Last post from El Salvador!

NOTE: This will be our last team blog. Saturday and Sunday are team retreat/reflection together in Apaneca, El Salvador. We return on Monday to Reagan National at 9:55 PM on Continental 1558 from Houston. Parents should plan to pick up their team member there. Please direct any questions to Kara, our agent on station at IBC. See you soon!

I am not aware of any end of mission team/parent gathering but will need to check with Kara. We will keep you advised. We did find out that one of our translators, Dina, her fiancé and family, will be in Washington, DC on 2-4 August so we are hopeful we can see them while they are here.

Thursday, July 23
We went to the office of Mercedes, the El Salvador contact for Global Action to join in a regular prayer time with members of the Global Action team. Most of the members are women and couples to whom God has given a vision of ministry in addition to their regular responsibilities and who have followed it. It is mainly individuals standing in the gap, not an organization. Because of the time, men involved were at work. Lilio, a pastor’s wife, shared some thoughts from Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 about expectantly offering God what we could do and leaving results with Him.

Each woman shared some thoughts. Ministries ranged from coming alongside schools, doing abstinence programs for students, a wheelchair distribution program, a feeding program working with rural churches, and supporting pastors and ministries in very poor areas. This is not organizational effoort, it is primarily from individuals who support each other, which is impressive. Mercedes as the primary contact shared her heart and thrill at seeing so many young people serving the Lord and the example it was to young people in El Salvador. Diane Crews shared how the partnership with national believers allows both partners to learn from each other. And we have. The women then put the team in smaller circles so they could pray for us which they did. It was a sweet time.

In the afternoon, we went to the Exodo Orphanage, a Christian orphanage with houses and house parents for the 48 children currently in residence from ages 2 to 19. The children have been removed from their homes for a variety of reasons including child abuse or neglect and parental drug/alcohol abuse. Some children will be allowed to return to parents after work is done with them as well, some are released to relatives, and some will remain at Exodo for a long time. The director, Iris, related a sad statistic about the high rate of sexual abuse, particularly for girls, which the authorities are attempting to deal with. Exodo is supported entirely by private funds to care for the children with a social worker, psychologist, director, support staff and house parents.

The children put on a welcome dance for us then we presented the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, sang songs for and with them, did some of our motion activities and a craft. We then played a “US ISM team” vs. “ES Exodo team” soccer match (no score was kept, fortunately), played basketball, and hung out with the children. They gathered everyone as we left and Tim prayed for Exodo, the staff and children.

In the evening, we went out to a paposaria where paposas, an El Salvadorian specialty, are served. At dinner we met Anna Silvia, a dynamic lady who founded the first deaf school in El Salvador and whose example led the government to establish public deaf schools here. She came to our evening meeting (shorted by team exhaustion, see “Exodo” above) and told her remarkable story. She and three other women founded the Christian deaf school with a total of $57 and the conviction of God it should be done. The rest is history. Unfortunately, this is the school we were unable to visit due to the suspected swine flu presence.

Friday, July 24
Today we went to ISNA, a state orphanage for abused children. This was Global Action’s first contact with ISNA and although we expected to do the same things we have done with other student/children gatherings, it was quite different. The director met us and gave us a tour of the facility. We saw the nursery/toddler children’s area, the teen-aged girls’ living area and their skill training area where they used sewing machines to make crafts which were then sold. We then went to the area where special needs children were located and the group was split in two. One group went to a play yard with some primary grade children and the other group remained in the special needs area to help feed the children and spend time with them. The children in the special needs area were age 3 to 10 (my estimate); many were strapped in their wheelchairs, and most were severely retarded. They spend their days on the open porch after being bathed and dressed. It was heart breaking to see this and think about the “why?” question. The Lord reigns and we know he loves each of these little ones as His creations. The staff were doing the best they could with the resources available. Our students more than rose to the occasion and gave these children the gift of human touch and words. Most could respond with a smile or laugh, many could not. Some of our female team members met with the teenage girls in residence and Mariah shared her testimony. We were very proud of our team’s response to do what they could even when they would not be doing what we expected to do with children.

This was the end of our scheduled ministry. We picked up Mercedes late in the morning and went up to the Volcano National Park where we saw a huge lake in a volcano crater and volcano mounds team members have pictures!). We then headed around the mountains to the other side of the lake where we ate lunch on the “green” side of a volcano which had exploded just a few years ago; the other side was still largely volcanic ash. Although the meal was mid afternoon, it was worth the wait and we had a feast of chicken, steak, and pork served together on a charcoal bed in metal pans holding enough for 4 diners. This was lunch and dinner.

