I met Larry & Ginny Rodrig
uez about a year and a half ago. At that point, I had prayed to God that I would move to El Salvador but had created a list of "to-do's" that God would have to meet before I got on a plane. One of those was that I would need to learn some Spanish. And not two days later, I happen to start talking to Larry and he said, "I used to be a Spanish teacher and I was wondering if there might be interest at River West for a Spanish class?" I laughed and said, "Yes, I know for a fact there is!"
And thus began one of the richest new friendships that I have experienced in years. Larry teaches a weekly Spanish class at River West and folks learn spanish, sing songs, read the word, etc. And every bit is good for Spanish training. But more than that we laugh! Larry and his amazing wife Ginny have a gift for bringing joy to a group and making each person feel special and loved. Before Spanish class I had the pleasure of having dinner with Larry & Ginny every week and their love, kindness and humor was always a gift.
But Larry refused to come to El Salvador. He just didn't want to--it seemed hot and hard. He was much happier teaching a class in LO. But through a series of miracles and much prayer, Larry was on that plane coming to San Salvador in April. And from the moment he set foot, he made his mark. He may have had reservations, but they certainly didn't show once he got here. At the welcome ceremony we sang a hymn that Larry & Ginny taught us in Spanish and many of the villagers knew it, so they sang along. It was soo cool. (See attached photo.)
Larry translated, taught impromptu English classes and generally, was his sweet, loving self.
And I guess I just have to say that one of the reasons that I so firmly believe in the Christian church is that it brings together people like Larry, Ginny and myself. God draws us together over shared interests--like Spanish. Which is cool! But more then that, God draws us into relationship together. I know that Larry & Ginny pray for me. And you can bet I was praying that Larry would come to El Salvador! And every time we are together that bond remains solid and encouraging and just a little bit of Jesus in my life. And that is so awesome. I hope that you have a Larry & Ginny in your life to!
To hear more about Pantaleon, check out Guy's sermon after he returned to River West on 5/11 http://www.riverwest.org/teaching/index.htm 
Well, I am more then a little behind the times in photos, stories, etc. But fortunately, I was able to see many of you while home and tell you face-to-face about what an amazing time I had with the River West team in Nuevo Renacer. Following will be a series of blog entries focusing on a few different aspects of the trip.
OK, so one day I was playing with playdough with about 6 kids. Adilson, the cutey in gray and orange pictured here, kept making me jewelry out of playdough and I would wear each piece as long as they lasted. But then I was called away and head to help with something else and handed all of my doughey jewelry back. About 20 minutes later I return and Adilson is directing all of the kids to craft various letters. I wonder what he is spelling out and approach with curiosity. Then I look down and see "Tina es mi ami..." and then the "g" and "a" get slapped down and they all say outloud, "Tina es mi amiga." (Tina is my friend.)
There is always someone that is asking, "Great to hear about the kids, but what did the team DO?" All kinds of stuff, but the primary project was to dig large holes and plant trees around the "traffic" circles to privide shade. 
uez about a year and a half ago. At that point, I had prayed to God that I would move to El Salvador but had created a list of "to-do's" that God would have to meet before I got on a plane. One of those was that I would need to learn some Spanish. And not two days later, I happen to start talking to Larry and he said, "I used to be a Spanish teacher and I was wondering if there might be interest at River West for a Spanish class?" I laughed and said, "Yes, I know for a fact there is!"
Larry translated, taught impromptu English classes and generally, was his sweet, loving self.
