November 2013 Cojutepeque, El Salvador

God has continued to graciously pour out his blessings on the ministry here this month as he has this entire year and its been wonderful!

At the end of October in the U.S. its common to celebrate Halloween, but that's not so here. However, on November 1st and 2nd crowds flood the street in celebration of Day of the Dead. Its usually not just one day, but a 1-3 day celebration...as such, people are actively selling flowers and decorations to adorn the grave sites nation wide as they visit with family and mourn the loss of their deceased. This year it fell on a Saturday, our normal day to go door to door inviting people to church. With 20 people divided into 3 groups, we were able to stand in virtually one place and hand out 1,800 Gospel tracts and church invitations in just one hour. Praise God for this great opportunity. Please pray that there will be visitors in church because of this!



Woman at the town square looking an invitation during soul winning on All Saints Day

Following "tradition" we hosted more baby showers this month. As the church has grown and doubled in size this year, we have added new members of all ages. We have had a baby shower almost every month since April and they have mostly been for boys!  We were delighted to follow the first baby shower of November for Hazel with a very special baby shower for our pastor's wife, Esther. Helping plan and coordinate baby showers was a lot of work this year, but after helping do a lot more in preparation for Esther's baby shower, I have more respect for her and all the time and hard work she puts into them-each month!! What a joy to have had two baby showers in the church this month!!

 

As always I really enjoyed the time that I was able to spend with the teens in my Sunday School class. I was able to spend quality one on one time with Wendy, Zenaida, Alejandra, Adriana, and Johannah this month, and what fun we had just getting to know one another better!!  What a joy to take time apart from church just to know what is on the hearts and minds of these teenagers, and encourage them to seek Gods face, and maintain a right relationship with Him and others.

I was also privileged to meet a new teen this month whose name is Ashley. She came as a first time visitor, and during the invitation her first service, I asked her if there had been a time in her life when she had accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour, and she said yes. The Lord put her on my heart that week, and I prayed for her return. God answered my prayers, and she returned! As we sat through Sunday School and another Sunday service the Lord prompted me to ask her again. This time, she told me that she had never accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour, and she did not know where she would spend eternity if she died. What an answer to prayer to be able to walk her through the pages of Scripture and show her that Jesus loves, her, that He died for her, and that she can know for sure that if she died, she could go to Heaven if she accepted Christ as her Saviour. This was all new to her, and as such, she needed some time to process and study a bit more. I encouraged her to re-read John 3:16, and the Romans Road verses, and prayed that she would return. She did not return in the month of November, but I pray that she will return to church, hear the Gospel, and accept Jesus Christ into her heart and life.

Towards the end of August, I began lending out books to a few select students that asked for them. Within two weeks, my students were arguing over who would be able to borrow and read what book, so, we talked to Pastor and set up a library. I began with 20 books, and ended with 100 kids books, and 200 short printed sermons on various topics, along with about 15 longer books for young adults, and the faculty and staff. In just 8 weeks, my students (and some of the teachers) checked out a total of 1,492 books from our library. Towards the end of the year I even allowed the kids to "check out" my ipad and read or play educational games during recess so I could collect the librarys' books. What a joy to see students excited to read and learn!!

As the school year drew to a close, my students became frantic about raising their grades right before finals week, so its been a great joy to spend "quality" time with them helping them cram for their finals. What a joy it was to see all of our hard work pay off when the final grades came in! My students are so intelligent, it's great to see them rise above and achieve high grades after studying hard! I'm so proud of them!

Mid year, around June, all of the students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade were required to take part in a spelling bee, with only English vocabulary words on their lists. The entire school was able to watch as the older kids participated. The winning class was to get a pizza party, and the winner got a cash prize. Well, after a successful spelling bee, the other teachers decided they wanted to model after what we had done within the English classes, so they began teaching their kids new words in Spanish, with the correct accent marks and spelling. They planned and coordinated their own spelling bee on the last day of school, with morel grades involved this time, from 4st-9th grade. What a joy it was to see students compete and win, after they have studied hard, and worked diligently. Surprisingly, Pastor Fridenstine announced at the finish that I needed to come to the front as my students had something special to say to me. I was in shock as student after student came up to me by grade and handed me gifts, letters, and mementos, asking for pictures and hugs, and giving speeches, and crying.  2013 has been a busy year, and with each passing day my heart grew a little more fond of my students. It was hard saying good-bye to so many, and my heart is heavy, but I hope one day in 2014 to go back and see what they have accomplished!

