For those of you haven’t had the chance to read my El Salvador column I wrote for my local papers, I’ve decided to include it here as my first official post. If you want to see how it looks in print (along with the pictures that ran), got to www.webstertimes.net, or www.villagernewspapers.com, and download the Friday, March 28 edition. It should be in there. Enjoy!
Planting the seeds for future generations
BY ADAM MINOR
STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER
“God is in this place. I feel Him here. He’s in the chirp of the tree frogs as I lay down my head after a hard day’s work. He’s in the spirit of His people — the selflessness, kindness and genuine smiles of servants of God. He’s in the hopes and dreams of His Salvadorian children who believe in His promise for them, an optimism of growth that is tangible — more than just empty words and phrases, but a physical knowing, deep down in the very fiber of their beings, that God will come through for their ministry.
He’s in the voices of the people that sing His praise, a warm, flowing wash of energy that permeates my skin and reenergizes my soul. I hear Him in the wind, see Him in the swaying palm trees and can feel Him in the prayers of the Salvadorian people. More than that, I see Him in the loving smiles of the children. This is what I was put here to do. This is why I live.
God is in this place.
I can feel it.”
As I wrote these words in my journal/reporter’s notebook nearly half way through my recent missions trip to El Salvador, I felt a higher calling than I have ever felt in my life. I felt as though God Himself brought us there to minister to the children, and that being there was meant to be one of the defining moments of my life. I came down to El Salvador a man with many doubts and fears, and I left completely changed.
Back in October of last year, my wife and I were fresh back from our honeymoon and just beginning to settle into our new home and begin our married life together. At our church one Sunday (Eastford Baptist Church in Eastford, Conn.), one of the deacons, and a good friend, Chris Nickerson, came up to us and spilled the beans on what he was planning — a full-tilt missions trip to El Salvador, a small country in Central America.
Our mission — to spend four days helping to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children in five local schools near the capital, San Salvador. It was a tall challenge, but we felt God calling us to be a part of it, and, as I’ve learned in my short time on this Earth, when the Lord calls you, you answer.
At first, I was a little overwhelmed. I had only been out of the country once in my life (well, twice, if you count hopping across the Canada border at Niagara Falls to play miniature golf a “trip out of the country”). I am not ashamed to admit that I was a little afraid of the prospect of being out in the missions field. It was an entirely new experience. After thinking hard about it, my wife and I decided to experience it together, and I am glad that we did.
The months leading up to our plane taking off from JFK on Valentine’s Day were a blur of activity — fund-raising, an auction, more support letters than I can count and lots and lots of begging. Before we knew it, we were on our way.
The moment we stepped off the plane in El Salvador, I knew we weren’t in Kansas, er … New England anymore. The humidity, combined with the 90-degree weather was a welcome, albeit sticky, change from the New England weather we left just 24 hours earlier. It was a disgusting ice/snow/rain/slush mess that soaked my socks before I could even get to my front door.
It was nice to be able to stand outside and be comfortable in just a T-shirt — free of the fear of cold rain running down my back.
After an hour or two going through customs, we were off to Palabra de Vida El Salvador in La Libertad, a campground run by Word of Life, an international evangelistic organization that works to disciple youth through various programs, to begin our work.
And work we did.
As soon as we got off our buses, found a spot to sleep and unloaded our things, we were off to work. The builders prepared their plans and the outreach teams organized their presentations.
I wish I could relate how much work our construction team did on this trip — building a house addition, mixing cement, renovating the girls bathroom and dormitory, and revamping the camp’s electrical systems, among many other things — but no matter how much I try to find the words, they wouldn’t do justice to the amount of effort that was put forth by our group of 50 volunteers.
And it wasn’t only physical work that comprised our mission. On our first Saturday there, our group held an auction to benefit local children by sending them to summer camp later this year. Many things were auctioned, from pocketknives, homemade crafts and flashlights to weeklong vacations.
As for my wife and me, we auctioned off a set of pictures as well as the spot at the bottom of this page for the winner to write about their experiences. The set fetched enough to send five children to camp. In all, our group raised $11,000, enough to send about 200 kids to camp.
