Fundraising

GROWING COMMUNITY

Pretty much everything I try to plant and grow dies. I don’t do a great job of pulling the weeds out at the right time, or giving the plants the right amount of water to drink. I don’t block the sun or allow it to shine in the right amounts. In short, I’m not very good at cultivating green things. When I think of cultivating I think of creating an environment where growth can happen. Setting things up, adding the right elements, taking the right obstacles away, and then setting the plants free to do their thing. I like to think that maybe community can work in a similar way. What if we could cultivate a community? Feed it, protect it, help it to grow? That would truly be something […]

Together We Give

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 […]

Keep Dreaming!

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 […]

Working to Stop the Bleeding

As an organization our focus is primarily on development, utilizing a faith-based model with a focus on relationships, discipleship, and long-term commitment to our community. In January we were all excited about another year of working to help our clients continue to develop and grow. But then the whole world started bleeding. In El Salvador, we pivoted to staunch the flow. Our first move was to open an emergency shelter to provide a space for the homeless community to “shelter in place” when El Salvador went into martial law lockdown. We simultaneously pivoted to move the New Dawn Residential Program to a virtual model and suspended all of our regular programs. The order came to close emergency shelters and we pivoted once again to provide assisted housing and family reunification […]

Keeping Dreams Alive in El Salvador

This past year has been unprecedented, at least in our lifetimes. When we look back at January and see all that we planned and all that we hoped it’s almost ridiculous…we made plans and we had dreams with no idea what was in store. Perhaps it’s been more serious for you or your family…you lost a loved one or got sick yourself. Maybe you counted on a project or an account that never came through, or on making that sale, or keeping that job..and here you are in October and it feels like everything is gone. So many of our clients are in that exact position. For many of them they were just starting to get ahead for the very first time in their lives. They had begun building a […]

Let’s Run Against Trafficking!

Human trafficking is a major issue facing our world today. Things like violence, poverty, gender-based violence, and family breakdown are all factors pushing vulnerable women, children, and even men into human trafficking in El Salvador. Many of those we serve are particularly vulnerable to this horrendous crime. Every year in Colorado, MTES has a team participate in the Justice Run to raise funds to support our efforts to fight human trafficking in El Salvador. Those efforts include support and reintegration for survivors, and resources for vulnerable populations to prevent trafficking in the first place. This year the Justice Run is going virtual! That means that any time from now until October 4th you can run or walk from anywhere in the world! We will be running here in El Salvador […]

One Big Story – Una Gran Historia

Sharing a story is no small thing. Earlier this month, Jon and I stood in front of a packed room to share pieces of our story, and pieces of our clients’ stories all woven together. Sharing a story is a sacred and holy thing. Especially when those stories pull in pains and joys and successes and heartaches. We were at our 2nd Annual Gala for Growth and the purpose of sharing those stories was to remind us all that we are part of one big community, we all have a part in that story. Our gala was held just north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is far removed from the streets of San Salvador but there is still a community there because so many who packed that room have given, have […]

Ending the Poverty of Community – Terminando con la Pobreza de la Comunidad

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”  The words above were said by Mother Teresa who spent her life with and for the poor. She lived with those who experienced extreme physical poverty, but she learned that there is a greater poverty still…the poverty of community. We meet so many people who have come to the end of the line, who have come up short after churning through their physical resources. They may come for food or clothing, but they stay because they are searching for a place to belong. A place to feel loved, a place to be cared for and remembered…a community. Perhaps overcoming the poverty of […]

Join Hands For Freedom – Unirnos Por Libertad

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are almost here! I’m sure you have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but have you heard of #GivingTuesday? It’s a worldwide movement of generosity celebrated across social media and it is coming up next Tuesday, November 28! We want to kick off the holiday season by inviting everyone to JOIN HANDS FOR FREEDOM for kids with addictions! A child on the streets has a high risk of being trafficked or recruited into a gang. Our New Dawn program is the only live-in treatment option for kids with addictions in El Salvador. Would you consider joining us on or before Giving Tuesday by making a donation of just $25 for New Dawn? How about getting 3 or your friends to do the same! […]

Two Years

Two years. That is the amount of time that Rodrigo* has been living on the streets. As a 13 year old, he  was forced to leave everything familiar. His family, his school, his friends, and his neighborhood. He had to leave because staying meant death. The truth is, El Salvador has the highest child homicide rate in the world. Teenage boys are most at risk. Rodrigo’s life was threatened. Join us or die.  That is the message falling on too many young ears around El Salvador today. Be a criminal, or die at the hands of one. Kill, rob, extort or be a victim yourself. Rodrigo fled and found a new home. A 13 year old sleeping on a bed of gritty pavement, eating out of the garbage, looking for something […]

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