El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 5 of 7)

This is the fifth of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 5: 2/20/2013

Luis

The morning was slow for me. Not much to do. What's that old saying? "An idle mind is the devil's workshop"? Well, the devil was working on me today.
I spoke to James on the phone yesterday for the first time since leaving on Saturday. Hearing his voice just ruined me. The homesickness began to set in. I miss him and the children terribly. I began to doubt if I made the right decision in coming. After not sleeping extremely well, I woke up a little sad and missing my family even more. Part of me was wishing I hadn't come. Why did I spend so much money that could have helped my family? Sounds familiar, eh? Hasn't the devil already used that trick on me? Why am I still listening?!?

One of the sweet abuelas

The morning dragged on and on and I really felt useless. I couldn't paint because the fumes made me feel so sick if I were around them more than about 20 minutes. Other small groups had been farmed out so there at the church I sat. Thinking too much. Allowing Satan to invade my thoughts.

Jenny

I made my way through lunch, and then had my scheduled 30 minute prayer shift. Amazing what God can do when you lay your troubled heart before him. As I poured out my heart to God about all that was in my head, I felt lighter and more at ease. I lifted up specific prayers for each individual on our team, too. By the time my shift ended, I was in a better state of mind and heart.

Jenny, Clenda, and Riley

As I came out of our makeshift chapel, it was time to set up for bible school. Before long, the children were coming in and once again passing out hugs. It was therapeutic to say the least.
I AM supposed to be here. I have a place on this team. I do still miss my family so much it hurts, but I need to be here.
I cannot let Satan rob me of the joy coming out of this trip.
I need to be here!

I have a place on this team.

El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 4 of 7)

This is the fourth of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 4: 2/19/2013

Getting our supplies in order for pipe cleaner station

Today we held our first bible school with about 30-35 children showing up. As they began coming in the doors, the children hugged us. Some children even went around the church hugging each adult. One thing startled us at first. A few came in in the front door and immediately shot out a side door as we are shouting, "No, aquí!" since I didn't know the words for "come back." As I followed them out, I noticed they were not trying to run away, but were at the outside sink, washing their hands, wiping their hair and face, and rinsing their feet. They quickly finished their task and came back in to sit and wait patiently for instructions.


Some of our youth interacting with the children

One young man had a bright green instrument of some sort, made of bamboo. The way he carried it reminded me of the way the soldiers carried their machine guns on the street corners in the area. I began to wonder if it was an instrument after all. I pointed and asked "qué?" He put it to his mouth and began to play a simple song. "Bravo!", I said, to which he bowed and said "thank you!" Mystery solved, or so I thought. A few minutes later, this same child was holding it like and machine gun and pretending to fire. I guess I was right on both accounts. I couldn't help but laugh.

Our youth acting out the creation story

We had the simplest of crafts as we talked about God creating things of nature such as light and dark, flowers and trees, sun, moon, and stars. The children colored creation pictures, made card stock frames to embellish with foam stickers, folded tissue paper flowers, and played with pipe cleaners. Even the abuelas were fascinated with making pipe cleaner "floras". We had a church member on hand to help translate the bible story and lead the children in songs.

Some of the children, and Melanie coloring

I cannot describe my emotions right now. I barely understood these children and they barely understood me. Yet, we communicated. We shared smiles and hugs. I shared English words while they shared Spanish ones with me. I even shared my name. We had a "Jenni" and a "Jeniffer" today. :)



Scott and Elizabeth with the children as they play with pipe cleaners

Such a wave of joy came over me when I asked them as they left, "Hasta mañana?" and I received big grins with an exuberant "Si! Hasta mañana!"

Hasta mañana!!

El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 3 of 7)

This is the third of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 3: 2/18/2013

Sleep was interrupted by the sound of dogs barking, roosters crowing, chickens clucking, and horns blowing. As my family well knows, I am NOT a morning person under the best of circumstances so with interrupted sleep, I was a bit grumpy. I complained for a moment, but then quickly remembered my "glad" devotional I gave yesterday taken from a previous blog entry. I must be intentionally optimistic like Pollyanna. I got dressed and headed out for a cup of coffee before breakfast at seven. As I approached the coffee urn, a young Salvadoran male, in broken English said to me with a smile, "This is good coffee." If he could be this bright and cheery this early and take time to converse with me in my language, I could at least improve my attitude and enjoy the simple pleasure of coffee. And it was good! [Side note: As we visited the coffee plantation yesterday, we learned that El Salvadorans appreciate good coffee and begin drinking it as early as two years old.]
Needles to say, after a wonderful cup of coffee and another amazing feast for breakfast, we headed to the church for our assignments. It was decided that we would hold bible school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. We sorted our supplies and put together our game plan for the Creation Story theme. Our crafts would be geared toward celebrating God's creation.
Next, we toured a local neighborhood village, El Carmen, to invite families to participate in bible school. What an eyeopener! We saw yards of gray dirt, animals roaming free in the yards and houses, and more smiling people! We had 3 representatives from the church to lead us and translate, Fernando, Emerson, and Joanna. It was a new world to me. We saw some homes made of bamboo sticks tied together, with corrugated metal roofs held down by tires. Others were open air cinder block while some were hand-formed adobe bricks dried by the sun.
We saw a brick making operation with a large kiln in the neighborhood. Very impressive.
The streets of rock and dirt made it difficult for me to travel gracefully yet these people do it every day for miles.
This afternoon, I took a shift in our makeshift prayer chapel (a back room in the church's preschool wing ) Time in the middle of our organized chaos to quiet down, pray, meditate, and just refocus.
I am so excited to spend time with the locals tomorrow.
And looking forward to more smiles!!