As for work that week, my wife and I were mainly involved in the outreach and ministry portion of the adventure, and to say that we saw “a lot of kids” would be a very large understatement. After the four days of ministry in the schools (which included many long days and short nights) we reached more than 4,000 kids with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Looking back on it, it all seems like a big blur, but there are many moments that stick out quite clearly in my mind, particularly those that involve the kids.
Salvadorian children, in general, are very different than American children. Here’s an example:
On the first day of our outreach program, we stopped for lunch at a local fast food restaurant in the town of Cojutepeque, called “Pollo Campero” for a bite to eat before going back to the school and doing our afternoon presentation. As we ate, we all began to notice a woman selling jewelry on the side of the street. Whether it was her main job or just a hobby, we didn’t know, but the thing that caught our eyes was her young son on the sidewalk next to her — playing in a cardboard box, and perfectly content to be doing so. Now, picture this scene in America. We see kids walking around with their parents in shopping malls, carrying handheld video games and still complaining about everything. This poor child was using a half-ripped cardboard box as his entertainment, without a complaint and perfectly happy. It really puts our lives into perspective, doesn’t it?
What also amazed me was the schools’ willingness to accept our program’s subject matter. In some schools in America, we get criticized for keeping the word “God” in the “Pledge of Allegiance,” nevermind running a Christ-centered rally and Gospel presentation in the middle of the school. However, five schools in San Salvador and Cojutepeque welcomed us with open arms.
As you can see in the pictures included in this piece, many students cherished the opportunity to pose in a photo with my teammates and I. There are so many pictures I wish I could show everyone (many of our team members have uploaded photos available at www.picasaweb.com/el.salvador08), but alas, you can only fit so many on a newspaper page. The kids also loved to hear us speak English. Many times, children would come up to us and show us what little English they had learned, like “hello,” or “thank you,” then turn and run away laughing.
The kids were excited, yes, but they were also appreciative. On our last day, we were in a school in Cojutepeque, and we split into small groups after our presentation, and my wife and I, along with Ever (an incredible person we got to know during our time there, who was also our translator), were led to the room of the school’s “honors class.” Once inside, the class rose and proceeded to sing to us, a token of their appreciation for our presence. It was truly a powerful thing and brought our school ministry to a fitting close.
On our next-to-last day in El Salvador, one could feel a low rumble in the ground, as hundreds of kids filed their way into the campground. On this day, instead of us going to the kids, more than 1,200 souls came to us to be presented with the message of Jesus Christ. We played with them, gave them gifts and just had a good time with them. Many of us carried a pocket full of New Testaments around, giving them to kids and signing them. There really is nothing quite like hearing a child read John 3:16 (or, Juan 3:16 in “español”). How fulfilling to know that you were actively involved in the salvation of a child!
By the end of the trip, it was obvious the job we had done had reached far and wide — 5,265 kids presented with the Gospel, 424 documented decisions for Jesus Christ, and 62 rededications to live a life for Jesus.
We were drained, but we were also reenergized. God had shown us many things throughout the trip. He taught us to persevere through fatigue and difficult circumstances (and sometimes even injury and sickness), keeping an eye on the goal ahead of us — the clear presentation of the Gospel. Once we did this, He showed us He could take care of us abundantly. He taught us that no obstacle is big enough to slow Him down, and probably the main thing we learned is to put our trust in Him. So often, we get caught up in our own lives and get overwhelmed with our various circumstances, but when we just let go and put everything in His hands, He sets us free and we are able to have a clearer focus.
One of my favorite verses says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31).” Many of us, at some point, felt “weary” or “faint” during this trip, but in the end, it was well worth it.
So, to everyone I met in El Salvador, whether it be through Word of Life or Nehemiah Network — Ron, Terry, Roy, Marcelo, Israel, Alex, Ever, Noemy, Neto, Betty, Lucia, Eduardo, Amanda, and everyone else — thank you for your hospitality and the experience of a lifetime. I’ll never forget you.
As far as the future is concerned, we did too much down there not to return. After all, God is in El Salvador — I felt it.
We’ll be back.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Adam Minor is the editor of the Webster Times and Auburn News, both Stonebridge Press publications. He is also a former writer for Villager Newspapers, and resides in Eastford. He may be reached at (508) 909-4142, or by e-mail at aminor@stonebridgepress.com.
