El Salvador- Friday, June 17th

This morning Kyle drove with Jeff to Nueva Concepcion to pick up some scaffolding.  While he was gone, I made some banners for Marco and Evelyn’s upcoming event.  It worked out well because they went to a meeting this morning while I was working.  So, I put Eliana on their side of room which is divided by some cupboards.  Eliana took a nap and I got the posters done.  When I was done, I read Genesis 47 about Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons.  Again and again as I’ve read Joseph’s story the amount of times that things don’t go as planned jumps out to me.  I’m reminded of a passage in Isaiah that talks about God’s way being higher than man’s ways.  His thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts.

Kyle was still gone, when Eliana woke up.  Evelyn and Marco were still in their meeting, so Eliana and I headed up to the third floor to play.  There is a big open room up there, so Eliana could crawl around without getting into the things that were in Marco’s room.  Once again, Eliana opened the doors of communication by crawling, smiling, and babbling at the teachers.  They love talking to her and calling her preciosa.  Since Eliana doesn’t have earrings, people assume she is a boy.  So, she is also called precioso and cholo (cute).  Sometimes people get it right and say she is linda instead of lindo (cute).

Lunch was at a restaurant  called Go Green.  It is a salad and quesadilla place with lots of healthy foods.  The food was good, but the best part was talking to Pam and Steve.  Kyle asked what were good qualities to have in a missionary.  Steve talked about being willing to be meek.  He explained that people often think of meek as weak, but that it isn’t.  He said a horse is meek; it is power under control.  Steve loves to talk about Jesus.  He loves the book of Hebrews because it is all about Jesus.  Steve’s passion for the Lord is catching.  When they came down to El Salvador, he didn’t know Spanish.  He learned by going out in the mornings and witnessing to people.  He hated to see blank faces on people as he tried to explain Jesus to them.  His desire for people to be saved is what motivated him to learn Spanish. 

The Friday night service got so full that they do the same sermon on Thursday nights.  So, Kyle went in and heard the sermon while I hung out with Paula, Emily, and a few others in the nursery.  It worked so much better to have Eliana in the nursery.  She played and was quite happy for almost the whole time.  I also was able to hear more about Paula and Jeff’s move here a few years ago.  Plus, I learned another new word.  Juntos = together.  I think I’m picking up a few new words each day.

El Salvador- Thurdsay, June 16th

We went back to the church to work on painting the ship.  We went up to the third floor to do the work.  Eliana was initially pretty fussy because she was ready for a nap.  She was able to sleep about 20 minutes with all of the different noises while we painted the pirate ship blue. 
 

We went to lunch at a mall that is very similar to what we have in the states.  We had pizza from Bassaro.  There were several restaurants that are found in the states at this mall.  The more important thing was being able to talk with Evelyn and Marco.  We found out that they have two children named Marco Jr. and Mariana.  Mariana is adopted.  She was adopted at the age of 9 months old.  She is now seven and in first grade.  She is learning English and Spanish at school.  You can tell that they love their children very much.

When we came back, we asked the 3^rd grade teacher if we could use her room for Eliana’s nap time.  I nursed Eliana, and she went right out.  She then napped for an amazing 2.5 hours!!!  We were able to finish the entire painting in that time.  I love to paint!  It was nice to be working alongside Kyle and communication and teamwork to run smoothly.  When we try and cook at the same time, we tend to butt heads.  But this project worked very well.  People came by to see the giant painting.  I didn’t think it was all that impressive, but the people were gracious in complements.

At one point, Kyle went to go do something else while I painted.  The 3^rd grade teacher came and talked with me.  Between her broken English and my broken Spanish, we were able to connect over teaching.  She explained that her students were gone for the summer but that the teachers were still working on cleaning out the rooms and preparing the inventory for next year.  Later that afternoon while Eliana was napping, she brought us each a piece of cake since they were celebrating the day of the teacher.  I thought it was so thoughtful.

We had about an hour before church would start.  We decided it would be best to go pick up papusas a few houses down.  Pam sent Emily and Michelle with us.  I like when children are around.  I feel more comfortable with trying out my Spanish.  We found out the girls’ ages (11 and 13), that they live next to the church, and that they are in the 5^th and 7^th grade.

