From "Oh no" to "Oh my!"

As promised, here is the first in a planned weekly email about my adventure to El Salvador!

I woke up a few weeks ago and rolled over. My first thought was, “I’m moving to El Salvador in 2 months! —Oh my…what have I done!” And then I lay there a few minutes and the let my thoughts sink in and my next thought was —“Wait a minute, I’m moving to El Salvador in 2 months! That is awesome!”

Yea, that is pretty much my life these days—a constant state of being purely overwhelmed and sooo purely stoked. It is such a weird place, but I am trying roll to with it and trust God more and more when the “oh no” thoughts come and embrace the joy feelings when I think about actually getting down there and being a part of such an amazing work. So, even though there are moments, I still feel like I won the lottery. Like I am the luckiest girl alive to have a life that allows me to just go and serve and see what lies ahead. Lately I keep envisioning that boat that Pastor Guy mentioned so many messages ago and I keep thinking what a thrill it is to step out of the boat and follow God wherever He leads me. Sure the process is not without sacrifices or fears, but the adventure is so exciting!

But to keep the record straight, if you thought that by becoming a missionary, you can avoid all second-guessing or feel a perpetual state of purpose or mission, well I am here to say thus far that it doesn’t exactly work that way. Yep, I still feel doubts and fears amidst all of this change. And yet, I still know deep down that this is what God wants for me and there is a great peace and sense of expectation in that. And there is the encouragement I receive from you when you say you are praying for me or donate to ENLACE—that is when you are the hand of God in my life. Pretty cool, huh? And then I also remember that I love El Salvador and I love the work there and I still am awed a bit that I get to be part of something that very specifically brings hope to the lives of the poor—through relationships, through increased skills, through clean water, through fed bellies. Really cool.

Nonetheless, the tension is still there. That tension between what sacrifice requires us to give up and the desire to really live the life we are each called to. It looks different for all of us, but I really believe we all should be living somewhere between the “oh no” and the “oh yes!” It doesn’t really matter whether it is on the mission field or right next door, it’s all about where you’re called and what you are asked to give. And my encouragement is cliché but it’s what I’ve got today—just do it. Just give yourself to the adventure. It’s what makes us alive in our walk with Christ and available to each other as we help & support & enjoy the adventure together!

How to pray for me this week:

• Fundraising continues – It is going very well and I am so blessed by everyone that has given and I look forward to meeting 100% of my budget.
  
• Spanish – The saga continues. I’m still finding it hard to devote time to Spanish and still feeling like I am not doing what I need to be prepared. I feel like I am not doing enough, but I also feel like I don’t have any more bandwidth right now. Please pray that I continue to make this a real priority, find time to practice speaking while being realistic about what I have to give and having patience with myself.
  
• Emotional Energy – I leave in two months. And I am finding that my normally pretty even-keel Tinaness is more of a roller coaster of emotions these days. (For example, I was just crying on my bed one afternoon recently. No real good reason, I just had to cry. It makes no sense, but it is my reality today.) It seems that this is probably pretty normal—to experience pretty intense emotion amidst such a big life change, so I am trying to have patience with myself, yet again, but nonetheless the emotions can be pretty tiring. So please pray that I am able to have a right perspective of what is going on and that God give me the emotional strength and energy for these next few months. And if you see me and I look a little droopy, a little hug goes a long way sometimes.

PS: Saturday, August 25th some of us will be gathering to pray for El Salvador, Nuevo Renaçer, Agros & ENLACE at 10am at the River West Community Center. Please join us!

FOUR LITTLE LETTERS

HOPE
It’s such a small little word for such a significant thing. It seems like there should be a few more syllables and perhaps an accent placed somewhere. The word is overused to the point of being totally useless & trite and sometimes seems far from each of our experiences. Our world is broken, we see it every day. The needs are vast and the solutions seem few. This is the world we live in and as a global community it seems that our hope source has dwindled to a tiny stream. In fact, hope is so lost in the shuffle of our modern experience, that when we come face to face with it—it stops us in our tracks. Why do you think so many people watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition? It’s all about deserving people being given a dose of physical hope. Why do I love the movie Hoosiers and watch it at least once every year? It’s about a group of Indiana farm boys that together work to realize their hope of beating those big city ball players. And why is the story of Narnia a classic? It’s all about the hope of Aslan. His life-saving sacrifice followed by his triumphant return.

