionaries in Nicaragua was really encouraging especially since this was the first opportunity I had since I moved to El Salvador to spend as much time with other international-long term missionaries who have much more time and experience serving in the mission field. Without a doubt, God takes care of preparing us and equipping us with all that we need in order to do that which He calls us to do. So grateful for the reminder.

The base in Nicaragua is very nice, is 8 years old and has around 10 staff working there. The base receives about 13 teams per year. This base is well known for offering good trainings for ministry leaders, missionaries and pastors. This was proven to be true with the training we received last Saturday. We spent about 12 hours learning how to lead short term mission trips, very helpful information. Also, while in Nicaragua we visited Masaya market which has lots of souvenirs and leather items. We also went to El Lago de Apoyo which is one of the most popular sightseeing spots in the area and also visited Nicaragua's historical spots.

More to come soon....!

A Cold and Unforgettable Night

Amigos,
I have very few words to articulate what took place this last Friday night, but I am comforted and encouraged by God's Sovereignty and Love. Death is definitely something I don't think about a whole lot but it is definitely a natural part of life. However, when it comes to a 2 years old boy that died due to the neglect f construction workers, this is an entirely different situation that I was certainly not prepared for. These construction workers, failed to take the necessary precautions in covering an unfinished construction area. An as a result, Jefferson Humberto slipped and landed on top of a rebar which ended up piercing his tiny body.

The pain that this family and community is experiencing is real and disheartening. Over and over I told God to make me strong to be able to pour love on Jeffer's family and the community. There truly isn't much I can say or do to make the situation better. But as I embraced Victoria (Jeffer's mother) in my arms, God showed me that she didn't need answers, she needed real and genuine love. She needed a shoulder to cry on and a friend to be there with here. Friends, I was moved to tears when Victoria hugged me tightly and began weeping in my arms. I was humbled and in awe to see how much it meant for her that I was there. My pain, frustrations, anger, sadness, didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was to love and care for Victoria, Katie her 5 year old daughter and the rest of the community. I pray God continues to fill me up with His love to give to those around me, especially those in great need.

It is very hard to describe all that took place on this day, but Nicole, one short term missionary from Wisconsin who has been working with us did a great job articulating the details of this tragic event. Please read her blog post: HERE!

Please do keep Jeffer's family in your prayers and well as the community. Pray that God's love, peace and comfort would be with them and that God becomes more real than ever to this family. Thank you!

Simple Things with Greater Joy!

Dearest friends,

I have posted some more updates and fun adventures to the "Updates" tab. Check them out. Also, find below a list of things I'm grateful for this last week and prayer requests/needs I have. Thank you for reading.

I continue to learn to enjoy life in greater ways and to find joy in simpler things, such as a slide at a park (see video below and try it out sometime).

I hope we can enjoy the little pleasures of life and refuse to take ourselves too seriously. There is way TOO much of that in the world already. May you enjoy beautiful sunsets, the smell of rain, the smile of children and the warmth of sunny days this week.

Thank you for your friendship!
Elsita

Things I am thankful for:

• We have a new laptop and a projector to use to teach our English classes with!
• Growth in our organization: we have 3 new local missionaries that have joined our team and soon to be with us, another long term missionary from the U.S.
• Opportunity to be spontaneous and take an entire day off at the beach by myself
• Our relationship with one of the local churches we work with has been strengthen and they are now fully committed to working with us and the soccer school
• More girls have started to come to soccer practice, great opportunities to get to know them better and build stronger relationships

Prayer Requests/Needs:

• For my relationship with biological father and our communication with each other. Prayer that we can get to know each other better and that he can get to know my heart more.
• For the funds necessary to travel to our CFCI base in Costa Rica during the 1st week of December to learn more about their English program and how they run Short Term Trips and Missionaries
• For patience and protection as I drive in the crazy streets of El Salvador with a car that is not working properly- some repairs are needed
• For relationships with local government-run rescue center (Cisna) and youth that are living at this center. Minors who are being abused or neglected by parents at home are brought here.
• To be able to meet my fundraising goal by the end of this year