I was impressed by Pam as we ate dinner outside of the church.  She greeted everyone by name.  Several people came by to talk with her.  We have been welcomed warmly by the church.

Once again, Eliana opens the way for communication.  One of the ladies that was a greeter wanted to hold Eliana.  She said she hadn’t held a baby in a long time.  I love seeing the joy on people’s faces as they interact with her.  During the greeting time in between songs, Eliana visited the three ladies that were in front of us.

 Eliana turned out not able to make it through much of the service.  She made it okay through the singing, but then she was ready for bed.  To try and ease her crankiness, I pushed her back and forth in the stroller.  It had worked on Saturday to put her to sleep, but it wasn’t working to well on Thursday.  I tried walking with her, but she was getting more vocal.  Kyle went outside with her and walked her.  He listened to parts of the sermon through the windows and talked with people outside.  I listened to the sermon, catching about one out of every 20- 50 words.  I learned a new word, sangre which means blood.  Steve was preaching out of Hebrews.  While talking to Steve before lunch on Friday, he explained his sermon.  He taught about how a guilty conscience can only be cleaned by the blood of Jesus.  All other things fail.  Blood on a shirt stains, but blood on the inside cleans the body.  The blood on shirts is like the sacrificial system before Jesus came, it was only a symbol pointing to Jesus.  When Jesus came, his death and resurrection enabled his followers to be cleansed.

El Salvador- Wednesday, June 15

Kyle has been picking up Spanish pretty well while we've been here.  He went in the morning to the nurses' desk and requested that the doctor be called since it had been over 12 hours since we'd come in.  She called very shortly after that and was there within 45 minutes.  The doctor filled the papers for releasing us to go home and briefed us on things to look for that may be signs of a problem.  However, she expects that all is well but wanted us to be aware as a precaution. 

The nurse came in and removed the IV.  Then an attendant came that offered to bath Eliana.  Eliana liked the water and the special attention.  Everyone calls her "Preciosa/Precious Girl".  El Salvadorians see foreigners but hardly see their babies.  So we get lots of attention, which Eliana handles pretty well.  Another attendant brought us breakfast: frijoles, bananas fritas, pan, queso, y juevos con tomatos. 

Wednesday afternoon was very good for me because we were finally helping in the ministry!!!  We helped created a backdrop that is hung on sheets for the children’s ministry.  Marco knows little English, but we were able to communicate through his wife via cell phone.  Marco Jr. created an invitation for an evangelistic event on June 25^th.  We recreated most of the invitation on a sheet.  Initially, we free handed the script which said La Tribulacion del Blanco Perla y escape de isla de Perdicion (The Tribulation of the White Pearl and the escape from the island of Perdition).  Kyle free handed the dated of the event.  As we looked at the ship we were to recreate, Kyle noticed an overhead projector.  He asked if we could use it to show the ship on the sheet.  Marco said he’d have to buy the paper the following day, but that he had a projector.  HA!  We had no idea that he had a projector.  It made tracing the ship quick and easy.  Marco loves to talk to Eliana.  Eliana opens so many doors for communication here.

Both pictures are from the third floor of the church.  It is VERY green here!

El Salvador- Tuesday, June 14th

We went to the World Trade Center which is connected to the Crown Plaza.  I felt like it was an illusion in that it isn’t what the vast majority of El Salvadorians’ deal with.  The buildings are nice.  The stores are nice.  If we move here and I need an out of El Salvadorian experience, I could go there.


We were packing up to go to dinner, I was next to the bed and Kylewas near it, when Eliana fell off the bed and hit her back and the back of her head on the tile floor.  We called Pam to ask what concerns to have and symptoms of bigger problems we should look for.  Eliana was initially a little tired.  She threw up and felt better, but that was the action that caused us to decide to go to the doctor.  While Pam drove to meet us, we bathed Eliana, I washed her clothes and mine, and we let the hostel workers know what was going on.  Eliana was acting pretty normal by the time Pam came, but she did throw up a second time before Pam arrived.