We returned to San Salvador to bid our translators, Andres and Edward Dalton, farewell. These young men have become important and loved members of the team. We prayed for them and sent them off with hopes our paths will cross again. During our team meeting, Casey led a discussion on Perseverance, her devo topic, we discussed the day, and we prayed for John and Diane Crews, who are returning to Houston tomorrow just before we leave for our weekend retreat in the mountains. We finished the evening with communion led by Tim.

It is difficult for most of us to believe our trip is almost over—where has the time gone? However, we have made some friendships and been available for God to use with the hope that His impact through us will echo here long after we have left. We know that His impact on us through our brothers and sisters here in this beautiful country will continue. It is one thing to pray for people one reads about; it is quite another to pray for people one has met and spent time with.

During our weekend retreat and reflection time, the group will be led by our seniors who will plan and guide the team in activities to help us all reflect on what we have learned and listen to God’s voice. Your prayers are greatly appreciated as ever. God has been very good to us and we want to be sure we are attuned individually and as a team to His voice as we take this time away.

Praise for:
- The team’s godly response to unexpected changes and just being there as Christ’s hands
- Fellow believers who have invested in us: John and Diane Crews, Mercedes, Dina, Andres, Edward, and many more. The body of Christ at work!
- Continued health, safety, and unity of the team

Pray for:
- John and Diane Crews as they return to Houston and prepare for a 3 week trip to Africa beginning next Friday to include ministry in Kenya to boarding school boys (country schools with many boys), a week camp for children from the slums of extreme poverty, and an outreach in Burundi to street boys who are products of genocide and rape in most cases. Many have come to Christ already.
- Identification and resolution of medical issues for Diane Crews and Anna Silvia.
- Our seniors, Jared, Mariah, and Zach, as they lead the team this weekend.
- The hearts of our team as we deal with individual issues and what God is saying to us
- Health, safety and safe travel home on Monday.

Wednesday July 22

Last night and tonight we had the “usual” rainstorm, except first there was lightning and thunder which abated and two hours later after we had gone to bed the rain came down—hard! This has been a frequent pattern—the days are delightful and sunny, and the rain comes in the evening or at night. To us, this is God’s blessing on our time to both give the rain and allow our days to be pleasant. It is raining hard as I write; hope to get to bed to enjoy the noise to go to sleep (didn't, but that's a technical story)!

Today we went to two public elementary schools. In El Salvador, elementary school classes are usually held in the morning while most high school classes in the afternoons. So we went to El Volcan rural elementary school in the morning. In this school (and others), there can be up to 46 students in a crowded classroom with one teacher. The students may be older than their grade level due to the delay in starting school. Jim talked with two boys, Marvin and Ernest, who were practicing their English on him (thankfully for Jim!). They were 22 but coming to school early for the afternoon classes. To go to a public school here, families must pay for books and school uniforms (Anyone out there like me counting our blessings of the right of every child to public education in our country?)

Murelia (center) another Global Action contact, found this school and she and a friend (left) have committed to personally ministering to the school and principal. We met the principal, Thomas, who is a believer and has a great heart for the students as do his teachers. The school is on the side of a volcanic formation (great view!) and in a very poor rural area. The school attempts to feed students since some come without food or money to buy a snack at the school store. Thomas reported that up to 30% of his students do not have the money to attend but the school provides as much as it can to allow them to come to school. Since it was recess, after our briefing, the team jumped out to the field and played some soccer and hung out with the students curious to meet their visitors. Tim inflated our (American) football and we did some catch and run with the boys. We found out that students often use their feet to field the ball (surprise!) and they can kick well (another surprise, but not really since soccer is big here). Without a translator, we divided up into "dos groupos" but the resulting game was a cross between soccer, rugby and football. However, a good time was had by all and no instant replays were necessary!

After recess, we split into two groups led by senior team members Mariah and Jared to go to eight classrooms to do some singing, movement activities and some crafts with the students in each room. Kathryn was able to present the gospel using the Evangicube (ask her) in her rooms. We covered grades K through 6 but were not able to get to all rooms due to the time. We had an opportunity to pray for Thomas and the school before we left and were able to leave some craft supplies at the school.

