I ♥ El Salvador

So, I’m moving there!

No, you are not seeing things. Yes, I said I am moving there.

All of you know how passionate I have been about River West’s ministry in El Salvador over the last 3 years. After our recent trip, I stayed in San Salvador to meet with folks from an organization called Enlace (www.enlaceonline.org) that does development work through support of local church bodies. I was moved by their work (a 1.2 million dollar water project, roads & bridges being built, cook stoves being upgraded for better health, libraries, a daycare center for the most malnourished kids in the community, etc.), impressed by their commitment to Christ and filled with joy by the faces of the communities being served.

So many smiles! And something happened inside me.

After being a joyful part of God’s plan in the lives of El Salvador’s poor over the last few years, I had to finally admit that my heart has a home in El Salvador. Strange, but so true. Further discussions led to the reality that Enlace could use me—specifically me and my skill set—to increase their impact. Many meals, hours in the car and heart to hearts later, I realized that I had found more than a potential job, but a welcoming community of believers. And to my own surprise, I realized that God had been preparing me for this moment & in a complete state of peace and great expectation, I am prayfully pursuing a missions position in their communications department for the fall.

Of course many details remain (Spanish, fund-raising, applications, summer BBQs, transitioning, etc.) but I am totally confident that this is the right step for me and that God will continue to provide for me. I will keep everyone updated as more details get hammered out.

I look forward to sharing updates and stories from my adventure and appreciate your continued prayer & support of God’s vision for me & for El Salvador.

Our God is good, so very good.
In His ♥, Tina

Why?

Simply put, God is calling me and has been opening the doors to make this happen.

And beyond that, I will get to spend every day working to help a community like this one, El Tinteral, build similar libraries, so kids can have a place to focus and do homework.

And the kids are so darn cute. I will get to snuggle buggle all the time with some kid or another...

Who?

Check out the website to learn more about Enlace, but in a nutshell, here is a brief description of what they do:

ENLACE (pronounced en-lah-say, it is the Spanish word for “link”) commits to a
10 year relationship with a local church in el Salvador . We equip the church
leaders to become effective agents of change as they understand who they are as
a body, listen to their community, and respond to opportunities for developing
sustainable solutions for poverty.

You can also see a photo of lil' ol' me and read some of my thoughts on their blog.

I stole photos from websites so you can see a few people I will be working with. The black & white photo are Pete & Dara DeSoto. Check out some amazing stories of God's providence in the lives of the DeSotos at their DeSoto family website. You can also check out David & Jenny's website. The color shot shows the wonderful McGee and Bueno families. Ron Bueno was co-founder and is the Executive Director. His wife is Michelle. Dave is Communications Director and will be bossing me around some day soon. Jenny is a painter and kindred spirit. All of their kids are adorable! Although we hung out for only 1 weekend, I feel incredibly blessed to join such an amazing group of missionaries and the even more amazing national staff at Enlace.

What?

So, what will I be doing? Well, first things first. I will start by taking intensive immersive Spanish for a a few months. Then I will focus on moving in and adjusting to the pace of El Salvador. Once Enlace thinks I am ready, I will be a Communications Assistant working with David to develop & produce all kinds of communications. I will also assist with special events & teams. And I will continue using photography, writing and design to support God's work in El Salvador, just like I have been doing for the past 2 years with our Agros village! I also intend to join the River West teams at Nuevo Renacer twice a year and continue to support that ministry. It will be awesome to get to see friends from River West twice a year and hopefully be able to help with some Spanish translation eventually. (Pray, please pray for my Spanish...)

Where?

The Enlace offices are in San Salvador, El Salvador's capital and biggest city, and that is where I will primarily live and work. But Enlace currently partners with 10 churches and that means that there will be at least 10 communities throughout El Salvador that I will be travelling to.

We are still discussing whether I should live with a family, live on my own, etc.

So What?

In the past two years, I have been so blessed to see God's hand in El Salvador. And so many of you have been a part of this work through your support & encouragement. Little did you know that this was just preparation!!

As I continue down this road, there is a lot for me to learn, there are details to be determined and there will be needs. Right now I do not have a clear view of all of my needs, but I imagine I will soon and will keep you all posted. In the meantime, your prayers for the following would be amazing.

• Planning - This is new to me and I want to plan well, while trusting God in all things


• Transition - I love River West with all my heart and long for a smooth transition from the staff. Leaving RW will be the hardets thing I have ever done, so encouragement will be imperative


• Finances - I will be a missionary and this means that I will need to raise all of my funding. Pray that people see this as an opportunity to be a part fo God's work in El Salvador and that I am able to meet all of my budget needs.


• The Heart of Jesus - But primarily, I pray that thanks to Jesus Christ my heart will maintain a love, an excitement, a joy for the path ahead.

Once again, thanks and I will keep you posted!

-Tina