To make sense of it all

Our trip is nearing an end, after an indescribable week. I'm not sure how to feel, as my time is wearing down: Relief, because my time in the blistering heat, putting together houses is finished for another year? Or maybe it's sadness, because the "goodbye see you tomorrow"s suddenly became "goodbye, see you next year"s. Perhaps I could be feeling a great sense of love as friends turned to family. How am I supposed to make sense of it all. I was blessed to be able to see the masterpiece that is called ElSalvador, from the heavens (2182 meters to be exact). Maybe the altitude from that Volcano view changed things for me. How am I supposed to make sense of it all. I feel overwhelmed. I was able to see the beauty of this country through the volcano that proudly stands guard. Then the memories of a war that tore this country apart reared its ugly head, through two men standing by a broken bridge. Reminiscing of the times when the two friends were once involved in a deadly war, on two different sides. This week I traveled to a country that is tortured by financial and political turmoil. The streets were littered with Broken hearts and fractured dreams, single mothers and orphans, violence and the unprotected. However, the closer you look the easier it is to see. Big dreams and happy families. The faithful and the joyful, the strong willed and righteous men. Hearts filled with love and compassion. It's so hard to make sense of everything. The ugly and the beautiful. How can so much love exist in the gang ridden streets of El Salvador? I think the easiest way to make sense of it all, is to add Jesus to the equation. Only the joy and love from God would be able to make a difference. I think that once you come to a place like this, and witness the friendships and love demonstrated by the people, only then will you be able to make sense of it all. Sometimes, you just have to stand on the mud floor of someone's dirt and stick home, to really feel the power of Jesus' presence.

-Josh