In the afternoon, we went to Ignacio Ellacuria School, a school where Murelia volunteers twice a month and does presentations to the students on abstinence. Due to the school just reopening after being closed for weeks after the swine flu scare, the Principal could only give us a 30 minute assembly with over 150 students in grades 2-8. She related her concerns about the increase in gang activity in the area and the possible affect on her students. The gospel is needed here (and everywhere)! That is why we are here, planting seeds or watering a future harvest. We did some Spanish songs, some silly motion songs/rhymes, and the New Testament team did the Bible skit of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Zach shared some of his story with the students and gave a very clear gospel presentation with an invitation. Only God knows now how he will be used in the students’ faith journey but our prayer is that will be known in His time.

Happy Birthday to Larry Peters yesterday, July 21. We prayed for you tonight!

Praise for:
- A great day of interaction and effort; Zach and Kathryn’s gospel presentations
- Improved team bonds

- God’s opening doors and the favorable weather pattern
- Continued team health and safety

Pray for:
- Murelia and her ministry to schools
- The work of the Holy Spirit in students who heard the gospel today

- Boldness for our team students in prayer
- Preparations for out ministry end retreat on the weekend

- Continued team health, safety and positive attitude

Tuesday July 21

Good news! We have found the one spot in the hotel which seems to be a Wi-fi hot spot!

On Monday, since our visit to the Christian deaf school had to be cancelled due to suspected cases of swine flu, we took a bus tour or San Salvador then moved the Friday shopping time to today. We were able to both barter and meet some new friends in stalls in the market. It sure is helpful to have a translator to help one discuss pricing and buying! After lunch we proceeded to our afternoon ministry at the La Asilo Sara Retirement Home in San Salvador. There are about 270 people there, mostly elderly, who either have mental retardation, are in rehabilitation, and/or are aged. The director, Roberto, greeted us and gave us a tour of the facility. In a humorous moment (looking back), just after we arrived, we heard what sounded like gunshots, ducked, and were informed that another squirrel had met his demise in the electric fence, which often shuts down the power to the facility. It did not in this instance, thankfully.

Roberto has been director for 18 years and with limited resources has been stalwart in serving his residents. There are areas where up to 100 residents sleep which are covered by one nurse and one assistant at night. He seemed to know each resident and paused to give us their story as we walked meeting residents to give them cookies and just interact with some human touch and attention. Jeremy Tagoo and Jeremy Traf had their guitars at the ready and led the team in several singing opportunities to which we saw residents wheeling and coming over. The team has worked on some more music and we have expanded our repertoire to 3 Spanish songs—an act of service and love as none of us are “comfortably fluent.” We did them all and some residents were able to clap along. We had the chance to hear about several residents and almost all were very grateful to see us and appreciated our cookies, as well! They continually thanked us for coming; several have no family and very few visitors come to the Retirement Home, but each one is loved by Jesus and we tried to share that and be Jesus with skin on for them. Kathryn had a chance to play the piano for some of our new old friends. The team seems to have settled in a bit and was much more outgoing toward our new friends despite the language barrier. At the end we were able to surround Roberto and pray for him and the work at the Retirement Home. We returned to our hotel, had our team meeting, devo(tional) discussion, reflected on the day, and got our next day (Wednesday) brief.

We praise God for what He is doing in and out of the team and we thank you for your prayers.

"Prayer is the thin tendon which moves the mighty arm of God.” (Dr. Norman Geisler, I believe)

We are very thankful for our team and their stepping out today. Will post now but more to come on today, which was a great day!

Monday July 20

Sorry for the lag time in our communications but the internet connection at our hotel is up and down so bear with us!

On Sunday we went to church at Christian Centro Internationale, a local fellowship, at 7 AM. It was a spirited service, and when our hosts ran out of translation headsets, they abandoned them and set up a translator on the platform with the pastor. Interestingly enough, the pastor’s topic was “Blooms in the Desert,” using Jeremiah 17:7-8, which are the identical verses Kathryn used in her devotional, Anxiety, on Saturday. Pastor Juan Carls gave us a penetrating message on settling where we are planted in adversity and looking not at our circumstances but forward to the future—eternity.

