4 Countries in 4 Days

So much has happened since my last true update I don’t even know where to begin! I’d love to expand on each of the following experiences but for times sake I’m only going to briefly summarize some of them.

Thanksgiving!!!

The morning of Thanksgiving Elsa and I went to the community and watched Happy Feet with the kids. I couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving morning. Playing with those kids and seeing their smiling faces is enough to make anyone thankful! I haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time in the community but have been able to go a few times and the kids there definitely have a piece of my heart. It’s amazing what a little kid running up to you and saying, “You came!!!” will do to you. It makes me excited to be in a community for a long time and really get to know the kids/youth and watch them grow.

Elsa and I were invited to the Thanksgiving dinner of a couple in our bible study. It was an awesome experience! With the exception of not being with family, it was one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had! We arrived at the house and walked into the back yard/patio area. It was all ornately decorated for Christmas and the tables on the lawn were candle lit with white tablecloths. Aside from weddings, I’ve never been to such a fancy dinner. The family owns a restaurant/bakery here in San Salvador and the husband is a professional chef! Preceding the dinner we had worship, read a few verses about giving thanks, and had a chance to write down things we are thankful for. It was a great time to spend with friends and our bible study group, which has become like family here. A couple waiters from their restaurant served drinks, one of whom we know from our Tuesday workdays at Florence. The dinner was served as a buffet and included: Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn/egg casserole, apple-sausage stuffing, and a lettuce salad. Dinner was followed by a dessert buffet including: pumpkin pie, pecan pie, crème brulee, mini apple pies, white chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. If I’ve ever had a hard time choosing a dessert, that was it. I decided it was best not to stress over it and took a little bit of everything. (Ok not quite everything… but close!) It was such a cool experience to see the family go all out to have such a wonderful dinner for friends and family. It couldn’t have been cheap. It made me think of what big celebrations and feast must have been like in the early church.

Nicaragua

Because of the funds I raised over my necessary amount for living expenses, I was able to join Elsa, Jaime, and Josué on a trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We made the 12 hour trek and spent a few days at the base in Nicaragua and had an amazing time. We had a training on hosting short term missions teams (not something super helpful for me now but undoubtedly will be useful in the future for either hosting or leading teams). We were also able to go to a market with lots of handcrafted souvenirs and were given a tour of the city. The people at the base were so welcoming and loving towards us! Elsa and I stayed with a missionary couple (the husband is from the US and met his wife in Costa Rica and they are now doing missions in Nicaragua). They were such a blessing to us. It’s great to be able to share stories with people who understand the cultural dynamics! It was a very refreshing weekend. We then got on the bus and headed to Costa Rica (another 8 hours or so…).

Costa Rica

We arrived on Monday and found out that the CFCI base wasn’t notified of our arrival here until last Thursday… The funny part is that this is normal. We spent yesterday at the base doing planning for STM (short term missions) and hanging out. Today we had the opportunity to go to Carpio, one of the more dangerous areas of San Jose. It was an amazing experience!

The first place we went was to a library where they open it up to students to come and read and they teach English classes. There is a Pilipino missionary from Canada who is a retired teacher who has been leading this area for the past 6 months or so.

We then went to a house or plot of land with a couple buildings that they own. It originally started as an outreach to the young girls in the community when a missionary learned of the sexual abuse that was happening. These girls grow up in one-room homes and therefore witness all that their parents do. Sex becomes a normal thing for them. Churches don’t talk about it because they consider this a sin. Thus all the girls know is what they observe. When men or relatives then approach them and abuse them, they don’t know that it is wrong. The mentality is that they saw their dad touch their mom in a certain way or do things with her, so it must be ok. Kids in this community are being abused beginning at ages 3 and 4 and it’s estimated that about 80% (I think… although I may have heard wrong…) have been abused. The program was set up as a refuge of sorts for the girls. While they currently aren’t allowed to live there, under certain circumstances they may be able to spend a few nights there. The hope is to eventually open it up as a dorm for girls who have dangerous family situations. They receive classes and in addition to the basic subjects they have sex education, English, and a Bible study.

This same program now has a program for boys. The boys have the unique opportunity to learn woodworking during which they are discipled. This is a valuable skill that will then hopefully provide them with a source of income in the future. There is a soccer program for both boys and girls. On Saturdays they have Bible studies in the morning. Many of the boys hang out and play games/sports during the day. This alone helps keep them off the streets and out of trouble.

Following this we went to the kids club that they host. We played games, sang songs, led a bible teaching, and helped with a craft. The kids were adorable and so excited to be there! It was awesome to have the chance to spend some time with them. Meeting these kids and looking them in the eye it makes you wonder what their story is. They each have a story, and chances are most of them are probably pretty remarkable. I wish I could hear each of their stories and write them down. Sometimes I forget how privileged I am to be meeting the very kids that most people only read about. The kids that are often just statistics, often forgotten. Yet with just a simple smile they can brighten your day and speak volumes into your life. I’m really going to miss the kids I’ve met here and in El Salvador but today I was reminded of something… any place I live there will be kids who are in need of the love of Christ. Like I said before, I can’t wait to be in a place where I can truly pour into the same kids for a long period of time. It’s hard to continually develop these relationships and give pieces of your heart to each of the kids you meet and then leave.

I said I was going to keep it short… I didn’t. I could write forever about the things I’ve seen, learned, thought, and felt, but unfortunately… my bed is calling my name. All these things are still just sinking in and will continue to as I process my time here and head back home. One thing is certain, the faces of kids you meet in places like this whether it’s Peru, Honduras, Romania, El Salvador, or Costa Rica, you never forget. Miss you all! I can’t believe my time here is coming to an end already!