December 2020

¡Hola familia!

There is so much to praise God for!! Part of me feels like this is a dream, that I'm finally here! And the other part.. well, it feels like I never left! It was definitely an interesting time to move, during a pandemic and right before two of our major holidays, but the Lord is faithful and I have been adjusting well. Gracias a dios (Thanks to God) I had the smoothest travel day I think I've EVER had, with not a single hiccup. I came home to a beautifully decorated and clean house, and immediately started the great shopping expedition. Coming with little meant having to purchase quite a bit for my house. Thanks to your generosity I was able to purchase a stove, fridge, microwave, kitchen cabinets, couch, dresser, and so much more. So THANK YOU!! My heart is so full of gratitude for you and the generosity and faith in God that you've demonstrated. 

My first week has been spent adjusting, setting up my house, meeting the neighbors, and getting familiarized with the behind-the-scenes functions of the CDI (Children's Development Center). I will be taking over the sponsorship portion of the CDI, which means I got to connect with different people that work for GCLA headquarters to help me get situated and get a feel for what the job will entail. After such a weird year we've had quite a few children leave the center, but gracias a dios we've had almost twice that amount start coming! I'm sad that I won't get to meet them until probably February (hopefully) but I'm thankful for this next month that I can use to get situated.

There's been ups and downs this week, as to be expected, and I'm sure there's plenty more to come. A few "yuck" moments, like figuring out that calling my bank to figure out a problem with only 5 hours of sleep will result in frustrated tears, got me down. But the "yay" moments, like when the little neighbor girls came sprinting out of their houses to say hola to me because they'd been anticipating my arrival, reminded me that the joy of little moments far outweighs even drawn-out frustrations.

A solid chunk of my time the first week was spent learning the ins and outs of the CDI (Children's Development Center) and what my role in it will be. Because of the pandemic we were unable to get kid's Christmas letters mailed to their sponsors on time, so I scanned them all and will send them out in the coming weeks so that their sponsors will have them in time for Christmas.



COVID-19 in El Salvador



Cases have been slowly going down here and we rarely go out, except when necessary. At the beginning of the week El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, announced that El Salvador would be one of 10 developing countries to receive 2.5 million doses of the new vaccine. They will be distributed starting in January and we're very hopeful that this will help get the ball rolling of life getting back to normal! As always, anything can happen. But as always, God is in control. Hopefully we'll be back to see the beautiful smiling faces of the CDI kids ASAP!


Pray with Me


  • For the health and safety of those in La Libertad and
    for continued healing for Marielos Claros. 

  • For a smooth transition into my new responsibilities
    and that the Lord would work through me
     
  • For wisdom, health, and protection in the holiday season
    as many people will want to get together.


As the end of the year approaches, I'm so excited to start thinking about what God has in store for 2021. Whether good or bad, He is faithful and everything that happens I can choose to use to draw closer to Jesus. 

I am profoundly grateful for your steadfast support this year. 2020 was not easy by any means, but no matter what trials you faced I hope you have seen the pure Goodness and Faithfulness of our Father. As the year draws to a close, I am $300 short of my month goal. Would you prayerfully consider increasing your monthly gift by $10, $25, or $50?


May you spread the light and love of Jesus this December! 

In Christ,
Alyssa
 

James 1: 2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

April 2025

By Alyssa Sooy • April 10, 2025
Hola friends, Is it just me, or is 2025 going waaaaaay faster than any year before? I can't believe it's April already! We've got lots of big updates, so grab a cup of coffee and get cozy!

October 2024

April 10, 2025
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August 2024

April 10, 2025
Hola familia, I'm excited to catch you up on everything that's been going on here over the last few months!

June 2024

By Alyssa Sooy • June 18, 2024
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