A Challenging and Rewarding Day

                Tuesday was an eventful second day of building completed with the growing of relationships, touching interviews, and challenging builds that all together brought us closer as a team. Looking back on the day and writing this after our team’s nightly debrief, I don’t think a single person on this trip will be going to bed tonight without an impactful memory to meditate on. God’s love and the good he can do in life’s hard situations were truly visible today.

                The day started off with a fitting devotional from Henry, calling us all to use our unique gifts to be the body of Christ. This devotional stuck with my build team in particular, as we were faced with two very challenging builds on small lots under El Salvador’s blazing sun. It was incredible watching my team rise to the occasion, as members took up the roles of leaders or teammates eager to learn and help wherever they could. Despite the intimidating first impressions of the build sites, there was always a sense of calm that the homes would get built and everything would work out. In the end after some creative alterations to the build plans, 12 more homes were built today, and 12 family’s lives have been made a whole lot better.

                My favourite part of trips to El Salvador are the interviews we get to do with the families we build for. It is a truly unique experience to get to sit down with these amazing people to hear their stories. On my second build I got to interview an 86 year old woman who shared her struggles of not having a house. After her home was burnt down in the civil war, and again fell in the earthquake in 2001, she has been waiting for a house for 36 years! It definitely felt like we were the answer to many years of prayer, and she was incredibly grateful. Other teams shared their day’s impactful interviews at debrief, and each one breaks your heart a bit more than the last. Stories were shared of a man who lost his leg in the civil war, of an 18 year old losing his father and having to support his family, and of teenagers (some even younger than me) married and struggling to support their children. It makes us feel incredibly grateful for the lives we have in Canada, and that God has allowed us to do something to help these deserving people. While we know the provision of housing will massively help these families, there is still an overwhelming feeling of wishing we could do more. After building relationships with the people receiving houses, it is really difficult knowing the harsh impacts poverty has on the country of El Salvador.

                One thing that stuck with me today was that every family I interviewed both attends church faithfully and has a strong connection with Christ. I am reminded of the verse Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” I know that the houses built today are just the start of what God has in store for these families, and their difficult stories were all intended for a greater purpose. Today was challenging but also rewarding in so many ways, and I am looking forward to all that is yet to come this week.

written by Isabel Song