and once more...

I swear, I will have words to share soon--lot's of thoughts brewing! Thanks for the prayers!

more cuuuute

quick photo update on Nuevo Renacer

more cuteness & fun!!

Photos are of the new oven that is being cast today for the community bakery! (More on that soon.) A photo of my and Nyeli. Sheri Harkavy with her joyful glow with the kiddos. And lil baby Gerry in his tuxedo!

taking care of the cute factor

OK, so I only have a second, but figured you all needed a good does of super cutey-ness on this Monday.

Most photos are self-explanatory, except for the one where Pastor Chris and others are making lion faces. You see, the kids taught us this game: Daniel, Delilah & the Lion. Basically a life-sized rock, paper, scissors with hand motions. So you divide into two groups, confer on whether your group will be S, D or the L and then both groups face each other and on the count of 3 you make the correct hand motion. For those Pastors out there: Samson kills the lion; Delilah kills Samson and the lion kills Delilah. (I don't remember these facts from my Bible stories...they must be reading The Message...)

Thanks for the prayers and keep it up! In particular, please join us in praying for Agros staff worker Luis Mario. His 2 year-old son is sick in the hospital and they do not know what is wrong.

Enjoy the photos.

so very smart

What you will see me driving around town for the next month or so. Yep, for reals. My parents ordered a smart car a year ago and it just came in. They are in California and won't be back until December. So I get to drive this cute lil thing with great gas mileage--pretty much the polar opposite of Teresita, my el sal ride. But I feel so blessed to have such great wheels for the next couple months. Thanks Mom & Dad!

giving the camera to kids

I spend a good amount of time hanging out with the other missionary familes and have had soooo much fun with their kids. Here are a few examples of our good times when I let the girls take my camera and capture the moments.

abelines-my favorite ENLACE community

A few weeks back, I got to head to my favorite ENLACE community, Abelines. This is our most remote community and every time we go, I am a nervous nelly on the crazy dirt road that takes an hour to drive and absolutely requires 4wd. This is real off-roading people!

But once we complete the journey, I am always glad I did it. There is a spirit in Abelines of peace, joy and expectation that you can feel in the air. After years of working together as a community and with ENLACE, this is truly a transformed community. There is a hope, a pride in what they have accomplished together and a love seen through words and deeds that truly shows the face of God. The people are still mostly poor in our standards and there are still many areas of work remaining--and yet I am blown away by these folks on every visit.

And of course, the kids are amazing. I spent an entire morning singing, playing and just enjoying the children from the house we were digging a latrine for. I even got them to show me some of their dance moves! So much fun!

On this last trip, we were able to turn on lights from a switch and enjoy electricty for the first time in that community! I was so honored to just be there and appreciate what this wonderful group of people have been able to accomplish! Read more about the long road to electricity in Abelines.

just another day in san salvador

Well, Teresita, my wonderful car has been oddly overheating over the past two weeks, so I finally called the mechanic that was recommended by the previous owner. There aren't a lot of street signs in San Sal, so the mechanic said he would meet me by a prominent monument and then I could follow him to his house/garage. Once we met up, he led me on a high speed chase which included a u turn against on coming 5pm traffic and a cross of 3 lanes to make an immediate left hand turn. (I missed that turn and had to u-turn again to get back to him!) But once we were at his house, Rafael got to business and determined that at least one part was leaking and that perhaps my radiator needed a little work. (No, I do not know what was leaking--I'm sure I don't know the word in english, let alone spanish.) He said it should take a day or two to fix and I hoped in a cab to come home.

Although I love my car, taking a cab here is fun for me because I don't have to drive and can just enjoy the sights of the city. Following are a few photos of Rafael and the ride home. If you have spent any time in SS, you will likely recognize the look of the coaster driver and the "En Dios Confiamos" (in God we trust) on the windshield. Or the odd grafitti that pops up. Or the insane traffic. Just another day in San Salvador...

having fun is, well, fun

In El Salvador they celebrate a holiday called Augustina. In practical terms this means that El Sal closes down and everyone heads home for a week of religious festivals, carnivals and time with family.

A few of my friends and I took this opportunity to see some more of Central America. Jamie Huff, a Vanguard Anthro Professor working with ENLACE for 6 months, and his family--Rebecca, Reyna and Emily--borrowed a friend's van and Ashley, Matt (Jamie's assistant) and I snagged a ride.

