July 2025
Hi amigos!
These past few months Ado and I have been struggling to understand and trust God's timing. We are still living at my in-law's house, still waiting on the building permits to begin construction on our house. Frustrating. However, last week we felt the Lord prompting us to shift our attitudes towards our situation. Comfort, as much as we enjoy it, can also be our enemy. We've realized that in these past six months we've really gotten comfortable. In our routines, in our home, in our faith, in the church. Does that ever happen to you? One of the mission group leaders asked me last week, "Why do you think the church hasn't grown in the last few years?" Ufff, that's a hard one to hear, but at the same time it's not hard to answer. As a church we've gotten comfortable too. We're not sharing the Gospel, not inviting people to church. God knew we needed a prompt to change our attitudes and shift our perspective, and that's what he did for us!
CDI
The CDI has been buzzing with the energy of new little ones! We recently brought in 11 new faces between the ages of 4-6, sometimes it seems more like a kindergarten than an after-school program 😅 It's been sweet getting to know them. About a month ago Marielos (the CDI director) and I went to a local kindergarten to talk to moms about the CDI. We've since had a boom in interest for the CDI! We constantly have moms come in and ask about how their kids can be part of the program. Praise God!
A huge praise is that Esther is back at the CDI! She is taking it slow, as she still experiences headaches but we are so happy to have her back with us!
Missions 2025
This past week we hosted a group of 11 from Rock City, and what an incredible week it was! The Lord used each member of the group in an incredible way, not only to be a blessing to the church and the community but also to renew our passion for the work God is doing and to encourage us in ways that only God knew we needed. We started out the week building beds for 8 new CDI kids which they delivered throughout the week. Monday and Tuesday where we did a medical brigade in the community center. One member of the group was a neurologist, who had previously spent 2 weeks in Honduras, and the week before the group came in San Salvador and Soyapango seeing patients. People were lining up to see her, especially since her speciality is migraines and headaches, (I would say every 1 in 3 people suffer from those here). Our local clinic doctor also invited a co-worker of his to participate, so we were fortunate to have the two of them as well as a nurse from the mission group. The clinic continued throughout the week, two days in the community and the rest of the week in the clinic at the church. The doctors saw over 200 patients throughout the week! The greatest part of the clinic was that every single patient heard the Good News of Christ. Members of the group sat down with everyone who came through the clinic and took some time to sit and talk with them. There were 20 known salvations throughout the week!
One particularly impactful experience was when one of the girls, Crystal, in the group came to ask me if the neurologist could talk to a couple about their baby daughter. The little baby looked to have down syndrome, and after talking to her parents we found out that they had gotten the genetic testing done, however none of the doctors would take the time to sit and talk to them about what the diagnosis would mean. Crystal asked me to talk to them, as she had just finished her bachelors degree in molecular biology, with the goal of obtaining a masters degree in Genetic Counseling! We sat down with the couple and she was able to explain what it was that their daughter most likely had, and what they meant for her and her family. She patiently answered questions for them, something that none of their doctors had done for them. I saw firsthand how God used her to give peace to a family that had been struggling for a long time to find answers for their daughter, and it was beautiful to see how the Holy Spirit led Crystal to have that conversation with them. That definitely wasn't a coincidence!
One reason that I love mission weeks so much is because it helps me see La Libertad with new eyes. Getting to experience the CDI and the community through people who have never been here renews my passion and reminds me of the need there is for Christ is the community. In the day-to-day here it's easy to go about my day and routine without getting out of my shell. This week reminded me that there are over 15 new kids in the CDI, which means 15 families who maybe don't know Christ! Going to a few of their houses and talking to the families, hearing about how 5 and 6 year olds go home after the CDI and tell their illiterate parents the Bible stories, moved my heart and served as an personal reminder of the difference our Bible lessons make in the lives of not only the kids, but their families and communities as well.
One of the beds the team made and delivered was to Matías, a little boy in the CDI. Matías broke his arm when he fell about a month ago, but his family didn't have the means to take him to get x-rayed right away, resulting in the cast being put over the unset broken bone. The doctors told his parents that there was a chance that as he grew the bone would restore itself. Please pray that Matías' arm would fully be healed correctly!
This house visit was really special because the whole family accepted Jesus!
Check out the video of the week here ⬆️⬆️⬆️
The Lingo Project
Two of the missionaries who were here run an English academy in Columbus for immigrants called The Lingo Project. About a month ago one of them called me and asked if we would be interested in adopting their model and starting a Lingo Project English academy here. I was a bit hesitant at first, not wanting to take on more than I could handle, but seeing the need and what an incredible outreach opportunity it would be, the Lord changed my heart. There are still lots of details to work out and volunteers to recruit, but I think God will do incredible things through an English academy at the church. The idea is to offer English at a more affordable rate than what's available here in La Libertad, and use the classes as a way to share the Gospel. With the increase in tourism here, there has also been an increase in interest to learn English. Please keep this project in your prayers as we figure out details, and that the Lord would provide the volunteers needed to get it up and running!
Pray with Me
- Pray for our church, that each member would feel the urgency to share the gospel in their day-to-day and that we will see the fruits of discipleship
- UPCOMING- Next week and the last week of July I will be in San Miguel assisting the GCLA church with two mission groups. Please pray for safety and health for these groups, and that many may come to know Jesus through their work
- For the house-building and permit process- that we would trust in God's timing and make the most of our time at my in-laws' house.
I hope you were encouraged as much by reading this update as I was writing it. Praise God that He doesn't give up on us! There is still work to be done, and if God gives us breath each day then He has already equipped us to do it. I am continually grateful that you're on this mission with us.
In Christ,
Alyssa
1 John 2:2
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
