Saturday, January 17, 2009

Estamos Aqui! (Saturday, Jan 17th)

We have arrived safely in El Salvador! Besides an early 4:30am start at RDU, our travel was pretty seamless. Well-almost…as many of you know, we brought 8 bags of shoes & medical supplies into the country for the orphans and the people in the villages outside of San Salvador. While 12 of us were told to “salida” without any questions at customs, 2 of our team members were taken aside for questioning and had their bags thoroughly searched. Of course, these were two of our “newbie” world travelers who had never been out of the country OR experienced customs. On top of that, they had ALL the medicine, some of the shoes, and “no hablan espanol!” But the Lord prevailed as always and we were on our way.

With the elections tomorrow, our plans to immediately minister had to be altered. So, we
were able to take a quick scenic detour to Volcan San Salvador, a nearby volcanic park.
This volcano has not been active since the 1940’s, and had breathtaking views. Along
the way, we were able to wind through the busy streets and get a feel for the community
we would soon be serving. It’s truly amazing how far a smile can go. While passing
through the tiny villages, smiles and waves were warmly accepted and reciprocated with
joy. This act alone (along with the enticing smell of the popusas from the roadside
vendors) made us extremely excited and pumped up to do God’s work!

After a quick shopping trip and a journey to 6 different stores for a propane tank to cook
dinner (without any luck), we finished our night with great worship & prayer. With that,
as we begin to start our week, we have some prayer requests:

-Please pray for the country of El Salvador during the elections this Sunday, Jan. 18th.
The city of San Salvador is awash with fliers, signs and flags for both major parties, Communist & Democratic.
-Please pray for our health and safety, and that we will serve the Lord with enthusiasm each and every day.
-Please pray for our families and loved ones at home.
-Please pray for us, that we stay nice to each other all week long while living in very small quarters and taking cold showers :)

Hasta Manana Amigos!

3 comments:

  1. We are so thankful that you all arrived safely! We hope that you are able to rest over the next day and prepare for your busy week. Enjoy each moment and opportunity you have to do what God has called you to do. We will be praying for you guys daily!

    Nick...we hope that you are having an awesome time. Don't worry about us at home...we are missing you very much, but are excited to hear about all that you are experiencing. We love you!

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  2. So happy to see everyone arrived safely! I will be praying for each of you daily and checking your blog regularly to see how God is working through you to touch the lives of others.

    Jackie & Michael, I am so proud of you both for making this trip. I love you both! May God keep you in his care. Shelly...xoxo

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  3. It's so exciting to read this blog! We're praying for each of u and r glad u arrived safely. we r blessed by ur willingness 2 share Christ to another nation and believe u and them will experience God's presence in unimaginable ways as u sacrifice 4 His glory.

    Christina, mom wants me to say hi for her and tell u no sleepwalking :-) luv u much

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