More updates!

Hey friends.
Our time in El Salvador is still going well...Unfortunately, we are not able to get any pictures up online right now due to technical difficulties.
Here are a few things we have been doing recently!

On Sunday night, we put on an encouragement meal for La Red, which is the college and young adults ministry here in San Salvador. Nick Powers led a crew for cooking stuffed peppers for a group of 25. We enjoyed time eating, chatting, and praying for La Red. Most memorable for the night was when we introduced the group to Kamikaze Sundaes. They had a riot getting into it, as we dropped ingredients for Sundaes into their mouths from 10 feet above on a balcony! It was a lot of fun!

On Monday, we took a drive a couple hours away, and got to climb a volcano called Izalco. The climate was much coolers, and foggy, as we arrived high up in elevation. Our climb began with a descent thru a rainforest to the bottom of a valley. There the scenery changed from The Shire to the Gates of Mordor, as the volcano itself was desolate from an eruption some 7 years before. The hike was challenging for most all! We were thrilled getting to touch steam vents, climb around the craters, and see the broad landscape.

Today, we started work on a church office building here. The goal is to make a new room where their band can practice. We moved furniture and belongings, swept up dust, and disassembled shelving today. Tomorrow looks like we are going to get to paint, and then go to the University to share the gospel.

Time is an interesting thing down here. There is less of a rush to get things done. All of us feel a pull to want to be moving to the next activity, when often we are having to adjust to the cultural difference of moving at a slower pace. It is different but good.

Please pray that God would give us as a team grace to:

• Work and serve joyfully tomorrow at the church
• To make the most of remaining gospel opportunities here.
• That the church would be refreshed and encouraged from our visit here!

God Bless!

Poor School and Remar

On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of getting to spend a large portion of the day with kids.

Our first stop was a poor school, high up on a volcano near San Salvador. The had the opportunity to lead these 50 kids in games with a parachute, jumprope, face painting, making bracelets, and (of course) piñatas.
These school does not receive much of any funding at all, and is run by a few mothers (maybe 10:1 ratio)

Later that afternoon, we drove to La Libertad to visit, Remar, an orphanage. As we opened the doors of the vans, we were instantly enveloped with hugs from the kids. They were like dry sponges waiting to soak up the water of love. There were well over a hundred kids ready to play (in the midst of the humid and hot weather, at least it was for us) =)
We had the opportunity to use the Evangecube once again here...the kids were drawn in by the the cube that looked like a toy, as we reviewed the gospel with them. It was encouraging to hear that many of the kids were receieving solid instruction in the Bible everyday. One kids listened to us share the gospel with it, and then took at and shared it with his kid friend.

At the end, they stood on the steps as we sang them songs in English, including Jesus Love Me. As we left, there were many many hugs, and one boy shouted in Spanish, “See you later or in heaven!” What a beautiful childlike faith.

Salvation on Thursday!

A story from Paul Ackerman
Thursday
We were doing a breakdown group talking about letting Jesus be the cure to our addictions and emotional issues. Almost every breakdown group I had lead had been a couple girls. This group also had two women in it. They filled out a card of what emotional amd life issues they were facing in their lives. Both had written down an answer pertaining to being angry. So in repsonse, I asked them, “Do you know what some of Jesus last words were when He was on the cross.” One of the girls right away said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

So, I shared how Jesus is the ultimate example of giving up our rights were think we have, that lead us to become angry. Anytime we think we have been offended or taken advantage of and we want to get angry, we should look to Jesus who endured the great sacrifice but didn’t get angry.
Then from there, I used that as a transition to the gospel. I asked them if they had Jesus in their lives. One girl immediately answered yes, but the other girl, who had earlier identified Jesus last words, said no. She said, “I am looking for Jesus and I want him in my life and I want to be a better person, but I haven’t found him”.



Then I asked her if she knew what the gospel was. She said no. I said the gospel is the whole reason Jesus died on the cross. After telling me she hadnt heard what grace was, I explained Ephesians 2 :8–9 telling her that no matter what we do, it is not by our works that we are saved but by grace, which is a gift. To help her understand this gift I shared the judge analogy. In this small amount of time, thru this analogy, I helped her understand how love and justice meet at the cross. So I told her that this gift is like the check at the end of the analogy that is either accepted or rejected. I told her that she must accept the gift which is Jesus taking our punishment, which is what grace is. I asked if she had ever received this gift before and she said no. I asked her if she was like to recieve it, and she emphatically answerred “Yes”!

I asked her what she would ask God to receive this gift. Based on her response I could tell she was sincere and wanted the gift. So I lead her in prayer to tell God what she had just told me. After praying she was a little teary eyed, and also seemed very happy and relieved that she had found Jesus. The translator that was with me that know time, she and I invited her to come to church. Then they gave her a Spanish New Testament, and told her the importance of reading the Bible, and to start in John. She gave me a hug and said Thanks. This girls name was Anahai. We hope to see her at church, getting plugged in and growing!

