Not Just Building Houses..

"So what are you going to be doing in El Salvador when you are there?"  Building homes I would say!  Not knowing what really was ahead!  We definitely are here to build homes, but oh are we here for so much more than that.   I had the perfect picture in my mind when thinking about this.. We would drive over to the not so far site where we were building, and all the houses would be built right in the same spot!   My thoughts and ideas of how this trip would look like are totally different compared to the reality that we faced throughout the day yesterday.

Starting with the drive to Rio Frio, we all climbed into the back of this truck and stood for 45 minutes or so while holding on to the bars around us while we drove.  Once we made it to the village, I was surprised by how much walking we would have to do.  Not to mention the extreme heat we were faced with!  The walking was nothing but challenging.  Large loose stone roads that were nothing but uneven and difficult to walk through most times,  none of the homes were "all in one spot" as I thought they would be, but rather spread across the side of a Rocky steep mountain side that we probably walked for miles to reach each home!   It was amazing to me how the people just welcomed us into this village as we walked through the spaces and parts of the jungle like mountainside that they called home.  Not questioning or looking at us funny but rather greeting us with love and open arms.  We were walking by a mother who's little new baby had the misquote  disease that we are to watch for , and we asked to pray for her little one and there was no hesitation! Yes come! That was not so easy for me as I pictured my own children and when they are sick and how convenient it is to give medicine  or make a doctors trip.   We were welcomed in to homes in the village of people who were not even recipients of the new homes this time, and they did everything to make us comfortable.. Here's a chair,  here is some shade.  It's amazing to me that the language barrier means nothing at all and that we are already building relationships with these beautiful people in El Salvador.   

So when I return and I am asked  what we did here in El Salvador, my answer will be different.  Yes we are building homes, but that is just a small part to the puzzle.  We  are giving love, building relationships, praying for sick babies, giving hope in Jesus name to the people here that they are not forgotten and that Jesus does love and care for them and that they have a hope in Christ. 

So today, the first day of building, I do not have expectations or any ideas of how it will be, because clearly things are not as I thought, but  to me that's a good thing and very exciting because I look forward to seeing what God is going to show me today and how he is going to use me while I'm serving the people of  Rio Frio!

Elaine S. - Bethany Team