Nexus vs Immerse

As a participant in both previous trips to El Salvador and the Virtual mission trips (Nexus) over the last few years I could not help but compare them and felt that Nexus was lacking. I guess I felt that the ability to make a personal connection with the family was somehow limited because I could not be present and I could not feel the the same emotions I get being present. I had even questioned the value of Nexus.  Our first day here God showed me those feelings were wrong and that indeed Nexus was fulfilling God purpose the same as the Immerse personal visits.  

Sunday we had the opportunity to visit two of the families that we received homes from our 2020 Nexus mission and Julia has already blogged about one of these homes and the personal connection for her. The other family was a mother of three girls. One of the first questions someone asked was if she recognized any of us from the Nexus chats and she quickly identified several of us. I realized that to her she was going to remember the faces of people God had sent with this great blessing. She went on to describe how meaningful the house has been to her family as she now has to leave her daughters alone every week while she goes into the city to work as a maid at one of the hotels.  Her girls can be left alone and be safe because of the house they received. 

While visiting El Salvador personally is different and may bless the families, the workers, and ourselves in different ways I can witness that God is using both of these methods to bless his people and bring hope to these communities.

Pat

Build Day 1

The rooster starts crowing at 3:40am...which ensures that we're up and ready to make it for our 6:55am departure for breakfast :)

Bleary eyed and full of hopeful enthusiasm we made our one hour commute to the first four build sites of the week, San Ramon Grifal.  At the beginning of January, we find ourselves in a hot, dusty community, where many people, men and women work in the sugar cane fields.  

It's harvest time, and for many of them, they rise with the roosters and make their way to the fields to cut, bundle and carry stalks of sugar cane.  Each worker is assigned a section (or more) that measures 12 sq. metres.  Their goal is to clear their section before it gets too hot...which happens around 10:00...

...which happens to be the time that we arrive in the village to begin building these houses.  Many people from the community help us, some of whom will have been up, and already been to work in the fields. They will build with us until we leave, which today, wasn't until 5pm. Building down closer to sea level means the air is hotter and more humid, even the locals think it's hot.  After three years away, we can't disagree.  So we help each other, being mindful of the need for rest, breaks and lots of water. 

Our team of 14 is split into two groups, one led by Pat Halls and the other led by Silas Allen. The houses get built, as we endeavour to make connections with the families, sharing a little of our lives and learning about theirs. It's always a humbling experience. 

One family saved up for 4 years to buy the plot of land where their house was built today.  Do you know what they paid for that small section of land...$137...no I didn't forget any zeros.  They also contributed (as all recipient families do) $100 toward their home. In addition they take down their old home and do the hard work of levelling and preparing the land to receive their new home.  Their sacrifice and commitment is significant. In a country where the poverty line is approx. $5.00 of income a day, many of our recipient families fall below that line.  With a home, there is hope, there is safety for their children, their is protection from the heavy rains, and their is security from predators and thieves. 

What we do makes a difference. Your conversations with Jesus on their behalf will help further their next steps. 

Off to a Great Start

 Here’s a quick rundown of what happened to us on Sunday:

- we headed out for breakfast at 8:00. We’ll be eating at the Halo Cafe for most our breakfast and dinner meals this week. A little scrambled eggs, some refried beans and plantain! 

- then we went on a little historical tour of San Vicente, which concluded with a daytime chance to climb the clocktower. 

-after lunch we headed out to meet the 12 families that will be receiving homes.  It’s always a little awkward for everyone…until the games start. Laughter and smiles breakdown language, cultural and self-consciousness. 

-we then went to meet two families that had received houses through our virtual (Nexus) teams. You can read Julia’s post below to get a sense of the impact that this experience had on her, on the family and on our team. This experience coupled together with the other family’s recognition of those from the Nexus team, reminded us all that being here, physically present is so important.  It’s meaningful beyond tangible measure! 

-dinner at Pollo Campero, a visit to Texaco, hearing the. testimony of our translator, Brandon, a team debrief and we’re getting ready to build Monday. Our day will start at 7am. Today we were reminded why what we will participate in, makes such a big difference. 

Thanks for your prayer and encouragement!