And Now a Word from Alex

Dear supporters thank you so much for your support. You will be excited to hear that I came back with only a little stomach ache. You have made all that we did for the trip possible. I really appreciate all of your prayers. There were constant times that we could see God at work. For example: In San Salvador, which is the capital city we stayed in, there were three churches. We did an "Encounter" which is like a youth conference. By doing this three nights in a row we united the three churches!!!
God really showed himself to me this week - one day inparticular. This day we went to "la puerta del diablo", which means "the door of the devil." It was a scenic site that you could see all of San Salvador on a mountain. While we were driving, half way up the mountain, it started to poor rain. When we got to our parking lot we waited for the rain to subside. Soon enough it was just a dribble but very cloudy. We decided to go up all the same. It was about a 10-15 minute hike up some stairs until we got to the top. We couldn't see 20 yards in front of us. So it looked like we would miss a wonderful view. But since we were up their our El Salvadorian intern wanted to give his testimony while we were there. As he was sharing and we were praying slowly the clouds started to be blown away. We would catch a glimpse of another mountain top - and everyone would gasp. The clouds were so thick that it could only be God that was moving them. Slowly but surely the clouds cleared completely up. Tthe place of solitude for us was filled with God's presence. God came out every day to show Himself. We coined a term: "God likes to show up and show off."
The funnest day for me was a beach day. Why so fun? The Pacific's water was over 80 degrees and warmer than the air, the waves were perfect for body surfing- that is if you like being sucked in by a powerful under toe and spat back out at top speeds tumbling and flipping you, smashing and drowning you, and best of all using you to knock down those in the shallow water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not just the water was great but we got our own pavilion to sit under. On the beach I had the best mango I had ever had it was Soooooooooo good. Thank you again for your support I couldn't of had this life changing experience without you.

New Friends

Alex had a great time with the kids and they loved him! Ask him sometime about this trip!

At the Orphanage

Come Here James speak this Sunday about the trip and hear about this amazing women, Tia Ana (Center).

Mountain Climbing in El Salvador

We're Back!

You need to celebrate! Because of your support WE had a great conclusion to the week!
The second half of our week was as full as the first! We had two more nights of “Encounter” where the youth gathered together. It ended beautifully as 90 of us (gringos and Salvadorians) stood in a circle, holding hands, singing about the oneness we shared in Christ. It was the first time that these churches had been gathered together and they caught a vision for future gatherings like this.
Thursday I took one of our team members to the doctors as they had been having a very sore throat, headaches, and a temperature…long story short the pastor’s brother is a doctor who saw her right away and we were able to get a anti-biotic for her. Alex was with the rest of the team that went to the “artisans market.” That afternoon we were scheduled to go into the fruit market and buy a bunch of food to donate to those in need, but 20 minutes before we were to walk there we got word that the pastor had been held at gunpoint and robbed of his cell phone and wallet at the very spot that we were to have passed. The leaders decided to change plans and instead we went to another area to play a pick up game of soccer and see what neighborhood kids would join in with us.
In the evening some of the church members and a few of us leaders headed out for Pupusas (the National dish!) Delicious!
Friday we went back to the orphanage where the kids screamed with delight at our arrival. I helped Tia Ana (the women who runs the place) with her math homework. She is in “the fourth grade” right now! Since she had been kicked out of her home at the age of 7 she never got her education and now she is going through the school system along with her kids. We stopped at the church to hear the pastor talk about his vision of reaching the neighborhoods around the church. It is a mix of very low and low income families with a few that are a bit better off.
That afternoon we headed to the hills where we had an amazing experience on a mountain top. What started out as a completely cloud-covered experience (as in you could only see 20 feet in front of you) turned out to be a memory that none of us will ever forget. The clouds dramatically revealed bit by bit vistas of mountain, valley, volcano, and coast line! We all shared a wonderful time of prayer for El Salvador together.
Saturday was a “down day” for us as we headed to the beach for the morning along with several Salvadorians. It was fun to hang out together, have casual conversations with our new Salvadorian friends and to enjoy some unbelievable waves! That evening we stopped at a new mall to show the team the contrast of wealth in the country and to reflect on the rich in poor, not only in El Salvador, but in the USA as well.
Sunday we all walked to the church (with chairs in hand) and celebrated for 2.5 hours together in singing, prayer, and listening to what was one of the best presentations on the prodigal son. Lunch…packed to go…and to the airport!!! Lots of tears as we left and now lots of wonderful memories!
The team left El Salvador at 7:00 PM Sunday night, arriving home at 2:00 AM Monday morning. All flights went smoothly and we cleared immigration and customs without a hitch. (Well, one member did have their wooden snake taken from him at security in El Salvador…a security risk?!)
I’ll post a few pictures for you to get a feel for what I’ve described above.
Thanks again for your prayers and financial support! All of this is because of your partnership! You need to celebrate with us in what God did in the lives of the Salvadorians and in the lives of the group members. We are all changed.

