The picture below came from the most adorable boy who came for shoes. His name is Irving. He just does not look like Irving to me, perhaps his middle name could be Chancho. We just loved getting to help him. So cute.
We had a chance to see many beautiful people and help them today. Once again, their gratitude is so very apparent. Today our Angel interpreter was with us. What I appreciate most about her is that she encourages me to go out of my way to be kind to the people. Not that I am not already, believe me I am, it's just that she is able to nudge me. The good thing is that I know these nudges are really from the Holy Spirit, so I am open to her suggestions.
We are very fortunate today to have many shoes and some baby clothes to distribute to the needy. The shoes we distribute are given to children who are in need.
The moms with babies are given some clothing. We even have some nice pink flip flops for the moms. We call the area where I am setup, the "Mission Mall". It is such a great setup because I get to run the mall, and when someone comes, I can take a break from eyeglasses and help them with shoes and clothes. Here are some pictures of some families we helped today.
When one woman sits down in the chair next to me and I greet her kindly as I always do to everyone, she begins to cry. I ask her what is wrong, and then her Spanish becomes too rapid for me. I ask our Angel to interpret, and our Angel says" Are you sure you want me to tell you this story because it is very sad." I ask to hear the story. The woman's daughter is missing. The daughter had just learned she was pregnant, and she was abducted by a gang from a bus. She has not heard from her daughter and she fears the worst. We console her as best we can, explaining the power of a parents prayer based on the story of Jairus's daughter in scripture. We take our time with her and try to encourage her. The healing of the whole person is definitely part of this ministry. We often find that people just want to be listened to, consoled, and encouraged. This is universal, but especially here where it is so difficult to survive when you have so little.
Toward the end of the day I take a moment to give a red ball and some shoes to some boys.
The donations to purchase the shoes were made possible though the generosity of people back home who donated to the cause, especially my coworkers back home. Today I felt their presence with me as I shared their generousity. As I took off some very worn, broken and dirty little shoes so the children could try on the new shoes, I imagined everyone who contributed there in the "Mission Mall" with me. In this moment I am overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for this opportunity. Why me? Why do I get to do this? I am so very blessed. Special thanks to everyone who donated.
We spend quite a bit of time traveling back and forth from where we are staying to our mission sites. This morning I took a picture of our bus as I stepped outside the seminary front doors. From the bus below, we tour through this city and see some of the culture. We understand a bit about what it is like to live here as we travel back and forth every day. But what these daily tours do not tell us is what we already know. The people of El Salvador that we are helping are beyond grateful. We see this iin all we do. We hear the sincerity in their voice, and we sense it powerful in the hugs they give us. And that is what keeps us going.
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