We were privileged to have Pastor Carlos Navarrete from Lancaster Baptist Church visit mid-month, to speak at the graduation ceremony of Kindergarten and 9th grade on November 15th. His son Micah accompanied him. Brother Galdamaz (whose uncle founded the school 50 years ago) came as well for this special occasion, bringing his family as well.

What a blessing it was to receive an exciting gift this month as well-a second vehicle! We had been praying for a 2nd vehicle for about 6 months now, and God not only answered, but provided it in the form of a GIFT! God is good!!  

For the Sunday School hour I generally help Esther in her class. I was delighted to get to teach the younger kids this month as a substitute. It was so much fun to teach them about the building of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament! During my time in El Salvador, I wrote a Sunday School Curriculum for teens based on the veracity of Scripture. What a joy it was to be able to teach some of what I had researched for teens to my very own class! My sneaky class, along with Esther preceded my lesson time by throwing me a wonderful surprise/going away party with a gifts, letters, speeches, and my very own candy filled piñata! Who doesn't love candy for breakfast during class?!?

Much time this year was spent building a data base of every visitor and member in the church. The goal was to put on a roster every person who had visited, or was currently attending to allow us to reach out to them more effectively through visits and calls. Praise the Lord I was able to finish it. I know that it will allow the church to make more calls and visits to those that need it most, and to pray and reach out to those that need it most! What a blessing and praise to get this project finished!!

The dear members of our church decided to throw me an early surprise going away party. 3 going away parties, and this one was the hardest. Watching people in the church come, and get saved, and baptized, and watching their lives change, investing time in each one, and helping them along the way....it was very difficult for me to listen to their kind words and farewells, knowing that I would no longer be working in the church that I love so much with these dear, sweet Christians!

November 18th, just 72 hours after the school year ended, and graduation concluded, destruction of the building began by hand. Several faithful men showed up, and worked alongside Pastor to destroy the current building. The goal is to knock down almost everything, and use some of the old building for the new expansion. The first service will be held on Christmas Eve in the new building.

While destruction was in progress, we (the ladies) had a great time cooking for the workers, and helping with other things. We had a great time decorating the playground in the kindergarten area (our newly converted and temporary worship area) with Christmas trees, lights, bows, and decorations. What a joy to have everything prepared for December!

At the end of November just before Thanksgiving, I was fortunate to have some of my close friends from Lancaster, California come and visit. The Urquilla family is from El Salvador, but they live in California. They arrived for a visit with their family and were kind enough to take me along with them! What a joy to spend some time with church friends from Lancaster, but to see them in my home in El Salvador! They  were able to meet our church family and attend a baptism service with us at the lake. What a pleasure to be able to introduce them to four of our newest members,
Beatrice, Sandra, Jennifer, (from our teen girls Sunday School class) and Edwin (who accepted Christ this year after a receiving an invitation on the street). What a joy to be able to show others how The Lord is changing lives one at a time through Immanuel Baptist Church in El Salvador!

The Urquilla family was nice enough to adopt me for three days and let me stay with them and their family in another city. Staying with a Salvadorian family was a bit of a different experience, but helped me understand some of the differences, culturally.  Its one thing to know how other cultures live, and another to actually experience it. It was a little bit of an adjustment to have 5 people in a room, in a 2 room house, with a tin roof, on a farm with ducks, chickens, a horse, and an outhouse. Needless to say, it reminded to be even more grateful for all of the things that I have been blessed with. And it certainly made me grateful to have my own private bedroom!!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. The Fridenstine family hosted missionary families from around El Salvador.  What a blessing to fellowship with other missionaries from America in El Salvador. We gathered with people from Texas, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, and a few other states as well, I'm sure. I had a great time after lunch listening to each person as we went around the room and we each said what we were thankful/grateful for. God has been so good to each one of us this year as we've served Him.

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Below is a quick blessing about how a tract, an invitation, or just saying hello to someone can make a difference.