After church, we went into the mountains and took a canopy tour, which is a series of 9 zip lines over a course of 800 meters total; the first four were short and not high above the forest to let us get the hang of braking (an important skill going down a zip line!) and the last four were considerably longer with runs of up to a minute that took us high above the lush forest canopy. The breeze and views were great from the harness and everyone returned safely--not without some excitement for John Crews (did we mention his fear of heights?), who did very well until line 7, when he ended up stopping before the terminus (he was rescued)! We then went by a local mall to walk around, get some ice cream and returned the hotel to have some rest time.

Monday we went to Tacuba, a very poor area where malnutrician is an issue and spiritual darkness reigns. We did a presentation and participated in a feeding program. See Jared’s blog below for the day’s overview (thanks, Jared!). We ran out of tamales twice but somehow more were located everyone was fed. It was like the Bible story of the loaves and fishes. The church there has about 70 members total but it had invited children and moms from the area and we had 150 people show up, 2/3s of them children! When we arrived, we figured some had been there for an hour or more patiently waiting. When the moms and children left, we saw them walking in all directions down dirt roads and the highway; some probably walked more than a mile. The pastor of this church has no seminary training and earns $4 a day working in the coffee fields--when work is good--in addition to pastoring the church. He has been called by God and is being faithful to that vision. He and his wife have 2 children and another due in December. His situation is very typical for pastors in this country's rural areas and those of other third world countries. It makes one stop and think about the blessings and resources in overabundance that we have and the little that our brothers and sisters have and how God views that. Not a sermon, just my thought.

After the 2.5 hours ride to Tacuba and our 1.5 hours there, we returned to the hotel via lunch at the Las Cabanas De Apaneca, an inn in the moutains in the village of Apaneca. It was a beautiful and secluded spot and we have decided to cancel our reservations for our team retreat at the beach and come back to this inn—the cost will be less and the basic accommodations are perfect! Thanks to the Lord!

For most of us, this missions trip is different. The emphasis is not on what we have planned to do, but what the national Christians want us to do to serve them. Because we do not have a set plan, this has given us more time to be together, on the road, eating and doing many of the things we do at home, to say nothing of staying in our hotel and eating there every night. John Crews has rightly reminded us that this is about relationships, not program, and we are reaching to grasp that as we minister in some cases as the first missions team to come alongside nationals and minister in certain areas and site. Without a “program” or plan, we are challenged to dive in and come alongside people whose language most of us do not speak and show them the love of Christ though our love. This is a stretching experience requiring us to overcome our own sense of insecurity and desire for an order and direction. It is not one’s “typical” missions trip, but it will be used in other lives and in ours as God is in it.

We found out the Christian orphanage we were to visit on Tuesday morning has 2 suspected cases of swine flu so we will not be going there on Tuesday. The Health Ministry will be sending representatives out and the school will probably be closed for a couple of weeks. Disappointing but flexibility is the key. We will be doing some “last day” sightseeing activities in the morning and going to an eldercare home on Tuesday afternoon.

Hope to get this out soon……!

Praise for:
- our opportunity to serve at Tacuba
- the El Salvadorian believers who minister to the rural churches with their own

initiative and resources
- God’s showing us an almost ideal retreat site not in our plans
- health and safety for the team with only minor issues

Pray for:
- the pastor and the Tacuba church; for their outreach in a spiritually dark area

where the occult and witchcraft are spiritual realities.
- demonstration and provision of God’s power and people in the spiritual warfare

in progress in the Tacuba area
- a growth in team confidence and trust in God in a very flexible environment and

willingness to “dive in”
- team unity and openness to reach out and encourage each other, not just those

we know well or are comfortable with

Jared's Post - Monday July 20

Hola,

Today we had a unique opportunity to break new ground in ministry with the nationals on staff with Global Action. This morning we boarded our bus and drove two hours to a village not far from the boarder with Guatemala called Tacuba. One of Global Action’s staff members had been working with the local pastor for some time and desired to arrange an opportunity for the country director, John and Diane Crews and our team to be involved in ministry in this poverty stricken area. After we arrived we moved quickly into a meeting room where over one hundred children and women were waiting. We sang songs, the OT team presented their skit on Adam and Eve, then Andrew shared his testimony and then presented the gospel. In addition to this, the pastor and his wife had made one hundred tamales to serve to the people. The team jumped in and helped serve the group throughout the process.

Following the meeting, the team and the Global Action staff traveled by bus around the town to pray as the country director put it, “against the powers, authorities, and principalities of the air as Paul tells us to.” It was a new experience for most of us. Nonetheless, I believe that we shed light on that place by the power of prayer. Once we had finished praying we traveled to a near by restaurant to eat, and then headed back to the hotel in San Salvador.

