Day 15 & 16: The end

I can't believe it's the end.

I'm typing this while my team is packing up and getting ready to leave and as much as I love my home, I'm sad I'm not going back home with them. Most of us on the team didn't really know each other but by God's power, He has brought us together and it feels like we know each other very well.

This trip has been exhausting, I mean, I don't know if I mentioned it before (hehe) but this trip was exhausting! Emotionally and physically. My emotions have been so weird lately because I don't really know what to feel but I know that right now, I'm really sad this is over. God has done so much during these two weeks. The thing that I hate about mission trips is saying good-bye. I hate saying good-bye. I hate to see everyone go and I hate to finish a mission trip because as exhausted as I am, I want to continue to be busy with serving the Lord.

God has plans for us no matter where we are though. I have been praying that everyone on the team goes home and continues to do God's mission. There are many things we can do at home as well, as I have mentioned in other posts.

We spent some time at the beach and shopping yesterday and then had our good-bye dinner. Lots of tears and love were in that place. It was bittersweet.

To be honest, I don't know what to write on the last post. I'm just speechless about how amazing God is. Every day, I keep learning how powerful God is and how much control He has over my life. I don't want to ever forget Him or leave Him again. I am nothing without Him.

It's sad to leave the El Salvador team as well. But God has great plans for them and I know that if they continue to seek Him, God will contjnue to work in them and continue to provide.

Pray for our brothers and sisters who are traveling home and that there are open arms to receive them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers

All glory to God though and everything He has done and everything He'll continue to do.

God bless you all,

Laura

Day 13 & 14: The Holy Spirit moves

Hi!

To be honest, I'm completely exhausted from these two weeks, emotionally and physically. In the last few days, it has been more obvious that my body is tired. I know that God has given me the energy to wake up every day, even if I only got a few hours of sleep and I thank Him for doing that because I can't do it without Him. The first few days of the mission trip were emotionally exhausting because I didn't know what to expect when we started our talks in schools. The first school was such a shock and just really helped us prepare better for the rest of the schools. God has a purpose for everything and even though the first school wasn't the best experience, He still used it to challenge us and teach us something.

I can't believe that we're done. It's been kind of confusing how these two weeks have passed by. I feel like at times, it was really fast but at the same time, I feel like we've been here for more than two weeks. For some people, it's hard to believe that this was a mission trip since we didn’t build homes, schools, etc. But I believe with all my heart that this was a mission trip and that God’s hand was upon us. It would’ve been awesome to build something, to be honest but for me, the kind of mission trip that we had was a lot more challenging than building a school or a house. I think I can speak for the whole team that God has really taught us, shown us and provided us with so many things during these two weeks. I thank Him for allowing us to serve Him and others and for loving us so much.

Yesterday (August 18^th), we had the chance to sleep in (YAY!) and it was really rewarding. There was also a devotional going on in the hotel and we heard that it was spiritually and emotionally amazing. After lunch, we headed to “Iglesia del Nazareno Madre Tierra” and it was exciting for me since I got to see my friends :D and it was also exciting for Alex since he got to play the drums haha. There weren’t that many youth or children since we decided to visit the church at the last minute but there were still some people. So Alex juggled and helped some people try it as well and he also showed them the Chinese yo-yo, which more people tried and it was really fun. Mr. Day also gave a short talk and then we played some games. The pastor of the church basically let us come and hang out with them, which was really nice. We hung around there for the afternoon and then had to go to another church at 7 PM.

The next church also welcomed us and had us sit at the front. We had some worship music (which wasn’t so great but God still appreciates it) and then Mr. Day talked for a while, then Nicki gave her testimony and then Julie did. We also had a surprise! Kirsten shared her testimony. The Holy Spirit just moved her and she asked to share her testimony at the last minute. Praise the Lord for working in Kirsten’s heart! After all the testimonies and Mr. Day’s talks, the church prayer bombed us. It was such a moving experience again, to see a group of people who don’t know us, pray for us! Many of our group members don’t understand Spanish but the Holy Spirit still moved them. The Holy Spirit moves no matter what language you speak.

I’m SO thankful for all the people we have met in the past two weeks. I can’t describe how.. amazing, God is. I use amazing a lot because I really don’t know how to grasp God. He’s so big and powerful and almighty and there is none like Him. Every time we receive a prayer bomb, I cry because I can feel the love God has for us. I’m so exhausted writing this but I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you how awesome God is. I’m so sad that these two weeks are over. I’m sad that I won’t wake up early in the morning, relying on God’s power to give me energy and seeing lovely faces in the mornings and afternoons. I’ll miss spending time with the group from El Salvador and as well as our group from Canada. I wish we were doing this for a month!

