First Week in El Salvador

Hello from El Salvador!

It´s already been a week since our team stepped of the plane into the sticky humidity of this beautiful country. There is so much to tell you about this place, the Salvis, our host family, and the many things we´ve done within this past week and only eight minutes left on this internet ´cafe´computer.

I don´t even know where to start! But I want to tell you that your prayers have been working! God has been incredibly good to us, and we daily experience his love and grace. The biggest, constant blessing has been our host family, the Cordovas. There is Mami, Papi, Ale, Anji, Petro, Hugo, Rico, and their dear friend, Luis. We´ve had a different meal everyday and spend our free times lounging in the five hammocks on their porch. A was really nervous upon arrive here because I hadn´t practice my Spanish since high school. The family and many children that at the three different schools we´ve visited have been so pacient. I´m surprised how even though I only know one and half verb tenses and a limited vocabulary, I can carry on a pretty decent conversation. It´s still frustrating want to ask those we are working with and the family so many questions, but not being able to say much because of the language barrier. Thankfully, I´m in such good company. Not only are our Salvi friends helpful and understanding but my team has done such a good translating whatever I can´t pick up on.

After a week of experience the city, which including visiting the the City Hall, going on 12 and 20 mile bike rides, hanging out with the family, visiting schools on islands, having a weekend retreat at a beach condo, and eating at Corti (a relative of the families pupusaria), today was our first day of working at Cideco. I´m so glad we had the first week to integrate and get to know the family and feel very much at home.

I´m running out of time . . . so I´ll briefly explain what Jolie, Jill, and I will be working on at Cideco. Before today we knew hardly anything about what we were going to do aside from helping a family start a recycyling business. Today we visited the family, the Castillos. A eighty year old grandmother (who we think is slightly insane) and her five grandchildren, ages 6 to 16. They live in the community of Cideco, have no income, and rely solely on the money Cideco provides them every two weeks ($80). They have no concept or motivation to earn income, so our project is no small task. We basically have been given a the responsibility to create strategic plan to help this family become self-sustaining. We have limited resources and are working fomr the ground up. After many hours of brainstorming, visiting the family, and talking to the administrators, the three of us came up with a plan to have a recylcing drive at the school over two week where we´ll get students to start thinking about recylcing, an entirely new concept to them. The proceed will go the family as a one time financial. Thinking long term we´re gong to be spending time with the family, educating them in a friendly manner on the importance of saving and teaching the children how they can collect recyclable items around their community to earn money. There are a lot of complications involved including competition from two other large families who are already collection cans. We´re all a little frustrated with the woman we´re working with because she doesn´t really look at the community hollistically. Pray for us as we meet with the director of the school tomorrow and talk to them about the event we want to implement at the school. We need a lot of encouragement and prayer for cooperation, wisdom, and overall a servant´s heart that is understanding and sensitive to the needs of this family and community.

Andrew and Mariah probably received the biggest shock today when they told that they would not be working in the clinics. They were needed in the school helping with swimming lessons and assisting and teaching the English teachers. They were disappointed but we´re hopefuly going to work out a system where they can rotate with Amanda and Jordan, who job shadowed doctors today.

Updated Prayer Requests:

1) Continual protection: Often we will bike from our house to Cideco, a two mile distance. However, we have to take the bus sporatically also because we need to be careful of gangs in thearea. Rene (who I have yet to tell you about) said that this city is fairly safe, and we have walked out in the area at night. But there are the occasional crime insidents and we are foreignors.

2) Opened eyes: I feel a though this first week has been great to experience and enjoy the beauty and culture of El Salvador. I have already learned so much, but it´s a lot to absorb. I hope our team can continue to take it all in while seeking and finding how we can best help these people. Last night, during our team´s nightly prayer time, we sang in Spanish a song on Jolie´s computer. ¨Open the eyes of my heart Lord.¨

3) Currently a few members of our host family are sick. Mami has an strange, unknown disease that no one can really figure out, including the doctors. If you could pray with us for healing and healthfulness.

4) The Team: Team dynamics have been great! I feel as though just within this past week we have so many inside jokes that we´ll remember for a whlie after our trip. Our prayer is that we continue to seek ways of encouraging each other and remaining faithful in seeking God daily. Each member has been so diligent in spending time with God every morning and night. It´s so good to see my brothers and sisters practicing God´s presence often.

5) Overall wisdom and patience when it comes to working with Cideco.

There´s much else I can share about, but the numerous testimonies and stories of those I have met with will have to wait until another day. Thanks again for your prayers!

Grace and peace,

Trin