Taking a Drink out of a Fire Hydrant

Fast and furious...that's what it's been since we arrived in El Salvador. We have been going non-stop. From our 8 AM breakfast of rice, eggs, beans to various activities such as visiting the orphange to meeting with kids in poor neighborhoods to play pick up soccer games we've been on the go!
The weather has been great - HOT! yeah! We've walked from place to place, we've seen amazing and sad things. We've had sickness and health. We've connected well with the community at the apartments where we are staying. We have enjoyned Pupusas, the national food that are DELICIOUS! We've had food with nationals and with the team.
We've had our eyes opened to the needs in the country. We've been challenged! Our hearts have been broken as we've seen BIG needs and limited resources.
Our plans have changed constantly and that has been a challenge for this highly organized, administrative individual, but God has helped me to chill and go with the flow.
I've enjoyed watching the youths on the team open up and speak out. To see them use their Spanish to connect with those that live around here is really a blessing. To see my Spanish that is VERY rusty be put to use is surprising...and I'm thankful. It is a big plus to have some language ability. And although I'm butchering the Spanish language and it is usually Spanglish, it is working.
The El Salvador people are friendly, outgoing, like to laugh, are quick to respond to our "Buenas" greetings. We have spent a good amount of time getting to see the various ministries in this area and started last night a three night "Encounter" that is a challenge to give our lives away.
The time I'm taking now to enter this blog is a 40 minute window before a devotional time. So, Hasta Luega for now!
Please continue to pray for the team: for health, for safety, for connections with the Salvadorians, for unity, for open hearts to hear what God is saying to us (to me!)
This mission is only as good as God does His work in us and that happens as you pray for God to move in this place!

Attention all Info Hogs!

I'm hoping to send a few updates to the blog while I'm away, but in case we don't have internet access, and if you're starved for information, like I usually am when my friends or family are away, simply call:

630-653-1555 ext. 601

for a daily update on the team!

Thanks for your prayers!!!

Team Dinner

Tonight we met for a team meal where the rice, beans, carne (meat), pollo (chicken) abounded! We were joined by "Jen" who has been living in El Salvador and has been part of the Alliance El Salvador church for the last several years. She filled us in more details between mouth fulls of fresh salsa and chips.

For example, we learned that we will have two times where we'll be hanging out with the kids in the orphanage. She warned the guys that the kids will flock to us as they are starved for good male attention. While we may not be able to speak fluent Spanish, we will be able to extend arms of love to these kids.

We also learned that our first day will be a marathon: flight arrives Sunday morning at 8:00 AM, we drive about 40 minutes to the apartment where we'll be staying and drop off our things and fill up our water bottles (yes it is purified) and head to a large church gathering where friends and family are invited for this special day. We'll help out with the kids and other things. After services we'll have lunch with the Salvadorians and then have an afternoon filled with hanging with the "youth" who are aged 13-27 and single.

At 4:00 we'll go on a prayer tour as we drive through and pray through the areas where we'll be serving during the week. We'll end up at the apartment for dinner and an orientation of the week, followed by a debrief of the team...and needless to say fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day!!!

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

So the other day we got this email:

"There are no vaccinations which are “required” for this trip. However, the Center for Disease Control does have a list of “recommended” vaccinations for those traveling to El Salvador. We will not be in any rural areas and will only be doing ministry in the city of San Salvador. The decision to get these vaccinations is totally up to you and your parents."

Here's the list: Routine, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Rabies.


So what do we do? To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question!


We've decided not to vaccinate and to be super careful to drink only bottled drinks, brush our teeth with bottled water, and wash our hands constantly. We believe that if we do this we should be OK.


Bottom line is that we are in God's hands, whether we vaccinated or not, so we ask that you pray for our health while we are there. We have a friend who contracted Typhoid recently while in South America, so we don't take this risk lightly.

Arrivals and Departures

For those of you that like details, this posting is for you!

June 13: We will we gathering as a group Saturday night at 11:30 PM at the church and driving to Chicago O'Hare Airport.

June 14: Our flight departs on Sunday EARLY morning at 3:05 AM.

(We'll make a pit stop in Guatemala City and then keep flying south.)

June 14: Our flight arrives Sunday morning at 8:00 AM in San Salvador's Comalapa International Airport.

June 21: We will depart San Salvador Sunday night at 7:05 PM

(We'll make another pit stop in Guatemala and then head north.)

June 22: We will arrive in Chicago's O'Hare Airport at 3:50 AM Monday morning!!! Want to come and welcome us home??? ha!

Will it be Safe?

