El Salvador-Part !

When we first arrived in El Salvador I asked A LOT of questions of the people who had been there before. I wanted to know what to expect, I wanted to know what we were going to do and I wanted to know how much we could accomplish. On Sunday, before we had even started working, I asked our group leader three questions.

I wanted to know what was the main reason for bringing a bunch of folks from the US down to this Central American country. Were we brought there to work? I thought this was the least likely reason we were brought down. I was pretty sure most of us did not have a vast amount of experience in masonry work and feared that our work might slow the process or worse lower the quality of work.

I asked if we had been brought down to raise up an awareness of the deep need in El Salvador. Beyond just poverty, natural disasters have decimated this country. It is estimated that 400,000 homes are substandard for habitation in El Salvador.

I also asked it we had been brought down to raise the morale of those we worked with. I wondered if it would boost the spirits of the workers and the homeowners to see these folks from the US taking time out of their lives to come down and partner with these individuals to let them know that people do care about them, even people that live many miles away.

A week later, as our trip was coming to an end, I reflected on these questions and realized that really we were brought down for all 3. We were able to do good work and make a difference in the construction of the home. We were made aware of the need and have been able to share this need with others. We were able to make strong connections with those we worked with and for those we were building the homes for. I hope they believe that we do care about them and see one another as brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of the language we speak, the color of our skin or the size of our bank accounts.

I know that I have been changed by this experience, and I want you to experience the power of this mission. Please consider joining us when we return to our brothers and sisters in El Salvador to continue to do God's work.

See you in Church, Pastor Chris