GA El Salvador team 2009

Back home in the USA

2009-07-28T15:00:00.004-05:00

Everyone has arrived back in the USA and we had a great time of ministry the last 2 weeks in El Salvador. Many lives were touched and changed including our own. Thank you all for praying for us while we were there and for the many people that God placed in our paths.

The blog is now complete with links to all of the pictures so be sure and check them out, I think you will enjoy them.

The following picture is our last of what was a regular event when we stopped for water and a potty break and yes we did find Dr. Pepper.

Thanks from the team of Immanuel Bible Church ISM what a great bunch of young people and leaders.

Mariah, Jackie, Kathryn, Casey, Alex, Zack, Jared, Michael, Jeremy/Jeremy, Andrew, Jim and Tim, Diane and John

Friday – Even to the Least of These

2009-07-25T21:29:00.011-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorFridayChildrenSHomeThenVolcano#

Our partners had asked us to go to a home for abandoned, abused, special needs children. It turned out to be a center much like our Child Protective Services in the US. When children are removed from their homes or abandoned, they come to this center while their cases are investigated/evaluated. There serve children from birth to 21. It is not meant to be a long term facility; they remain here until it is determined whether they can return to their families, live with other relatives, or need to be placed in a more permanent situation.

There are several pregnant teen mothers at the center; there is a group of teenage girls who are receiving training in sewing while they are there.

There is also a group of multipli-handicapped children requiring very special needs. Our team split into two groups, one working with the babies and small children and the other ministering to the special needs children.

We really did know what to expect at this center, and it is rather intimidating and a bit frightening to walk into a group of severely handicapped children to know just what to do to serve them, but how the team rose to the occasion! What a JOY to see these students begin to reach out to these children, getting them to smile, laugh, blow bubbles (for those who could manage, or just enjoy seeing the bubbles!).

They got on the ground, patted hands and feet, talked to them (the language barrier didn’t matter), fed them bottles, and just loved on them. The awkwardness vanished quickly, and we saw the Lord in action through each team member.

One of our girls had the opportunity to share with the teen girls in the sewing program. Sharing from her own experience with abuse, it obviously touched a cord with these girls. It was a powerful time of sharing, praying and reassuring these girls that God truly loves them, sees them as beautiful and precious, no matter what has happened to them in the past. There were several girls that were obviously impacted by this; it was wonderful to share how we have a restoring God, a loving God who can make all things new!

Mercedes joined us for our last afternoon together as a team. She wanted to show us a beautiful area of the country where there is a crater lake from a dormant volcano. Central America is lined with a beautiful mountain range, dotted with multiple volcanoes.

We traveled the winding road up the mountainside to a majestic vista overlooking lush valleys, mountain tops and the lake below. We entered a national park there to walk through a natural rain forest area. It was amazingly cool there with the altitude and shade of the soaring trees.

We stopped for a late lunch at another scenic spot on the other side of the crater lake. They served us a banquet of local fare, quite a feast. It was the perfect end to our time here, seeing the beauty of this country, enjoying their wonderful food and gracious hospitality.

This was our last night together with the team. The youth group will remain for two more days for a retreat, a time to reflect, spend time with the Lord, and begin to process what they have experienced these past two weeks. We are heading home to prepare for Kenya; John leaves next Friday and I take the US team over the next week. As we spent our last evening together, we got to share some of what God has shown us here in El Salvador, prayed and ended by having communion together.

We are moved by the gratefulness of those we work with here; to us, it seems like we have done so little, but they are so very appreciative for anything that is done to serve their people. We are constantly learning more about the importance of presence, the power of a touch, smiles, the huge impact of prayer. As Americans, we tend to be so focused on tasks, goal oriented, and wanting to scratch things off a to-do list, but God is more concerned about relationships than things, people than “projects.” As always, we feel that we have been blessed more than those we have served; they teach us so much. We all have a lot to pray about and process from our time here. Our prayer is that the Lord will clearly speak to each of us about how He wants to use this experience in our lives; we pray that the seeds we have sown will be deeply rooted and bear much fruit. We know the Lord is working in El Salvador; we pray for our brothers and sisters here, for strength, encouragement and the perseverance to continue in His work. We thank Him for allowing us to be a part of His work, even for a few weeks, and ask Him to remind us to pray for El Salvador and the wonderful people here, to remember their faces, names, and that His Spirit will work mightily in this nation.