God can definitely give us a mission at home as well. Maybe there’s someone He wants you to reach out to. Maybe He wants you to give up something in order for you to have a wonderful relationship with Him. Maybe He’s challenging you at work, at school or at home. Maybe He’s challenging you to follow Him and believe in Him. Maybe He wants you to spend more time with Him in prayer or reading His word. Maybe He wants you to start something with your friends to help others. Whatever it is, I pray that He challenges you and I pray that you have the heart to listen and follow whatever He tells you to do. I know it’s hard. It’s been hard for me too but trust me when I say that, it is such a wonderful feeling once you follow Him and do what He wants you to do. You feel at peace and life just feels so right. You will feel closer to Him and you’ll want more of Him.

I’m sorry if my posts never make sense, I’m exhausted but the Holy Spirit helps me every time, to type this up.

Today (August 19^th), we got the chance to travel around El Salvador :D It was quite tiring but lovely! We’re quite sad that the two weeks are over. One more day in El Salvador left!

Hmm… I think right now, prayers for a safe trip home would be awesome. Also that YFC El Salvador really grows after everything we have done these past two weeks and all the youth and children that we met and saw, can find Christ (if they haven’t) or commit their lives to Him. Hopefully some also contact YFC El Salvador. If there’s anything else you think we need, please pray for that as well.

Thank you so much for keeping up with us!

God bless,
Laura

Day 12: God connects His church

Hello everyone!

I'd just like to praise God for who He is. I've turned my back from Him so many times and yet, He still loves me, and He is still working in my life and blessing me so much! He always has His arms open and ready to receive us when we truly run to Him and seek Him. He is such an incredible creator. We are nothing without Him. Lately, I've been learning how blind we can be to our sins. Sometimes, we don't even realize how far away we are from God. It's such a scary feeling, being away from God. If I had to volunteer for 6 months in another country, I couldn't do it without God. It’s our choice to give our life to Him, not just part of our life but every single thing in our life. The way we act, the way we talk, the music we listen to, what we were and who our friends are CAN affect our relationship with God and from my experiences, it has often pulled me away from God. So I pray that God may challenge to give your life to Him and that He may show you the purpose to your life. It won’t be right away but keep praying and talking to God, keep seeking Him to learn what plans He has for you.

Today, we went back to Centro Escolar “Caserio Comunidad Fe y Comunidad San Diego, El Paisnal, San Salvador, El Salvador, which was the school we got to visit in the afternoon yesterday (August 16). Since the school is so small, the kindergartens to 4^th grade goes to school in the morning and 5^th grade to 9^th grade go to school in the afternoon. Yesterday, we talked to the older students but today we had the children. Again, we had different stations like we always do. We had games, bracelets, karate, juggling and the Chinese yo-yo (we ran out of balloons) and story time about Canada or any questions that the children had. When we got there, the students had a breakfast break and a lot of them were eating rice pudding (except, it was more like liquid instead of pudding) Many of them wanted their picture taken haha and kept posing, it was pretty funny. Again, I was helping out in games. The kids weren’t actually too bad and they understood games so well that we basically just let the play the game by themselves. They really enjoyed playing the Octopus game! Unfortunately, two girls crashed into each other and we had to stop playing in the area we were in but we continued to play the game in a narrower area. Usually, the stations get out of hand and we lose the order of transition but today, everything worked out very well! Some kids were hoping that we were staying there for the whole afternoon hehe. It was very cute! I forgot to mention that there was a boy in a group that had cancer on his left eye. It was a little hard to stare away and treat him differently to be honest, but he was just like every other kid. I pray that God keeps him safe.

