4-Week Mission Trip~The Second Two Weeks

The second two weeks of our four-week mission trip went even better then the first two!We were able to bring a bunch of grooming items to the River community. The people there are so friendly, and it was great to be able to do something for this area, since it is the only location where we work, where we are not doing any children’s activities this summer. In addition to the items we gave each family, we also brought little bags we made up for the kids in the neighborhood!We also continued our Vacation Bible School with kids in a different location. We were able to share the stories of Daniel (above) and Jonah (below) with the kids. They loved listening to the stories and especially enjoyed the crafts! 

On the final day of VBS we handed out flip-flops to all the kids who were there, and any parents who had stayed. All together we gave out about 20-25 pairs. The kids were especially excited, and many of them were really in need of a new pair!

One day during the second two weeks, we had the opportunity to go into town and hand out some little bags to kids in the park. Each bag had a small toy that had been donated to us, a coloring page and crayons, some cookies or candies, and a witnessing bracelet and card that explained what each color represents. It was great to watch the kids light up as we handed out the bags. We are praying that each of them will read the card, and learn about God’s love for them.

We also continued our soccer camp. It was a great spending time with the kids, and trying to teach them to play with a Christ-like attitude.

At the end of each day we would handout awards to the two kids who showed the best attitude, and worked the best with their teammates. This little girl was so excited to get an award!

We had a great four weeks working with our missionary, Lisa. We are so thankful for her willingness to come and help us serve Christ, as we work and minister to people in our community! God has opened so many doors for us over the past four weeks, and we are so thankful for the opportunities He has given us to help those in need!

4-Week Mission Trip~The First Two Weeks

Two weeks ago a young lady named, Lisa, came down to El Salvador to help us work for four weeks. Over the past few weeks we have been able to do several things together to help people in our town.

The first week that Lisa was here, we started our second Vacation Bible School of the summer. This time we were working in a different neighborhood. These kids have never been to VBS, so they didn’t know what to expect, but they were excited! We taught them some songs, and they heard the story of Noah. The kids also did a fun ark craft, and had some Noah’s Ark animal crackers for snack! A few days later, we started our five-week soccer camp, in another community. We have done several activities in this location in the past, so the kids were very enthusiastic about us returning to do soccer camp. Each week of camp has a theme, and a verse to go along with the theme. The first week our theme was “Encouragement.” We taught the kids that even when a teammate misses a shot, we can still cheer them on, and encourage them. At the end the kids got a coloring page with the verse of the week on it.We also spent some time handing out toys and stuffed animals at the free hospital in our town. Most of the children in this hospital come from lower-income homes, so they were very excited about the toys and things we were able to bring them! We were also able to give each child a tract teaching the kid’s about God’s love for them.Our second week of VBS we taught the kids about David and Goliath. They had fun singing the songs again, and enjoyed craft and snack time. When we led soccer camp the second week, our theme was “Teamwork.” We tried to teach the kids that it’s important to pass the ball, and work together, instead of just shooting, or hogging the ball. So far our four-week trip has gone really smoothly. We are so thankful for all the opportunities God has provided for us to share His word, and help out some people in our town!

 

Week-Long Mission Trip-June 2013

Last week we had the opportunity to host our first mission trip of the summer. The mission team was made up of two amazing girls, who have a real heart for missions. We spent the week doing several activities in our town, starting with a four-day Vacation Bible School.

When we arrived in the community, the kids were very happy to see us. They were also excited to see that we had tables and chairs to use this summer, because last year they had to sit on the ground on a sheet. We explained to them that West Sayville Christian School, in New York had been taking offerings for four weeks to collect the money for our mission to buy the tables and chairs. The kids were grateful and they even made a short video thanking the school for their generosity.The first day our theme was the story of Noah. We were able to listen to the Bible story, and sing the songs, but halfway through our cute ark craft, it started pouring! The kids all took off before we got to have snack, or play games, but they still had a great time.

The second day our theme was, “David and Goliath.” The kids started catching on to the songs, and we took turns having a few kids at a time come up to help lead the singing, and do hand motions. They had lots of fun, and thankfully the rain held off until after snack time!