Tercera Dia

Breakfast
Here is what our morning meal looks like:

• The Bible
• Eggs
• Beans
• Fruit
• Coffee
• Plantain
• Fellowship

In the Classroom
In the classrooms today, we got to be part of two presentations including music, a testimony, a sideshow from a Physiologist that shows how sin has an effect us on physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We then followed up with small group discussions on areas of sin that students struggle with, and how Christ is the solution. We ended each talk with singing the growingly popular "Este es mi deseo"

Surprise Event
A handful of us got to jump in on an English class, and basically host/teach it. It was fun to get to connect with students in a small context and get to serve them by helping them with their English.

Southern Hospitality
We had the privilege of eating at the Chaplain's house for dinner. He and his wife showed us true Southern hospitality (they are from Alabama and Mississippi respectively). We enjoyed a large meal, in the coolness of the late evening outside.. Scott caught the very vocal frog.

Gabriel

We all have thoroughly enjoyed time with a brother from the church that is helping us on the trip...Officially, he is our driver, but more than that, he is constantly taking the role of a servant. He grew up here in the Great Commission church in town, but had a time of rebellion, before coming back to Christ and rejoining the church. He is taking time away from his other 3 jobs to be with us all day during the week. All the women feel very safe with him around...We were told that has was previously in the army, and knows martial arts. We have enjoyed having him serve and keep us safe...and he has enjoyed growing in his English as we engage with him as our friend.

Day 2

Today was very busy in one sense, and very relaxed in another.

This morning, a few of us played 2 worship songs for the church, Amazing Grace and Burn for You...As it turned out, we had no time to get to run through the songs...In addition to that, Steph had no voice when she woke up in the morning. The grace of God is on us and it went well :) We enjoyed chatting with and meeting new people in the church.

Verse of the Day in Action:
1 Thessalonians 2:8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

We spent the afternoon in culture training as well as touring and praying for the University. We met the chaplain, a man named Bob from Alabama, with a matching southern accent. He told us of the deep need for Christ on this campus, and gave us full permission to pursue any and every student in having gospel conversations. Despite the name "Evangelica" (Evangelical), estimates are that 70% of the students on campus do not know Christ. Many have a background around the Catholic church, but have not found the hope and life change available through Christ in the gospel. Many students have struggled with depression and suicide. Four students have been killed through on the way to the university just this year, and last week a fetus was found in a university bathroom.

As depressing as these statistics are, it seems like a God given combination
1. People that have a fear of God and his Word 2) People that recognize they are sinners 3) The opportunity to openly and clearly share with these students during class time.

So tomorrow, we will be getting to lead discussions through classes as a speaker explains sin problems to the students, and we are asked to share our testimonies and the gospel, and invite students to get time to hang out/chat with us over lunch. Wow, what an opportunity.

One of the best ways to grow in faith is to go out on a limb in faith...I was encourage seeing Tim Sexton stretch his limits, and try sharing his testimony in Spanish with our driver (also a believer). It took a long time, but Tim was not afraid to make mistakes and go for it.










God has truly blessed us with opportunities to be extremely bold in sharing our faith and to be real with the students here at the university. Tomorrow will be an adventure as we start sharing our faith. Please join us in prayer for the Holy Spirit to come in power and guide us to speak the truth of the gospel on the campus. We will do two sessions...one from 10am-noon, and another from 4pm-6pm.
Gloria a Dios!

We're here!

After an full day of travel, we have arrived to El Salvador!

Main Highlights:
This morning, we met at 7:30am, and the Nepal Mission's team graciously drove us to the airport.
Everyone thought Scott Lundberg was joking when he said, "What should I do if I don't have my passport?" right when we got in the ticket line. This began a mad frenzy of taking apart his luggage, and making calls. Eventually, the rest of the team had to go on without him. As it turned out, it was back at home underneath his bed! God answered our prayers in having faithful brothers/sisters drive back to DIA, Scott's getting a elite pass to get thru security, and our flight being delayed by 35 mins...this had Scott arriving at the gate only minutes before we boarded. God is in control of the details.

Verse of the day:
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

This verse tells me that a crucial part of our prayer life is keeping our eyes peeled for ways that God answers prayers throughout our days, and to thank Him for it.

Lord Jesus, thank You for your Sovereignty, and having Scott be a crucial part of this mission trip! Amen!

Flights were uneventful to Houston and to San Salvador. The first thing everyone noticed as we arrived was the intense humidity. Our van ride into the city included close quarters of sweaty arms and foggy windows.

Currently we are at our hotel, guarded by a man with a large shotgun. Sleep sounds very fitting right now, though it is not likely, as there is a dance party right outside our room, with Latin music at close to 100 decibels (no kidding!)

Our agenda tomorrow includes church and culture training!

Pray that God would give us unity of heart, and a spiritual focus as we kickstart this amazing opportunity to share Christ and his glorious gospel here!