We went out to lunch and just relaxed for a bit. For once, we were actually quite early to the church, yay! We just hung around for a bit and got used to the place. Some of us played soccer to waste the time while others got distracted by music (Alex was very happy to be able to play drums again). We also helped set up the chairs for the service. People started to arrive early and I went out to the front, the entrance. While I was walking out, I recognized someone right in front of me. It was a boy named, Ronnie (not sure if you spell it that way) who was at the school in the morning! I told him to come over but he didn’t listen to me. Fortunately, one of the women at church went to get him and he went over to sit down with the rest of the kids. Allan, Nicki and I were blessed and had the opportunity to speak to the adults. We all shared our testimony. Since many of you don’t know, my Spanish has become pretty bad and it’s like I translate in my head, so that makes my Spanish confusing. Tonight though, God was telling me to do it in Spanish, even if I mess up and even if I confuse myself sometimes. He told me that He would speak through me and help me get through this. He did exactly what He told me. I told my testimony in Spanish, messed up a few times but the people at church understood me a lot better and I think it was easier for them to relate. It was such a blessing to be at that church today. Everyone was very welcoming. They invited the group to go up to the front and everyone prayed for us. They truly cared about what we were doing and how much God will do through us. Many came up to me after and encouraged me. I honestly felt like home, it felt SO good to be there and I definitely felt the presence of God. Everyone else was helping out with the kids outside and unfortunately weren’t able to listen to the service but still, God works everywhere.

I think it’s incredible how people are opening up their churches and schools to us and allowing us to share our experience and help out the youth. I didn’t really know what to expect during this mission trip to be honest and it has been quite an experience. This mission trip is a lot different than any other mission trip that I’ve done. I’ve had bad experiences but mostly good experiences. Even from the bad experiences, God has taught me so much through this mission trip. I can’t believe it has been more than a week and we are almost done!

Tomorrow, we are visiting the church I grew up in! It’s called “Iglesia del Nazareno Madre Tierra.” We’ll be meeting youth and maybe even children. I’m kind of selfishly excited since I’ll see my friend but also because I’ll be in the church I grew up in and it’s so special! I thank God that He allowed our team to visit this church. We will also be going to another church at night for a service. I’m not really sure what will happen but God is always doing good.

Pray that our team commits to God in these last few days and make the best of them. Pray that God reaches down to us and speaks to us. Thank you for your prayers! Prayer is so powerful and even more powerful when His children unite.

God bless you all!
Laura

Day 11: God continues to do His work

Good Evening:

It has been another busy day in El Salvador, just like every day has been the last week and a half. We started the morning by visiting the Christian school that we have been to twice. This time they asked us to go and lead the morning devotion at 7:30 AM. Laura and Natasha gave testimonies, Nicki lead in prayer and Bethuel and I delivered the message. I found this time to be very special because one of the grade 11 girls (Karla) asked that she translate for my talk. She did such an awesome job.

The students really accepted the messages that we brought and many came and approached us after and asked to talk. I had one young man approach me and ask how he continues to build on his faith when God does not answer his prayers and heal his uncle from cancer. We spent a lot of time talking and how God answers prayer in different ways. We talked about how we don't know what God's plan alway is in every situation but that he will always use every situation for his glory. I can only hope that I was able to give him some comfort, because he also shared that the Doctors only give his uncle a week to live.

We spent the afternoon at a Junior High in a remote community. The experience was much different but that is also good, it keeps us sharp and ready to deal with the many different personalities that we encounter on this adventure that God has put us in.

Please keep praying for us.

More to come, God bless.

Allan

Hola everyone!

This is my first time writing on the blog, so bear with me.

So far, this trip has been very eventful and full of surprises for me. I came onto this missions trip totally not knowing what to expect, just knowing that I was sent on this trip by God, and God alone, and that I was coming to serve Him. I am so happy that I am able to be here! I love El Salvador, it is so beautiful here! It really gives me such a deeper appreciation for God's creation. The culture and the way people live here is totally opposite from the way we live in Canada. We are so blessed to always have access to clean water, plenty of food, shelter, and clothing. Many of the people here in El Salvador don't always have access to all of these necessities. However, they are some of the most happiest, kindest, and caring people I have ever met, with such a huge love for life. This has really opened my eyes.

I'm going to start talking a little about the last couple days of the trip. Yesterday was probably one of my favourite days of the trip so far. There were many hyperactive kids at the orphanage that we went to - but I think that was partially to do with all of the candy that we gave them! There were a number of different stations that we organized for the kids to play at, as I believe that Laura has already mentioned below. Nicki and I were in charge of games, and we played the “Human Knot” and “Octopus” (aka “Pulpo”). It was crazy! Many of the kids would not stay with their groups, in fact a lot of them liked playing the game “Pulpo” so much that they surrounded me and Nicki and went on some kind of riot, shouting “Pulpo! Pulpo! Pulpo!” It was lots of fun though, no matter how hot it was, or how tired we were. I made a strong connection with a few of the kids, and spent the day giving them piggyback rides and playing and talking with them. One of the little girls even sang me some songs! There was one girl though in particular who would not leave my side, she was so sweet! She took my hand and showed me around her home, the orphanage, and it seemed really nice compared to most of the other communities that we had seen, which kind of surprised me because it was clear that despite the resources, these kids were not being cared for very well. They were very dirty, and they all seemed so desperate for love and affection, which they may have been deprived of in their lives. Although all of these children had been through so much heartache and abandonment in their lives, they still had such a joy for life. I believe that God wants us to be this way, to have a joy for life like that of a child. It was very hard for me to say goodbye.