Day three our theme was, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den.” The kids had a wonderful time making their lion masks, and pretending to be lions! We were excited to be able to have VBS from start to finish with no rain that day!
Our fourth, and final day, the theme was, “Jonah.” We listened to a story, sang songs, made a whale craft, and had some whale crackers for snack! After we finished, we spent about an hour playing with the kids. Most of the boys played soccer, while the girls and younger kids did jump rope, and played some other games.

Saying goodbye is always difficult. The kids told the girls how much they will be missed. The girls told the kids that they would never forget them, and that they will be praying for them. They also reminded the kids how special each of them is to God, and how much He loves them!

On Sunday, we went to church, and then spent some time sorting through clothes that we would be handing out on Monday. We also put together some goody bags for kids. The next morning we headed to two areas to hand out some things to the people there.

In one location we brought food to all the families in the community, and small toys for all the kids.

In the other community we brought the clothes to the families, and gave out the goody bags for the kids.

Monday afternoon, we ate lunch at a place near the water. That evening, we spent some time together shopping in town, and cooling off at the park.

God blessed us with a wonderful time together, and a great mission trip. We are so thankful for the girls who came to help us serve, and for God’s guidance and protection throughout the trip.

Marathon of Mission Trips

Last year, we were blessed with the opportunity to host three mission trips. This year one of our goals was to be able to host at least three trips, and maybe even throw in a fourth!  As of now we have met that goal, and currently have three mission trips planned for this summer.(We’d still love to host a fourth, if anyone is looking for something to do this fall?) It’s gonna be a little crazy, because each trip is one after another, but we are up for the challenge!

In a few weeks, we will welcome our first group. It’s a small group with only two girls, but we are confident that we will be able to accomplish all the work we have planned. During the week-long trip, we will be returning to the same community where we did a lot of work last summer, and once again, lead a VBS there. We will also be bringing clothes and supplies into two other neighborhoods that are in need. This trip is coming up soon, and we are very excited to see how God uses our mission in the lives of these children.

The day they leave, our next mission trip begins. This will be a four-week long trip with one young lady. Together, we will be running a kid’s soccer camp, and leading a VBS program for children in a different community. We also plan to do work in three communities, bringing them food, and other items that they are in need of. In addition, we will be going to be visit a local hospital and bring stuffed animals to the sick kids who are there. We have many things planned for this month-long trip, and are eager to start the projects we will be doing during those four weeks!

The final trip of the summer starts just three days after our four-week trip ends. This week and a half-long trip has a larger mission team than the others. The group of ten is a mix of people, some who are new-comers, and others who are returning for their second and third summers in a row! This group will be focusing on doing construction work, but they will also be doing handouts of supplies in 2 neighborhoods, and running the last week of our five-week soccer camp. (Started during the four-week mission trip.) We are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, and getting to know the newest additions to this mission team!

This summer is going to be busy, with our “Marathon of Mission Trips”, but we are very thankful for all who are willing to come and work with our misson. We have some exciting things planned, and we know that God will use each and every one who comes on these mission trips, to be a blessing in our community!

Never Too Young

I love the way that kids think. You never know what they will say, or how much they are listening to things.

A few weeks ago, I bought some candy to put in the little goody bags we make up to give kids. When we got home my son asked me if he could have some candy, and I told him that he couldn’t, because it was for the “otros niños” (other kids) that we see sometimes. Then I gave him a real quick explanation, something like, “we give it to them to help them have a happy day.”

Two weeks later, I was in the grocery store with my 3 year-old, and he was excited to be pushing his own little cart. He felt like a big deal and was grabbing things he knows we always buy, like juice boxes, and rice. While I was putting a few things in my shopping cart, I looked over at him and saw him drop a big bag of candy into his cart. When I asked him why he took the candy, he told me, “I want to make otros niños happy too mami”!

Bless his heart, at 3 years old he is already thinking about other kids, who don’t have as much as he does. He’s not the only one either.

