VeNture El Salvador Mission

So i don’t know how I forgot to write about our cooks but I did.Patty and Mary they were a mother daughter team. They were incredible, they encouraged me. They served in a way that gives glory to God and were passionate about serving. They even made us a special treat one night. They called everyone beautiful and gave multiple hugs to people - all t he time. They were always willing to share (even their recipes ) The love of Christ just poured out from them!

So I am not really sure what people have told you about because yet again I am blogging from the airport with a little too much time on my hands. (not too much because I need lunch before I board)

I wanted to just mention something I learned about. I always encouarged people to get to know the in-country reps. I want to make sure you know about them too.

First is our fearless hygiene rep beatriz! She is amazing. She desires missions greatly. She had a job in fiance a well paying job but realized it wasn´t right. So she quit without backup. She randomly had run into a friend who worked for LWI. At that point he offered her the job as cook. She soon became hygiene guru. She is quiet and humble. She laughs a lot and is a lot fun. But she always seeks God´s will. Her faith is overwhelming and always called us to prayer. She is moving to VA in a year because her fiance is studying at regents so we are all hoping that we can adopt her from afar. I think the hygiene will not forget her calm manner and fantastic ideas (or levanta mi casa or mi dio es tan grande)

Second is Stanley- It is hard not to love Stanley. I sat at the spanish table at during dinner. The first think he said to me is I don´t talk I was like ok. Whatever. Of course this is not true. We did have many head knodding conversations. He is still quite quiet and quite strong. He is pretty funny - it seems like the silent types always have the best one liners. He wants to be a missionary as well. Again he was very patient with us and displayed humility to a T. I think life was just a little happier and sometimes more interesting to have him around.

Finally Estuardo (Stuart, Stu) he is 23 but his leadership abilities stem far beyond that age. he is well accomplished. He graduated the university at age 20 with a degree in Electrical engineering. About six months into work making quite a bit of money for there he felt God´s call to give up all the money and work as a volunteer or missionary. His attitude toward money is amazing. he trusts God completely. He has the abilities to do whatever but chooses to live a life that requires a ton of faith. Another thing at Stuart is that he loves music. I often sat in the front because I get car sick. If i wasn´t singing there was a problem. He is always singing to God and worshipping. Music is part of his very soul - his passion is contagious. (he is also a bit of a jokster, I currently have senor jabon written on my arm- much to the shagrin - we know I cant spell- of my other hygiene teammates who when they saw my arm had it stuck in there head) 

One thing that was interesting about all of them is that they were all quite educated and gave up lucrative careers to serve God. They are joyous in serving God and passionate. It´s contagious!

I will try to write reflections over the next couple of days. I will be home in less than 12hours, i can}t say i am overjoyed but I know it is God´s timing (another cool thing about talking to these guys is seeing God´s timing in there lives - their stories reflect that). However when i beg for plantanos con crema y azucar be patient.

Thanks for all your prayers. We were truely blessed here.

Hey, folks!  I’m fixing the blog I tried to speed type at the hotel last night.  We had a free day Friday, but ended up going back to the village versus a zip line, to have photo opps with the well.  It turns out there were some problems with the water not coming out quickly enough.  The drill team did some repairs including putting some red line down the pump.  We did a team prayer.  They did get it working, praise God, but it seemed to need a period to refresh the water supply, so wasn’t at its maximal functioning.  Please keep that in prayer.

As we were driving thru the country side after visiting the village, I was overwhelmed with a sad sense of why the village kids have to grow up with so much less and more difficulties than i did.  There is really no answer, but I know being with them has helped me to understand their lives a bit.  One of the kids, Giovanni, colored pictures and wrote a thank you note to every one of us on the hygiene team.  He said we were his friends, and that he would always remember us, or that he hoped we would always remember him.  It was touching.

We visited a coffee museum/plantation in the mountains.  Very cool climate and good coffee.  Then, we drove into San Salvador, and hit Nelly’s Papuseria for an awesome traditional meal.  There was a live mariachi (?) band with a bass and xylophone type instrument, but much bigger, and I think some other instruments.  It was a great meal, and I loved the Ensalada Fresca drink, similar to sangria but with juice instead of wine.

We have arrived back home safely, and thanks to Eric for picking us up!!  Thanks again for all the prayers.  Pray that this trip would be a starting point for God to be glorifed more in our lives and in this village in Acajutla; and for the kids in the village - to have opportunities for better lives.