We went to Copan Ruinas in Honduras. This is a delightful small colonial town within walking distance of some amazing Mayan ruins. We had a great time exploring the ruins and we took a great drive through the beautiful Honduran mountains to some "local" hot springs. It was a looong drive, but gorgeous, so we didn't mind too much. Our hostel/hotel, Iguana Azul, was awesome. We paid $6 a night and had hot, hot showers and our own room. We were also able to get awesome massages for $25 for an hour. All in all, it was a perfectly balanced time of wandering the city with down time to read, relax and enjoy one another's company.

After 3 nights, The Huff's & Matt left to return to El Salvador and Ashley & I grabbed a shuttle to Antigua, Guatemala. Honestly the $15 was well spent to just be able to see so much of Guatemala. What an amazingly beautiful country! The beauty of nature contrasted sharply with urban life as we drove through quite a bit of Guatemala City (GC) dropping different people off and saw some of the harsher sides of Central America's largest city. Truly GC dwarfs San Salvador as far as cities go.


And after 6 hours in the shuttle we made it to a very dark and rainy Antigua. Our first night was kind of a bomb amidst our wet clothes & luggage, the dank hostel we stayed at and the intense rain--but the sun came out on Wednesday and the lovely Antigua that I know so well was delightful as ever. We found a nice, reasonlably priced hotel room, took showers and "did a do-over." We then had 3 great days or eating, shopping and walking around at night. It was a great lil break and Ashley is the greatest travel partner ever. Really we had great fun just talking about all of life, laughing and hunting out the best cakes in Antigua.

All in all it was a fun a week away, but truly I felt like it was a week of restoration and that God was able to return some former joy into my heart. I guess my boyfriend Julio really knew something when he focused so much time on playing because playing is not only fun but fills you with laughter and peace and wonder and delight in this amazing world and the many cool things in our lives. Julio is sooo smart.

For more intriguing and cultural relevant photos, visit my facebook photo gallery. And if you are on facebook, join the ENLACE group.

pupusa's & prayer

One of the coolest things that has happened to me lately is a Sunday night gathering of friends that includes a dinner of pupusa’s and then a time of sharing and praying. It has been huge for me because it allows me to connect with others and be honest about what I am struggling with or get to share the good things that God is doing. It’s a simple affair and yet has such impact. And it dawns on me that it is pretty much the heart of why God calls us to church—to connect us, encourage us, teach us and show us his love in a way that only the arms of a brother or sister can.

Last night after one such gathering I was so touched about how right or Sunday nights were that I had to write to all my friends that attended and share my feelings. Today, I realize that these words are no less true for my church family at home and around the world. So I figured I may as well share with you all as well. I hope this encourages all of you this week and helps you recognize the amazing blessing we have in the community around us wherever they are others that are willing to gather, listen and pray.

I just had to say how much I love prayer and pupusa’s on Sundays! It is so great to have a time to check in with everyone, focus on our shared beautiful Jesus and share our hearts, fears, worries, joys and to giggle some to. And please know that I do pray for each one of you throughout every week, because I kind of love you all. There, I said it!

Ashley and I were talking about vulnerability and how hard it is and yet how critical it is in the walk of faith—being transparent to everyone around us. Really, how can we glorify God if we aren’t real with one another about the areas that he is challenging us? …The messes he is redeeming in us? …The crappiness he is replacing with not only goodness, but holiness. (Holiness instead of crap. That still astounds me. Talk about the best trade up ever.)

Being in El Salvador forces each of us to fly a “I am not all that nor a bag of chips” flag freely and frequently. And what is amazing is that this seems like one of the most precious gifts El Salvador gives us because honestly, it’s reality—no less true in the states or anywhere. But El Sal does have a way of forcing the card—the unending needs of poverty, the difficulties with even the littlest task, the language—all of these things force us to admit our weakness and our lack and require that we cling to God to make something out of the motley pile that is us. And oddly, when we do chill out, trust God to be working and stare into the big baby blues of Christ’s deep, deep, infinitely deep well of love for us—then we often get a brief glimpse of the Kingdom of God. That awesome place where Christ is Lord and is working out this harmonic, just and mindblowingly beautiful plan of complete redemption in the world. And when we stand in our own reality—no matter how ugly or lovely—and share together the truth of God working in and among us, we are part of that story of saints. We are what Christians are supposed to be.

Take a look at this verse:

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

You, my friends, and I are chosen by God to come from the darkness into his awesome light. God….G-O-D has chosen us and picked us for his eternal kickball game in the sky. No last picks. We are at the top of the “priesthood” list. And we are part of the winningest team ever. (Insert cool cheerleading chant here with Jesus’ name screamed out.) And all of this is reality, even as I suck at Spanish, can’t figure out how to rid myself of bees or bats and feel as if I accomplish not so much in every week. I am still a priest if my eyes are on Christ.

