June 2013 Cojutepeque, El Salvador

Its hard to believe that the year is already half over! What a blast its been! June kicked off with all of the normal things, plus extra excitement too! Pastor Arias is a national pastor here who has a church on the other side of town. He had a family focus month, where there was preaching and a special service every single day for his church family! Pastor Fridenstine got invited to speak weekly, every Saturday night, and we were able to have the opportunity to accompany the Fridenstine family to these special services. It was a lot of fun to experience the way others run their church. For instance, here, after every service, you get a snack with coffee, usually. This church is no exception. They person who is responsible for bringing the food also serves it. We had every thing from tamales to rice milk. Fortunately, some of my students attend this church, so the food that was a little less appealing for me personally-my students were more than happy to help with!

Esther and I singing a special at Pastor Arias' family conference

 Pastor Arias was not the only church that hosted a family emphasis month in June. We also had the opportunity to attend a church near Las Palmas, where Pastor was able to preach a special message on the family. Its so much fun to have so many friends in so many places here!

New friends Tania and Gaby at a church in Las Palmas!

Also during the month of June Cherith Brown (younger sister of Esther Fridenstine) arrived. It is wonderful to have here here for the next two months helping in the school, cooking, spending time with her nephews, helping Esther, the church, playing her cello, teaching and just her presence is an encouragement! I know that brothers and sisters can sometimes step in where other people can't-it is exciting to see how much fun she and Esther are having here!

Aunt Cherith sharing her glasses with Micah!

Also here visiting for the summer is another family-the Barreras. Mrs. Barrera and her kids are here to spend the summer with her husband, Francisco (a man who works in the ministry here while getting his visa paperwork completed) and to attend the school (on their "summer vacation" from the States!!) so that the kids can pick up a little bit of Spanish while they are here enjoying the summer as a family. Its so much fun to have new students in class mid year! Marlene is such a blessing as she is jumping right into the ministry here, helping with the ladies events, church upkeep, nursery, and soul winning!

Xavion and Francisco soul winning on Saturday.

In Sunday school we have over 15 now in the teen girls class! Praise the Lord! One by one teens are coming, and they are sticking. It is an encouragement to know that the Lord is blessing here, and that the girls are coming, learning, and applying the weekly lessons in their lives. Change is amazing! Two of the girls, Tania and Johanna, I've been praying for for many months now, but have just met for the first time. Please pray for their salvation!

The look of success!! My roommate and I decided to "show the girls how its done" during a game in Sunday School. I won!

Pastor and Brother England preaching/translating in the church service

West Coast Baptist College classes kicked off here again for the summer. Plans are to have 5 college classes taught here in the upcoming weeks. These classes will train and equip the members of our church, other churches, and pastors from all over El Salvador, as well Honduras. We kicked off our classes with the Gospel of John, and Modern Day Cults, taught by Bro. England. What a blessing it was to see 20 new and returning faces in these classes. We even have several students that travel by bus all night from Honduras to attend these classes! Praise the Lord!

This month we also enjoyed hosting a baby shower for a young lady named Isis. I met her and her one Saturday out soul winning, and invited them to church the next day. She and her boyfriend did attend, and after several visits, decided to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savoir. They are now regular attenders of our church. It brings so much joy to see people's lives changed as a result of what Christ does in their heart!

June is also the month of Adam and Esthers Anniversary. Stephanie and I were delighted to help watch the boys while they went out of town for some time away. Somehow, within hours of them leaving to celebrate, Joel fell and cut his head open while playing after school with his friends.  Fortunately for us, this is his third trip (to the hospital for stitches) this year. Joel knows the routine, and was just fine after some stitches and ice cream!

Ice cream and stitches...what a great way to spend the weekend!

Lastly, we are praising the Lord for the baptism of three this month. Fernanda (2nd from the right) is a member of our teen girls Sunday School Class and also a student in my 8th grade English Class. She is a joy to have around, and we look forward to having these new members serve along side us in the church! Praise the Lord for his goodness!

Church members going to the lake for baptism

Ready to start

All done!

May 2013 Cojutepeque El Salvador, and Graduation time!

May was quite the exciting month, both in El Salvador and in California! It was thrilling to be able to spend the first 2 weeks of May in Lancaster, California with my family and friends for my college graduation. The Lord answered so many prayer requests during this journey in so many ways, it was unbelievable. When I arrived in L.A. I had no baggage, only my purse. The airlines assured me that they would repay the cost incurred for whatever luggage I had lost, until my baggage was delivered to Lancaster.  So, shopping I went! Isn't God amazing! The most important things I needed (my Bible, my dresses for church the next day, and for graduation) were already taken care of, regardless if they were ever found or not. I was even provided with an (unexpected) place to stay that night!

