Life here in the “Valley of the Hammocks” has been difficult for many Salvadorans. As we are living here and getting to know many people we realize how much suffering has been endured in this country. El Salvador suffered a civil war in the 80s which took 75,000 lives including those of inspirational religious and political leaders. Many natural disasters have plagued the nation including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, mudslides, and volcanic eruptions.  Many of these disasters have come one after the other. High crime from gang activity and economic hardship have most recently affected this country and all of these leave many people worried, fearful, or unsure of what will happen next.

The beauty of the country and the people exists side by side with the suffering and pain. All of this has caused me to question why I am here and what I can really do. How can our family even begin to make a difference here? But really for me it comes down to obedience. Because I am honestly not here because I can do something great. I am here because I want to follow Christ and He wants me here. So as we make our life here in the Land of Volcanoes, I am left wondering what road we are on and where it’s leading. I don’t know the answer to these questions but I am grateful for the chance to walk this path.

Exploring Volcan San Salvador!

The cinder cone of San Salvador volcano is visible deep within the crater.

This gives an idea of how massive this volcanic crater is.

What a beautiful place...so glad we went!

On the way down the volcano we took this beautiful picture of yet another volcano, Volcan Illogpango with Lake Illopango visible in front of it. We can see the top of this volcano with the sun rising behind it each morning...it's beautiful.

We stopped to eat at a restaurant on our way back into the city...we had this view of the surrounding mountains.