Blenda , aka “Chinita” to the village kids 

It´s our last night here before we head back to San Salvador to spend the night tomorrow.  We had a crazy last day- from playing with balls and frisbees, to teaching the kids Duck, Duck, Goose, to making a zillion drawings on paper plates, and reading “Jorge el Curioso” (Curious George :)  about 5 different times, and then dedicating the well at the end of the day, taking a million wonderful pictures, and making tippy-taps like it was our job…..  I am pooped to say the least.  But every bit of it was so sweet to me.  We talked a little bit tonight after our delicious dinner about how and when we saw Jesus this week.  To put it in terms like those made me take a step back and really focus on how God was truly at work in everything that took place.  First of all, what hit me was the way that we stepped into that village the first day and were met by fellow children of God- nothing more and certainly nothing less.  Stripped of race, social status, wealth, and color, all that is left is the love that we share in Christ Jesus.  All of the smiles, the laughter, and growth was purely because of Him and how He is at work in our hearts as well as the hearts of the children and adults of this community.  Every moment spent with those children was precious.  His hand was in our lessons, bringing life-saving knowledge to those suffering from physical difficulties, as well as life-saving grace and truth to those aching for spiritual fulfillment.  His hand was also in our play-times, running and laughing, and sharing with children across this silly “language barrier.”  God is at work, answering prayers and saving lives.  I knew I would learn that this week, but I wasn´t quite sure how or in what capacity.  But He is faithful to teach me what I need to learn, showing me more about Him, and drawing me closer to his heart.

(I decided to make a new paragraph so it wouldn´t seem like I was rambling too much.)
Three quick specific examples of God´s faithfulness that I have witnessed in the last 24 hours:

First of  all, I´m not sure if the bloggers yesterday filled you in on the dinner that we shared with the community last night.  It was a simple, yet heart-felt way the villagers wanted to show their appreciation for the work that we did this week. The hygiene team had been finishing up some of the last vital lessons on our schedule, including the ORS lesson that teaches a simple way to rehydrate the body and save lives.  But when we started the lessons, we only had one adult and about 15 children.  We decided to pray together about it and continued to share with the people that were there.  By the end, there were probably 100 people, including many mothers who would benefit the most from these lessons.  GOD IS FAITHFUL.  So, after that, we shared the meal that the people of the village had prepared for us.  THey brought about 3 large containers filled with plantains, bread, and beans and 2-3 tubs of refreshments.  We kind of looked at each other like “there is no way that is gonna feed half of these people.”  Sure enough, after everyone had been served, there was food left over… and let me tell you, we had our “fill.”  It was truly God´s hand, nothing else could explain it.  GOD IS FAITHFUL.

Then, as we were leaving the site, the truck pulling the compressor got stuck in a soft spot in the road.  The guys got out and were working on getting it out for a good while.  We (the hygiene team) were around the corner with some of the kids waiting for them to get the truck out when it occured to us to pray.  We bowed our heads together and prayed that God would be at work and would give the men the power and wisdom to get the truck out.  A few minutes later, the truck came around the bend with the men following behind.  Apparently at the same time we did, they decided to stop what they were doing and pray too.  GOD is FAITHFUL.

One last quick example (I promise)… So Bill, one of our team members from Texas, was interested in donating to the local church in some way so he talked to Stuardo about mentioning it to the pastor.  It turns out that they are trying to build a latrine for the church and need money for materials.  Before we found out the total amount of money needed, we collected about $350 from our team this afternoon.  Stuardo talked to the pastor again and found out the total would be about $440.  The next hundred or so was covered quickly and Stuardo was able to get all the necessary materials by the end of today.  That was Jesus.  He moves in the hearts that He has called to His purpose and provides the appropriate resources to fulfill the needs of His people.  GOD IS FAITHFUL.

So I know I´ve talked enough now.  The good-byes were tough, but positive.  I´m gonna miss them a lot and I will be praying for them and have them in my hearts always.

ONe more day… a zillion more of His blessings.  I´m excited.

Liz

Today was our last day in the village.  We started a bit later today expecting a light load.  The only task the drill team had was to lower the pump and piping and then assemble the India Mark II pump head.  That process went very smoothly!  They were even crazy enough to let me cut the threads on the top of the sucker rod.  :)  The plan was to then go back to the resort for lunch and then come back for the dedication ceremony at 3 pm.
 Then when we were leaving the truck with trailer got stuck in the fresh dumped dirt over the culvert.  We spent nearly an hour digging the truck out.  After we had battled it for 45 minutes, we finally turned to God in prayer and then the truck came free.  
 

Lunch was chicken and more yummy fried rice!  I could stay here just for the rice.
 During the dedication ceremony the pastor, mayor, and several community members spoke.  It was really neat when the mayor gave us certificates of appreciation for working in the village.
 

We then spent the next hour in a frenzy of tippy tap manufacturing.  Every time we turned around there was another bottle.  We finally had to just say no more.  Leaving was hard.  You spend a week getting into their lives and then in the final drive down the dirt road you wave goodbye knowing that you will never see them again.
  I pray that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savoir and that I will meet them in heaven and we can praise God for the work he did this week.  Compared to my trips in Nicaragua these people seemed so distance from God.  During yesterday’s dinner, I could not help think back to John 6 (Thanks to Mike M. and Dr. Jones for their sermons on this passage)  After Jesus had feed the 5000 they hunted for Him and asked Jesus to give them a miracle of more bread the next day.  And Jesus told them “I am the bread of life.”  He took them from their physical wants/needs to their spiritual needs.  In the same way the people came flocking for a free meal last night and the pastor was there to share the message of Jesus Christ.  I pray that he will continue to spread the good news and be at work in that village.  May his work not be in vain.
 Tomorrow is our free day and drive back to San Salvador.  But God´s work from this trip is not done in our hearts nor in the heart of Venture.
 

