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! 

July 2013 Cojutepeque, El Salvador

Its July here, and another great month to be here involved in the ministry at Emmanuel Baptist Church. What a whirlwind of activities.

We kicked the month off by clearing out the church closet in the back of the church, and knocking the wall out, extending the church building and adding space for about 15 more seats. We are experiencing rapid growth in our church, and its amazing to see these additional seats filled every Sunday!

Pastor/Missionary Adam Fridenstine Taking the first swing.

Students, staff, and church members worked hard to knock the
wall down in record time!

Showing them how its done!

We followed that by taking the 4th off from school and spending it with other missionary families from around the country and a few of their family members who were here visiting from the U.S. It was so nice to be surrounded by red white and blue decor, food, and friends and to celebrated the freedoms that we have as Americans, no matter where we are. What a delight to fellowship with old friends and make new ones! God Bless America!

Amazing dessert spread for the 4th. Red White and Blue!

Because it is summer time and there is no school in the U.S. right now, its the perfect time to have additional college classes here for us! Bro. Lester arrived from Lancaster, California and Pastor Lester from Georgia (Bro. Lester's father) came for a visit as well, and was able to preach to us on Sunday.  Its been a great experience to share with them a little bit more of this beautiful country and its people. Things certainly pick up when WCBC classes are going, as there are usually around 20 people that come in from around the country and Honduras to further their Bible knowledge, and college education. It is oh so fun to see them learn and grow!

Pastor Lester preaching

Also here this month for a missions trip were members from a Korean church in Los Angeles. It was great to have the opportunity to see the students interact with them, and to show them what God is doing here at Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel. They were able to go soulwinning/door knocking with us, as well as help us host a teen activity with many visitors, and a great message/challenge afterwards. What a blessing to have them here with us!

Nathan Kang from Los Angeles with some of the 8th grade boys.

Starting the event off right with food!

Followed by games...

games.....

More games.....

fun time with everyone, even the pastor....

.....and the preaching! Great night!

I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and I have been able to befriend a lot of them. Word gets around after a bit...one thing leads to another...and before you know it, they are coming over one after the other. Its been fun to have some of my students in my home this month, teaching them how to play some games, swap cultural differences, and even teach them how to make some yummy treats. What a delight and honor it is to be able to invest in young people. Please pray that they will return. I take comfort in knowing that they feel they are welcome to spend time with me, rather than on the streets.

I have been encouraging more and more of my students from school to attend the church (unlike some private christian schools these kids are not required) and this month has seen Douglas, one of my 9th graders, come and visit. Praise the Lord!

Pastor and 9th grader, Douglas, attending church
with us for the first time!

650 boxes filled with gifts for our school students, church kids, and teachers alike have arrived! Additionally, we received around 300 Bibles with them! We got them from customs in the pouring down rain, but with the help of about 15 people, moved and packed it into our garage in about 30 minutes. After we opened the boxes of Bibles, we discovered that in spite of the downpour, only the boxes had gotten wet, but the Bibles were untouched. Isn't God good?

Students, church members and Pastor Lester and I,
ready to unload boxes!

The number of church members that are making time in their schedules to come door knocking with us has steadily increased. What a great joy its been to watch teens and adults alike come and join with us as we invite others in the beautiful city of Cojutepeque to church, and to Christ.

The Barrera family during weekly soul winning, inviting people to church!

Growing up, I've only had a dog once when I was really young. Fortunately, we have a small back yard with a little garden. . .just enough space for our new rabbit Pepicito! This should be interesting!

Pepicito!

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!