The next day, the blessings continued. One of my friends, without me saying anything, walked up to me and offered me the keys to her new car, as long as I needed to use it. What an answer to prayer! I didn't even ask her! God is so good! God's goodness continued as I was introduced to friends of friends who offered to allow both me and my mom to stay with them the entire time I was in town!! They were the Snodgrass family and were mutual friends of one of my closest friends in Japan. Although I had never formally met Mrs. Snodgrass, the Lord connected us, and she and her family were a huge blessing to my mom and I the entire time we were there. Sunday afternoon back at church I was able to see some of the teenage girls from my Sunday School Class and was able to teach a lesson to them on being usable for God. It was so good to see them all, and to be able to share with them some of the things that I had learned during my short time in El Salvador. To make the day even better, I got news from El Salvador that Francisco and Isis, a couple that I met while door knocking, had finally made the decision to trust Christ as their personal Savior. What a joy!! Prayer works!

My teen Sunday School Class at Lancaster Baptist Church!

The week leading up to graduation allowed me attend an exciting Lancaster Baptist School "Potluck for Patriots" with one of my students from kids Choir (Oscar), catching up with friends over coffee, some appointments, and a trip to Sequoia National Park with my mom. We also packed in dinner and a concert at the Disney concert hall in Downtown Los Angeles as well as a trip to San Diego to see my Grandparents, Cousin, Aunt, Uncle and tackle some shopping, along with a fun road trip there and back. We also went to the USS Iowa in Long Beach-twice. It was an action packed week, and it was wonderful to get to spend some quality time with my family, especially my mom during this important time!

Potluck for Patriots!

Sequoia National Park with mom!

Mom and I at the USS Iowa in Long Beach!

The following day my grandmother and cousin arrived in California, proving to be every bit of fun I had hoped they would be. After a wonderful time together at church, we were all able to go out for a Mothers Day lunch. It was the first time my mom had ever had lobster! Although I'm still not sure if she liked it, or if she was just trying to be nice, she said she enjoyed it!

Mothers day with Mandy, Mom and Grandma!!

Graduation festivities followed the next day with an interesting round of Senior pictures bright an early with friends, and the class of 2013. Followed by a preaching contest, and a senior luncheon, and a wonderful spring recital. What a flurry of activity!

Kim, me, and Yanet!

Tuesday, the day before graduation, all was ready. Pictures were taken, clothes were set out, we were up early to get to graduation practice early to hear final words from Dr. Goetsch and Dr. Chappell before the big day. And wouldn't you know it, I was on my way to school (early) when got a flat on the side of the highway at 7 a.m.  What an adventure. Sunday clothes, side of the interstate, 7am, graduation practice, flat tire. Needless to say, I made it for the last 10 minutes, and was all the more nervous for graduation the next day because only 2 other students from my masters class was there for rehearsal so they had to remember details for all of us!

Tire changing pro! 

Graduation day came and went without a problem. I got to school without a flat tire, I didn't fall asleep during the ceremony, and I didn't trip on the platform. Those three things in my mind=success! We all had a great time afterwords having a get together with family and friends for a graduation celebration as well! It feels so great to be finished!!

Mom and I after the ceremony!

My classmates!!

Pastor, Mrs. Navarrete, and I

The remainder of my time in LA with my mom was spent getting my hair cut (a huge deal, as I cut it all off every 3 years to donate to kids with cancer) finishing some appointments, taking my mom to Sushi for the first time with a friend in beautiful Manhattan beach, and tidying up last second details. The trip back to Lancaster was such a wonderful experience with my mom there for graduation. It is always nice to have family close by for big occasions!

I was eager to jump back into things in El Salvador, and jump back in I did! The very next day we were back at it at school, and full force into classes. The afternoons were filled with tutoring and church preparations for our 4th anniversary Sunday at Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel.  

Midweek, Fernanda, one of my 8th grade students at school, as well as a member of our teen sunday school class at church bowed her head to receive Christ as her personal savior between classes. Praise the Lord!

Fernanda and I!

For anniversary Sunday, we had a record Sunday with 120 in attendance, and a cupcake for each person to celebrate God's goodness on the four year anniversary of the church. God has been really blessing the ministry here! I was overwhelmed to see about 20+ kids from my classes in the school in the church for service, listening to the Gospel. It was such a blessing to go home that afternoon knowing that one of those that heard the Gospel received Christ as their personal Savior and has a changed eternal destiny!

The cupcake tower!