 

Monday and Tuesday were all new adventures for me.  Many of the drill team have been on several trips before.  Don, another IBC team member, had been to drill camp and was on his first trip too.  So needless to say, I was pretty much lost on what was going on.  On Monday we drilled down 50 feet, which is about average the first day, but everyone seemed pleased with what was done.  I got pretty muddy today, clearing out suction tube in the mud pit.  There were quite a few kids in the village, all very cute.  I bring many smiles to the kids faces, when I do my chicken imitation (clucking, and walking like a chicken).  They affectionately call me the “Blind (because of my glasses) Chicken”.  It’s been fairly hot, low 90´s, with some pretty bad humidity, and considering the long pants we are required to wear, it was bearable.  On Tuesday, we finished drilling, we ended up about 100 ft.  I did win the self proclaimed, most muddy award today though…….Relationships continue to be formed with the kids.  They are so easily amused, unlike our US kids who have to have every new toy, they are simply satisfied with our attention, although they love looking at their pictures on our digital cameras.  We finished the well today, put in the casing, rocks and cement.  We had a ¨thank you¨dinner tonight with the village and a neighbouring church.  There was almost 200 people there.  We were quite moved.  We are ready to put the pump on tomorrow and have a dedication ceremony for the new well tomorrow.

 

So much to tell, with so little time.  I hope to be able to share things with you on my return.

Wow – We have been blessed beyond anything I could have imagined on this trip – particularly today.  Sure, we had a football go into the drill equipment yesterday and we’ve had our share of difficulties w/ the hygiene lessons (think dogs and roosters running through and making noise, kids disrupting things (ever read in psyc books about “wild children” who grew up in the woods w/ no supervision or education? – I swear we have a handful of those), a chicken who kept trying to sleep on the wordless book, an icecream man incessantly ringing a bell (keep in mind these people don’t have a cent to buy a cone)… you name it… But,  everything has happened on or ahead of schedule, we taught all of the lessons and they are really receiving the messages well.  The people in the village and where we’re staying could not be any more wonderful and amazing.

So…. we started the day with 6:30 am breakfast and instead of devotions by the ocean here, we did them in the village.  Tons of people attended and I felt God’s presence and power as we sat in the dirt under a huge tree in the heat and heard Estuardo share the gospel. Everyone listened intently and as we all sang “This is the Day that the Lord has Made” in Spanish and English, I knew without a doubt that it would be the Lord’s Day.  After that the drillers got to work and our following of children grew by the hour.  We spent the morning playing games, doing crafts and teaching the kids (yes, I couldn’t resist to teach them addition, the ABC’s in Spanish and how to write their names!… we’re talking about 9 and 10 year olds who don’t know that sort of thing…).. Anyway, by noon I couldn’t have been more exhausted and I know it had to have been Christ’s strength that got me through the rest of the day.  At 2pm we were ready to start the hygiene lessons and had virtually no adults and probably 20 kids.  Sure, they show up late (come on, it is Latin America and these people don’t own clocks!) and our main group of women were cooking the dinner for us, but I began to worry a little – especially since this was our big day to do the wordless bracelets and other life saving techniques (spiritually and physically).  We prayed and by the end of the bracelet lesson and beginning of ORS, we must have had 100 people – plus the well was basically done. I was shocked at how well they listened to Lisa present ORS. By “meeting” and dinner time we had over 200!  All of these new kids are dying to know what we taught the two previous days so we’ve promised to make tippy taps and that sort of thing w/ them tomorrow.  I was expecting about 40 people for the dinner/meeting (someone must have expected more but I like to think of it as a bit of a miracle that everyone ate!).  In fact, after the dinner I told one of the ladies who cooked that they were like Jesus feeding the 5000.  Her response was that the whole time she felt the presence of God and was thinking the same thing!  I swear we were transported back to biblical times for that hour or two! Oh and for the meeting the pastor and members of the local church led everyone in song and prayer.  This church is really on fire for God and our putting in the well gave them an opportunity to share and participate with us.  They have been wonderful.  Seeing so many hands raised and praising God under that tree in the midst of this community so mired in poverty nearly brought me to tears. Anyway, it’s nearly 8pm now and we’re finally back at the “compound” as they call it, “resort” to us.  While we’re exhausted, everyone is doing well. I hear people splashing in the pool and I don’t think I’ve ever been this dirty and sweaty so I’ve gotta join them! But first, some prayer requests….

1. for our health – we ate the village tonight and many of us are paranoid we’ll get sick – think outdoor kitchens, people who don’t know about washing hands or putting trash in a trashcan, etc…
2. for tomorrow-  that the well dedication will be a success and many will come to know the Lord
3. For God to continue to work in the community and for us to trust him that the lessons will stick and they’ll put them into practice. 
4. For God’s continued provision and safe travel back home on Saturday.