Back in the US

Well, I gave up fighting with the signal in El Salvador and so I haven't posted any pictures, but I'm back in the US for now and I'm going to try again. I had a wonderful trip. I learned a lot and God blessed my trip in a lot of ways. I am very sad that I had to leave my children behind. I was tempted to pack them up in my suitcases and bring them with me! They all learned so much; I'm so proud of them. I think they enjoyed themselves as much as I did and most of them asked when I was coming back. We really got to know each other and they always made sure to greet me when they saw me in town.

We had a fun little closing ceremony for the parents. The children used their English, sang, and said their Bible verses. They wanted to sing every single song that they learned with us. Some of the children decided to be shy, but the parents seemed to enjoy it. I got quite a lot of hugs and kisses from the children and the parents. I am really missing "my children" right now and all the funny things they say and do.

The church in Meanguera was very supportive. They organized the last prayer service before I left so everyone could be together and come and say goodbye to me. So many people came! It was really cool to see their love and support in that way. It's been so fun to experience the family of God this way and to see how God's family reaches across countries and cultures. The church gave me permission to go back to the US and visit for a short time, but then I have to come back. I certainly am not arguing. : ) I feel like I have left my family and my country behind.

Please continue to pray for the children, their families, for Meanguera and the church, and for the future projects there. I cannot thank you all enough for your love and your support. It means so much to me and has been a huge encouragement. I could not do this without you all!

Brayan and Melvin found their snack very amusing.

We are missing a few children here. I am on the left holding Brayan, then comes Joselin, Juan, Sandra in the green shirt with Guillermo and Iseyda, next to her is Melvin, Alison, Fabian, Madelyn, Glenda is on the right with Kember and Madelin, and finally Abilio is seated in front of everyone.

We were practicing for our last day and I'm not even sure what they are doing and how they all wound up like this at once. :)

Singing for the parents.

Veronica modeling for her picture.

Giving out clothes at Kember's house.

Kember got so excited that he climbed into the bag!



Organizing clothes to hand out in Soledad. I had lots of help!



The children playing horses and "sleeping."

Singing with the children. Kember, Madelyn, and Fabian are really getting into it. :)

Life in El Salvador

We are coming to the end of week 3 and things have been going very well with the children. They are learning so much and really seem to be enjoying themselves. There are an occassional few days where they all decide not to cooperate and to fight about everything it seems like, but for the most part they do pretty well. When I start to feel frustrated with the children, I try to think of how God must feel when he is dealing with me, an adult, as His child and how patient and forgiving He is with me. It helps me to be more patient and understanding when I remember that I also have a stubborn and rebellious heart, just like the children sometimes do.

We don't always get a lot of participation out of Kember, but now he actually sings and does the hand motions too! He says his Bible verses and seems to enjoy the Bible story time. Every now and then he will say some English phrases, but he is still pretty shy about that. Fabian is still a little troublemaker, but we are learning how to handle him better and he definitely loves to come.  Veronica is a new one and she is very smart, but she also likes to be in the middle of everyhing. :) She picks up on things very quickly. We also had a new little one today, Abellio. He is Melvin's little brother. Everyone calls him the "chelito" (white one) because he's very fair and they say he looks like he could be my son. :) Jocelyn is doing much better. She still does not participate in singing, English, or saying the Bible verse, but she will play with us and sit with us and really enjoys coming. Each child is very special in their own way and I just love them all.

I've been keeping myself pretty busy here. Sunday morning, I went to Segundo Monte with Javier to help teach Sunday school. We worked with 2 groups of children who were all adorable, but a little shy with me. I spent Sunday afternoon making pupusas with some of the ladies in the church to help raise funds for the church. I didn't actually get to eat any of those pupusas, so I made some more at home and had some friends over to eat with me and we had quite a good time.