Pam took us to the nice hospital.  There was no wait.  Praise God that Pam came and translated for us.  The ER doctor checked her and put in orders for blood work, x-rays, and 12 hour observation.  Here, you have to have your regular doctor come to the hospital to check out the baby.  Pam called a relative of someone that works with the church who is a doctor.  Eliana had blood drawn and an iv put into her foot (not her favorite part of the evening).  The doctor came and said that Eliana looked good.  They called in the x-ray tech to come since this happened in the evening.  He came in, and Pam helped to distract Eliana so that her head would stay still.  The doctor was still here when the x-rays were done, so she checked them out.  They looked good.  Pam took Kyle to go pick up dinner, the car, and a few things.   She showed him the way back to the hospital. 

That night Eliana and I shared the hospital bed.  Here it isn't the culture to have a baby sleep in a crib.  It turned out to be fine since this way I was very attentive to her needs and was able to quickly nurse her back to sleep a couple of times.

Good news: The hospital is clean, and the staff was very helpful.  Pam was able to change her plans for the evening to come and help us.  I had peace during the whole process.  It is in part because I remember my friend Michele's daughter hitting her head and then throwing up later.  She was fine later.  The other part is that you all and others have been praying regularly for us. 

Visiting the hospital wasn't of my list of things to see while here, but I know that God is still on His throne.

El Salvador-Monday, June 13th

Eliana is our happy traveling baby.

Monday: Monday was the last full day for the Oklahoma team, so we joined them as they ventured to Paso de Alaska.  It is a resort over an hour away that is high in the mountains.  The drive is stunning with the lush green mountains and clouds gently misting the hillsides.  We stopped to see a gigantic lake that was breath taking.  Green is my favorite color, and it is very green here.  That is in part from all of the rain.  We had thunder storms the first three nights we were here.  I love the sound of the rain on the tin roof above us.  With all of the beauty of God’s creation, you also see poverty everywhere.  Barbwire is a common thing to have around here, not as common as it was in Afghanistan, but it is still here.  The buildings often don’t look pretty or even painted on the outside.  However, the outside is often decieving because on the inside can be nice things and decorations. Graffiti is everywhere.  Electricity is expensive here, so you often see lines of clothes drying.  However, I was surprised to see paved roads, traffic lights, nice grocery stores, and cell phones stores where you can get a cell phone for $15 and add money for minutes as you go.

Now, I’ll go back to talking Paso de Alaska.  I find it a little funny that the missionaries here, some who have been here for 26 years, have never been there before.  There is a high ropes course which Kyle and I successfully accomplished, a rock wall that Kyle made it to the top of and I nearly made it to the top of, and a zip line. The zip line was pretty intense since I had never done it before.   I was in a harness connected to the zip line that was several stories above ground.  For the first line, I had to use gloves to push down on the line to break myself before coming to the second platform.  That turned out to be the hardest thing for people to do.  Some people got so nervous that they used the gloves too much and got stuck in the middle.  Then they had to pull themselves into to the platform.  One guy got so stuck that to propel himself, he let go of the line and that shot him forward as his feet went above his head.  Thankfully, he was able to get his balance a little so he didn’t land completely upside down.  I enjoyed the second line the best because you didn’t need to use the gloves to break.  I also remembered to look around.  I had been so focused the first time that I only stared at the platform.  Plus, using my hands to break caused my arms to jerk back and hit my face smashing my glasses into my face.

Lunch was expensive for here, but very tasty with steak, shrimp, chicken, potatoes, beans, fried bananas, steamed veggies, salsa, carrot slaw, bread, and soda.  There are other activities people can do at Paso de Alaska, but we didn’t have time to go look at the animals.  We’ve had to be creative with Eliana’s naps while here.  Many of her naps have been taken while traveling places.  While at Paso de Alaska, we brought the pack n’ play and set it up in the back of the bus.  Kyle laid down for a nap in the bus too to make sure Eliana would be okay.

That night we had dinner with the team at Wendy’s.  It was good to hear snippets of their trip as they worked in schools, did evangelism, and helped finish off the church building.  Kyle’s Spanish came in handy as he helped others to order their food.  Eliana continued to light up people’s lives as she babbled and enjoyed eating.