For those of you who are in prayer for us let me offer some suggestions. This evening we gathered for our daily team meeting and debrief, but this evening was different: we breached a pregnant issue as a team. Unity has not been our strong suit in that some members of the team have felt left out at times. Due to the team’s honesty in sharing their feelings, perceptions, and challenges, we brought the issue out of the darkness and silence. Instead of finishing all the scheduled items we ended in a time of directed prayer for the unity of the team. I would humbly ask that you be in prayer for the team’s unity, our relationships, and that we would listen and obey the Spirit’s direction in this area. Muchas Gracias!

For the Team,
Jared Noetzel
KLU

Friday-Saturday July 17-18

Alex is our student blogger today. She requested Friday (for reason she notes in her entry), but we came in late and did not do the blog that night.

The OT team did the Bible lesson on David and Goliath for the elementary school students at the Sonsonate Deaf School. Jeremy Traf made a great Goliath (no pun intended), Andrew was an awesome David (he vanquished Goliath to the furious hand-waving applause of the deaf students when the “bad guy” fell), and Mariah was our narrator. Jim shared briefly and like Tim yesterday, offered an opportunity for students to receive Christ. We did a craft with the students after the skit. Several of the moms who come with their students expressed heart-felt appreciation to our translators and some moms shared specifically how appreciative they were that we were sharing the Work of God with their children.

For work projects, we were able to get U-bolts to reconnect some broken chains together to fix all four of the broken seats on the school swing set. We also purchased a piece of plywood cut to fit the backboard metal frame, a basketball hoop, and the screws to mount both. We did not have the tools on site to complete the job but the Principal said she will call someone to finish the basketball goal repair.

The Principal approved our request to meet with the students by gender and we learned a lot about their dreams, hopes, and the struggles they have, many of which are not ours but very real. Our IBC students said that was a valuable time and they gained many insights as the school students, particularly the girls, shared what it was like to be deaf and bothered or picked on by others.

Before we left the school, the students presented us with a bag of candy they had purchased and each of us got a pencil with foam figures on it they had made. They also sang a song for us with their hands with the song playing in the background and one of the boys who was evidently a believer prayed for us—for almost 10 minutes, which was probably a new experience for many of us. The Principal said she was deeply appreciative of our efforts and she would ensure the parents were all advised at the upcoming parents’ meeting. John and Diane Crews noted this was the first team to spend a week at the Deaf School. In the evening, John shared his story and we prayed for him.

On Saturday we went shopping at the seaside on the Pacific Ocean where we walked through a fish market on a pier which we could really tell was a fish market before we got there, bought some El Salvadorian seaside souvenirs (a couple of you can get ready for some real shark jaws with real shark teach in them….). After that we went to the seaside estate of Mercedes, an evangelical leader in El Salvador and a very generous lady, to spend the day resting and relaxing in her pool or sitting by the ocean. The parents and brother of Andres, our male translator, were able to join us and a great time was had by all who attended. We had our team meeting there and heard from Mercedes, and Andres' parents, Raoul and Menina. We took their prayer requests and prayed for them immediately.

We are going to bed early tonight since we are leaving tomorrow at 6:40 AM to go to church and do the canopy tour. More on that next time. Thank you for your prayers.

Praise for:
· A wonderful time at Sonsanate Deaf School and a good relationship with the teachers and students.
· A relaxing day today at Mercedes’ beach house and a good opportunity to pray for her and others.
· Good health and positive attitudes of team.

Pray for:
Healing from the difficulties of past life Mercedes' family and the El Salvador ministry for Christ.
The Gospel to go forth despite political and economic challenges in Latin American countries.
Health concerns for Raoul and direction and open doors for Andres and his older brother, Edward.
Continued good attitudes and good relationships in the team long with their willingness to go deeper with the Lord beyond individual comfort zones.

A Saturday Evening post from Alex H.

Yesterday was our last day at the Sonsonate deaf school. We took pictures, did a skit for them and they did one for us. Saying goodbye was very sad. Today we relaxed at Mercedes’ beach house. We played in the pool and waded in the ocean and played a little volleyball.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA! I love you and miss you so much and can’t wait to see you again. Sorry this was a day late - yesterday was very very busy and we got in late.