Thursday – Prayer: The Work

2009-07-25T21:04:00.007-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorDayOfPrayerAndVisitOrphanage#

Every Thursday those who minister with Global Action here meet to pray for Central America, El Salvador, the church, families and individual needs. This is always one of our favorite times here! As we gathered in the courtyard of the GA office and heard how God is directing individuals to step out to minister, we were convicted of how we need to do the same in our own country. These are just ordinary people who are listening to God, have their eyes open to what He shows them and make themselves available to be used by Him. One woman works in a number of schools to teach on abstinence, values, sexual abuse and does a great deal of counseling, just because God has given her a heart for young people. We have heard testimonies from some of these students about how God has transformed their lives as a result. One couple has targeted 17 needy areas here and routinely visit them, bring supplies as they can, pray and encourage pastors working in harsh situations as well as schools and needy communities. These are just a few examples of how believers here are responding to the needs of their people. Then these dear servants said they wanted to pray over us, individually and personally. There is nothing like being prayed over from your head to your feet! How little we seem to do that for one another. These were not surface-y prayers; these were powerful, passionate, personal prayers that touched each of us greatly.

We spent the afternoon at the Exodo orphanage on the outskirts of town. They have 48 children from ages 2-20 living in a home atmosphere.

There are four homes, each with house parents to give them as much of a family environment as possible. A group of the older kids had prepared a song/dance for us, which was a very “Texan” version of “God is good; all the time,” which made us feel at home. Then our group led them in singing, which they said was unusual for someone to come and sing for them. We had a great time singing, doing action songs/games.

Then came the big soccer challenge. I regret to say that they beat the socks off our team, even with our experienced players, but it was great fun. There was quite a face off on the basketball court as well. Even afternoon showers didn’t slow things down. It was a great afternoon spent with these young people.

A young college students from New York is working at Exodo for the summer. Her father is on the board of the home, and she’s been coming since she was 14. As a temporary house mom for the teenage girls, she’s been challenged, but loves being here. As in every place we’ve served, we are constantly thanked for taking time to love on people, whether they are old or young, reminding us that just “being” and expressing His love has huge impact. The team especially enjoyed interacting with these kids, working up quite a sweat in the process.

Tonight Ana Silvia, one of the founders of the Christian Deaf School, joined us for dinner and spent some time sharing with us about how God led her to start a school for the deaf and how He continues to work in her life. With only $57 and a heart to minister to the deaf, she and three other teachers started working with 7 deaf children, developing an entire curriculum (nothing existed here for them to use), learning to sign themselves, and literally starting from scratch; what dedication! Now more than 500 students have gone through the school. Many of them are now teachers at the school. Just this past week one of their students graduated from college here with an engineering degree!! As Ana shared, we were reminded that as millions around the world have yet to hear the Good News of salvation in Jesus, there are millions who have not heard just because they cannot hear! That adds a whole new dimension to the Great Commission, a lot to pray about.

Wednesday – Off to class

2009-07-22T23:33:00.006-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorRuralSchoolsNearVolcano#

Today we visited with two rural schools in very poor communities; one near the volcano and one on the outskirts of town where there is increased gang activity and lots of problems.

One of the workers here, Morelia, has been working in these types of schools for many years, spending time with the students, teaching abstinence classes and sharing Jesus at every opportunity. I admire her greatly; she takes the risk to go to areas where few would be willing to go to share the Lord.

We have been to the Volcan school several times, but it is a joy to return. We got to go into eight classes, singing, sharing the gospel, doing crafts, laughing and just loving on the kids.

