Rock and Roll

I was sitting at my desk studying to teach the book of Isaiah where, in referring to the end times, it says "the earth is violently shaken, it staggers like a drunken man" when my desk started shaking. The whole house staggered like a drunken house. Christina came in to say that she was sitting on her bed at the time and kind of enjoyed the ride!

We frequently "enjoy" small earthquakes here but this one was the largest yet. It registered as a 6.3 and was centered on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. While that is in a different country it is only about 250 miles away so we felt it in a significant way. To reference San Julian on the map above, we are the second yellow dot from the right. Yes, you are reading it correctly - 6 earthquakes in the last week.

Since I so enjoy learning from and then teaching God's word I thought it was so appropriate that I was reading from Isaiah at the time.

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2

Gifts from the Father

In December we partnered with La Casa De Mi Padre and Union Church in San Salvador to put on a Christmas party for the kids that live in the neighborhood surround the La Casa children's home. La Casa cares for 30+ children that have no no one else to care for them. But they don't stop there. For what has now become an annual event, they reach out to the poor families around them to share the love of Jesus. The day consists of a huge party with games, food, pinatas and ends with a gift for each of the children. For many of them this may be the only gift they will receive. With 250 participants it was wonderful to see so many volunteers taking time out of their weekend to love on these kids. This was a great demonstration of the old adage that it is far better to give than to receive.

Waiting for the games to begin on the "futbol" field

Gift line in process

Santa detained for not having any identification on him

What if?

Below is a photo of a manger scene here in San Julian. Note that the manger is empty. The tradition here is that they do not put the baby Jesus in it until Christmas when he arrived in human form. 


This got me to thinking - What If? 


What if Jesus never came? What if God allowed us to justly suffer the penalty for our sins? What if the personification of pure, genuine love never came to live with us? What if there were no people transformed by that love? What if there were no transformed people that cared for the sick, the poor, the orphans, the unloved? What if there were no transformed people to defend the defenseless? 


What if there was no good news? What if there was no hope? What if there was no peace? What if there was no joy? What if there was no love?


What If?

The Gift of Hospitality

Recently I was invited to lunch at the home of a friend in a fairly rural area. The home sits on a road outside of the nearest town by a couple of miles and stands in the midst of a "jungle" in the mountains. The people of El Salvador have such a heightened sense of hospitality that I just had to share this with you. 


While visiting, I made an observation about the coconuts growing nearby. The next thing I knew, one of the people there was climbing the tree to cut down the coconuts so that I cold have a drink of coconut milk. He then proceeded to cut open enough of them with his trusty machete (the all purpose tool here) to send me home with a gallon of coconut juice. 


But it didn't end there. While being served roasted peppers (mmm...delicious) I was asked if I would like a slice of lime with it. This is very common here and is served with most meals so I thought little of it. I responded politely and asked for a slice. He asked his wife for limons (Spanish for lime) and was told they were all out. Without missing a step or saying another word he simply grabbed his machete and headed out into the jungle. About 15 minutes later he comes back with a bag of limons. 


The lessons? 


#1. Be careful what you ask for here...you will probably get it. I can only imagine what would have happened if I had said I liked milk. Oh, wait. I did see a goat nearby!


#2. These people take hospitality to a whole new level. They take the words of  I Peter 4:9 seriously: "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Accion de Gracias

Thanksgiving is not celebrated on a special day of the year here in El Salvador. Instead, they frequently take days throughout the year to celebrate with an "accion de gracias". Literally, this means an "action of thanks". There are two things about this local tradition that I appreciate.

First, thanksgiving should not be limited to a single day. Ideally, we should wake up every day and give thanks to our creator for the breath of life. For a roof over our heads. For food on the table. For friends and family. For health. For employment. For laughter. For freedom. For so many things that we often take for granted.

Second, thanksgiving is more than a word. It should be a verb - an action in our daily lives. Knowing how much we have been blessed should in turn cause us to desire to bless others with our abundance. It may be a meal for a family that has little. It could be a warm blanket. Taking care of a medical bill for those out of work. Possibly a shoulder to cry on for those in pain. A kind word. A smile and a hug. Simply, to love in word and deed.

In the midst of the cooking and busyness of this day I wanted to thank you. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support of the work here in El Salvador. Thank you that through your abundance we can provide food and blankets and a shoulder and a smile and a hug and, most importantly, the love of God who sent his only son to die for us.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  Psalm 28:7

God's incredible timing

About one month ago one of the students in my class paid the class fee for another student whose husband had a low paying job. The gift was to be anonymous. I meant to tell the recipient but it slipped my mind. Finally, on Saturday I remembered and asked "C" to stay after class. When I told her that her fee had been paid in full she just broke out sobbing. I thought her reaction was out of proportion until she told me what had been happening recently in her life. Her son had broken his arm and needed surgery that she couldn't afford. Her husband told her that she would have to quit the classes or take the money out of the food budget. Since she couldn't do that, she came to class that day to advise me that she could no longer attend. She was sobbing out of joy that God had provided for her at the moment she needed it the most. Some people would call this coincidence. I call it God.

Christina's Corner: Amo a mis niños

Kiana & Christina

Every weekday I walk to a private school where I help out in the kindergarten class. The school is all in Spanish so for two hours I am forced to talk in Español. When I arrive at the school all the kids from the class run to the door where I am group hugged by them all (haha) but sometimes it is more like I am tackled! Every day I am tickled to death by one or all of the children. For those who don't know, I am super ticklish! It's hilarious to watch the kids as they do the funniest things! Like today for example, one boy was taking tape and sticking it to his stomach while his twin brother was rubber-stamping his arms up and down and they both think it's so cool! Every time I go to the school I pick up more words and that is exciting! It has been a true blessing to be a part of these kids lives!! I love them all so dearly. So, please pray that the Lord will keep giving me an understanding of Spanish while I have this opportunity at the school.  

 -Christina Pursley

Group Hug

Fernando thinks he is Batman

What a greeting!