Sunday Oct.10

Went to the places today were we will be building houses. All the places are in need. One family lives in a place that is about 2 metres by 4 metres and they have 7 kids. We are going to try and build 6 houses this week. They are simple houses but are alot nicer than they are trying to live in now. We did not get to the orphanage, maybe later in the week. It is very hot. We are meeting at 6 in the morning to begin our day. It is very hot here and they say after a few hours of working in the hot sun it seems like you have been slugging for days. Will update more after our first day of work.
Thanks for your support. Mr. A

I Love Hot Sauce & Jalapenos

Wow coming up with a creative title and I'm spent...
I have been eating an absurd amount of hot sauce and jalapenos, so much so I have a few team members concerned. However I have an apprentice believe it or not of all the team members its Coby. Stan looks like a lobster and I think that with melted butter and hot sauce I could eat him. I am amazed (not really) by how many people miss and ask about my wife.
We are building our first house tomorrow for a young couple and their baby. They were just beaming today when we saw them. I am excited to get their house going.
Joy seems to think its funny to make fun of my phobias when we are in group meetings, so she may wake up as a clown.

Tyson

Striking views

Today we visited the families who will be getting new homes. It was hot, really hot. My sunscreen wore off early from all the sweat and now my face and forehead are beat red. The drive out to the area was a blast crammed into the back of a truck. As we drove up the mountain there were several things that amazed me. The totally unbeliveable houses that folks live in (I would rather live in my shed), the cattle drive up the highway, the large bus flying down the hill(I swear all the passengers were leaning one way to keep the bus from flipping), the joy that I saw in the faces of those who are getting a new home and to top it all off the absolute striking beauty of this country. We are surrounded by a dormant volcano, it´s green as can be - total majestic. Joy asked me what I was thinking as we drove up and I really didn´t have much to say. Pretty much speechless.
Tomorrow the work begins. I´m excited about what God´s going to do in and around us. This should be good.

Peace,
Stan

Welcome Home

From the moment our plane touched down I've felt a sense of homecoming that surprised me. The familiar landscape, the dormant volcano, and of course the bright smiles of the people, welcomed me and I was reminded, before I left the airport, why I came back. The hearts of the El Salvadorian people are beautiful.

We met the families we are building for today, and I've tried to act toward them the way I would anyone else, offering a smile, a hug and a mispronounced word in spanish (I've yet to master the language though my 'Ollah' is cheery). It's a new year with new families and new opportunities for the Lord to show his hand at work. God is good. God is at work.

You would all be so proud of your pastor had you heard him preach tonight. The Lord anointed him and his words were inspired and challenging. If God is gives us a full portion of himself and holds nothing from us, why do we keep so much from him? Somehow he managed to work his entire message around a charging cell phone we saw charging in a tree...honestly it worked.

Stan is burnt...it's very funny to some people (Brenna). Don managed to evoke a violent response from our sweet Amanda that involved a soaking with a water bottle. Shocking. At one point no one knew where Brenna was when we were driving away on the truck, but it turned out she was standing in front of Pim. Coby completely understood my truck fears from last year. It's scary people! Only this year it's a new truck with strong welds... I had a colony of fire ants attacking my bare feet and Joe kindly watched me freak out, offering a few words encouragement along the way.

My heart is full as I contemplate what the Lord will use me for. I have no plans, no expectations, only the eager willingness to be used. May I see with the Lord's eyes, work with his hands extended and love with his heart.

Joy

im burnt already.

so yes i did get burnt today and didn´t listen to aunt coby and put on sunscreen. ill be doing that tomorrow! haha today was great and i just love being back here. especially since it´s my second time i feel more comfortable, because i know what to expect, mostly. there are always suprises, but so far they´ve been good :) my favourite part of today was seeing all the people we met from last year. it was awesome to see how the little kids have grown up in the past year and i almost died when they remembered my name. so special.. tomorrow will probably be a long day, because we´ll be figuring out where everyone fits in and what jobs we´ll each be doing, but getting to know the new families and kids is what i´m so excited for.
nothing else to say really other then the food is..interesting..haha
vanessa

What a day!

It has been a truly amazing day! We started our day with having breakfast at the pastor's home. Pastor Jorget's wife cooked our breakfast and it was wonderful to experience the different foods that they eat here. We then went on to visit the sites of the homes that were built by our team last year. It was such an eye opener for me. To see the homes that the locals live in and then to see the joy on their faces even when they live in what I call poverty conditions. These homes are like castles to them. It was a very emotional time for me, to see how we live so differently and are still sometimes not content with all the material things I have!!! God has opened my eyes in a mighty way today. I can hardly wait to see what He has in store for me (us)in the days ahead. All I know is that I am ready and willing to do anything that He wants me to do for Him and His people here in El Salvador. It may not always be easy, but I am up for the challenge. And yes........it is very hot here!!!
Coby