Monday, Matia took me up into the mountains through part of a canton called Soledad. We walked a good ways, but had to turn around before it got too late. It was very helpful to get to know the area a little better, know where the children are, and see what the needs are in the community. I have all kinds of ideas running through my head now for the future. It hurts to see how some people are really struggling to make ends meet. I hope that we can help ease the burden some. On a more positive note, I loved walking through the mountains - they are absolutely beautiful! There's a lot of walking here since most people don't have cars and there are quite a few places that don't have roads that are built for cars. I love it though!

Yesterday was very fun. Celso took me up to Matia's house and told me that I was cooking. : ) We spent the afternoon cooking over an open fire. There is no electricity up in the mountains. It was a first time experience for me, but very fun. I cried from the smoke and we all laughed at me. :) It's a very different experience from the US, but there is something very cozy, comforting, and fun about enjoying each other's company in a snug little house lit only by candles and the fire. We miss so many things in life sometimes by not stopping to enjoyt the very simple things and just being thankful for what we have. It's easier to enjoy the simple things in life here. I love every minute of it!

Please keep praying for the children, my friends, my helpers, and me. Pray for wisdom as the project develops. Thank you all for continued prayers and notes of encouragement! You all are very special to me.

Enoc. It took a few mintues, but I made friends with Enoc when we went up to Soledad. : )

We came to this house just in time for Sunday school when walking through Soledad.

Cooking over the fire at Matía's house.

My newest child, Abellio. He wasn't about to let go of that ball!

Beginning of Week 2

The children were very busy today and the morning went by so quickly! We had 2 more children today - Veronica and Juan. It looks like we've lost Nataly. Her mother is Catholic and really doesn't care for anyone else who isn't, so I'm thinking that's probably why we haven't any more of Nataly. That brings the count to 14 for now. :)

We are really having a good time with the children. There were only a few tears this morning. Some of the children had to readjust a little after the short break. They are learning quite a bit! They love to practice their English phrases. They really make me laugh with their eagerness sometimes. Everyone is really getting into it. Some of the children that weren't talking before are talking now. Jocelyn came by herself today, but she is too shy to say anything. Kember will talk to us, but when it comes to speaking English or saying the Bible verses, he will sometimes say them by himself to Glenda. He has decided she is his buddy. : ) The children are pretty good about saying their Bible verses. They absolutely love to sing! They are really getting into the hand motions and will break out in song in the middle of their crafts. Melvin is quite the student. He doesn't like to play because "a lot of water comes out here" and he points to his forehead. I guess he doesn't like the heat. He sure loves to practice his English and his Bible verses though.

We still have quite a bit of fun with the play doh. The children love to make play doh pupusas and it is my job to "eat" them all. They also like to sell their play doh pupusas and sweet breads. They are very good at selling! One of the children was selling them at "dos por un quarter" (2 for a quarter). I guess they are used to hearing the street vendors. :)

I have all kinds of ideas for future projects now. I am discovering that there is a lot of need for computer classes here. No one really knows how to use them and it would help them develop themselves and their jobs better. Their is a lot of interest for the moment, so it might be something that I can help them with in the future. Nilson came over today to use my computer to email his friends. I had to show him how the email worked and he keeps marveling at how fast I type. It takes him quite a while and he only uses 2 fingers. :) Just a few simple classes would be beneficial for a lot of them I think.

I am really getting excited about all the opportunities there are here and I don't think I'll be anywhere close to ready to come home in November. I am enjoying the children, the rest of the people, and this country very much! There is so much to be done here and these people are wonderful!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I need them! Please continue praying for this project. Pray for my helpers and me to have patience with the children and to be able to love them in the way that Christ loves us. Pray that the children continure learning and enjoying themselves. I am so thankful for how well things are going so far. Please pray for wisdom for me in the development of this project - "I can do all things for Christ who strengthens me " Phil. 4:13.

Good night!

From left to right, Brayan, Melvin, and Fabian playing with legos and blocks.

Melvin showing me that he has almost finished his snack. :)

We had a bat visit us our classroom this morning for a little bit.