HOW ENLACE DOES HOPE
And over the last few years, the hope in El Salvador has not only stopped me, but has me packing my bags! In these communities, there is dignity present. There is joy. And mostly there is hope. When a mother is able to provide clean & healthy water to her child, a hope is born that she would have never known previously. When a father is able to provide a library where his kids can study and do better in school, again a new hope is created. And when a church partners with their community & listens & acts out of love & selflessly serves, another kind of hope is begun! Dave McGee, Enlace’s Communications Director, sent me this in an email and I love the nuts and bolts description of some of the hope growing via the work of ENLACE. He said:

For the church, a need can frequently be turned into an opportunity by
maximizing what is available, not focusing on what is missing. The church is a
continuous reservoir of resources (from Ron’s
blog). ENLACE has worked primarily with churches of less than 100 members
located in impoverished, rural areas of El Salvador. Many of the church leaders
believed they did not have the financial or human resources to become effective
agents of change in their community. As soon as they looked at their church more
closely and began to partner with their community, they discovered a wealth of
skills and resources within their congregations. Churches already had, or could
develop quickly, great fundraising skills and could pool resources together
effectively. They also had a deep commitment to stewardship and compassion which
made them an endless reservoir of resources to transform their communities.

ENLACE is all about helping illuminate the opportunity lying just below the surface. Henri Nouwen explained this concept beautifully in his journal about ministry in Central America called Gracias. He said:

The true skill of ministry is to help fearful and often oppressed men and women
become aware of their own gifts, by receiving them in gratitude. In that
sense, ministry becomes the skill of active dependency: willing to be dependent
on what others have to give but often do not realize they have.

It’s a beautiful blend of empowerment and practical training. And after 14 years, it’s working! In a war-scared country like El Salvador, this is the hope for communities in generations to come. I know that sounds awfully esoteric and lofty—and I guess it is—but it’s true. And that amazes me! That I truly believe that ENLACE, through God’s power, can and will bring restoration to an entire country one person and project at a time. Ooo, I have goose bumps I am so excited!

WHY I FEEL LIKE I WON THE LOTTERY
God is working—God is restoring—and I get to be a part of it! Earlier I said that hope seems to be dwindling in our world, but in my life I have found a hope that has changed my perspective, changed my heart and is changing my address. While I know there is a lot of hard work before me, all of the sacrifices seem like cake in comparison to what God has done and is doing. And I know some of you are non-believers or atheists or agnostics or blissfully ambivalent, but I firmly believe that Christ is the ultimate source of all hope. And He is leading me to El Salvador. Crazy, but true. And crazier still, I cannot wait to go and see His face shining through the villagers! I can’t wait to see Him create miracles—to restore people—to show the wealth that is within the hearts of the villagers there. Yes, I will be part of an organization that is working on “eliminating poverty in sustainable ways”, but so much more than that, I am going to become a laborer of hope. I am going to El Salvador because I have felt the hand of God in my life and He is guiding me to go and share life there. I believe that I will be able to bring some gifts to that place and I believe that El Salvador will richly gift me back. And I believe that you should come along with me!

I have been approved by both ENLACE’s El Salvador & US leadership and I have signed my affiliation agreement. This means a few things. First that I definitely get to go. And while I had a good feeling that all was going to work out, I am absolutely exuberant now that I have signed the form, have a legal title (the contract calls me “the project operator”—how cool is that?!) and can begin the next step: fundraising.

WHY I AM EXCITED TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT

This will give you a good glance into my reality of late. God has communicated and proven over and over that He will provide for me, and against my logic, my anxiety, my normal self—I am simply trusting Him. And although this process is still only a few months old, a few of you have already contacted me and said that you would like to partner with me and help support this adventure. And where I would normally have fear, instead I have a great sense of expectation that I am about to see miracles. And you are a part of that miracle. Whether it be through prayer, email, checks or hugs—God has been providing for me already! I truly feel blessed and am overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you. Specific areas that I could use prayer are:

• Continued Support – I cannot do this alone. And I am so excited to have friends and family join with me via prayer, finances or future care packages. The support already has been amazing!
  