It is such a joy to share in this journey with each one of you. Today I celebrate the twists and turns and scary choices and unknowns and fears and potential loves and potential heart breaks that each one of us shared tonight. God is there amidst it all and it is his work and he will be exalted. Because he is more than all that and a bag of chips. He is God. Immanuel. Jehovoah Jireh. Master and King.

Psalm 46:10-11
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Try to keep that in mind this week.

no lies

Just so everyone knows. This is a collection of all the bees that died on my back porch in a 7 day period. For reals.

long road to forgiveness

Below is a link to an interview with the woman that was the girl in this photo of a Vietnam War napalm-bombing attack near Saigon. Now she is a Christian and talks about the value of forgiveness and love. It’s pretty simple and amazing.

The Long Road to Forgiveness

a boyfriend, a bus and a bug follow up

check out my new boyfriend
See below.

car accident at 3mph
If you have been to El Salvador, you know that the driving is a little crazy. And everyone’s car has dents, scratched paint and scars from some interaction with an opposing force. So honestly, ever since I got my car and hit the roads, I have said, “Every day that I don’t get into a car accident is a success.” Well, my success rate ended with a low, low, barely moving impact week before last. You see, I was waiting for a bus in the intersection to move so that I could flow into traffic. Well, the bus started moving, and I looked to my left and saw no other traffic and so I began moving. Only to promptly lean into the side of the bus that had apparently stopped moving as soon as I looked away. Two men, that I assumed worked with the bus that I just hit, began promptly telling me how to detach from the bus wheel well I was stuck in and had a quick conversation with an approaching cop. Then one of the guys handed me the small part of my bumper that had come off and the cop then shrugged and waved us both on. Note—no one spoke directly to me once, not a single word. (Sometimes that happens when you have a gringa face.) And as we drove away, Ashley and I both realized that the two guys helping us were just bystanders on the street that had nothing better to do then detach me from a local bus. All in all, a pretty ”successful” introduction to driving and crashing a car in El Salvador.

pests – they get people talking
I am pretty sure that I got the most email responses ever concerning the bee/roach/bat Bermuda triangle that is my home. So thanks to everyone for the sympathy, advice and “ews”, “icks” and “gross’s”. As a follow up, I wanted you to know that I have purchased two kinds of roach killer. One is a food that they eat and then take home to the nest and somehow spread. I have also found that the most toxic cocktail that I have, is Lysol. And so I can regularly be seen chasing a roach spraying Lysol directly. Ashley now says that “Lysol is the clean, fresh, scent of a dead roach.” What is awful is that I am truly a lover not a fighter and every time I kill one, I feel terrible. I mean, they disgust me and so I will keep killing them—but I hate to bring any creature’s life to an end. If they would just stay away from my house—we all would sleep better at night! And no, I still don’t know what happened to that bat. One person suggested that the Holy Spirit made it vanish. That is my favorite theory.

prayer needs:
Larry & Ginny Rodriguez - Many of you that know Larry & Ginny emailed that you were already praying! Larry began a month of chemo this week. Please continue to keep Larry & Ginny in your prayers and if you see them at church, give them a hug bear hug from me!

my new boyfriend

I'm always intrigued by the connections that just happen between people--how you can meet some one and in ten minutes just feel a love and friendship. I always think those connections are somehow divine--God creating a link between lives.

In El Salvador, there are a whole lot of cute kids. And I love just hanging out, giggling and getting to know them. But every once in a while, a kid just grabs my heart...And so, I would like to introduce you to just such a kid.

Everyone meet Julio.

Julio lives in San Martin near the Good Samaritan church. Two weeks ago we were building a retaining wall right below the church and early in the morning Julio showed up to watch the action. Julio is 4 (although he will sometimes tell you he is 2--who doesn't lie about their age from time to time?) Well, he hadn't been there too long before he was playing and giggling amidst all the work. And his laugh is simply infectious! I could listen to it all day long--and well, I think I did listen to it all day long, because Julio knows how to have a good time. He was playing in the dirt, with the dirt--in the tires, with the tires--in the trees, with, well you get the picture. His favorite toy is a length of rope that he used to create a swing and that entertained us all for at least an hour. Although I doubt that there is any item that Julio could not make a toy out of.

And in his way, I learned some important lessons from Julio. Have fun. Always have fun. If things aren't fun, then whip up some fun. Giggle. Giggle a lot. In fact, try giggling nonstop and just see what happens. How great is it that a 35 year old can learn such important things from a 2 year-old, oops, I mean 4 year-old.