We only have cool water in the shower, so Kyle heats some water in the microwave and adds it to this tub.  Wala, a bath for Eliana!

El Salvador- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday-June 10-12th

A view from our hostel

Praises and reflections thus far … Friday Night/ Early Saturday Morning: Eliana loved, for the most part, being in the airport.  There were so many people and new things for her to look at.  Between the Burger King and the Starbucks was a half wall with glass on top of the wall going up to the ceiling.  A young guy making coffee danced for Eliana as she laughed and encouraged the attention.  Once we were on board, I nursed Eliana and she stayed asleep for the vast majority of the flight.  I didn’t get tons of sleep, but that is okay.  I prayed that God would multiply my sleep, and I believe He did.  Even though I didn’t get much consecutive sleep that day, I was okay.

Saturday: Pam met us at the airport.  With Pam’s recommendation, we decided to rent a car so that we could have freedom to travel.  We also got a GPS unit to help us get around.  Pam brought us a pack n’ play, a car seat, cold water, food for Eliana, and a lot of snacks for us.  She showed us a few important routes like how to get from our hostel to the church, the grocery store, and the central commercial.  That night we ventured on our own for to find dinner and to pick up a few other items at the grocery store.  We didn’t get lost, and people LOVE meeting Eliana.  I had a conversation with two older ladies in the grocery store while waiting in line.  The encouraged me to learn Spanish.  I said Eliana might learn more first.  They said it is good for babies to know two languages.   I am so glad that Kyle is with me.  His Spanish is better than mine.  It makes ordering food easier as he helps me understand what people are asking.

Sunday: When Kyle was here in January, his team helped to evangelize in an area called Nueva Concepcion.  Since then, a church has been planted.  Another church from Oklahoma donated money to help build a building for the church.  When we came, that church was helping to complete the finishing touches on the church like painting, hanging the ceiling, and putting in electrical lights.  Sunday was the dedication service for this church.

On Sunday morning, we drove a gal named Ruth up to Nueva Concepcion with us.  She knows a little bit of English.  She turned out to be a very patient teacher as we learned and reviewed words we knew.  We laughed a lot as we tried to get concepts across the language barrier.

The Oklahoma team’s leader preached the sermon.  This turned out to be very nice for us since that made the service bilingual.  The leader preached about the church continuing to grow and be a place where the gospel will be preached.

After the service, we ate papusas.  Kyle has been talking about papusas since he came back in January.  Eliana and I liked them.  They are like a thick tortilla that is small and made of corn that is stuffed with cheese, beans, or other things.  The locals eat them with a tomato sauce and a cabbage slaw.  The way they eat them reminds me of when we were in India.  The papusa is torn into a smaller pieces and then you use them to pinch up some of the slaw and sauce.

Eliana is the door opener to communication since people love to talk to her!

Here is the new church building in Nueva Concepcion.

Saturday June 10, 2011 - Kyle

I did not get to sending off an email reminder that our trip had arrived.  We are currently sitting at the gate.  We were able to pick up a GPS unit but unless I can jail-break it, I will not be able to purchase and install El Salvador maps.  However, I utilized Google maps by saving all of our destinations and we’ll just click one, click the other, and read off the route.  I sent a message to our hostess to ask if we could reserve a room with its own bathroom.  At the place where we are staying there is a floor that has rooms with their own bathrooms and a floor that the rooms share a common bathroom.  I wish I would have thought about asking to reserve it before today, but we’ll see what happens. 

This last week our daughter made the transition from a morning and afternoon nap to only having an afternoon nap.  This is a partial answer to prayer because that means that we’ll have more freedom to move about during the day while on this trip, rather than trying to figure out how to work around naps.  Our hostess has four children, all of which were made to adjust to the demands of the ministry, which meant learning to sleep anywhere and always being on the move.  We’re not sure how this will work for our daughter because her mama has been an at home mother since birth so she has had a consistent schedule of food, naps, playtime, etcetera. 

