BETHANY TEAMS ROCK!!!! God is so good! I can't beleive I am writing this but we have completed 3 houses in 2 DAYS! Unbelievable.
Our mornings begin at 5 a.m to be finished breakfast and devotions by 6:30. We arrive at the worksites for 7 am
Today we were able to hold a childrens ministry. Joanna and the youth held a puppet show. The children were so amazed. I loved just being there to see all their faces. They were so happy. There were over a 100 children there as well as parents.
Tomorrow we begin working in the village of San Felipe. We will start building the other 3 homes as well as handing out the food. Pastor Jorge has already decided where we will be going to hand out the food. It will be to some of the poorest people in San Vicente. It's so hard as I see poverty eveywhere I look. With 80% unemployment rate these precious people cannot get on their feet. I see so much that needs to be done that I want to stay longer than a week.
The team has been amazing! Team unity is so strong. The youth are seeing poverty first hand and I know that it is life changing for them.
Tomorrow evening is our church service as well as the key giving ceremony for the first 3 houses.
Friday we will be having the key giving ceremony for the other 3 homes in San Felipe and if we have all the work completed we want to go to some natural springs to swim.
Lives are being changed in El Salvador and on the team. May God be glorified in all we do.
Valerie
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Hello from El Salvador!!!!!!
I am so happy that we are finially here, it seems almost like its not really happening!
It was a bit of a cultural shock when we arrived, and i was scared about how i was going to take all of the new things I was seeing, but as soon as i met some of the locals, my heart was completely changed. They are so happy all the time, and so welcomming to everyone. It is so crazy how much love there is in this little country. I am excited to grow more as we are here, and learn more about myself, and about what God has in store for El Savador, I think it is great sucess. We went to church today, and it was amazing how much they love God here, everyone was so excited about life, and so happy. Its crazy that here, where people alomost have nothing can be so increadably stoked on God, and in Canada where we have almost everything, we have doubts about Him and don't always beleive. I am so excited for what God has in store for tomorrow, and the rest of the week! I LOVE IT HERE!
kay now a funny story. So me and the girls in my room (Katie, Jesse and Chelsea) were sleeping soundly, when all of a sudden we heard a gun shot! and we were freaking out, and we went outside and we were so scared. And it happened about 3 times during the night, and we thought that it was people shooting dogs, because they had been barking alot, and we were so sad. Then when we woke up early, we went outside and were sitting enjoying the weather and we saw a mango drop from the tree and hit the tin roof. AND IT WAS THE EXACT SAME SOUND AS A GUN SHOT. So we all laughed, and that was the end of it. But it was so funny because we were all so worried about our safety, but it was just very ripe mangos playing tricks on us!
funny stuff :)
anyways, time for bed, its almost 10 and i have to wake up at 5 tomorrow.
Goodnight, ill try not to let the bedbugs bight.. or the little lizards in our room.
hahah but im serious.
-Emily
I am so happy that we are finially here, it seems almost like its not really happening!
It was a bit of a cultural shock when we arrived, and i was scared about how i was going to take all of the new things I was seeing, but as soon as i met some of the locals, my heart was completely changed. They are so happy all the time, and so welcomming to everyone. It is so crazy how much love there is in this little country. I am excited to grow more as we are here, and learn more about myself, and about what God has in store for El Savador, I think it is great sucess. We went to church today, and it was amazing how much they love God here, everyone was so excited about life, and so happy. Its crazy that here, where people alomost have nothing can be so increadably stoked on God, and in Canada where we have almost everything, we have doubts about Him and don't always beleive. I am so excited for what God has in store for tomorrow, and the rest of the week! I LOVE IT HERE!
kay now a funny story. So me and the girls in my room (Katie, Jesse and Chelsea) were sleeping soundly, when all of a sudden we heard a gun shot! and we were freaking out, and we went outside and we were so scared. And it happened about 3 times during the night, and we thought that it was people shooting dogs, because they had been barking alot, and we were so sad. Then when we woke up early, we went outside and were sitting enjoying the weather and we saw a mango drop from the tree and hit the tin roof. AND IT WAS THE EXACT SAME SOUND AS A GUN SHOT. So we all laughed, and that was the end of it. But it was so funny because we were all so worried about our safety, but it was just very ripe mangos playing tricks on us!
funny stuff :)
anyways, time for bed, its almost 10 and i have to wake up at 5 tomorrow.
Goodnight, ill try not to let the bedbugs bight.. or the little lizards in our room.
hahah but im serious.
-Emily
Official Full Day!
Hello People reading this!