 

El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 2 of 7)

This is the second of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 2: 2/17/2013
Wow. What a day thus far. 6:30pm and what have we done?!
Geothermal sulfuric hotbeds. Admission fee of $.50/person.
Concepción de Ataco - colony town (and tourist market) settled in a volcano crater.
Slum village built in the side of a mountain. Raw sewage smell for a mile. (Could see village at a distance).
Lunch at an amazing restaurant on a coffee plantation. Entre Nubes Cafe (http://www.entrenubescafe.com/)
Worship at Iglesia Evangelica Metodista Nueva Jerusalen. I was a bit lost with the language, but felt so welcomed. Smiles and hugs and lots of "Hola's".
As we travel the bumpy, winding roads in a suped up old school bus, I see few homes I would consider suitable housing. Some you can smell the stench as you pass. However, I cannot say that I have seen homeless vagrants, or beggars of any sort. I see people in clean clothes and shoes, with clean faces, working. Always moving, and 99% of the time- SMILING!
As I videoed two guys struggling to keep a trailer from rolling down a busy highway, I caught the eye of one. In the midst of his struggle, he lifted a hand to wave.
As I see pickups pass our bus packed with sometimes 30 people in the bed, I see smiles.
While I can speak very little Spanish, I can smile. And they make me smile.
Why can't I smile more in my life? I have an abundance of conveniences and opportunities and resources these people do not and yet they smile.
Smile. Smile. Smile!

El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 1 of 7)

This is the first of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 1: 2/16/2013
I left LaGrange with anticipation and some fear, both of the unknown and unfamiliar. I was leaving my family behind, my family I treasure to the ends of the earth. I was leaving them for 8 days. Over the course of 6 months, and with the help of some donations, I paid for this trip and of the necessary preparations ahead of time. This money was financial support that I took from our household, money that could have served my family. I took the money to fund my trip. Satan began to work a number on me. I began to ponder how that money could have benefited my family.
Then, as I landed in El Salvador, and we began to ride the streets of towns, roads of countryside, I realized GOD is using that money for HIS benefit. It was not for ME. It was for HIS kingdom.
I saw slums and shanties. I saw roadside markets and grills manned by locals who looked as they are barely surviving.
Yes, the money could have bought my family more or paid down a credit card balance. However, it enabled me to be right here, right now, with this group of God's children, to serve more of God's children.
I feel like I am being obedient to His call. Here I am, Lord. Send me.

My Uncle Barry

I awoke this morning with bittersweet emotions. As I come to the realization that I will soon be saying goodbye (for a time) to a man I have known and loved all of my life, my heart is heavy, but my mind is full of wonderful memories.
Just over a week or so ago, we received news that my beloved Uncle Barry had what appeared to be cancer. Within a few days, we learned there were no treatment options due to its rapid progression. That kind of news hits you like a truck. Emotions began to flow. First instinct was to drop everything, hop in the car, drive 700 something miles, and spend every last minute I could with him and my family. Reality tells me though that is not possible. My obligations keep me here. Here, so far away from my extended family and longing to be there with them through this difficult time.
As I sit here, I find comfort in my memories of Uncle Barry. One of the earliest and most impressionable ones has to be how he would hold me down and tickle me til I nearly wet my pants. Many of you will know that tickle. How you absolutely hate it one minute, begging for it to end at any cost...the next you are right back over for more. Oh and his hugs were like no other. They were big and strong, and like the tickle, had a little something extra. He would snort like a pig either in your ear or on your neck while scrubbing his chin stubble on you. Chills to the Nth degree shooting all over as the result. As much as you squirmed and pretended not to like it, begging to stop, you loved every minute of it.
Even though I thought he had the strangest accent (Pennsylvania Dutch/Eastern Shore of Maryland brogue), I was the one with the strange accent when on his turf. He never missed many opportunities to point out my Georgia peach way of talking. I think he secretly envied my long "I" sounds in "shyyy" and "spriiiiite".
In my adult years, I could always count on an email or two a day from him. He wanted to make sure I received the money angel and sent it to 12 or more friends, or keep me up to speed on politics even though we didn't really see eye-to-eye on those, or the ever funny growing old jokes. I could almost set my watch and knew when he was at his computer by the timing of the emails. I loved seeing his name in my inbox.
We also shared a love of motorcycle riding. As James and I took a 2500 mile road trip a few summers ago, we were able to stop in and stay with him and my Aunt Cathy for a couple of nights. We shared a love for riding and talked about his ride also.
Last night, I had a dream about Uncle Barry. Nothing profound or even strange. I was back in his living room, giving him a hug, and simply saying "I love you."
I realize I will not have the opportunity to hug him again (at least not here on earth), but I will relive each and every hug I have had until we meet again.
I love you, Uncle Barry. We will meet again one day, and I will be ready for that hug.