Some of the team got to join in recess (wasn’t that always one of our favorite times?) for a pick up game of soccer (football here) and found that these little kids could really play and give them a run for their money.

Jeremy had quite the following as he played his guitar and let some of the kids have a try at plucking the strings. All the team had an instant gathering of kids around them, and what fun they had.

The principal has served here for 11 years, is a believer, and has invested himself greatly in this community. They are so grateful for any encouragement/help, and it was just a great morning. We were able to leave some school supplies with them, which they greatly appreciated, and gathered around the principal to pray for him, the students, staff, and community. It was a joyous time! There is nothing like children’s smiles and the delight of their laughter!

In the afternoon we went further out to a different school, new to us, which we were told was in a “bad” area where gangs have taken hold and violence is all too prevalent. The principal here is very concerned about the students, seeing some of the middle school kids being drawn into this kind of activity. She is so grateful for Morelia’s visits and prayers.

It’s a pretty large school, so they had an assembly of the 4^th-6^th graders outside in an open courtyard where they also had a stage area. The team sang songs in Spanish, led action songs, and presented the drama of Jesus walking on the water. Zack shared his own story of coming to know Jesus and gave a clear gospel presentation and prayer, inviting the kids to put their trust in Jesus. The principal asked for prayer specifically for protection for these students and guarding against the evil forces at work here, so we closed by praying for these requests, trusting that God is at work in this community, knowing that He can and will intervene.

We are inspired by the people here, like Morelia, Naomi, Minina, Ilsa, and others who volunteer their time and resources to reach out to those in need materially and spiritually. They aren’t a part of a “program;” they aren’t paid to do these things; they are just responding to needs the Lord puts before them. What examples to all of us! How may the Lord be calling to each of us to respond to needs around us at home? How can we best encourage the believers here in their work, now that we have experienced it? These are the questions we are praying about, asking for His special word to each of us, and that we would hear it clearly and obey.

Tuesday – How good it is to spread joy!

2009-07-22T23:17:00.003-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorTuesdayTouringCityAndNursingHome#

Since the Christian deaf school was closed for the flu we changed our schedule and made our trek to the local market to see/buy handicrafts and souvenirs. The team got to exercise their bargaining skills and found interesting things to bring home.

After lunch we went to a government nursing home for about 200 elderly people of ages 75 +; one lady is over 100. We had prayed specifically against feelings of awkwardness as we often have with elderly people, especially those who don’t speak English, and how God answered those prayers!! What a sweet time we had!!

The director greeted us, gave us some background on the home and guided us to a porch area of the residential buildings.

Several residents were sitting there in their wheelchairs, and we started to greet them, shake hands, share cookies, and sing. We moved indoors to where several blind ladies were in their beds; some of them were terribly frail and obviously failing, but they smiled as we talked with them and prayed for them.

Music is always an instant draw, and as the guys played and the group sang, more and more people appeared. Some of the ladies left and came back with more residents who clapped, smiled, and even attempted to sing along.

The team spread out to interact with these dear folks and really stepped out of their comfort zones. Dina and I got to talk with Mr. Joaquin, a dear old white haired man who just wanted to talk. He told us about his life, how he was as a young man before he came to know Jesus and how his life changed when he accepted the Lord. Now, even though he is the only one of his family alive, he spends his days praying and praising God. He had cataract surgery on one eye and is set to have surgery on the other eye soon, so we prayed with him for a successful surgery and good eyesight.

There were two special ladies, Consuelo and Lydia, who instantly grabbed the hands of some of our young men and proceeded to walk them all through the compound; these little ladies had quite the grip! Consuelo is not much over four feet tall, was barefooted, but determined to escort the guys around to meet her friends.

Lydia, also tiny, latched onto John and seemed to enjoy following us everywhere. She said she liked tall, strapping Anglos; there’s a morale booster for you!

It was great to see the team respond to these elderly people, in spite of their condition and appearance and inability to communicate. How they loved having the young people there!!

