Opened Doors

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That is just what God has done. He has opened doors for us. This month has been one filled with new ministry opportunities, and new experiences. And finally, God has opened the door to allow me to share the team’s experiences with you. So here’s what’s up…

Spanish classes have started. And not too to my surprise I was placed in Basico 1. So yeah it’s a bit humbling to start at the basic level, but it also presents an opportunity for me to get better at the Spanish I do know, and learn more in class.

I quite enjoy my Spanish class, although the idea of being in school is kind of a drag. Also the atmosphere in class is very different. Our teacher says about five English words per class, which is good cause it pushes us to learn. It also gives us a bona fide excuse for not doing our homework, (cause really I only get half the things she says.)

Perhaps another reason for the Spanish is because our class has students from all over the world. (I’m not sure if our teacher realizes that everyone in the class does speak English though, but I guess it’s ok.) The people in my class are pretty cool too. There’s James and Grace a Korean- American- now Salvadorian couple that are here serving on mission as well. There’s also Eric who works for the U.N., is fluent in six languages, and has been like everywhere. Eric’s really cool, and we’ve enjoyed hearing his nightmare stories of going through immigration in the U.S.

Another lady in our class is Jade who is a Korean- Franc. I don’t know her that well but she seems pretty cool. Also new to the class is Prachit who’s here from India working an internship. And of course I can not forget the five other gringos who ended up in Basico 1 with me!

Besides school starting we’ve also been able to start teaching English classes. We teach English every Tuesday and Thursday at a Church called La Gracia, which means “The Grace” in Spanish. Basically we each pair up with a Salvadorian and teach one-on-one English. I was blessed with the opportunity to teach a lady named Silvia and Pastor Eric, the pastor of La Gracia. This was completely unintentional as Silvia was there for her young kids to learn English, and well Pastor Eric was kind of obligated to be there. But we found time to sit and talk; because I did not have a student yet, and next thing I know I am teaching them English and they are teaching me Spanish.

It has been a blessing so far to teach and learn from Silvia and Pastor Eric, and I look forward to teaching and learning more in the future.

Lastly I want to talk about Sus Hijos. Sus Hijos is an orphanage here, and the name in English means His Children. Adoption is illegal here in El Salvador due to sex trafficking so the orphanage has become a home to the boys that live there. The orphanage also houses troubled teens who have a history of running away from other homes. Sus Hijos is strategically located in the middle of nowhere, which is good because most of the runaway youths end up in gangs.

At Sus Hijos we got the chance to play with the kids and just make friends with them. This is important because many mission trip teams come for just a week and then just leave; but we will be here investing in the guys for a whole year! In the future we are also planning on teaching English and Bible classes as well.

God has been so faithful this whole time, and He is teaching me the importance of being still in my busy schedule, and listening for God. Friends I urge you to do the same. We may have busy schedules but one thing I know for sure is that making time to spend with God is totally worth it.

I also want to ask that you remain faithful in praying for the team. Please pray that God will continue to give us a spirit of enthusiasm about ministries, and that we will treat each day as the gift from God it is. Please also pray for the ministries we’ve began, and those God will hopefully bring our way to disciple as well.



Until next time, thanks as always, and God bless!

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Photos

Late Nights
Movie nights are the best with the fam. But at that moment we were just watching clips from "The Office." Also fun.

Dia de Indepencia
Independence day is September 15th in El Sal. We got to go to this parade downtown and take pics with armored cars, it was super chivo. Unfortunately I ended up in the back so you can just baely see me behind Taylor's head there.

Fam photos
Oh look at this happy family, definitely going on the Christmas card!

Comments

[Julia Hoenstine]

Praying for you always!
We're so proud of you and thankful for how God is working in your life. Take those quiet moments to hear from Him. We will continue to pray for team unity and the chance to share His love with people there!

[AUNTIE Z]

Lovely!I don't make a distinction
Hi Nana: so glad to hear about your progress. Great job, keep it up! Oh since you've been into movie nights lately, I wanted to recommend a few movies and books: "Salvador" is a movie directed by Oliver Stone about the civil war and America's role in it. There is also "innocent voices" directed by Luis Mandoki. Both movies are kind of sad and heavy, so be in a good mood before watching...however it is very informative. I also recommend comic books to enjoy learning Spanish! :-)