We have received an incredible amount of new, or barely used stuffed animals over the past few months. We love getting any donations, but there is something really special about these stuffed animals. Many of them were given to us by children who want to make a difference. Kids, who heard that there are other kids who have no toys, and were so shocked, that they had to do something about it. This really touches my heart. To hear stories about young children who searched through their own toys, to find a few for kids they don’t even know, in a country they have never even heard of…wow! What a blessing!

 Today we were blessed again…

My mom had the opportunity to go to my old school, West Sayville Christian School in N.Y. to talk about Hope and a Future Missions, and show the kids some pictures. After telling the kids what things are like in El Salvador, she asked if anyone had any questions. Several kids did. She got asked all kinds of things like, do kids play sports in El Salvador, are there churches there, where do people without indoor plumbing go to the bathroom, what does El Salvador mean, and my favorite, are there wild animals, like lions there? This is why I love kids, they are always thinking!

The school has a chapel service every Wednesday morning, and the offering they collect for the month of April is going to be donated to our mission. My mom explained that we’d be using the money to buy some plastic tables and chairs, so that when we do kid’s activities, like VBS, the kids will have a place to sit, and make their projects. The students were surprised to learn that we had been doing VBS on the side of the road, with children sitting on the ground on a sheet. All the students agreed, that the tables sounded like a better idea!

Before she left, my mom handed out bracelets that said “El Salvador” to each student in the whole school. She told them that the bracelet can be a reminder to pray for the people in El Salvador, and Hope and a Future Missions. I can only imagine what the stories were like around the dinner table tonight, about kids in El Salvador who don’t have clothes, or who go to bed hungry!

Praise God for these children who are learning at an early age what it means to give, and to care for others. Who knows how they are touching lives by selflessly giving a child who is underprivlidged a toy, or whose heart may be touched during a Vacation Bible School lesson around one of those plastic tables!

You are never too young to be a blessing in someone else’s life.

 

The One

About a month ago, I spent some time putting together a slide show of the work we have done over the past year. I had narrowed it down to a few dozen pictures, but I couldn’t figure out what song I wanted to use for the background music. I knew I needed something that would be a good match for the pictures, but couldn’t find anything I really liked. After looking at a bunch of music online, I came across the song, “The One” by Brandon Heath, and it seemed to be perfect!

I loved this song because it was a great reminder that just one person reaching out to those in need, can make a big difference in the lives of the people they help . I also thought the song was good because it urges the listener to ask themselves, “What if I’m the one?” It’s really easy for us to sit back and assume that other people will do something, or help someone, but how often do we actually stop, and ask God, “Am I the one who can make that change, or help that person in need?”

I couldn’t upload the slide show here, but I wanted to share the song lyrics, and a handful of the pictures I used. In the future I hope I can upload the slide show somewhere online, but right now between my slow computer, and my even slower internet, I haven’t been able to get it to work!

“The One”
If I see one more light that’s fading
Hear about one more broken dream
Pray for just one more faith that’s dying
It’s one too many

And if I see one more child walking
Just one more mile for water
If I wait one more minute longer
It’s one too many

When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around

And if we’re living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I’m the one?

It takes one, takes one, one
It takes one, takes one, one
It takes one, takes one
If I hear one more widow crying
‘Cause there’s no one by her side
And if I see one more family breaking
It’s one too many

If there’s one thing that I’m sure of
If there’s one thing that I know
You could be one in a sea of faces
Or you could be one more chance for hope

When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around
And if we’re living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I’m the one?

I see a nation without any walls
A beautiful haven for one and for all
I see a day when people are free
When shackles are broken and fall to the street

A voice, a cry, call out from on high
The first one of many, go lay down your life

When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around

And if we’re living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I’m the one?

The Best Parts of 2012

2012 was quite a busy year for Hope and a Future Missions. We started this blog. We did 8 successful fundraisers. We became an outreach of our home church, West Sayville Reformed Bible Church. We hosted 3 mission trips. The list goes on, but if I had to choose what the best moments were, it would be some of the things we have had an opportunily to do to help people in our community.