Prayer Requests for El Salvador

Prayer Requests for El Salvador

1. For church: Our focus for 2010 is: To grow to 400 members and become known in the city of San Salvador as a non-religious, biblically based church that focuses on filling the needs of the people and that wins a presence in the city.

2. For church: To raise up and train leaders in every ministry

3. For church: To encourage members to serve (seeing missionary teams is a HUGE encouragement to church members!!)

4. For mission trip: To see university students saved and get connected with local church

5. For mission trip: Good followup/Lasting fruit (from us, local church) after team leaves

6. For mission trip: life-changing experiences for missionaries

Some Verses:

Habakkuk 2:14: "For the earth will
be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters
cover the sea."

Acts 14:1b There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.

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Trip Itenerary

During the two weeks in El Salvador, we have a variety of opportunities.
During the 1st week (May 15-22nd) we plan on

• Going through cross-cultural training
• Putting on a Celebrate Recovery program at Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador. Multiple presentations will be made describing the cause for addictions and the cure (Sin and Jesus Christ). Rock Missionaries will be facilitating discussion groups, sharing testimonies and the gospel, and playing music that fits with the theme.
• Helping to host an outreach concert on the University Campus.

During the 2nd week (May 22nd-29th)

• Helping to lead worship at the Sunday service
• Visiting a nearby village called El Guayabo
• Playing with kids, doing bible lessons, sharing the gospel, singing songs, feeding them meals and meeting other needs
  
• Delivering shoes donated from our church, Summitview Community Church
  
• Pinata party for the kids!

God Moves in Big Ways

I actually already knew I was heading to Central America this summer long before this trip was on anyone's radar. God has been leading me towards El Salvador for quite a while now. In January of 2009, God lead me to drop half of my engineering classes and sign up for some Spanish classes. I didn't know why at the time, but shortly after that Spring started, I found out about the Summitview trip to Honduras. I went with a team of 11 to Choluteca, Honduras in June of 2009 and was priveledged to see many miracles performed by God. More than 40 salvations were seen on the one week trip, we were asked to build a new house for a woman who hadn't told anyone but God of her need and that testimony of her prayer brought all her neighbors to Christ, people received the Gospel and took off running to bring others to hear the good news. My heart was touched by the orphans and malnourished children that are cared for by various church projects. God grew me in my love for the people, the language, and the culture. I came back from Honduras knowing that God wanted me to eventually lay down my life in Central America. Then, shortly after we got back, I was asked to return for a month the following summer with Ryan and Melissa Martine. I began praying, planning, and saving for that trip, knowing that God wanted me to go back to Central America.

When the summer mission trips were announced at the Rock, I immediately knew that I was supposed to go to El Salvador. I get these sorts of Holy Spirit feelings pretty often, and always seem to be taken on big adventures with God afterwards. Shortly after committing to the Rock trip, the plan for me to head to Honduras fell through because the trip dates had changed. There were a few more signs along the way that led me to believe I was really supposed to be on board. As a college student, I don't have much money, but God is gracious with His riches! While I was on the phone to a call center that happened to be in El Salvador cancelling a credit account,(thanks Dave Ramsey!) I had a conversation with the man in Spanish. We were speaking about how I was planning to go to El Salvador this summer for missions, but didn't yet have the money. He told me, "Don't worry sister, God will give you a job." and then put me on hold. Well, while I was on hold, I got a call out of the blue with a job offer! God also later gave me a prophesy over Spring Break that said I would meet someone in El Salvador that will ask me to be part of a lifetime project for His Kingdom.

I'm incredibly excited to see what God has in store for my heart, our team, and the people that we will get to work with. I'm claiming this verse for the trip:

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

Why am I going to El Salvador

I have been wanting to go on a mission trip since I came back from Asia. So when it was announced tht we would hve the opportunity to go on mission trips to Nepal and El Salvador I signed up. I was expecting to be on the Nepal trip but God had a different plan. One day John Larsen called me while i was driving a day care bus. I told him i would pray about it. After i hung up the phone i was talking to one of th kids on my bus. He is about 5 but he told me that i need to go. God just kept telling me in different ways to go. I don't know Spanish but God is bigger than that!

Why am I going on this trip?

This past August, Nathan Hrouda and I were discussing what possibilities we had for missions trip for this upcoming summer. We banged around a few ideas, but none of them seemed to really settle. I knew I didn't want to just go somewhere to go somewhere. I wanted us to go to a place that had a real need.
John Meyer also had given counsel about how we do really well in places where there is a similar demographic..in other words, if we can reach college students, we are closer to our sweet spot.

That weekend I heard about this opportunity in San Salvador. I wrote to Nathan:

"Hey Brother,
I don't know for sure whether it's God's will for us to go here or not, but I have to say that the timing is very uncanny, since we were saying we were looking for a place with a need!
United,
Juan"

It seems that God had opened up this door for us.

In addition to this, God has always seemed to open up opportunity for me to share/influence Spanish-speaking folks, and this could be a great opportunity to use those language skills for the gospel and His glory!

Youtube Video from San Salvador

Youtube Video from San Salvador