Tomorrow We Start Again

It's funny how there's so much to do even when I'm not with the children. Sandra and I went to the market yesterday to buy food for the week. The market is never a quick in and out experience, but we did have a good time. Trini was supposed to go across the country to Sonsonate yesterday, so I asked Sandra's brother to drive us and we took their father with us. His 90th birthday is tomorrow. :) After the market we went to church. In El Salvador it is customary to have church services all throughout the week - the only day they don't have a service is Monday.

Today we made pupusas. Pupusas are a treat in this part of the country because they don't always have the money to buy the food to make pupusas with. I am finding out that most of the women in this area don't know how to make pupusas well. Beans and tortillas are the staple here. I enjoy them especially with cream!

Here the church services are very different and different people are assigned a different piece of each service. They usually have a time for anyone to read a verse, sing, or say something they are thankful for. Today they wanted me to sing. Nilson plays the guitar and he absolutely loves music, so he came over this morning and practiced with me and we sang "Open the Eyes of my Heart" in Spanish. Nilson's already got a list of songs that he wants to sing with me. :) Unfortunatly, they have trouble getting good quality strings for their guitars, so they can't always have the guitars in higher tones because it makes the strings break. I am certainly an alto, but we did have to make some adjustments becuase it is just not normal for me to sing that low!

Some of the girls that come to the VBS during the week were in church and they came and sat with me and told everyone that I was their "profe" (short for teacher). A lot of the children wanted to come to "class" on Saturday and didn't understand why they had to wait for Monday. :) Hopefully they will be excited tomorrow. Kember was in church today. I think his family comes every so often. He is still very shy around me and about coming every day, but he does seem to enjoy himself in the end. Please pray that he will adjust and understand that we love him.

Tomorrow I will have a quick meeting with my helpers just to see how they are doing and to make sure that we are focusing on reflecting Christ's love to these children. Please pray that we will be able to do this successfully. I am really going to be sad to leave this cihldren behind when I head back the US.

I am really enjoying El Salvador as usual. It is very different than the US and very poor, but very beautiful in so many ways and I love these people. Please continue to pray for this country.

End of Week 1

I think we've had a good first week! The children had another good day today. They are really adjusting and enjoying themselves. We've had less and less tears throughout the week and more children running in eagerly to play. I am really enjoying the children! Fabian and Kember are doing much better. Fabian still has his stubborn moments, but he's improved quite a bit. Kember is buddies with Glenda (one of my helpers) now and is talking and interacting with us a lot more. Jocelyn actually came back yesterday on the condition that her big brother stay with her. Her brother was with her today and yesterday and that seemed to give her some security. Hopefully she will stay without him after a few days. She has been starting to come up and talk to me and play with me some, which is a huge improvement for her. Brayan was also back yesterday and today. He is so enthusiastic about everything he does; it keeps us laughing all day!

Kember, Tania, and Cesia playing blocks and legos.

The children are learning their Bible verse and their English phrases very well. They will say their texts for a lollipop. :) They really seem to have fun with English and they are a riot when they practice. They absolutely love singing now and we catch them singing the songs we've taught them while they are working on their crafts. I haven't been able to get the videos to upload, but I will show them to you all when I get back. They are so much fun!

I went to the church meeting at Omar's grandfather's house today. He has an old dirt house and we all squeezed into it. Nilson sat with me for a little while afterwards playing the guitar and singing and asking me lots of questions about dogs and about the US. :)

We are off to the market in the morning to buy the food for the week.  :) We might get some pork so we can make some pupusas. I'm a little surprised how many people don't know how to make pupusas here!

Please continue to pray for the children and that we would be reflecting Christ's love to them. Pray for wisdom for me and  prasie for a good week! Thank you all for your support!

Glenda supervising soccer between Madelyn and Allison. Cesia is playing with Madelyn Jasmine's doll.

Singing about God's power over the rain, the plants, and the sun!