They smiled, sang, clapped, kissed hands, thanked everyone for the visit and did seem encouraged by it all. The home is in a beautiful setting; lush gardens, lots of space to walk/wheel around and didn’t have as much of an institutional setting as we often see in the US. They lack a lot of resources and have sparse dormitory-type rooms, but it was clean, and the director, who has been there 18 years, seemed to truly care for them.

As we reviewed the day, everyone on the team said they really enjoyed being with these elderly people, loved to make them smile, pray for them and just bring them joy. You’ll have to see the pictures to see these precious smiles for yourself. How tenderly God works!!!

Monday – Tacuba

2009-07-20T21:03:00.003-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorMondayInTacuba#

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.

Sunday – Trusting that God is in control….especially on the zip line.

2009-07-20T08:12:00.002-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorSundayCanopyAdventure#

We went to the early morning worship service today and experienced beautiful worship led by talented worship leaders. It was wonderful to praise the Lord in Spanish (thankfully they put the Spanish words to the songs on the screen so we could sing along). The pastor shared a message from Jeremiah 17:7-8: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him….” It was a great reminder that we can have confidence in the Lord because of Who He is and that truly, He is in control!

It was good to meditate on that as we harnessed up for the canopy zip line tour above a lush volcano mountainside. Some of the team had done this before, so it was nice to observe them and learn. It was rather humorous to see everyone with their little orange plastic crash helmets (looked sort of like plastic beanies to me) along with padded gloves and all the harnessing.

Not exactly a fashion statement. The first few runs were short ones to get the hang of it and learn to brake. This came easily to most, but the “seniors” had a bit of trouble with this (guess who these were J).

I found it easier to zip than stop and decided that I would just trust that our guides would catch me before I hit a tree. After several small runs, we got to the longer stretches that strung out over a wider, deeper expanse.

The view (when you get the nerve to look around) is really beautiful. It was just hard to concentrate on the rules, where to keep your hands, etc.

Tim having fun.

All in all, a really fun experience and not as frightening as I feared it would be. Our young team members encouraged us “riper” folks along and were great supporters.

Surviving this challenge, we ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant overlooking a beautiful valley near some volcanoes.

What gorgeous scenery! We enjoyed some typical roasted chicken, beans and rice, platanos, Salvadoran style sandwiches and soaked in the surroundings. Then we were treated to one of the best ice cream shops in the city, Jungle Snow. It had gotten hotter over the afternoon, so this was a welcome retreat. While sitting in the courtyard of this newer mall area, there was a talent show of sorts going on in the middle as well as an antique car show staged around the open courtyard. So we had entertainment as well as treats.

We’ve had a great break this weekend for some R&R and are now preparing for the week to come. Tomorrow we will be going out to a very poor village area to minister in a church there, sharing with the children, praying and encouraging in any way we can. They struggle with malnutrition along with many other difficulties, and there appears to be a stronghold of the occult in this area, so we are also planning a prayer walk around the area to pray against the evil that seems to be keeping this village in bondage. We will be involved in outreaches in a number of different places this week, so please do continue to pray that we will be open vessels, fully surrendered to all that He wants to do in and through us, that we will be sensitive to His leading, quick to respond to His promptings, and that each encounter we have will be encouraging and exalting Jesus. Mercedes reminded us last night that God is speaking to each of us on this trip, often in a soft voice; we must be attentive and tuned in to what He wants to share with each of us. Pray that we hear Him and follow.

Saturday – Majesty of the Sea

2009-07-18T23:40:00.003-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSlvadorSaturdayAtTheBeach#

The team waiting on the pier

Fresh kill

Large prawns

Fish drying on the bank

Today was a day for relaxation, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Mercedes Dalton, Global Action’s ministry director for Latin America. We were her guests at her beach home on the Pacific Ocean, where we thoroughly enjoyed the crashing waves, black sands, and beautiful pool. We stopped along the way to the beach to one of the public piers to see the local fish market, overflowing with a wide variety of freshly caught fish, oysters and prawns.