Today was a lot more relaxed than yesterday, which was a bit of a relief. I won't repeat everything that Mr. Day has already said, but I'll just go over it. The devotion at the En-Hacore Christian School was really nice, some of the students sang some worship songs, and then we got to hear some testimonies and messages from the team. In the afternoon, we went to another school and broke off into 2 groups to talk to some classes. For the first class, I was pretty nervous and felt a little unprepared and unsure of myself to talk to the students. But then I prayed about it and just asked God to give me the words to say, because I didn't know how to talk to these kids. I didn't want to tell these kids words that came from my own mind, but God's words spoken from my heart. Only once I tried to let go of control and just trust in Him to help me was I able to feel a lot more comfortable and at ease. On the ride back to the hotel, there was a storm and it was raining hard. We were on one of the most dangerous roads around, nicknamed “Death Road” because of the many car crashes that have happened on it. It is a very narrow road with no speed limit, so cars often drive very faster, apparently up to 185 km per hour! It also did not help that the roads were slippery from all the rain, and Bethuel was driving!(hehe J) We prayed for safety for the drive home, and here we are safe and sound!

Thank you all for following along with the blog and please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Kirsten

Day 10: "One Candy, Please!"

Hola amigos!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating yesteday but let me tell you that yesterday was chaos! So we got back for dinner and I was so tired hehe. But I will always update you, don't worry :)

Okay so yesterday, we had the morning off and got to sleep in (well, not me, I went out) but after lunch, we went to the REMAR orphanage. To be honest, I'm not sure what it stands for but anyway, this orphanage is in La Libertad, El Salvador. The orphanage is beautiful and there is a lot of space. At first, I freaked out because there were A LOT of kids but I just prayed that God would give us patience and just really get to know the kids. We divided them up in 6 groups. We had story time, karate, team work games, group games, juggling & the Chinese yo-yo and the salvation bracelets.

All the kids enjoyed the activities but the teens were a lot easier to control and easier to play with. The younger kids were a mess! Hehe. They left their groups and ran around everywhere. You might be wondering why I put that title, well, that's what a lot of kids knew what to say haha. It was pretty funny to hear the kids asking for candy. They were crazy for the candy! They kept asking and asking for it and we would have to make them stop and form a line (muahaha). It was crazy but so much fun!

The orphanage has great resources, great bathrooms, great rooms, they even have cable TV, they have the school right and it's just a wonderful place. Although the place was great, to be honest, the kids were not well kept. Many of them had head lice, some of them had accidently peed their pants, most of them smelled and their clothes were very dirty (which is normal hehe). So it was a great time and experience to be able to care them, hug them and just spend time with them.

The orphanage also had a rehab centre. There were a few girls there that were mothers. I had the chance to talk to a few of them. There was a 15 year old girl that I found it hard to believe she was a mother because she looked like she was 12 years old. I just pray that God really takes care of them. It was so heartbreaking to see them and see that they were mothers at such a young age but they were also so caring, respectful and so mature. I was also talking to this little girl who randomly grabbed me and told me that when she grew up, she was going to study hard and come and help out at the orphanage. I pray that it truly happens because there's always help needed there.

Yesterday was crazy but it was such an incredible experience. I'm so glad God gave us the opportunity to be with those kids, love them and spend so much time with them. This whole mission trip has been such a great experience. I've definitely learned a lot.

Pray that God gives us strength, wisdom and knowledge to just continue to do His work with the same energy and joy that we had in the first few days and that we finish this mission trip strong.

God bless you all and may He work in your lives as well!

Laura

Day 9: Communities in need

Hola!

Yesterday was quite the busy day! But then again, every day is busy for us here in El Salvador hehe. It was wonderful to visit a community called "Los Lagartos" which is in Sonsonate, El Salvador. The people were very welcoming and the kids had A LOT and I mean, A LOT of energy! We got to the site and were asked to start right away. We divided the kids up into 4 groups and the mothers also wanted to participate.