I could fill this blog post with hundreds of pictures of great moments from the past year. I could go on and on writing about all the special people we have had the pleasure of working with, but instead, I will share just a few of my favorite things we have been able to be a part of this year.

I loved being able to work in the community where we own some land. The people are so friendly, and the kids especially have a special place in my heart. They LOVED playing soccer with us, and our mission team in July. Seeing how happy we could make these kids, just by spending a little time with them, was amazing.

Another great part of this year, was being able to go back in August with another group, and do VBS with these kids. They loved watching our skits, hearing the Bible verses, making the crafts, and singing the songs we taught them. It was such a great blessing to see these little ones singing praises, and getting excited to learn about Jesus!

These kids are so happy when they see our truck coming. They literally jump in the back of the truck to try to see what we have planned this time! I love that these kids are so excited to see us, and that they know, no matter what we bring, or do in the neighborhood, it is something that will make them smile!

One of the other things that I have really enjoyed over the past year have been handing things out to families that are in real need. We have been able to bring food, clothing, grooming items, and the Gospel to hundreds of people over the past year. Though these long lines can be a little over-whelming at times, (things could get really ugly if we run out of food!) it’s also exciting, because it means we will be able to help so many people!

Being able to bring food to people who don’t know where there next meal is coming from, or putting shoes on the feet of a child who has none is an incredible feeling. We are so thankful for all those who have donated to our mission, or supported us through fundraisers, offerings, etc. Without your support, we would not be able to put smiles on faces like these…

There are so many people who have helped us over the past year, in various ways. Many have donating clothes, or stuffed animals, that have been a huge help to us. One of my favorite donations we have received was all the pillowcase dresses that were made for us to hand out, by some dear sisters in Christ. They have spent countless hours making these adorable dresses, and thanks to them we have given over 80 little girls, new dresses!

To everyone who has liked our facebook page, liked a status, or commented on our blog, thank you. Thanks to anyone who has said a prayer for our mission, or a prayer for the families we are helping. They really do need prayer, and we are thankful that we have some amazing prayer warriors, constantly lifting them and us in prayer.

I also want to thank all those who came down here on mission trips this year. It’s not an easy things to do, and we are so grateful for every single one of you! Without your help we wouldn’t have been able to do many of these activities, or see things like Clato standing in front his completed house, that YOU built for him…

…or sunday school children smiling as they hear the story of salvation, and sing songs!

We also want to thank all our volunteers here, once again. All of the things we have done over the past year have been with the help of Esther and/or Angel.

Without Esther’s help we wouldn’t have been able to do things like pray with a shut-in who was hurting, or share the gospel with dozens of children in a public elementary school!

Without Angel’s help, it would be difficult to keep rowdy crowds under control, or bring so many people things like food, or Christmas presents!

We are so thankful for all the great moments we have had in 2012, and for all the special people who have made them possible. We may be the ones here, but Hope and a Future Missions wouldn’t exist without people who are willing to donate time, money, clothing, etc. to us. We certainly could not have done all these things without the mission teams who came to help us or our hard-working volunteers! So thankyou. Even if all you have done is read this blog, and said a prayer, thankyou! Prayer is the number one thing we need to succeed!

So what is the number one best moment we have had in 2012? It’s hard to say really, because there have been so many wonderful things that have happened. If I had to choose, though, I’d say that my favorite part of 2012, was just being able to bring some smiles to people who don’t seem to have many reasons to smile. To be able to bring food or clothing to them is a great thing, but to bring hope for their future…the hope we have in Christ, is indescribable. I pray that we have given these people lots to smile about. Not just with the physical things we have brought them, but that they may have been blessed by the spiritual food we have brought them too!

Special Stories~Part 1

Over the past few weeks, I have tried to summarize what we have been up to, and all the activities we have been a part of. However, there are some special people, and special moments that have taken place that really stand out in my mind. I wanted to write a little bit about each of the situations where we saw God working in ways we never could have imagined. The last night Colleen was here, we put together a list of eight stories, that really stood out to us, and touched our hearts.

