YWAM

Ministry Center Update

I am going to try to put into words the amazing things that have been happening in El Salvador regarding the community ministry center. When we set out to open this ministry center, we did so with a lot of praying and a lot of hoping. We weren’t sure what the timeline would look like, or where the funds would come from. Friends, I am excited to share that in just a few weeks time all of the needed $80,000 to purchase this center have been donated! Yes, the FULL amount! We never in our wildest dreams imagined that we would have the funding so quickly. Literally, we are still shaking our heads in disbelief that this has even happened. There is nothing to do but express our gratitude to […]

Training Workshop on Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking. It’s a hot topic right now in the States, and it’s a global problem affecting millions every day who are living as slaves. Many of them are children. It is happening in the U.S., in Asia, in Africa, in Europe…in every corner of the globe people are being bought and sold. It’s happening in Central America too…right here in El Salvador there are victims. Many are being moved through Central America, or have been deceived into believing they have the chance for a better life in the U.S., so they trust the wrong person. As I talk to many around San Salvador, there is little information available on the problem. There is little awareness of what human trafficking actually is and how to recognize it. We ourselves are […]

Playing it Safe

How often have you found yourself praying for safety? For smooth travels or for quick healing? I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard people pray for good health, or for protection. Is this really what we should be praying for? What if our prayers became more about wanting to know God in every situation, and less about seeking personal safety? How many people in the Bible lived in safety? How many had good health? Not many! Instead we see wars, lion’s dens, and crosses on the pages of Scripture. Shouldn’t this be a wake-up call to us? What if we spent our prayer times asking God to take us into the most dangerous, and the deepest, darkest places to bring light in His name? What if our desire to obey Him […]

Roberto Update

We want to say thank you for everyone who has stepped forward to sponsor Roberto as he participates in the Discipleship Training School through YWAM El Salvador. The lecture phase of the school, and the practical field assignment have been completely sponsored by our generous donors! Thank you! Right now we are a month into the school, and he is really enjoying being in the classes and making friends with all of the staff and students. He is also learning to read and write little by little and everyone is cheering him on. Thank you so much for your support for Roberto, and please continue to pray for him!

From the Streets to the Beach

Last Saturday Jon, some of the staff, and a few volunteers took the guys from The Lighthouse Homeless ministry to La Libertad for another beach day!  The guys who are involved in The Lighthouse rarely get out of the city. They spend their days trying to earn some cash, and their nights sleeping on the streets. But at the beach, they were like children running into the waves and playing in the sand.  The guys loved seeing the fishing boats coming in to unload the day’s catch onto the pier, and eating fresh seafood right out of the Pacific. San Salvador is about 30 minutes from the closest beach, but these men don’t have the opportunity to see the beautiful beaches of their own country. One man in particular was overjoyed to see the ocean. […]

Journeying

“This has been such an incredible journey.” I think that phrase is required for any indiviudal taking part in a reality TV show of any kind from an on-screen search for a husband, to making the cut on America’s Got Talent. It also seems to be scripted for all the Olympians who were competing for gold last week. I think the Olympic athletes were closer to the mark with describing their experience training and competing as a “journey.”  A journey implies going the distance. It implies a long road with ups and downs, twists and turns, challenges and joys along the way. There is failure and learning involved. Right now, at the YWAM base we have nine individuals on their own journey. They have made the choice to dedicate five […]

That’s A Wrap

Today we are wrapping up our first ever summer internship! The summer has gone so smoothly, and we really have our two great interns to thank for it! Heather will be flying back to the States tomorrow, and LeAnna will be staying for a few more months to do the Discipleship Training School here at the YWAM base. These girls have just been awesome as they have wrestled through issues of cross-cultural communication, poverty, and how God fits into it all. They have dedicated themselves to serving God and the people of El Salvador with a passion. I have learned so much from them as they have jumped right into ministry. For me, I find that after two and a half years I waver in my passion from time to […]

Small Successes

In El Salvador, many times we count the small successes as big ones. This weekend we are rejoicing in one such success. Three years ago, we were fundraising and in the process of transitioning out of our home in Pittsburgh. Our main goal for moving to El Salvador was to enter into the lives of the people of El Salvador, particularly the fatherless. We had a dream of seeing the fatherless connected with their true Father, and to see them begin a life-long journey of coming to know Him. Beyond that, we also came with the hope of bringing physical and emotional healing and seeing people’s lives change holisticly. The thing we have learned is that small successes come by small steps. Day by day, moment by moment walking through […]

Celebrations!

This weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind! It started last night when the kids celebrated many cultures around the world at their school’s annual “A Taste of the World” cultural festival. They attend an international school so there are students from all over the world in their classes. I love the fact that they are getting an education in such a culturally rich environment. As part of the festival, the students could view cultural exhibits presented by the parents, taste international food at food booths sponsored by the high school students, and participate in performing traditional dances. Ian’s class dressed as African animals and danced to music from the movie “Madagascar” while Tori’s class dressed in traditional Indian dress and performed to Indian music. This afternoon, we attended an event […]

Granada and Lake Nicaragua (Trip to Nicaragua – Part 3 of 3)

Last week we had one “tourist day” squeezed in between the end of the leaders’ conference and the start of the Regional Conference with all the YWAM staff from Central America and Mexico. After visiting Apoyo Lagoon, we headed to the colonial city of Granada. I love history and architecture and Granada did not disappoint. Founded in 1524, it was the first city in mainland America. It has both Spanish and Moorish influence in the architecture and design. Granada was a thriving port located on the massive Lake Nicaragua, which provided trade to the Atlantic through a river. It also left the city vulnerable to pirate attacks as the pirates could sail in from the Caribbean, down the river, through the lake and to Granada. I thought the pirate thing was […]

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