I met a man last June here, his name is Rodrigo. He likes to sit outside of the neighborhood gate and watch the cars go by as he talks to a few other gentleman that like to do the same. As I enter and exit the neighborhood on the way to work, I say hello to the gatekeeper and whoever is there. I had specifically invited Rodrigo to church a couple times, and I saw him again during the Sword of The Lord Conference. I invited him, and he came for a portion of one of the conference sessions. I didn't see him for a long time after that.

Fast forward to the afternoon of November 17th. I invited him to our Sunday Night service (November 17) and what do you know? He said YES! So, we picked him up a bit later and took him to church with us.

During the church service he raised his hand and signed up to come with us next Sunday (Baptism Sunday at the Lake-we take a head count for transportation and food cause its an hour away at a church camp site). But get this! He hadn't even been there for 30 minutes at that point! Well, He came on the perfect Sunday. I forgot to tell him that 18 Nov. we were knocking the church building down completely and starting over, so after church, we would be an extra 2 hours taking down ceiling fans, bathroom décor, chairs, tables, bulletin boards, etc. Opps.

The message wasn't on salvation, but, he sat next to Francisco during church, whom he had met in June, and the Lord was working in his heart. Walter, a faithful church worker was able to lead him to the Lord after the church service. WHAT a praise. Not at ALL what I had in mind for the day, but even better. I learned the next day that Rodrigo had asked Walter, "Could God REALLY save someone like ME?"  Yes He can.

Despite forgetting to tell him we were working after church, and everyone was changing their clothes to do so, Rodrigo was a great help as we removed every item from the church in preparation for the buildings' destruction the next morning.

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I share the above story with you just as a reminder, so that you realize that your support here this year directly changed peoples lives here on earth, and their eternal destiny as well. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support during 2013. I look forward to spending the Holidays in Iowa with my family and then returning to Lancaster, California by mid-January where I will work (I don't have anything lined up) and wait on the Lord. I have a wonderful church family there, and a great network of Christian friends and mentors to guide me in the right direction. I don't know what the future will bring but it would be my desire to work in a church, and in 5-10 years, to be in the ministry full time, as a missionary wife, or pastors wife. I appreciate and covet your prayers during my travels, and my future.

If you have interest in sponsoring a student at the school there, or have any additional questions about anything, please feel free to email me, and I will be happy to provide information.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support during a tremendous year in the ministry in Cojutepeque, El Salvador.

All because of Him,
Crystal

October 2013 Cojutepeqe, El Salvador

Time flies when you are having fun! I've sure enjoyed this month as things continue to move right along in this ministry.

Praise The Lord again this month for all hes done. We have continued to see the amount of girls in Sunday School each week climb from 9-10 when we first got here, to a regular class size of 20, sometimes more. The few memories I have from my teenage years with my youth leaders are treasured. I hope that the lasting impression I leave with them will influence them well after I'm gone,  in a way that they will in turn influence others. We have also seen the class sizes from the 3-12 year age group triple in the past 10 months! What a blessing! For the most part, this growth is a reflection of what is happening with the adults in the main church services, and Sunday school as well. We owe all the credit to God! We have done nothing special, just moving forward.

I got the chance to spend time with the teen girls from Sunday school class each Sunday afternoon this month again. Its been SUCH  a blessing getting to know them more, and having new experiences around town! It was also fun to have Kenia with us this month! I was able to talk to her one day while running errands and after a few promised Sundays she finally came! Please pray that she would return for another hour of Sunday School with us! We would love to have her in our class every Sunday, and we would love for her to hear the Gospel and accept Jesus as her personal Savior!

Melissa and I during our fun afternoon!

Adriana showing me how to be "cultured."

My fun cultural experience for the month was going to the post office. We used to have someone from the church or school send them out, but, now that I've found the "post office" (its smaller than a 7-11 with PO boxes for 20 people in a town of 80,000....its dinky!) I like to go there myself. It usually takes about 15 minutes to mail whatever I have, even though I'm usually the only one that is in the building. This month when I went, they decided they were on strike. There was a brown paper sign written in purple marker that said "Closed." However, there was a man at the door who wanted to know what I needed. Funny you should ask, since I'm at the post office. .  . I told him I just wanted to mail some letters, but was denied. He said they were on strike, because they wanted to be paid more.  I came back 5 minutes later after purchasing something down the street and the sign, and the man was gone. I was able to mail my letters without anymore discussion, and the woman behind the counter said nothing of the "strike" nor why they decided to end it. I'm grateful that they have been open every time I've returned since that day!