Here are the first four…

1. Clato’s Son-If you follow this blog, or the work we have been doing here, you have probably heard us mention Clato. He is a man who a mission team came and built a house for. Over the past two summers, Colleen’s group has played a huge part in completing the house for Clato and his family, so naturally Colleen was excited to go visit the family, and see the house all done. Before we left for our visit, Colleen and I put together a bag of clothes for Clato’s family, and another bag to bring, just incase we saw someone who needed some clothes. One of the things we put in our “spare bag” was a pair of men’s flip-flops. They were pretty large, and we even thought twice about bringing them, because it is rare to see someone with big feet here, but we figured, you never know! Once we got to Clato’s, we gave his family the bag of clothes, and spent some time visiting with them. A couple of minutes later, his son came outside to say hi, and at the exact same time, Colleen and I looked at each other, and said, “the shoes”! We both noticed that he had large feet and that his current flip-flops were falling apart. She ran to the truck, grabbed the shoes, and we gave them to him. He was very excited with the new shoes, and changed into them right away. Colleen and I were both near tears just seeing his smile and realizing it wasn’t by accident that we brought those shoes with us. Even in something as small as choosing what clothes and shoes to bring, God was at work! It was definitely a touching moment for us!

2. The pregnant lady-In July when Colleen was here, one of the ladies who lives in an area where we work, shared with us that she was pregnant. Over the past couple of months, this lady has always come around when we do any activities, and brings her kids to spend time with us playing soccer, or attending VBS. She is always one of the first people there, listening to all we are saying, and watching all that we do. After VBS one day, she came up to me and thanked me for teaching her kids stories and songs about Jesus. I thought it was really nice of her, because none of the other parents thanked us, and we weren’t really expecting anyone to. As Colleen and I were sorting clothes to handout, I came across a few nice baby items, and mentioned I was thinking of making up a little package for her. The only thing was, I was afraid that someone else would see, and get angry that she was getting more than them, so I told Colleen I was going to give it some thought. The following sunday in church, who do we see, but “the pregnant lady”! She had never been in my church before, so seeing her there was a surprise. I knew at that moment that I had to find a way to give her that baby gift. A few weeks later when we went to her area, once again, she was among the first to arrive, and the last to leave. When everyone started going their separate ways, I called to her, and told her to come to the side of our truck. Then I pulled out the gift bag and I could tell she was shocked. I explained that it was for her baby, and she smiled so big! She could not believe that someone who didn’t even know her name, was giving her a baby gift. She walked away with her kids I could see her smiling, as her kids were trying to look inside the bag. It was definitely a moment I will never forget. It may have been a bunch of “used” stuff, but for her it was probably the only baby gift she was ever given. I was so thankful that it worked out that I could give it to her!

3. Antonio-One night, we spent a few hours preparing rice and beans to hand out. When we were all done, we didn’t have too many extra bags of food, so we hoped it would be enough. We had a few older bags of rice left from last a few months ago, but they weren’t in great shape, so we didn’t know if we wanted to hand them out or not. We put that rice aside and figured we’d decide what we were gonna do with it in the morning. The next morning, Antonio, one of Adan’s friends that he sometimes works with, came to talk to him. He shared that a few days earlier, he was injured pretty badly. He had been working with a machine that cuts metal, when a disk that spins around came off, and cut him in the neck. If it had been about an inch over it would have killed him. He was telling Adan about how he had to spend the little bit of money that he had, at the hospital to get stitches, and how he wouldn’t be able to work for a while. He was thankful to be alive, but concerned because he didn’t know where he would get the money to buy food over the next few weeks. Adan thought about those older bags of rice from the night before, and knew immediately what we were supposed to do with them. Adan sent him home with enough food to last him over a week. He was so thankful for our help. He didn’t come looking for us to give him that food, but he was certainly grateful that we did!