Today was a good day with the children! They are starting to adjust and be much less shy. There were only  a few tears today. : ) They really got into singing today - it was so much fun to see! They also were all over English today. Only one child didn't say any English phrases today, and she is really too little to understand. I also had quite a few children that could say the Bible verse today. Apparently, they've been repeating everything they're learning when they are at home. I was very encouraged today because there are times when I can't tell if they are learning anything and it looks like they aren't paying any attention. I was excited to hear that so many children are repeating the things they picked up with us when they get home with their parents. I had a chorus of "Hi, how are you?" today when I mentioned practicing English. The children will now say, "Thank you, Sandra" when she brings the food, even without me prompting them. We did some finger painting today and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. :) Please pray that the children will continue to learn and have good days like this one!

I got a kick out the children making me "pupusas" from their play doh. They were thrilled that I would "eat" them and kept making me more. :) It was pretty cute.

Kember was much better today too. He was pretty talkative and even spoke up when we were practicing English. He seems to be getting better with the children and seems to have more confidence with Glenda, Sandra, and me. I had Trini take Kember, his aunt, and me to the doctor today. It looks like he has an infection, so they gave him some antibiotics and we'll see if that helps. I don't think Kember has ridden in a car much. He seems a little amazed by the whole experience. Please pray that the medication will be effective and that Kember will continue to improve with us and trust us.

It looks like we have some bed bugs in the house. :( We are going to have to fumigate. It is amusing to me how these kinds of things don't seem to phase the Salvadorans one bit. I'm certainly not having a good streak with the bugs in El Salvador!

The stop to public transportation is supposed to end today and I've seen some buses running, so hopefully there won't be any more complications. Please continue to pray for this country and for everyone's safety.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I've posted some fun pictures! Good night!

Lunch Time!

Allison and Fabian making me "pupusas!"

Guillermo finger painting!

Day 3

Today was an interesting day. The gang members have put a stop to public transportation throughout El Salvador and they are making most stores close at 4pm. It has really complicated things for everyone. The girls that help me with the children had a little trouble getting here today, but were able to make it in the end. I am going to send Trini for them in the morning. The stop is supposed to end tomorrow. It's frustrating to see that the gang members can so easily control the country. I don't know why they let them get away with it; they don't even seem to be trying to do anything to stop it. Javier and Sandra said the gang member are often very young, between 13 and 16 years old. That is why it is so important to work with the children in this country. They need to be taken out of the culture of crime before it becomes too hard for them to get out of it.

We had 11 children today. Jocelyn's mom tried to bring her today, but Jocelyn wouldn't have it. Brayan didn't come today. He is usually my most enthusiastic child and makes us all laugh. I hope he comes tomorrow. Fabian is still a little rebel. He will look directly at you and do the opposite of what you just asked him to do, but he also has his good moments and he's very cute. I am learning a lot already about how to do this better in the future, so that is good. Please pray that I will be a blessing to these children and their families in these 2 months. 

Kember was a much better today, but every now and then he gets a little violent for no reason. He still doesn't actually engage with us very much. I hope that we can gain his trust and let him see that we love him soon. It's a hard case to handle because we constantly have to take him off to play something else. He just doesn't know how to play with the other children. The pastor and I are going to try to talk to his aunt tomorrow to see if she will let me take him to the doctor to check out his health. I am finding out more and more about little Kember. His mother has practically abandoned him and left him with his grandmother and aunt and they really don't pay much attention to him. There is a man that lives with his grandmother, but it is not his grandfather. They have a very complicated story, but they are very poor and don't really seem to know any better. Please pray for little Kember and that we can be of help to him. It breaks my heart the more I find out about him.

I've been trying to post some cute videos of the children, but for some reason it isn't working. :( I have the most hilarious videos of the children cracking themselves up over nothing and some very cute ones of them practicing English. :)

I was surprised by a gigantic tarantella tonight! I was sitting on the back porch and was startled by a big black creature running across the wall. I was going to take a picture, but I decided it was better to let Sandra try to kill it before it got away. :)

Oh the fun stories of El Salvador! Please pray for my children: Fabian, Allison, Brayan, Guillermo, Madelyn, Madelyn Jasmine, Iseyda, Nathaly, Cecia, Kember, Tania, Melvin, and Jocelyn. Pray that the gang activity in this country will disappear.

Good night everyone!