Settling in and Thunder Storms

It's hard to believe a week and counting has gone by...Today is Friday and we arrived last Tuesday! Our days have mostly been filled with errands - stop by the mall, by the bank, by the post-office, by the schools, by the mall, by the bank, etc. But I feel like I'm already getting accustomed to the uniquely odd characteristics of this beautiful country. There are things that I would think should make me uneasy or feel unsafe - like the copious amounts of razor wire on top of buildings, or the random guards on every corner carrying guns...Yet I feel so at peace here.

Despite the fact that we are living in one of El Salvador's wealthiest communities, I'm very much aware that this is a third world country. And my team and I have been called to be servants here - to the staff, the students, and the people we come into contact with everyday. It's really no different than what we are called to do back in the United States, it's just that here, it has become our sole purpose. And there's a language barrier...Pero estamos aprendiendo! (We're learning!)

We attended our first staff meeting this past Monday morning at the Campus Crusade office building where we had a time of worship, a devotion, and prayer requests/testimonies. Kristen and Trevor then announced how our teams would be split (There are 4 campuses we will be doing ministry on this year and so our team decided to be spit in two and each team would be responsible for 2 campuses). On the Evangelica/Matias Campuses where we had already participated in a weekly meeting, the team members are: Trevor, Brandon, Lauren, Bean, and Brenna. Myself, Kristen, Marijke, Jeff, and Joe will be on the 2 other campuses: Tecnologica/Francisco Gavidia which are decidedly less affluent and closer to our equivalent of state schools. When we first learned of this split, we were all a little bummed out - myself included - mostly for a variety of reasons involving team unity. And after our team had our first meeting with the staff from our campuses, our hearts were torn. On one hand, we were so excited to finally be getting started and desiring to come alongside the staff and help in anyway possible, yet on the other hand, we realized that our schedules would look different than the rest of the team, and the inspiring vision that Layo had previously cast in regards to reaching the top leaders and future leaders of this country seemed to not apply to us quite as much...

After some evaluating, team discussion, and time to process - we realized that no matter where we are serving this year - we are here to do just that: serve. And God obviously has a purpose in putting us 5 on those 2 campuses. We may face a few extra obstacles (with language/students' availability and reliable transportation/distance to travel...) but God is fighting for us. He has put us here for a reason bigger than any of us can even begin to imagine right now - and ALL of us are so priviledged to be working for the God of the Universe. A friend of mine left me a wise reminder before I left - There will be great successes ahead - they might not all be easy, but all the stuff that matters rarely is.

It's raining right now. again. It rains a lot in El Salvador - it's the main reason why the land is so lush and green. I know we'll have a lot of rain in our ministry this year. It's inevitable. God doesn't promise an easy life - especially a life fully committed to following after Him. We're going to have to fight...but God is fighting with us and for us. He is a God that desires to give good gifts to his children. And I believe He is a God that desires to do a mighty work in the country of El Salvador. My prayer right now is that I would be diligent to seek God and obediently fight - in all kinds of weather.