We had a station with salvation bracelets, balloon animals, juggling and the Chinese yo-yo, story time and group games. It was quite chaotic but God really gave us the patience and energy to serve the people and to serve Him as well. I was everywhere! There was help needed everywhere since the kids were quite energetic and wanted to do the activities we had for them. At first, I helped out with the Salvation bracelets. They were all SO excited to receive them and make them. We had to make the bracelets for the younger ones but the older kids were able to do it by themselves. I also helped pump the balloons (which was quite tiring since I had to do it fast because the other pump broke and all the kids were patiently waiting.. well, a few of them tried to bud the line, but I didn't let them hehe).

I think the day was really fun! It is tiring to be with kids the whole day but it's also very fun. One little girl randomly grabbed my hand and it was such a precious moment. We also gave out clothing and toys, which was crazy since the community is greatly in need. Because of all the chaos, we didn't get out of the community until late after lunch but we went to this very cute park and it was such a lovely place to relax and eat lunch. After lunch, we headed out to the second church and this place was called "Montebello" in Santa Ana, El Salvador.

We had a lot less people at this place and less room (even the path to the church was so small that we had to park the cars somewhere else and walk to the church) but God still helps us to come up with ways to have activities for the kids. The adults had a time of service but we had the kids come out to another space. Since we had less kid and less room, we just had face painting, juggling and the chinese yo-yo and a group game called spiderweb. The kids were so shy compared to the kids in the morning and we had to just push them a tiny bit so that they would participate. After a while, the kids had fun though, still quite but they finally participated. After the adults finished their service, we went back to the cars and we were given corn and also a corn beverage called "Atol de Elote" and it was very yumy :)

The ride back to the hotel felt very very long and many of us fell asleep. By the time we got to the hotel, we were all quite tired and hungry. Since the kitchen was already closed at the hotel, we ordered pizza haha. We always have a time to talk and pray at the end of the day.

I would just like to thank everyone for your prayers and for reading our blog. I can't believe it has been more than a week already! But at the same time, for me, it feels like we have been here for more than a week since God has been doing so much each and every day. I hope that God continues to do so much more this week and that the Holy Spirit really helps us serve the people of El Salvador.

Today, we had the morning off (finally get to sleep a little more!) and we are visiting an orphanage in the afternoon. I think this week is going to be a little less crazy than last week but I hope that we can still do as nuch work and plant some seeds.

May our work make our Father joyful.
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30

God bless you,

Laura

Day 8: JPC Campamento

Today was so great getting to interact with the kids that came out to our mini camp. Although they were not all the ideal age to be getting their faces painted, everyone was very involved and having a good time. The most surprising moment of the day was when we found out that one of the teams for our camp was actually a group of adults. We were all wondering how a bunch of grown men and women were going to enjoy making salvation bracelets, learn how to juggle, play team building games and get their faces painted, all of which the kids love. But wow, they were so enthusiastic and loved every moment of the activities! The kids were wonderful and the adults threw us a curveball, making a fantastic day. It was definitely a lovely change from our regular school talks and allowed us to just spend some time with the kids. I'm not going to lie, today took a lot out of me, from the two camps, long drives, and late soccer games but God never ceases to provide energy for us throughout the day. I am going to make this post short and sweet because I am probably going to fall asleep any minute but I am looking forward to another action packed day tomorrow of camp!

Love,

Julie

Today was so packed! In the morning, we headed out to a church called "Tabernaculo Biblico Bautista Amigos de Israel" and the area that we went to is called "Planes de Renderos". In this area, they have more than one of these churches so the one that we went to in the morning was the second one. We never know how much room we'll have but God just really helps the team plan at the last minute, it's amazing. Everything went so well today! In the afternoon, we went to the first church and it was a lot tinier but we still had enough space to set up all our stations. We can always work things out with the help of God! During the "camps", every person got a booklet so that when they go around, they can get it signed. In the second church, we had an adult group and it was awesome to see that even they wanted candy and stickers like the little kids got haha. After we were done at the second church, we were invited to play/watch soccer. Of course, many of us didn't play since we were so exhausted but Natalia played and she scored a goal ;D

Every day is exhausting but every day, there's something new to learn, challenges and wonderful things.

God bless you, please continue to pray, especially for energy every day! Thank you very much for your prayers :)

- Laura