4. Maria-At the beginning of Colleen’s six-week trip, we went to a community by the river to hand out clothes. Last week, we returned to that area to bring things like, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo to the families there. Down at the bottom of the hill, there are a few houses in what is almost like a ditch. One lady who lives down there, is Maria. She is an elderly woman, who cannot walk. She has no way to leave her house, and even if she had a wheelchair, it would be impossible to get her out, because of the location of her house. When Esther and Colleen went to bring her the stuff, she got very emotional. She shared with them how just the day before she had been wishing we would come back, and bring her some pants. The mosquitos are bad near the river, and she was getting bit on her legs. Dengue, a disease that mosquitos can carry, is a big problem here, and in the areas near the water, they are at a higher risk of getting the virus. Untreated, it can be life-threatening, so this is a big concern for her. We didn’t have any pants with us, but she does have one pair, so they told her that next time we would make sure she gets some. She was sharing with the girls that she feels down sometimes, being stuck in her house. She was feeling like God had forgotten her, then we came and she began to feel hopeful again! The girls encouraged her, and explained that we have not forgotten her, and surely God has not either! They were able to pray with her, and by the time they left, she was feeling much better. We are planning to go back to that area next month, and will be sure to bring some pants to her.

These are just a few of the amazing things that God has done here. We are so thankful that He has allowed us to be a part of these people’s lives, and bring His love and hope to them. Sometimes it shocks me, how God can use a regular, weak, sinful person, like me, to carry out His perfect, wonderful plan!

The continuation, Special Stories~Part 2 will be coming this weekend, with four more examples of how God is at work in, El Salvador, so please check back!

August Mission Trip 2012

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to host another mission trip. This group of three was much smaller than the last group, but still very active in our community. Over the week I kept thinking of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” This may have been a group of only “two or three”, but it was clear all week that God was among us, because of all we were able to accomplish together!

The group of girls arrived late monday afternoon. They got settled and relaxed before eating dinner. Then we spent some time going over the schedule, safety guidelines, and doing devotions.

Tuesday morning we worked on cleaning up our storage room. With all the clothes, food, etc. that we have been handing out, and organizing, the room had gotten more than a little out of order!

In no time we had the whole room organized, swept, and dusted. We were all pretty impressed with how quickly we were able to finish this job!

With the room all cleaned up, we had plenty of space to spend the afternoon sorting clothes! We organized all the clothing we had, and separated it into small bags so we could give each person a bag with an outfit in it.

Wednesday morning, we went to the land we own in nearby village, and handed out all the clothes. It didn’t look like a lot, so we were praying we wouldn’t run out. In the end, we had plenty for everyone, and even had 3 bags of clothes leftover!

Wednesday afternoon and thursday morning, we worked on the Vacation Bible School lesson, craft, and songs we would be doing with the kids in that village on thursday and friday afternoon.

Thursday afternoon we headed to the land where we were doing the VBS. When we got there, we were surprised because there were no kids waiting for us. We ended up driving through the village inviting kids to come and before we knew it, we had forty kids, (many of which were wearing the clothes we gave them the day before) all waiting to learn about Jesus!

We did a lesson with the kids, teaching them that we sin, just like Eve did, and we need forgiveness from our sins. We went on to explain that Jesus died to forgive us, and that He is the only way we can be made clean again.

Then we did a craft. The kids made cross necklaces as a reminder that Jesus died for us.

Finally, we had song time. The kids loved learning the songs, but weren’t sure about doing the hand motions we made up to go with them!

Friday morning we spent some more time working on VBS lessons, and preparing the craft for that day.

On Friday afternoon, before we even reached the land, we had several kids hop in the back of our truck, excited for another day of VBS! We started off with a lesson about living our lives in a way that is pleasing to Jesus. The kids all loved the skit we did about making good choices. (Though I don’t have any pictures of it.) After the lesson, it was craft time. The kids stuck pictures on foam pages that had Romans 6:4 written on them.

After the craft, we sang the songs with the kids. Many of them remembered the words, and this time they were excited to clap along and do some hand motions with us!

After having a snack, it was time to say goodbye to the kids. Saying goodbye is never easy. These kids were so excited to have us there, spending time with them, and teaching them, they did not want us to go. Many of them asked when we’d be back, and if we’d do VBS with them again!

Saturday morning the group had some time to go to town. They did some shopping in the market, and then walked around the park.