We could do this forever

You need to join us here.

Boys having fun

Wow does this look inviting.

Then we enjoyed the rest of the day swimming, relaxing, walking along the beach, enjoying great food and fellowship.

Empty beach

Great waves

This is where you want to be next year

John relaxing for a change

There is nothing like a beach sunset, and we snapped pictures madly as the sun set beautifully behind the mountains.

After a rousing game of beach volleyball, we gathered together to hear Mercedes’ testimony of God’s faithfulness in her life and ministry.

Tim what is with you, it was your ball to hit, come on play or get off the sand and let someone play who cares.

We also had the Global Action ministry assistant and her family with us, and it was great to get to visit with them more and hear how God is working in their lives. Praying for Mercedes, her family, ministry and the needs of El Salvador and Central America, as well as for Minina and her family, was the perfect ending to a spectacular day. We have been welcomed so warmly here; it is wonderful to be with our Christian family in El Salvador and share lives together. Just a preview of heaven when we will all be together!

Tomorrow we will go to an early worship service before we go upcountry to enjoy more of the beauty of this country and for those courageous enough, we will enjoy a canopy tour on zip lines above the lush forests. So far, everyone says they are game for it, so we’ll see who perseveres.

This first week has been an amazing experience. We have all been deeply touched by everyone we have worked with and feel a special bond with the Sonsonate school. We know that this next week will give us new insights into other ministry needs, connect us with more special people and challenge us in new ways. Please continue to pray for the Sonsonate deaf school, for all their needs and the possibility of providing more education for the high school students through the Christian school there. Pray for the team that we will be open to however the Lord wants to use us this next week, and that we will clearly hear His voice as He speaks to us individually, specifically, as He continues to teach and lead us in this journey with Him.

The fields are alive in San Salvador

2009-07-18T00:57:00.000-05:00

Lots of corn and volcanoes

Mario and Diane

2009-07-18T00:51:00.002-05:00

This is the young deaf boy that Diane led to the Lord on Thursday read entry for Thursday below for the details

Jeremy teaching the boys a few basketball moves

2009-07-18T00:42:00.001-05:00

Tim celebrating his birthday in El Salvador

2009-07-18T00:33:00.001-05:00

Girls and boys today

2009-07-18T00:27:00.004-05:00

These are all the boys and gils that we worked with this week in the teen group alone with our team, lots of fun to be had by all.

Boys today

2009-07-18T00:22:00.002-05:00

Meeting the boys today

Friday........beautiful feet

2009-07-18T00:10:00.006-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorDeafSchoolFriday02

Our last day at the Sonsonate Deaf School. The time has gone by so quickly; a lot has been accomplished both on the school grounds and with the students and staff. The team presented David and Goliath to the younger students, who enjoyed seeing the giant defeated. When asked what giants they face, they shared about gangs, violence, those who deal drugs, very real concerns and not so very different from any other part of the world, and that God is always there to stand with us against any challenges we might face. We also had the chance to talk with a number of the mothers who bring their children to school and patiently wait until classes are finished. After telling them what a blessing it was for these children to have such caring mothers, willing to sacrifice so much so that they can learn, they expressed their appreciation for all that the team had done and especially, for sharing God’s Word with their children. It’s easy to forget that this is a public school, not a Christian school, yet we have had a completely open door to share the gospel, pray and share scriptures freely. Amazing! While out for lunch, we were able to find a new basketball goal, net, and backboard. What was left of theirs was a sliver of wood and partial rim. Just watching some of the boys matching basketball skills with some of the guys on the team assured us that they will be thrilled to have a decent goal again. Jim repaired the broken swings on the very old playground equipment. That will bring a lot of joy to the kids. We had an unexpected special presentation in the afternoon from a teacher at a nearby Baptist Christian School. Their church had felt burdened for the deaf and had already found someone to sign in their worship services and began to pray about what they could do for deaf children. Since the Sonsonate Deaf School only goes to 9th grade, and very, very few are able to go far away to any available high school, they felt led to provide classes for the remaining two years of high school for these students. They have worked out an excellent sounding program that would integrate these students into most of the existing classes, providing teachers to sign for them, continue their training in sign language as well as Spanish, and give them the chance to be fully integrated into the community. The church plans to provide for the tuition for these students; what they need is help in paying for two interpreters. So we are praying with them about this. There would probably be at least 10 students ready for this program in Jan; perhaps more. Then we had a special time for guys to meet together and girls to meet separately to share about their lives, dreams, and challenges, giving opportunity for our team to share about theirs as well, a great time of sharing.