All is well at school and this month brought the opportunity to go on a field trip with 7th grade to a beautiful national park! What fun it was to go on a field trip again! 

7th grade class wandering through the woods

When Sundays come around this usually means that I am with Esther in her class, leading the games, and learning from her lesson rather than teaching. Occasionally I have an opportunity to teach in Kids Church to kids ages 5-9. The opportunity arose again, and we had a lot of fun in one of our classes learning about baby Moses. (See Exhibit A below). I've learned a lot of things since being here, but one of the most important is learning to be flexible, and improvising at a moments notice! We had a fun time with this weeks Bible lesson, and I hope they learned a lot about Moses! They do know that Moses is a boy. . . .

Enthusiastic boys in Sunday School

Improvising-meet baby Moses!

As we move forward and add new people to the church, we have additional people that go door to door with us, visiting, soul winning and inviting more people to church. One of the newest to join us this month was Ana. She is newly married to Marvin one of our construction workers right now at the church/school. Ana told me that she was a little nervous, but as time wore on, she discovered its not scary at all to give someone an invitation to church!! By the end of the night, I turned around and noticed that she had intentionally gone out of her way, entered a gate into a school area, to invite three workers to our church. What a blessing it is to see II Timothy 2:7 in action. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Its true!

Below is a picture of Marvin and Ana, our newest married couple. Marvin is working with the school and church construction, and Ana makes a great soul winning partner! 

Marvin and Ana, the happy couple

As always, we have been having a good time here, going out twice a week to invite people to church, and to tell them about Jesus. The last month we have been entering new areas, seeing new faces, big dogs, interesting things (bamboo bridges for a start) and beautifully breathtaking views of the sunset over the lake. Praise God for the opportunity to go soul winning and the blessings that come with it, from the beautiful views, to those that come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

Bamboo bridge, rock path, dirt stairs, railroad...

Beautiful view overlooking the lake.

As the church is growing with more adults, its also bursting with children! At the beginning of the year we never needed to open nursery on Wednesday nights as there were no small children but Micah and Joel, the Fridenstine's sons. Later on in the year we began opening it once a month, then twice, three times, and now; there are so many babies on Wednesday nights that we always have the nursery open.  Wednesday night Bible studies are currently covering common questions that many Christians have, but perhaps do not study and seek out the answers thoroughly.  Pastor has been covering a lot of practical lessons on Wednesday nights that address issues such as music, dress, finances, etc. that have been a point of interest, especially to many of the younger Christians in the church. What a blessing it is to serve in the nursery with the babies while the parents are in church learning more about their Christian walk!

Nursery fun!

Missions conference came and went in the month of October, and my what an exciting time that was. We were delighted to have the Callejas family with us. They are missionaries in San Salvador and have the only Baptist Church in San Salvador with services both in English and Spanish. We were also excited to have the Castro family. Mr. Castro is an evangelist. He travels throughout Central America preaching at churches, revival meetings, and special services encouraging churches and helping pastors.

Mrs. Castro teaching teen girls Sunday School.

Callejas family, missionaries in San Salvador

On our opening night we had split sessions with men and women while Joao Callejas, Stephanie and I were able to work with the kids. I invited Amy (my six year old neighbor kid that spends a lot of time at my house playing with my rabbit and asking me questions-always entertaining) to come with us for this meeting on a Friday afternoon. She said yes and were were excited to have her, and 6 others come with us too! What a joy to see so many people come and learn about missions from the invitation of just one! Please pray for Tatiana, Carmen, and the rest of Amys family to return with us one day, as they have promised.

All the kids listening intently to Joao.

Ashley, Mahomy, and Ashley working on crafts.

