Monday – Tacuba

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Today we saw a new part of the country very near the Guatemalan border. The community of Tacuba has been identified as one of the poorest in the country with most children suffering greatly from malnutrition. One of the ministry workers here, with her husband, has been going to this area to work with a pastor who is struggling to bring the gospel to the people.

Pastor Noe and his wife, Aurelia, two small children and another one expected in December, minister to about 70 people in a tin roofed, cement block walled, dirt floor pavilion which they have struggled to build to house the church.

The pastor had invited 100 mothers and children to come to the church today to meet with us. They were already assembled and patiently waiting when we arrived (it’s about 2 hrs. from San Salvador; quite remote). The people here reminded me of the Mayan and some Honduran people, very short in stature and with a more Indian appearance.

The children had obviously “dressed up” for this occasion with probably the best clothes they had, but you could tell that they had little. Mothers with their infants in their laps and lots of young children filled the room.

The team began with some songs, action songs to get the children involved, and sang a Spanish song for them to join in. Then they presented the story of Adam and Eve. Andrew shared his testimony and presented the gospel. We ended by teaching them “Jesus loves me,” along with the signing for the chorus. They had never heard the song, which is one of the most universally known songs around, so you can tell that they have had very little exposure.

The pastor and his wife had prepared 100 hand made tamales; others who came with us brought bread and juice. As usually happens, there were more than 100 there….at least 140, but more tamales miraculously appeared. No one went hungry! Though quiet and rather timid, these children soaked it all in, as well as their mothers. We emphasized again to them that Jesus did indeed love them; He made them, died for them, and wants them to know Him.

Mercedes and some of her workers who came with us got to spend some time with the pastor, learning more about the community and their needs. How we would love to just spend time in this mountain village sharing the Word with them, praying and encouraging them! We had been told that there is stronghold of witchcraft in Tacuba, so as we left, we went to the center of town and prayed against the powers of darkness that have put these people in bondage. We prayed for these powers to be broken, for the gospel to penetrate every area and give true life and freedom to these people and for the Lord to bless this community.

While traveling back to San Salvador, we stopped for a late lunch at a beautiful restaurant/lodge owned by an artist friend of Minina’s. What a breathtaking landscape!! Nestled in the side of the mountain overlooking a lush valley leading to another set of mountains, filled with gorgeous plants, flowers, a varitable rain forest, it was a wonderful place to enjoy typical Salvadoran food as well as the gorgeous surroundings. We explored the grounds, following the stone path leading down the mountainside that leads down a steep ravine to a creek. There are casitas built along the way, along with the reception building and other cabins. What a wonderful place to retreat!! In fact, so much so, that the team has decided to stay here for their last two days of debriefing. They wanted a quiet, secluded place to pray, reflect, and meditate on what God is showing them here, and this is a perfect place for that. So we know that this was a divine stop. We would love to return here some time ourselves, just to pause and be still.

Tomorrow we had planned to go to the Christian deaf school here in the city, but they called us today to tell us that they have two students with the swine flu, and the health department is coming tomorrow to probably close the school. Many of the schools here have been closed in the past weeks, so were thankful that it hadn’t affected the Sonsonate school. We’re disappointed that we won’t get to be with them, but know that the Lord has something else planned for us instead

As I’m typing this, a huge thunderstorm has just hit, and the rain is thundering down on our tile roof. We have been so blessed with the weather; this is their rainy season, and so far, we have only had rains at night that don’t interrupt any of our activities. God is showing us great things, allowing us to reach out to those who for the most part are forgotten. Praise God, He hasn’t, and after being with them, we won’t either.