Then the students told us that they had prepared something special for us to thank us for all we had done for them. They presented a skit depicting a guy being torn between the temptations of evil and God, finally choosing to follow God. Complete with costumes and props, they did an excellent job. Then they signed a song for us, which was beautifully done. Sign language is so expressive and full of emotion, lovely to watch. And as if that weren’t enough, they had made momentos for each team member, hand decorated pencils, which they personally presented one by one to one of us, embracing each one and having a picture made with them. The students, on their own, bought candies to give to the team in appreciation. All in all, very humbling. To conclude, one of the boys prayed for us, our travels, thanking God for bringing us to them. Deeply humbling, and amazing as we remember once again that this is a public school.
The principal shared some very kind words with us, telling us that she didn’t expect the group to do so much and be such a blessing to them and how encouraged they were. Our prayers have been answered abundantly!! After lots of hugs, pictures, and more parting hugs, we boarded our bus to head back to town. Our hearts are full. We have made very special new friends, hopefully brought them new hope and encouragement and assurance that God loves them and is able to work in and through them to make a difference not only in their lives, but their communities and country.

“How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ’How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.’” Romans 10:14-15

Thursday - If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.

2009-07-16T19:09:00.007-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorThursdayDeafSchool

The kids know now to expect a presentation when we arrive at school, so they were ready and waiting for another Bible lesson. Today it was the presentation of Jesus walking on the water. The team acted out the miraculous story, complete with a blue sheet sea that flapped wildly as the storm. It's always interesting to hear the impressions of the kids after the story. They love to summarize the whole story! As Tim gave another gospel presentation, they heard how the power that calmed the storm is the power that raised Jesus from the dead! Along with the lesson, we did some action songs, which even though they couldn't "hear" the songs, they really enjoyed following all the motions. For a craft, they made gospel bracelets with the colored beads that tell the gospel message. Dina, one of our wonderful interpreters, helped me write out a gospel presentation to share with Mario, the young man who said he's like to hear more about Jesus. Using the evangecube, I pointed to the pictures and then followed the Spanish explanation written out on paper for Mario. He paid close attention. At the end, we wrote down the question, "would you like to accept Jesus as your own Savior?" When he read this, he shook his head "yes." What a joy to see this young man begin his new life in Jesus! We prayed with him, encouraged him to read the book of John (he said they had a Bible at home), and continue his new walk with the Lord. Sharing the gospel with a deaf person was a vivid reminder that we have to be prepared to share in a manner that can be understood. We learned years ago not to depend on written materials, like tracts, or show them scriptures, because so many people we encounter cannot read. Last night I was scouring the internet looking for written materials in Spanish for Mario to read; all that I found were tracts for sale, but not written out, but predominantly, videos presenting the gospel in Spanish and other languages. This would be great for those who can't read (at least the audio could be used for those who are blind), but they were pointless for these students. So we had to write out our own gospel message to share with Mario, and praise God, even with the difficulty of language barrier, God allowed him to understand and accept His loving gift!

