Ready for the Rain

Every morning and most evenings we have dinner at a little restaurant two blocks away from where we are staying. We're the only people there, and the staff are always welcoming, and the food is prepared to give us a good cross section of Salvadoran flavour (refried beans, plantains) as well as some of our own comforts (salads and tonight's lasagna are a good example). 

As we started eating tonight we heard the roll of thunder and the claps of lightning. These quickly gave way to a downpour of rain, which echoed in our space because of the tin roof above us. I looked around the table and could sense what many were thinking during this unexpected thunderstorm, which ended up lasting a couple of hours.  During a little break in the storm we darted back up to our "home". The water was flowing down the street in waves, pieces of garbage were setting sail in water that was ankle deep in some places. 

After we headed out for our evening snackie (this time it was Ice Cream Sundaes) and returned for our debrief, Deb Firth (my friend from Alberta who joined our team), put into words what we had all been thinking. She said something to the effect of, "How do you think those 12 families feel tonight, knowing that this kind of rain, will not destroy their homes or their health anymore?"...

We then spent a lot of time talking about the evidence we have seen of the former "houses" in which the families had lived. Rusted and broken pieces of tin, so many buckets and bowls that were used to collect rain water. Plastic sheeting, or mud packed bamboo pieces piled in a corner.  And the stories we heard...so many...

Being here on the edge of the rainy season, God provided an unmistakeable, tangible reminder that what we're doing is making a signficant practical difference in their lives. With twelve families we have built homes, more importantly, with these 12 families we have built hope in the name of Jesus, through whom all this is possible. And now they are ready for the rain!

Every prayer for these families, every dollar supported is greatly appreciated and much needed. 

We have so much more to share from our experiences, hopefully you'll get the chance to ask us about them. 

A little game of cards to end the day

Deve

Teamwork

 Today, we didn't build houses.  Today, we became tourists.  

One of the things we did was to go to 'Devil's Gate' near the capital, a newly renovated tourist attraction.  There are two assumptions tied into its formation. One folklore belief is that the devil was cornered and escaped through the rocks, making the chasm opening in the mountain. The other idea is that an earthquake years ago was so strong that it caused the mountain to split.

Looking way up, we saw extremely unlevel steps, with various riser heights, and a very steep hill. 

Challenge on! Our team started this climb of over 250 steps. The view when you got to the top lookout was beautiful.  It looked out over a lush, green valley and San Salvador. The best part was the team set the pace nice and slow.  Being the oldest on the team, I really appreciated it. I made the comment there is no 'I' in the word 'team". We worked together to make sure all 10 of us made it to the top.

Thanks to everyone at home for all your prayers. They are greatly appreciated. Tomorrow we build our last four houses.

Julia

Inspired

Reina and her family

 Today was not a build day. We took time to tour some of San Salvador, which gave me time to reflect of the last three days.  This community has been so inspiring in demonstrating their joy and their thankfulness to God.  It started from our first meeting with the table of fruit, which Deve already wrote about,  and it continued through our introductions, as each family passionately thanked God for the blessing of this house.  

Then came the demonstration of joy on our build days, as many worker joyfully joined into the build process with smiles, laughter and hardwork. The first house we built was for Gloria and Louis.  Their entire family’s smiles and joy could not be contained during our interview, and Gloria and the other women put out a great lunch for us. Normally, we would not eat their food, but this time we did. 

The enthusiasm continued on the build site as the entire community were eager to help their neighbours.  The houses flew up on day two with their efforts and we finished building both homes before lunch, which has never happened for me.  We then ended day two with an interview with Francisco and Claudia which was amazing as he passionately praised God for all of his blessings including freeing him from jail only 5 years ago. I can’t capture his entire story here but his story and desire to serve God today was inspiring.  

Tomorrow we have our last build day.  I can’t wait to work with this community again even though I will be very hot again. 

Pat