Its a small world! I had a great reminder the other day when I got an email from a friend that I knew in the Army. His cousin is here in El Salvador, sick in the hospital. What a blessing it was to be able to make some homemade cookies, and put together a care package with a Bible for this man to read this week while he is in the hospital. Please pray for the recovery of Jose as he is in the hospital. Also, please pray for Pastor Callejas, as he was able to visit him and deliver the care package, and present him with the Gospel.

In the US, October is Pastor Appreciation Month. We decided to surprise pastor by showing our gratefulness for his service with a quick fun video in the service. We also had a fun time this month throwing a combined baby shower and birthday party for Esther Fridenstine on her birthday. How exciting it is to pull off surprises like this on someone who works in every aspect of ministry in the school and the church! She came to the party iPad in hand, ready to take notes at the "teachers meeting."

Surprise announcement for Pastor Appreciation Month!

Opening all the gifts!

Sadly, this month brought another moment of sadness here. One of the kids that we had with us on kids day just three weeks ago was murdered. Please pray for the healing of her family, who have since come to visit us at the church as well. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." We know that no matter the situation, God has a plan.

Praise the Lord for his goodness. When I left the US in January, I had enough money to cover my plane ticket and get me through January. Although, perhaps from the outside looking in, that's not the smartest idea I've ever had, but I knew God would provide, and He did. Little by little my needs have been met along the way, ever increasing my faith. I am currently at 93% of my support level and praying in the last 7% so I can purchase my plane ticket, as I will be flying back in December.

My smart first graders reviewing for a test.

September 2013 Cojutepeque, El Salvador

What a month September has been! I started the month off by trying something new. I've decided to take time Sunday afternoons between the morning and the evening services to invest in the lives of the teen girls in our Sunday School class. Looking over the list this past week, it was amazing to see that our (faithful) Sunday school attenders have double from January to September, and we are adding on average one new teen every month! Its a blessing and encouragement to have so many girls in our growing class that I wanted to take time away from class to get to know them better. One of the girls, Fernanda, wants to join the military when she grows up. I am hoping that she will feel a little less strongly about this in the future, but we will see. She had a great time cooking with me and browsing through my military photos and asking questions about what things were like. I was also able to spend some time with Sabrina, a sweet, quiet girl who started coming to church regularly after a home visit in January. Camila is Fernanda's younger sister and always a helper and a joy to be around. What a pleasure it was this month to be able to take time and strengthen relationships. They are all so special to me, and I know that God has something special planned for their lives. It's fun to see so much potential in these girls! I am looking forward to time with each one of them before the end of the year!

Camila and I enjoying the afternoon

We were fortunate to have a surprise "proposal" in the church. One of our couples, Mauricio and Yani have been married for 24 years. Mauricio "proposed" to her again in the service and asked if she would be "married" to him once more. It was complete with a ring, flowers, family and pictures. What a joy to see people in the church staying faithful to their spouses. Mauricio and Yani will renew their vows for their 25th anniversary next year during the month of September.

The "proposal"

The happy couple

The ring.

This month, Ana Gloria accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour. She has been coming since June and week by week has opened up a bit more. It is such an encouragement to see lives changed here in this church one by one! Please pray for her as her family is Catholic and this will be a very challenging time for her.


The Sword of The Lord conference was held here in the first week of September. We were honored to be able to host the Castro family and their children and the Bonilla family here from Panama. What fun it was to have 11 people in the house! The conference went well with pastors and missionaries from all around Central America. I even got to know a couple here from Florida! It was a great opportunity to see God work in the hearts of the people here.

Rows packed full during the Sword of the Lord Conference

Having so many students allows us to experience some fun cultural activities once in awhile. Quinceneras are very important here and as many of the teen girls turn 15 here, they are celebrated with cakes, parties, friends, music, money, gifts and a church ceremony as a girl passes from childhood to womanhood.

Katherine (9th grade student) and I at her Quince

In the school this month has seen a total of 100 books for the kids to read in the library, and an additional 150 small booklets for the older kids and teachers.  I hope to reach a total of 300 books/booklets by the end of this year in preparation for next year while the kids are on Christmas break. They get so excited to see new books come in every week! What a joy it is to see them reading on recess and after school lets out. I hope this helps ignite a fire to learn as they get excited about reading rather than watching T.V. or wandering the streets!