Each day brings new joys; the team members showing compassion and love to these children, working so hard on the grounds to provide a safe place for them to play, persevering the heat/humidity to serve others; the smiles on children's faces, appreciation from the teachers, and seeing moms pitch in to labor right along with us to make things better for their children.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorTimSBirthdayAndDinnerWithMercedes

Tonight we are having dinner in the home of one of our ministry workers here whose son, Andreas, has also been helping us with interpreting. They are going to demonstrate how to prepare pupusas, a favorite El Salvador dish. It will be a great time of fellowship and a chance to celebrate Tim's birthday today! Though he's far away from his wife and little daughter, we'll do our best to make it a great celebration for him.

Wednesday – It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity

2009-07-15T22:21:00.001-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorWednesdayDeafSchool

We headed back to the rural deaf school for our second day of working on the playground and yards and having some time with the students. Somehow, even before we got to the manual labor, we were consumed with sweat; the humidity seemed higher than ever today, so it was a pretty quick meltdown. We started the day meeting with the younger students by singing for them as Mariah signed; then the team shared the story of Adam and Eve. The team dramatized the story as Catherine narrated. This involved three translations, English to Spanish, and Spanish to sign language, so it does take a bit more time, but the children were very attentive and seemed to “get it.” They answered questions and took part in the discussion afterwards, so it was a great time to interact with them. Catherine shared her testimony, and then we went into the classrooms to do a craft with them. They seemed to enjoy it all thoroughly. We continued thrashing through the overgrowth on the grounds until lunch time, which involves a short drive to a food court and a bit of cool down time (we’re thankful for the ice cream there!). After lunch, we had the same assembly with the older students. They were enthusiastic about commenting on the story, sharing their thoughts and asking questions. Alex shared her testimony with the students, and again, we had the opportunity to share the gospel message. Back to yard work, and with adding a heavier cording to the weedeater, we could see much greater progress in clearing the yard. It was neat to see the mothers, who come with their children and wait for them until they leave for home, join in the clean up campaign, working very hard to help in the effort. Great to work together as a team. As some of us worked with the students on their craft, I had the chance to “chat” with one of the most expressive young men, Luis. We remembered him well from being here last Oct. He is always eager to “talk,” and we so wish we could all sign! While in the classroom, Luis was showing me his craft and began writing questions down for me in Spanish. I know just enough to be able to respond to them, and that began a lengthy conversation between us discussing our families, ages, where we lived, etc. We then moved to spiritual matters and found that Luis has trusted in Jesus and attends a Baptist church nearby. He said the boy sitting next to him also went to his church. When I asked him about whether he had trusted in Jesus also, he indicated that he was unsure. I asked him if he would like to talk more about Jesus, he said “yes.” This was at the end of our time, and I didn’t have anyone to sign or help further with the discussion, but I plan to work on some Spanish materials tonight that I can share with him to further explain the gospel in hopes that he will choose to place his trust in Christ. Pray that we get that opportunity tomorrow and it will be his first day of new life!!

It has been a very good day! All the team is working hard, enjoying interacting with the students and finding all sorts of ways to communicate. Some things are universal; girls are interested in the boys, and the boys are interested in the girls. The older girls at the school think Jeremy is cute; the guys think Alex is pretty…..good taste J. They actually think all of the young people with us are pretty neat, and they are. We’re looking forward to spending two more days at this school. Pray for many more opportunities to demonstrate Jesus’ love, embrace these kids who often don’t get much affirmation, and that they will “hear,” understand, and come to know Jesus as their own personal Savior.

Tuesday - Watch out for that tree!

2009-07-14T21:43:00.006-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/ElSalvadorDeafSchoolTuesday