Wow! We have made it through an entire day! This is amazing! So this morning me and the roomies (Jessie, Emily & Chelsey) woke up at 2 AM! HOKEY DINAH! we woke up cause we thought we heard gunshots! So we ran out of the room screaming and were scared to go back to sleep. real smart eh? Hear a gunshot and run outside haha. were not the brightest .. but were learning! So this morning we woke up first and went outside and a mango fell out of the tree and landed on the tin roof, and it made the same noise. so I´m sure you can imagine how intelligablñe we felt when it was a mango actually, and not a gun. we woke people up for nothing with all that screaming. haha!
So today what we did was went around to all the places where we would be building, and met the families.. seriously, the people pf El Salvador are my favourite people in the world now.. they are so gracious, and even with nothing they praise the lord, and are all so insanely happy because they have such love. Thats something I really want to learn this week, is to be gracious with what I have and love with everything. Being in El Salvador makes me so happy, it´s beautiful (theres palm trees! yay!) and it gives me such a sense of peace just by walking outside.. maybe i won´t be coming back haha .
Love & Prayers,
Katie
Ps, I´m also so happy about making friends already.. we have these 2 translators Hose and Miguel, they are wonderful, and such servants to the Lord it makes me happy, and Pastor Jorge and his family are such servants tp the Lord, they are the most giving people I´ve ever met, I want to be like them , they¨ve inspired me.
P.P.S.. This blog is keeping me awake, silly writing haha.. I should be in bed right now, but i´m not tired. so i´m writing this, what a rebel! but i´m going to get this rebel bum to bed, and sleep! well maybe not, because i´m in the same room as the Duldner. just kidding, she´s sitting behind me.
Anyways, this time i´m actually leaving
Goodnight!
Wow! We have made it through an entire day! This is amazing! So this morning me and the roomies (Jessie, Emily & Chelsey) woke up at 2 AM! HOKEY DINAH! we woke up cause we thought we heard gunshots! So we ran out of the room screaming and were scared to go back to sleep. real smart eh? Hear a gunshot and run outside haha. were not the brightest .. but were learning! So this morning we woke up first and went outside and a mango fell out of the tree and landed on the tin roof, and it made the same noise. so I´m sure you can imagine how intelligablñe we felt when it was a mango actually, and not a gun. we woke people up for nothing with all that screaming. haha!
So today what we did was went around to all the places where we would be building, and met the families.. seriously, the people pf El Salvador are my favourite people in the world now.. they are so gracious, and even with nothing they praise the lord, and are all so insanely happy because they have such love. Thats something I really want to learn this week, is to be gracious with what I have and love with everything. Being in El Salvador makes me so happy, it´s beautiful (theres palm trees! yay!) and it gives me such a sense of peace just by walking outside.. maybe i won´t be coming back haha .
Love & Prayers,
Katie
Ps, I´m also so happy about making friends already.. we have these 2 translators Hose and Miguel, they are wonderful, and such servants to the Lord it makes me happy, and Pastor Jorge and his family are such servants tp the Lord, they are the most giving people I´ve ever met, I want to be like them , they¨ve inspired me.
P.P.S.. This blog is keeping me awake, silly writing haha.. I should be in bed right now, but i´m not tired. so i´m writing this, what a rebel! but i´m going to get this rebel bum to bed, and sleep! well maybe not, because i´m in the same room as the Duldner. just kidding, she´s sitting behind me.
Anyways, this time i´m actually leaving
Goodnight!
WOW
We had a pretty cool day today!! - actually, it was really HOT! We travelled to all 6 of the work sites where we will be building the new homes for the families. Even though I was here last year, it is still quite unbelievable seeing what kind of living conditions they have. I´m very excited to build these houses! It´s awesome interacting with the kids. As soon as they see our truck pull in, they just herd around us. It was great seeing some of our old friends in San Felipe where we built 5 houses last year. This year we are building 3 houses in san Felipe and 3 in the city of San Vicente. Please keep praying for health and safety! Also, the locations of the work sites are farther apart from each other than we hoped. Please pray that the logistics of this will be ironed out as we travel to and from and inbetween the work sites to get these 6 houses complete!
Dios te bendiga!
Joanna
Dios te bendiga!
Joanna
We've arrived!
We have arrived at the hotel. Yesterday we visited the family and seen where we will be building house #1. It is a blessing to know that by the end of this week they will have a new home. They are a family with 5 children. She was expressing to the team how happy she was as God has provided her with a home. To God be the glory.
Today we are going to be visiting the other 5 work sites and meeting the families whom we will be building along side this week. We will also be starting the food distribution. Church is at 3:30 this afternoon. Pastor Jorge and Maritza has said that the attendance at their church has exploded. Many people are coming to know Christ as their Saviour. God is so good.
Tomorrow the work begins. Pray for us as we need to complete 6 houses!
Valerie
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Team packing day
5 days and were leaving for El Salvador. Getting the 18 bags packed. Around 900 pounds of items to donate!
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