August 2024
Hola familia,
I'm excited to catch you up on everything that's been going on here over the last few months!
CDI
These last 2 months have been full of fun, sweet moments with the kids. We finished the book of Genesis! The story of Joseph is such an incredible reminder of the sovereignty of God and how he is working even in the midst of our trials when we can't see the big picture. This was a powerful topic to talk about with my class, since so many of them have experienced the unimaginable. We talked about how Joseph must have felt being sold into slavery, wrongfully accused, forgotten and despised and then seeing how the Lord brought him out of that situation for the good and future of his people. His response to his brothers when he reunites with them is an example of how surrendering to the Lord and letting the Holy Spirit work in our hearts can change our perspective on everything in our lives.
Next up is studying the life of Jesus with my kids. In addition to the devotional aspect of the reading, we are using the 4 Gospels to talk about perspective and how each story is written by a different person with complementing details on the account of his life. We spend 20-30 minutes each day reading from the Bible as a class. This not only is great for learning the stories in the Bible, but also is a vital part of practicing reading for the kids. A lot of my students tell me that in school all they do is copy lessons from the board, with very little reading practice. Most of my kids don't have books at home that they can practice reading with and the majority also don't have parents at home with them that are able to invest time in their learning. The academic, emotional and spiritual support they receive at the CDI is so important to their formation!
Mission Teams
This year I had the privilege of being a part of two different mission teams. Each was a unique experience, and an incredible reminder of God's faithfulness. Mission teams are a vital part of our church, giving us an opportunity to connect and serve the community in a unique way.
ETHOS
The first mission group this year was from Ethos Church in Columbus, OH to the GCLA church in San Miguel (2019 Church plant by Giovanni Bonilla and his family). I was able to join their trip to help out as a translator along with my sister-in-law Gaby, and a few other friends from La Libertad. They arrived in La Libertad on a Saturday and stayed for Church on Sunday, where one of the women from the group joined the worship team on stage to sing a bilingual version of Holy Forever by Chris Thomlin! It was such a cool experience.
The week was filled with school visits at two different schools, bed building and painting, concrete making, and bed deliveries. We were so thankful that although it was hot, it wasn't the typical "San Miguel" hot (it's typically between 95-100 degrees in SM). In the classrooms we talked to the kids about the gospel, played games, and taught them some fun chants from Ohio (O-H!).
It's really cool to see the impact and connections that Giovanni and his family have made in San Miguel over the last 5 years. Their house church is growing each year, and they are searching for a building to start meeting on Sunday mornings as well as a place to start up a future CDI. Please pray for Giovanni and his family as they continue to share the gospel and grow the church in San Miguel, and for their search for a meeting place! You can check out the video summary of the week here.
ROCK CITY
A few days after Ethos left we welcomed a group from Rock City Church in Columbus, OH to La Libertad! This group was unique because it was the first time that Rock City did a split trip, spending part of the trip in La Libertad and the other part in San Miguel. They had a focus on medical missions, hosting a clinic in a nearby community all day Saturday as well as 2 days in San Miguel at 2 different schools. The medical team was made up of one nurse practitioner and a pharmacist, and in the 3 days of clinic the NP saw over 150 patients!
In addition to the clinic the team also made and delivered 10 beds in the two cities (including one they carried straight up part of a mountain 😅. They spent a few days with the kids at the CDI and threw an awesome party for them as well! Although part of the team fell sick a few days into the trip, they were a tough group and continued serving the community the whole week.
On their last night in La Libertad we threw a Luau party with lots of leis and coconuts, complete with an award ceremony that the team had put together!
Check out the video summary of the week here!
Conexión
We are slowly seeing our youth group grow, with an average of 15 people coming consistently! This is a an answer to prayer for us, as we started out the year with an average of 8 people. In addition to this, we are seeing many new faces come to visit. Our prayer and desire for the members is that in them a desire would awake to seek the Lord and know his Word personally. After over a year of inviting him to join, Ado's boss even accepted his invitation to come! (He's near our age and they've known each other for years). He has been coming to church and youth group for over a month now. Praise God for the work he is doing in Conexión! Please join us in praying for the youth members.
This past Sunday we went bowling as a group and it was a blast! It's been years since I've gone bowling (and it showed in my score😂). Among the 14 people who went, only I and one other person had previously been bowling before, since there's only one bowling alley in all of El Salvador and it has a reputation for being expensive. The best part of the entire day was seeing the pure joy on everyones faces as they threw their first bowling balls, hovering as close to the lanes as they could. Not a person was found sitting down the entire hour, and everyone shouted for joy and cheered each other on after every turn. For something so common to me growing up, this was such a beautiful and unique experience! Afterwords we went to a city park nearby to walk around and spend the afternoon together. Definitely a day I will never forget!
PRAY WITH ME
- Financial support provision- that the Lord will provide the $464 monthly that we need to continue serving full time in La Libertad
- Health- sickness continues to plague our community- many kids are out with colds, covid and Dengue is still an imminent risk.
- For Conexión youth group to continue growing in their relationships with Jesus and to continue growing as a group
- For wisdom and patience as Ado and I pray about next steps in our ministry
Going on 4 years here in El Salvador, I don't take for granted the incredible support team that the Lord has provided for me. Your prayers are what sustain and propel my ministry and I am so grateful for you!
Love,
Alyssa
Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement.