On saturday afternoon, the group headed to a different village to do another handout. This time they were handing out rice and beans to families, as well as some little bags of treats to kids. The people were so thankful, and excited to receive the food. Many of them have little money to spend on food, so this surprise really meant a lot to them.

Sunday was the last day of the week-long mission trip. In the morning we went all went to church. In the afternoon, the girls got all their stuff ready to go, because they had to leave first thing monday morning. It was so nice to have a day of rest, after a busy week.

On of the best parts of the trip for me, happened that sunday in church. After the service two little girls came over to us with big smiles on their faces, and thanked us for giving them clothes earlier that week. They were so excited to show us that one girl was even wearing the dress we gave her.

No sooner did we say goodbye to the girls, when a man in the church approached us. He said that we had given food to his family the day before, and was so thankful. He was touched that even though we didn’t know him or his family, we were still willing to help them. Seeing the joy, and appreciation on the faces of these people meant so much to me. Living here, we see these people suffering, and struggling just to survive everyday. Sometimes I see the way they live, and how little they have, and I wonder, is what we are doing even making a difference? Is giving them these bags of rice and beans, or clothes, or whatever else really changing anything for them? It feels like so little, when these people truly need so much. After seeing how thankful these people were, I now believe more than ever, that what we are doing is making an impact on their lives. What may be seen as a worn pair of sneakers to us, is an answer to prayer for a child without shoes. A bag of rice or beans may be just a side dish to us, but to many of these people, it means they will not be going to bed hungry for the first time in days. I am so thankful for all this small group was able to accomplish in one week. We have been able to touch the hearts and lives of many people in our community.

Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others,that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” It has truly been a blessing to be the light to these people. They have seen our deeds, and it is our prayer that they will glorify our Father in heaven!

What’s Going On

Can’t believe it has been a whole month since I have written anything! I think that’s a record! It’s not because nothing has been going on, in fact, it’s the just the opposite. There have been so many exciting things happening, that it has been hard to find time to write!

The first great thing is how blessed we were in all of our fundraising. When we were planning the fundraisers we’d do in America, I tried to estimate how much we could make at each event. I had hopes that we would raise about $1,500. Well, we took in over double that, making $4000, between fundraisers and donations! This was in less than 3 months! We were thrilled about all the money we raised, because we knew that it meant we would be able to help lots of people. There were other reasons it was so exciting, too. Taking in so much money, in such a short amount of time, really showed us how many people want to support us in what we are starting in El Salvador. It was great to see how many people, even strangers, wanted to help us out! Of corse we could never have raised this money without the help of our church family in West Sayville, or the prayers and support of so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was also great for us to raise so much more than we planned on, because it made it clear that this is what God wants us to do. Before I went to New York, I prayed that God would bless our fundraising, and basically said, “If this is what you want us to do Lord, I know you will bless our efforts!” Well, He blessed us so far above and beyond what we expected, that we feel very strongly, that we are doing what God has planned for us.

The past weeks since I have returned to El Salvador have been busy. This summer we have 2 groups coming for mission trips. One in July, and one in August. We are looking forward to both, because we have so many exciting things planned. Most people don’t realize how much actually goes into these mission trips, aside from actually serving the people here. There are so many things to plan ahead as far as meals, transportation, scheduling, etc. I’m not trying to complain though, I like planning it all out. I love to cook and figure out all the meals. I also love trying to figure out the schedule, though it can be stressful trying to figure everything in!

The first group is coming in 4 days, so we have been really busy doing all the preparations for the group. A couple of days from now, we will welcome the group of 12 who will be staying with us for 10 days. Some members of this group were here last summer, and some have never been to El Salvador. The big projects this group is working on will be painting at a church, and cleaning up some land.

In August, the group that is coming is much smaller, only 4 girls. They might be a small group, but we still have plenty of things planned to do. Our main focus with this group will be leading a VBS program at a nearby church who has never had one. We are looking forward to working with kids and getting them excited to learn about Jesus!

There has been lots going on for Hope and a Future Missions during the past month, and lots more to come! Please keep the mission teams in your prayers as the travel and work with us over the next few weeks. I look forward to writing and sharing about the trips in the days to come!