Our daughter is currently clapping her hands on a water bottle that she is chewing the top of.  The airline would have charged us a full adult priced ticket for her to have her own seat but for 1/2 that price, they permit her to sit on our laps.  (o.O)  We’re both hoping that she winds down soon and doesn’t spend the duration of the flight pushing on our faces, and trying to climb up our chests.  Although we have travel internationally several times, this is the first time we are going to do so with a baby.  She is almost 12 months old and she’s not so much a baby to me anymore.  At what age does a baby become a toddler? 

Bibles for the Bible and Art Club

I remember during an April lesson asking my students how many of them had Bibles.  Most of my students didn't.  I thought, "How are my students supposed to learn more about God's Word if they don't even have access to a Bible?"  As the lessons progressed, I wanted to give each of my students a Bible for our last meeting.  About a week before our last meeting I went to a local Bible store and found that although I could purchase some Bibles for $4, there were NKJV Explorer's Bibles that was more accessible to my students for $13.99.  There are inserts on various topics and boxes that helped to explain what verses meant.  The salesman explained that they had seven in stock, but that he believed he could get the other eight from another store they have a few hours away.  I told him I'd think about it and get back to him.  I went home and checked online and for that Bible it was the best price I could find.  I sent out an email to friends and family updating them on the progress of the club and the tremendous blessing it has been for me to teach my two favorite subjects.  I asked them to pray about if the Lord would have them help purchase a Bible for each of my fifteen students.  Within twenty four hours, nine of the Bibles had sponsors.  I was blown away as I marveled at God's faithfulness.

The next day I called to request the Bibles.  The salesman took my contact information and said that he was only able to locate one other copy of the Bible I was looking for at his other store.  So, I headed over there to see what else I could find.  He did have NIV Bibles, but the pictures looked more accessible for younger students.  I had a friend come with me, and we talked about the pros and cons of various Bibles.  There were a few leather bound versions of the NKJVs I was looking at. I had the salesman see if he had enough of the leather bound at his other location to make 15 Bibles.  He had exactly enough with the combination.  So, even though the seven leather bound copies would make the price a bit higher, I went ahead and purchased them.

Over the next few days several people emailed and said they'd be willing to help out.  Friends of ours were telling others about the Bible and Art Club, and two people who don't even know me or my students wanted to help buy Bibles.  A relative let me know that he'd be willing to cover whatever wasn't purchased, even if it meant buying all fifteen.  On the day I was passing them out, six more people said they'd help out.  With all of the extra support, the cost of the Bibles was completely taken care of.  There was actually more than enough, so I let a friend of mine know who was planning on purchasing eight Bibles, one for each child in their home, that she only needed to pitch in to cover 2 and 1/2 of the Bibles.

I wish all of the sponsors could have seen my students faces as I explained that the Bibles I was passing out were for them to keep.  I wish the sponsors could have heard the chatter of excitement as they showed one another things they were finding in their Bibles.  One of the neat things about the Bibles was that I got a little message from the sponsors to write in the Bibles they helped purchase.  I explained how the table of contents works so that they can find books like Obadiah and Ezra.  We explored the concordance/glossary so that they could find Abed-Nego from our first Bible lesson.  I showed them the inserts and told them that they were there to help them understand the Bible, but they weren't part of all Bibles.  I compared it to mine, so they could see how my commentary notes were different than their's.

The last passage I shared with them was from John 15:1-10.  The key verses I focused on were verses nine and ten, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love."  I explained that when I was a little older than them, I remembered feeling completely alone.  I know that is kind of hard to fathom since I come from a family with seven kids.  I felt like no one, not even my friends, understood me.  I felt like no one cared.  Was it all true?  No, but that is how I felt.  I remember being drawn to read my Bible.  I read John 15 for the first time that I could then remember.  I was amazed to read that Jesus loved me.  I had heard for years that God loved me, but I had never seen where it said so.  I shared with my students that I hoped they knew that God loved them, that He sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life, and to die for our sins.  I hope they remembered the best part, and that is that Jesus then rose again and conquered death.  I pray that my students will learn to love God's Word.


As we left that last meeting one of my most enthusiastic fourth graders headed over to a group of seventh graders to show them his new Bible.  As I walked by, one of my former fourth graders was skimming through God's Word.  Inside, I was jumping up and down singing Hallelujah, and outside I was beaming.