Tragically, this month we lost one of our 8th grade students, Wilfredo, in a hit and run accident. He was 15 years old and a fun student to have in class. He was a Christian and I have no doubt I'll see him again one day in Heaven. The loss of Wilfredo caused many of the 8th and 9th graders to put a lot of things in their life in order from friends, to church, to family-everything. It caused many to question their spiritual condition, and several to change things in their lives. Please pray for their continued healing as time marches on.

Wilfredo (left) acting in a school play.

As we add more and more people to the church, we have more of a need for expansion. Many of our newest visitors and members are young people and adults. However, we have been fortunate to see at least one new baby born into our church every month since June. We have had a LOT of experience planning and hosting baby showers, and have 2-3 more upcoming before the end of the year as this trend continues! The growth of both young and old alike has given us a need for more space. We have begun our building expansion projects, but will go full force mid-November once the students are dismissed from school on their summer break.

Loyda and David

Mayra, during her Baby Shower this month.

On both the school side of things and in the church, we had a great time celebrating Independence Day. Independence Day here is September 15th and is celebrated starting the last week of August. Cojutepeque in particular is a town with its own special celebrations and festivities, but the people here LOVE their fire crackers. We live by one of the main government buildings, the park and the one of the 2 main Catholic churches in the town. When it is time to celebrate, we can hear it. The music starts at the town hall (comprised of a soccer field, basketball courts, prison, trash site, tax offices, event center and prison) and the fire crackers follow for hours each day and night. The fire crackers lasted the duration of the month, and were semi constant day in and day out. That makes teaching a bit more challenging, but not impossible!

New flags at school, just in time for Independence Day!

3rd grade students dressed up for Independence Day celebrations!

We were fortunate to be able to host a fall festival this month at church and share a little bit of our culture with our church family. We had everything from wheelbarrow races to water balloon toss, to caramel apples with sprinkles! It was a great experience all around and a good way to get to spend some down time with friends.

September also gave me a frightening look into the medical facilities here. I was unfortunate to step on a nail and decided that now would be a good time to get a tetanus shot. I went to the free "hospital" that everyone else goes to because my Dr. didn't have the shot but said that they would. I was shocked, to say the least, and grateful for the medical care that I receive in the States. The "hospital" used to be the main hospital for Cojutepeque, I believe, but closed down when a new one was built several years ago. What remains is, essentially, what you would consider a condemned building. Getting a shot in a hospital while sitting on a blue park bench, observing sitting water with algae growing it it through a window with broken glass, in a room with bare walls and no doors, made me a LOT more appreciative for the kind of care that I've been fortunate enough to receive in the U.S.


On a funny note (now) the house flooded this month and it was all my fault. The water turns off frequently here, but, it usually comes back on within the same day, at some point. In my house, I have (somewhere) one faucet that when you turn it to the middle its on full blast, but if you turn it all the way to the right or to the left, it is off completely. Thinking this applied to my bathroom sink I turned it from the left all the way to the right figuring that it was all the way off, and hoping for water later that day. I left the house. I returned 3 hours later to find water cascading out of the garage, into the driveway, and onto the street. As I opened the front door, I was greeted with the sound of a rushing waterfall as water cascaded down from the 2nd story bathroom, through the spare bedroom, into the hallway, and down the stairs through the garage. After great help from the Fridenstines, we were able to get the mess under control. Thankfully, not ONE Bible was damaged, and only a few of the gifts had gotten wet, but were still usable. It wasn't funny at the time, but it is now. Its good to have a laugh every now and again. . . it turns out flooding your house is a sure way to clean all the floors!

Micah, expressing outwardly how I felt on the inside.

Praise God nothing got ruined!

Kids day came at the end of September. We have done a lot of preparations to be ready for this day, including the distribution of about 1,000 invitations. I invited my neighbor kids Amy and Brandon who came. Sunday during the Kids Day, I was taking pictures, and just so happened to step out into the street as one of my students and two of his friends pulled up to the house across the street from the church. I took a moment from my picture taking obligations and invited them in. Their mom said yes, and I had 5 visitors total. How crazy is that? A total of 5 kids were saved, and 3 adults received assurance of their salvation.

Sunday School PACKED with kids, 5 of whom accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!