• Spanish – I’m doing what I can to learn as much Spanish as I can, but it’s hard to focus sometimes.
  
• River West Transition – I love River West with all of my heart and leaving is so hard. And every time Guy preaches or we do worship or one of you tells me about the miracles in your life, it is sooo good that it makes leaving all that much harder. Please pray that I continue to move forward with hope and excitement at the next step God has for me and that the letting go will happen without too many crying fits. ;)
  
• People, Time & Preparation – Clearly there is a lot to do. And there are only so many hours in a day, but my priority has been spending time with you guys. The boxes will get packed, the details taken care of somehow, but I will never replace the time I have remaining with all of you at this time in my life. I know that, but “Tina-the-planner” can get a bit stressed when there are still loose ends everywhere. Please pray for right priorities, perspective and grace with my remaining months.
  
• ENLACE – There is a lot of exciting stuff happening at ENLACE and my daily prayer is for this organization that I believe is doing such powerful work. I pray that God is preparing me for the work there and I pray that God is preparing them for me.

HOW DOES THE MATH WORK OUT?

So, how do the finances work? Well, I worked with ENLACE to develop a budget based on their many years living in El Salvador and my final budget was approved by them. As far as annual living expenses go, I hope to raise about $30,000. This includes all the “must-haves” like rent, utilities, food, health insurance, and some start up expenses like Spanish, moving costs, residency, etc. I will be focusing on raising this amount in the next few months. And once I have raised my living expenses, there are other expenses, like a car, a computer, etc. that I will be trying to raise funds for, but first things first! And although I do not leave until the Fall, I am trying to start raising these monies now to help cover moving costs that I will have before I leave, pay deposits for my new place, buy my plane ticket there, etc. So, if you feel led to give, following are the ways that you can donate.

I know that you have heard it before, but any and all amounts are so valued and such a significant blessing. Thank you for praying & considering joining me in this beautiful work. And thanks again for all of your support to date and your patience with me as I continually babble on about El Salvador & ENLACE.

If you have any questions or would like to hear me speak more about the many things that ENLACE does, please feel free to email me at tina@riverwest.org or call me at 503.753.3519.
___________________________________________________________________
YES! I want to partner with Tina Anderson & ENLACE in their work in El Salvador. How do I do it? All pledges need to go to the ENLACE offices in the US. So please mail anything directly to them at:

ENLACE-US5405 Alton Pkwy Suite 5A Number 458 Irvine, CA 92604
Or fax them in California at : 949.387.4030
Always be sure to include a note that says “Tina Anderson mission.”

They are a few options for giving based on what works best for you:

• Set up automatic deduction from your checking account. Simply mail a check to the address above for your first donation and a note with the following info:
  
  

  Yes, I would like to enroll in ENLACE’s Automatic Giving Plan. I give my
  bank permission to transfer from my account each month and pay to ENLACE the
  amount of __________ on a monthly basis.
  

  
  Funds will be taken out on the 1st of every month. You will receive a year end giving report to use for your taxes.
  
• Or send a one time check made to ENLACE to the ENLACE’s US office with a note: Tina Anderson’s support.You will receive a receipt & a return envelope that will say ENLACE/Tina Anderson Mission and the US office address. You will also receive a year end giving report to use for your taxes.
  
  
• Or you can supply your Debit/Credit Card information. Send ENLACE the following info:
  
  

  Visa or MastercardCredit card number:
  Name on card:
  Expiration
  date:
  Billing address for credit card:
  One time or monthly recurring
  gift?
  Amount:

(Sorry, we no longer take American Express or Discover). For those giving by credit card on a revolving basis we do not receipt monthly. You will get a year end giving report as will all you donors.

Thanks again for helping us develop hope in El Salvador.

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...