Mission: El Salvador Part 3

Day 5:

Ryan, Eric, and I joined the doctors at 5am to get onto the bus. We were headed into the mountains to meet with farmers who live on a coffee plantation. As we wound up into the mountains, the sun was rising, and the view was breathtaking.

We were able to talk with the farmers, and see where some of them lived. We gave them food and medical treatment.

The coffee farm was very interesting, because coffee beans grow on little trees. (You can see them in the foreground of the above photo). They are green, and the farm consisted of mountainsides covered in these coffee bushes. It must be a lot of work to pick them when it is harvest time. The workers would have to climb up and down the mountain carrying them.

We left to go to the next medical clinic. Today’s medical clinic was set up in a church in San Salvador, El Salvador. There were many people who came, and they were given medical examinations, food, and medicine. A youth group from Texas was in El Salvador on a mission trip, and came to work with us. The teens played with the children and brought them coloring books.

To make a long day longer, I got heat exhaustion and threw up. I felt sick for several hours, but the first night of the Healing Rally was tonight! I ate some food, and felt a little better, then I ran centerline camera. There were some incredible healings! The best part is that Dr. Jose Coto, who was our medical coordinator, is a surgeon in El Salvador. He knew some of the people who were healed, and had seen their illnesses. One woman was blind in both eyes, her retinas were dead. God healed her eyes and she could see! Another man was unable to lift his arm for 15 years, there was some damage, but God healed him, and he was able to lift his arm right over his head.

God is good. It’s been a blessing to see His work in action, and to be a part of it.

Mission: El Salvador Part 2

I started telling about my trip to El Salvador earlier, and while I meant to continue the story in country, it didn’t happen. But, long awaited… here’s the rest of the adventure of Mission: El Salvador, and some of my favorite photos.

Day 2:
The doctors and nurses arrived in San Salvador. We also tried to find weights for the jib, since we didn’t want to pay to bring 350 lbs of weight on a plane. We didn’t succeed in finding any, unfortunately. Most of today was spent going through all our gear, getting ready for the days ahead, and trying to solve any minor set-backs.

Day 3:

Brian and I accompanied the medical team to the ocean for a day of prayer, bonding, and planning for the days ahead. We interviewed them and talked with them about what they were expecting, and how they got involved in helping out with this effort. The team is a group of really great people, and it’s been very good to talk with them and get to know them.

Day 4:
Today was the first day of the medical clinics. The medical team, some of the worship team, Ryan, Eric, and I went to the clinic. We were set up in the middle of a community that is built of trash. The houses are built of sticks and branches, and then covered with garbage bags, sheet metal, old billboards, and cloth. Around 1500 people, whole families, live there with little protection against the wind, the rain, and the sun. These families are often too poor to buy enough food, let alone visit a doctor when they are ill. There is water in rain barrels around the community, but it is not safe to drink. The people have many medical problems due to the conditions.

In this community we set up to have the doctors examine those that needed help. We brought food, medicines, and also prayer to these people.

Ryan, Eric, and I teamed up with Joy, who interpreted for us, to be able to talk to an old woman. She is 89 years old, and her name is Clara. She is beautiful. We talked with her for several minutes. We were able to give her some food and she took us back to her house. We walked though the barbed wire yards, and through the side-streets to the corner of the cardboard city.

She lived in a small hut, divided into two rooms by a sheet. The house was built of wooden sticks and poles, with corrugated sheet metal for a roof. In the front room was the make-shift kitchen area, and in the second room, an old thin mattress, with tattered sheets on top. There was a small, lopsided dog barking on the floor.

We talked with the old woman about what her life was like, and we were able to talk with several of the women who live beside her. It is a very hard life for them, and they wish that there was more help.

As we were leaving, a woman pointed across the road to a structure that was being constructed. Poles were in place, and a portion of the roof was put on. The woman said that her husband was building a church. She told us that currently many people meet with several pastors who come to visit, but they meet in someone’s house. Since the houses are so small, not many can come hear the pastor. By building a larger church building, she said that over one hundred people would be able to go to church together.

This was very overwhelming to us. We were surprised to find such love for God among people in such hard conditions. We prayed with our sisters, asking God to send them the help and encouragement that they needed, and to draw all the people of this cardboard village to Himself.

Mission: El Salvador – Day 1

I got up at 3:30 am today. Well, to be honest, I got up, hit my snooze button, and then got up again at 3:39 am when it went off again. I hate that infernal beeping.

I had all my stuff packed and ready to go in my small camera backpack and in my carry-on bag. It was beautiful. Thanks, onebag.com for helping me to be rational.

One of my co-workers picked me up and we headed to the airport. Josh was already in El Salvador, along with several other team members. On Friday and Saturday we will be holding a giant Richard Roberts Healing Rally in the National Convention Center in San Salvador. Prior to that, there are going to be several medical and humanitarian aid work days, working among the poor in El Salvador. This is my first mission trip in which I am a staff member, so it’s going to be slightly different than anything I’ve done before. I’ve also never been to any of the Healing Rallies before, so another new experience.

We flew on Continental to Houston, and then on to San Salvador, El Salvador. Both flights were fine, no problems.

We headed to our hotel, the Radisson in San Salvador. It’s a very nice looking hotel, and I bet the rooms in the main area are very comfy and nice. Most of us are in the second building, which houses the suites. This is so we have lots of room to meet, store equipment, etc. It’s also nice, but the beds are very hard. I hear that the other beds in the main section are much softer.

We ate at a few places that were close by, both were very good. I especially loved the plantains. Mmm.

Now, I’m off to get some sleep. We’ll see what kind of adventure tomorrow holds.