CLOSING THOUGHTS…

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Interns, Short-Term Missions -

Today’s blog is in Madalyn Chevalier’s words. She just finished a five month internship with us and she had some closing thoughts as she finished the last weeks of her internship.  So many wonderful things have happened that I barely know where to start! The more I think about it, the most ministry comes from friendships created with clients. Yes we provide therapy.Yes, we provide drug-dependency workshops. But that is not the whole story. It is dangerous and decieving to just tell one story. Yes, El Salvador has issues but if you choose to only listen to one story, you will never hear of the continued rise in healing and revival. You will never hear of the miracles happening every day as people find hope in Jesus. Not because us […]

BBQ WITH A CAUSE

Immigration, Lighthouse Resource Center, Urban Ministry -

There are many things that we hope for our clients, but I think one of our biggest hopes is that they will dream big dreams. Maybe they will dream for the first time, or maybe they will start dreaming once again. About 6 months ago, I sat down to eat lunch with Oscar. He has been in and out of our programs for a few years. During COVID, he came to our shelter where he was able to jump start his sobriety. Now he is one of our “clients in transition” meaning that he is taking great steps forward in recovery, and working on transitioning back into full reintegration into society. He is committed to spiritual growth through our Bible studies, he is being coached and mentored by our case […]

NO DAYS OFF

A New Dawn -

“Recovery is something that you have to work on every single day, and it’s something that doesn’t get a day off.”  -Demi Lovato In my own life, I have been privileged and blessed to have some of my hardest battles reserved for adulthood. In many ways my growing-up years were free from some of the big hurts and traumas that so many others face. As an adult, I came to understand that wasn’t true for many, many people in the world.   It certainly isn’t true for many people in El Salvador, and many children and teens are facing truly life-defining battles. Among them are the residents in our New Dawn Residential Program. This is our program for children and teens between the ages of 10 and 17 that struggle […]

WHEN DEATH WORKS BACKWARDS

Holidays, Life in El Salvador, Lighthouse Resource Center, Thinking About God -

“When a willing victim who has committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.”        -C.S Lewis in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe We are about to begin Holy Week in El Salvador. The week is observed around the country in various ways, but this year I hope to have some quiet moments to reflect on what it means to go from death to life, and to see death itself overcome. The quote is from a children’s book beloved by many. The hero of the story is Aslan and he is ultimately resurrected. The words above come from his mouth as he shares the greatest secret of all…when a perfect sacrifice dies for a […]

ONE YEAR IN

A New Dawn, Crossing Cultures, Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Kids at Risk, Lighthouse Resource Center, Natural Disasters -

Who else is stepping into March wearily? It is one year into the pandemic and we are all tired.   In El Salvador, children can be seen everywhere all the time because schools have yet to open for in-person classes. There are still people on the side of the highway waving white flags, but thankfully far less than there used to be. Lots of people are looking for work, or for extra work to make up for income lost over the strictest phase of the lockdown. Others are still searching for ways to pay for damages to their homes and property suffered from the tropical storms that slammed El Salvador last year.   Our clients are facing some new challenges too, and many people have joined our daily lunch line […]

Four Simple Ways to Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking -

Human trafficking is a tragedy. Over 40 million people around the world today are being exploited for the financial gain of their traffickers. Men, women, and children are living in modern day slavery, an industry that generates billions each year. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and so we hope you will pause for a moment to consider the issue. It’s a problem right here in El Salvador too. We are working to prevent this evil among those who are vulnerable, and to help those who have survived to find healing. Factors like poverty, violence, gang involvement, and family disintegration put people at risk of being trafficked. It feels big and heavy. What can we even do when we are faced with such a huge and global evil? Today we […]

Survival Kits for the Holidays

Holidays, Lighthouse Resource Center -

Perhaps the most amazing miracle we have seen in 2020 is unexpected sobriety for our clients. It began in the quarantine shelter that we opened during the strictest phase of El Salvador’s lockdown, and since that time 9 of our clients have had tremendous success in their recovery. Many of them are now facing their biggest challenge yet…the Christmas break. Our regular programs are on hold for the holidays, so our team has worked hard to develop a strategy to provide the best possible plan of success for our clients. Through a series of therapy sessions, we have rolled out “kits” for vacation providing all kinds of tools to help our clients manage the free time, triggers, and other stress that the holidays bring. The kits include an exercise guide, […]

Together We Give

Fundraising, Holidays, Thinking About God -

One of the things that has continued to strike me about 2020 is the depth of global suffering. The world has been united in grief, in sickness, in sorrow, and in disappointment. The loss of family members, the closing of businesses, and the cancelling of graduations have been felt in every corner of the world. Of course, in some countries the losses have been greater, and the recovery will be harder. But there is a sense of global solidarity in suffering. There is a sense that none of us are alone in this, despite our isolation…it still all seems so heavy, doesn’t it? But what if we decided to turn the tables and instead rally together in global generosity? In global kindness? And in global hope? Every year, Giving Tuesday […]

What Are Their Names?

Family, The Lighthouse Project, Thinking About God -

This week as I sat in San Salvador traffic with my kids, we noticed a woman across the other side of the street. We know her as a regular client at the Lighthouse Resource Center. I hadn’t seen her in awhile and I mentioned her name. My 13 year old jumped in to correct me. My heart sank in conviction. “You say you care about the poor…then tell me, what are their names.” This quote by Latin American theologian Gustavo Gutierrez came instantly to mind and cut me to the core. Funny how just words can be used by God’s Spirit to twist something inside of us, and funny how easy it is for our mental focus to move away from people and onto projects and programs. In a few […]

Keep Dreaming!

A New Dawn, Free the Girls, Fundraising, Lighthouse Resource Center, Thinking About God, Urban Ministry -

This year has brought hardship, but it hasn’t kept our clients from dreaming. There are still goals, and aspirations…there is still hope! It truly is the Salvadoran way, and we are privileged to be “dream facilitators” here at Mission To El Salvador! As we begin this process of reopening, we are working to help our clients reflect on what was lost, and take a moment to regroup and begin to dream and plan for the future once again. We invite you to join us in “listening in” on some of our clients’ own stories of surviving so far this year with dreams intact. When COVID struck, New Dawn had to close down and shift to a virtual model. The boys didn’t want to leave and their families weren’t quite prepared […]

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