One of the candy filled pinatas the kids got to hit

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Brian and Amy, happy visitors on kids day!

 

August 2013 Cojutepeque, El Salvador

Its time for WCBC classes again as this month kicks off. Professor Samms was here from West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster California and taught Sermon Preparation. It was a great help to both pastors and church workers/ministry workers alike. What a blessing to see another 20 people here to participate in this intense 3 days class for about 8 hours every day! What a way to take a college course!

One of the boats over the lake filled with church ladies.

The ladies of the church have a ladies night once every couple of months and this month was no exception. We were able to go to a giant lake about 45 minutes away and go on a boat ride. It was fun to be able to get to know some of the ladies more during this activity during the drive there, and then another drive to the location of the activity. The theme was "Launching out" and it was centered around doing your all for Christ. It was a lot of fun, and the focus/theme got the ladies thinking about serving more in the church. A lot of them since then have been even more involved in stepping up and serving when needed, without being asked. What a blessing!

A few of the ladies that attended the event.

Greetings from Costa Rica!

What a great time its been! I left mid month on a 17 hour bus ride to Costa Rica. Each 90 days here you are required to leave the country. It is permissible to pay 100.00 and remain in El Salvador. However, at the 180 day mark you must leave; no extensions will be granted. The rules are that you must leave not only the country, but the region. You must exit El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. So, I decided to go south through El Salvador and Honduras to Costa Rica. By bus that costs about 200.00 and is a really interesting time clearing customs, police searches, bag searches, and people that sit next to you. An adventure it was!!

Amalia and I out exploring the countryside

During my time in the military I met a friend named John. His wife Gaby is from Costa Rica. She offered her mothers house for me to stay in during my time in Costa Rica. I was able to stay in San Jose and explore Costa Rica for a day and then was wisked away by my gracious hostess. She's 68 years old, still lives on and manages and large and active farm, and still raises, kills and cooks her own chickens! The amount of work this woman does in one day is amazing! Coffee is key! Thank goodness for this lovely lady and her kindness. What a joy it is to be able to get to make new friends!

 

A beautiful church-one of the many Catholic churches in Costa Rica.
"Bascillica de Los Angeles"

Beautiful View of one of the many volcanoes (Poas)  in Costa Rica.

Enjoying the day with animals and waterfalls!

Back in El Salvador for the 2nd half of August, I was able to take the books that I'd found around the school, in closets, and donations from students and friends in the U.S. and make a small library. Right now its got a collection of almost 100 books and growing. Praise the Lord for fun books and Bible books in English and Spanish that are in good condition for the kids to read and learn from!

Small library, complete with cool dinosaur books!

The last Sunday of the month I had the great privilege to attend the baptism of David, Tania, Sabrina, Camila, and Jose. Its been amazing to see the change in each one of their lives.

David (boy in red)  is one of my 4th grade boys and a joy to have in class.

David, Tania, Sabrina, Camila and Jose. 

Tania (in red) has a brother who is in my 9th grade English class. As a young, single mother I didn't know how to reach out to her. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, I gave her a package of diapers, and a card that said I hope to meet you some day. That's all it took. She was in church a few weeks later, and hasn't missed more than a few services since June. Since then, shes proceeded to invite 3 others, 2 of which are her family members, and also now regular attenders! Praise the Lord.

Tania getting baptized. What a joy to witness. 

Sabrina (in black) is one of the girls in my Sunday School class, who before I met her had only attended a few times. Esther Fridenstine does a fantastic job as the teacher of the class and with prompting, Sabrina returned.

Next is Camila (in purple). She began to attend mid year with her mom and sister. She is always a joy to have in Sunday School with us, and is a regular attender as well.

Jose (with the hat) attended church a year ago one time, and was a first time visitor when Brother England came to visit Cojutepeque to teach a WCBC class and preach. One year later to that date exactly, brother England returned. On that same date, Jose returned to the church. He said he wasn't sure why, but he woke up that morning and knew he was supposed to go. He has been faithful to many services, and has helped even with the building projects. What a joy to see him saved and baptized.

Church members looking on at the baptism.

Each one has a story to tell. Its been amazing to be a small part of their stories here in Cojutepeque, El Salvador!