Hello From El Salvador!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I am sure the shopping is underway for the next big holiday. I made Thanksgiving dinner here and then also got together with a bunch of other American for another dinner.

Things have really been exciting. First, I have great news! I am now a legal resident of El Salvador!!! All the paperwork is finished and I am good to go!!! That was a year long process, but thank the Lord, it is now over and I can move on to other things.

The Crisis Center is just unbelievable. We had an outreach event there in Oct and had over 300 children and 200 women turn out for our event. What a blessing that day was!!! Here is a link of Facebook for the photos and commentary: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40276&id=1363456726&l=f75c640b31 Truly the lives of many women were touched that day. There were women who shared with us hurts from many years past and also hurts they were currently experiencing. We were able to pray with them and counsel with them as well. They were so glad to know there were other women who cared about them. The abuse to women in this country is so great. It was reported in the news last week that so far this year, 511 women have been murdered in domestic situations. That is more than 10 a week!!! Incredible need for help here. So the Center will be a great resource here. I have posted a few videos on Facebook for you to see the progress there. The building has truly been transformed. It was a building that had not been used for quite some time, except for storage and so it was incredibly dirty. The floor has been replaced, many coats of paint have been put on the walls and lots of physical cleaning took place to get it into shape. Here is the link to view the videos. http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1192303650213#/video/?id=1363456726 There are three parts, so be sure to view them all.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Childrens Hospital here. Not sure I will ever be able to go again. My heart physically hurt after being there. Nothing like a hospital in the States and we visited every floor taking toys, clothing, pampers, and other items for the children. I prayed with mothers whose children had cancer and it was a day I will never forget. To view photos and commentary from this event, please follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40732&id=1363456726&l=e8134563c0

In the beginning of November, this country was devastated by the effects of Hurricane Ida. We received records amount of rain in a very short time. This country is very mountainous and also has lots of volcanoes. The mountains and volcanoes could not hold all the water, nor shed it fast enough. So as a result, the sides of the mountains and volcanoes literally fell off and slid down into villages and even here in the city where I live. Hundreds of people lost their lives and tens of thousands lost their homes. There was a great call for food and water to the places where people had nothing. I had never seen such devastation in my life. I was able to go and take items to the area of Guadalupe. This is a rural area and a very poor area. Here is a link to view the photos and commentary from that outing. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41688&id=1363456726&l=24b8a5a959 In these poor areas, there is still no water available and a shortage of food. THANK YOU to those of you who have contributed to my next trip there to offer assistance. There will be a need for quite some time as these areas are remote and there are no government resources here to help. And you can't just load up your car and go. The military is controlling the number of people entering certain areas to prevent theft and also to make sure the visit and donation is legitimate. So permits are required.

This past month has been a very busy one. I know I have posted a lot of information for you to view, but I want you to see what YOU are a part of here. I have seen so much this past month, things I never thought I would see, and I know I am changed forever. Just to see so much pain and destruction that words cannot even begin to describe. I thank you for being a part of the work here. I am blessed to be here and am your hands extended. Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support. Without them, I could do nothing. My prayers is to be able to continue my work here and to able to do even more. My motivation is that lives here need to be changed. It is nothing I can do, but something He can do.

May God Bless you and your families as we work together here in El Salvador.