Update 6/24 to 6/30

      The most recent team that we had here in El Salvador serving the Lord was from Lynnwood, Washington. Proof that you’re never too young or too old to serve the Lord, the range of the ages of the members in this group was wide, with the youngest being twelve years old. This group of missionaries came with hearts ready to serve, yet they all still knew how to have fun. Their hearts for the people they served here in El Salvador was evident, especially for the boys here in La Casa in San Martin. The churches at La Angostura, Zacatecoluca, San Martin, Apopa, and San Salvador were blessed by both their service and their love for the kids in those communities. It was such a joy and an honor being a part of this mission team for the week, and it was sad to see them leave.

     However, as many of you know, the mission trip doesn’t stop just because you leave the country. Please pray that God would continue to work in and through each individual person back in their hometown. Pray that the youth that was in this mission group would grow in Christ to be future leaders for Him. Pray that the parents of the youth that were here would continue to encourage their kids to grow in the Lord as they lead by example. Pray that the adults on the mission trip would continue to be examples of servants of the Lord to the younger generation and anyone they meet at their work or on the street. And finally, please pray that all fourteen of these missionaries that got to experience God’s moving here in El Salvador would share the same love and joy of God back home with the other members of their church.

Update 6/10 to 6/16

What they lacked in numbers, our latest missionary group from Houston, Texas made up for in their willingness to serve , their eagerness to spread the gospel, and the joy of the Lord that was so evident in their presentation. Knowing that their time was short here in El Salvador, these seven missionaries took any and every opportunity to serve others to further the cause of Christ and to make the most of their time here. It was a blessing to see these guys serve whether it was through work projects or ministering to the kids around El Salvador. Wherever they went, they would bless the kids by performing skits and songs dressed up as clowns. In addition, they were ready “in and out of season” to present the gospel to anyone and everyone through bracelets that would give the gospel message through the different color beads that were on it. Even on their “fun day” when they went to the market to buy some souvenirs, they were passing out these gospel bracelets to the shop owners and other customers as they shared with them that Jesus was the only way to get to Heaven. They never let their small group number or their limited amount of Spanish knowledge slow them down from doing the one thing they knew they were called to do – share Christ’s love and the hope of salvation with others.

For me, saying that it was a pleasure getting to know this group of missionaries and watching the Holy Spirit lead them as they served and shared Christ would be an understatement. The work God was doing in and through them was an inspiration to me to say the least, and the seven missionaries from Houston, Texas will be greatly missed as they go back home. But it’s obvious that God has great plans for them, and it’s my prayer that He will continue to use these missionaries back in their homes and neighborhoods in the time to come just as much as (if not more than) He has used these willing servants of His in the country of El Salvador.

Please pray for this group, that the enemy wouldn’t quench the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their hearts; but rather that the Holy Spirit would increase in their lives and burn even brighter as they continue to be lights for Christ through their serving hearts, their eagerness to share the gospel with the lost, and their contagious joy of the Lord that is revealed so easily in their actions.

Update 6/3/12 - 6/9/12

(Note: This update was supposed to be posted on 6/10/12 but due to technical difficulties, I couldn't post it until now. Sorry for the late update.)

     This week we had a missionary group of 27 people come and stay with us in San Martin. They’re from a Christian School in Palm Springs, California. It was cool getting to know these guys and serve with them. On Sunday, we spent the day at La Casa spending time with the boys at the orphanage playing soccer, coloring, and just hanging out. On Monday, we did some work projects around La Casa in the morning; and in the afternoon, we split up. Half of us stayed at San Martin and did games and crafts with the kids in the after school kids program and the other half of us went to the hospital where we got to minister to kids who were in the hospital due to heart or kidney problems. I had gone to the hospital with the group and had gotten to meet a couple kids. On Tuesday we went to a church in Zacatecaluca which also served as a Christian school. In the morning and afternoon, we ministered to the kids in the school and around the community as we did dramas, games, songs, and crafts. Wednesday we went to La Angostura to do some work at the church there and minister to the kids and families of the community. Thursday, the team went to the Cental Church and did a program for the kids in the school which included dramas and songs. On Friday, again we did some work projects at La Casa, did games, crafts, and songs with the kids in the after school program, and visited the hospital. Saturday, the team went to Apopa to help the church there with painting and cleaning up trash and then played soccer and ministered to the people in the church’s soccer ministry.

     All throughout the week, the team blessed many people as they served, performed many skits, songs, and testimonies. The missionary team will still be here in El Salvador until Wednesday, but with another team coming to San Martin on Sunday night, they will be leaving San Martin and Jesse, Shaquanah, and I will be staying here to help the next team coming in.

     So please be praying that this team from California has a good remaining few days in El Salvador as they continue ministering and that they will leave here having grown closer to God. Also pray for the new team that will be arriving and staying here in San Martin for the next week.

Update 5/17/12 to 6/2/12

     So the past couple of weeks, we’ve been spending a lot of time at San Martin. We haven’t had a missionary group from the U.S. since the last one left, so we’ve been spending a lot of time either doing little work projects at the orphanage, hanging out with the boys there and helping them with their homework, or hanging out with the kids in the after school program and helping teach English. Shaquanah has been coming to San Martin with Randy, Jesse, and me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and has been staying back and helping Karen with the boys on Tuessdays and Thursdays. (She’s finished with working at the school at the Central Church.) With Jesse’s and Shaquanah’s help, I’ve been heading up some English classes for the after school kids at San Martin and have been helping the younger kids with their homework at times.

     Now that it’s June, we are scheduled to be having a lot more mission groups come and visit throughout June to the middle of August. I believe there will be a total of eight teams altogether throughout this time; so we will be quite busy. Jesse, Shaquanah, and I will be staying out in San Martin with the mission teams when they come, and we are pretty excited about that. There’s a team from California that is coming tomorrow morning; so please keep them in your prayers that they will be blessed, grow closer to God, and be effective instruments for God here in El Salvador.

     Other than that, there’s not really too much else to report. It has been a pretty calm past two weeks; but now the calm before the storm is ending with all the mission teams that will be coming in the next couple of months. Soon, I’ll have a lot more information and pictures to put on the blog of what God is continuing to do here in El Salvador through the teams that come. It’s going to be a great next couple of months! Please keep all of us down here in your prayers. Thanks as always and God bless!

2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.