According to the US State Department, "Most travelers to El Salvador experience no safety or security problems, but the criminal threat in El Salvador is critical. Random and organized violent crime is endemic throughout El Salvador. U.S. citizens have not been singled out by reason of their nationality, but are subject to the same threat as all other persons in El Salvador. See the section below on Crime for additional related information.
Political or economic issues in the country may give rise to demonstrations, sit-ins or protests at any time or place, but these activities occur most frequently in the capital or on its main access roads. U.S. citizens are cautioned to avoid areas where demonstrations are being held and to follow local news media reports or call the U.S. Embassy for up-to-date information. Information about demonstrations also is available as “Warden Messages” on the U.S. Embassy home page.
Many Salvadorans are armed, and shootouts are not uncommon. Foreigners, however, may not carry guns even for their own protection without first obtaining a firearms license from the Salvadoran government. Failure to do so will result in the detention of the bearer and confiscation of the firearm, even if it is licensed in the United States.
Armed holdups of vehicles traveling on El Salvador's roads are increasing, and U.S. citizens have been victims in various incidents. In one robbery, an American family was stopped by gunmen while driving during the day on the Pan American highway in the Santa Ana Department. In another incident, an American citizen passenger was robbed after the van in which she was riding was carjacked by armed men. The van was stopped at a traffic light on the busy road between Comalapa International Airport and San Salvador shortly after dark.

The reality is that anywhere you go in this world you can be in an "unsafe" place. Please pray that God will protect the team as we travel around.

The PLAN (we think)

From John (pictured right with some friends in China):

As you venture into any new situation you have a plan...but in missions you need to hold it loosely. We've been given an idea about what we may be doing, our schedule, who we'll meet, where we'll sleep, the type of meals that we will have...but it is all with a great big caveat of, "MAYBE."

That is the nature of missions, being flexible, being able to have your plans change and not FREAK OUT. I'm pretty laid back when it comes to things like this, but don't want to take it for granted. I'll be leading a group of 14 kids who haven't really had much experience in cross-cultural travel and ministry.

Therefore - today's prayer request is that I will have wisdom in guiding a group of kids in how to roll with the punches and allow God to work as HE sees best. To be willing to let go of their agenda and to look to a "better way." And...that I would have that same willing heart.

Geography

Area: 20,742 sq. km. (8,008 sq. mi.); about the size of Massachusetts.

Terrain: Mountains separate country into three distinct regions--southern coastal belt, central valleys and plateaus, and northern mountains.

Climate: Semitropical, distinct wet and dry seasons.

Economy

Per capita income (2007): $3,547.21; PPP per capita income $5,842 (2007 IMF estimate).Agriculture (11.2% of GDP, 2007): Products--coffee, sugar, livestock, corn, poultry, and sorghum. Arable, cultivated, or pasture land--68% (2005). Industry (20.6% of GDP, 2007): Types--textiles and apparel, medicines, food and beverage processing, clothing, chemical products, petroleum products, electronics, call centers.

People

El Salvador's population numbers about 5.7 million. Almost 90% is of mixed Indian and Spanish extraction. About 1% is indigenous; very few Indians have retained their customs and traditions. The country's people are largely Roman Catholic and Protestant. Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all inhabitants. The capital city of San Salvador has about 1.6 million people; an estimated 37.3% of El Salvador's population lives in rural areas.

Human Rights and Post-War Reforms

During the 12-year civil war, human rights violations by both the government security forces and left-wing guerrillas were rampant. The accords established a Truth Commission under UN auspices to investigate the most serious cases. The commission recommended that those identified as human rights violators be removed from all government and military posts. Thereafter, the Legislative Assembly granted amnesty for political crimes committed during the war.

Natural Disasters

Located on the Pacific’s earthquake-prone Ring of Fire and at latitudes plagued by hurricanes, El Salvador’s history is a litany of catastrophe, including the Great Hurricane of 1780 that killed 22,000 in Central America and earthquakes in 1854 and 1917 that devastated El Salvador and destroyed most of the capital city. More recently, an October 1986 earthquake killed 1,400 and seriously damaged the nation’s infrastructure. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed 10,000 in the region, although El Salvador--lacking a Caribbean coast--suffered less than Honduras and Nicaragua. Major earthquakes in January and February of 2001 took another 1,000 lives and left thousands more homeless and jobless. El Salvador’s largest volcano, Santa Ana (also known by its indigenous name Ilamatepec), erupted in October 2005, spewing sulfuric gas, ash, and rock on surrounding communities and coffee plantations, killing two people and permanently displacing 5,000. Also in October 2005, Hurricane Stan unleashed heavy rains that caused flooding throughout El Salvador. In all, the flooding caused 67 deaths and more than 50,000 people were evacuated at some point during the crisis. Damages from the storm were estimated at $355.6 million.