We aren't referring to George of the Jungle here, but rather one of the first lessons we have had on our first day in El Salvador.....beware standing/sitting under a mango tree! When these things plummet to the ground, they can pack a mean wallop, as we have experienced at our hotel and at the school where we are working all this week. We journeyed outside San Salvador to the town of Sonsonate where we are working at a public school for the deaf. The school provides education for the deaf for a large region, so students have to travel sometimes a great distance. The mothers of the younger students have to ride the bus with them and stay during class to accompany them home, which is a hardship because many of them can't afford public transit. We were warmly greeted by the principal, teachers and smiling faces of the children! After touring the small school area, we started in on weeding the lush flower beds, clearing out the badly overgrown playground area and trying to clear out the undergrowth that has taken over most of the property. It didn't take long for the 90's heat and high humidity to take effect; we sweated buckets. After a trip to the local Home Depot, we got some better tools to work with, including a weedeater, which caused a lot of excitement with the boys who instantly wanted to learn how to use this machine. The brush is so tangled and thick it will take a few passes with the weedeater to really plow through, but we made a good dent today. The younger children come for morning classes; older, through 9th grade, have afternoon classes. Today the older ones had their twice weekly computer class led by a teacher from San Salvador. This is a huge benefit for them; these are the skills they need to be able to do well in the hearing world, and they were feverishly working on the few computers they have. One of the girls on the team does know American Sign Language, and she had an amazing time visiting with the students, though many of them only know Salvadoran Signing. How we all wish we could communicate directly! It was great to see the students gathered around Mariah, hands in constant motion, obviously have a grand time visiting. By the end of day one, we felt good about the progress made for the first day and look forward to spending time with the students each day this week as well as continuing the clean up work. This is considered "winter" here, even with the high temperatures; it is the rainy season, which is winter for them, as opposed to the summer dry season. We indeed felt every bit of the humidity and hope we will be more acclimated day by day since most of our activities are outdoors. El Salvador is a beautiful country, and we enjoyed the countryside as we drove out today past volcanos, lush valleys, rows of crops and beautiful plants and flowers. We've received a warm, gracious welcome here, and we look forward to building special relationships with those we meet. This is a special week to be able to work with these students, who for the most part are overlooked and forgotten. Though a public school, they get very little assistance or resources; they have so little to work with, but these children are so very eager to learn, bright and resourceful, and we're thankful to be of any help we possibly can be to them just to encourage them that they are special, are valuable and precious to God, and greatly loved by the Lord.

Made it to San Salvador tonight

2009-07-14T00:21:00.002-05:00

Our team has made it to San Salvador tonight all in one piece and with all of our many bags of clothes and supplies for the 2 weeks. It is warm here tonight but nothing like Houston when we left this afternoon. We are looking to have some great rest tonight and then up and at em tomorrow at the deaf school in Sonsonate. Thanks for your prayers on us getting here. We have a really great team of young folks and a couple of oldies but we will have a wonderful time here.

The internet seems to be working well so we will try and make updates each night after dinner so it might be late in the evening your time when it gets posted.

have a great week everyone.

Heading to El Salvador tomorrow

2009-07-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

We head out tomorrow evening from Houston to travel down to San Salvador where we will be meeting up with our team from Immanuel Bible Church out of the Washington D.C. area. We are looking forward to serving together as we have two full weeks of many activities planned. The first week we will be working in Sonsonate not far from San Salvador with a deaf school there. Each day we will be helping them repaint the school and work on a playground for the younger children. We had the opportunity to visit this school last fall and it was a real blessing for us to meet these incredible young people and the staff there. This time we will be staying longer and getting to know them and their parents better as well as the staff. On Saturday we will be flying over the trees in El Salvador doing a little canopy trip, not sure about all of this but we will be game for it. Of course Sunday will be church and some other activities. Then the 2nd week we will be going to various rural and public schools in the area, as well as a Christian deaf school that we have visited many times over the years. We will also visit some very poor areas and distribute food, work with the children in these areas as well as their parents. We will also work with some elder people at a retirement home, we have not done this in the past so this should be fun. We will also be visiting the school near the volcano and also an orphanage, so you can see we will be very busy.

Please pray for our team as we minister to the folks there and also that we will be open to hear and see God in many different ways ourselves. Also pray for health and unity with the team members. We are all ready to catch our planes and head down tomorrow.

Thanks for thinking of us during these two weeks and keeping us in your prayers. Keep checking back on the blog for daily updates.

God bless.