Welcome friends, and greetings from El Salvador!
What better time to launch my blog then while I am visiting the beautiful country God is calling me to make my home. As always, I was welcomed upon arriving a few days ago with plenty of smiles and hugs (and pupusas) from my familia salvadoreña! I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in El Salvador right now before heading straight to Florida for new staff training with Reliant. Reliant is a missions agency that serves as a hub between the missionary, the local church, and the donors that support their work. During this training, I will get a full introduction to Reliant and learn all about raising support for my ministry work! After finishing that training, I will be back in Ohio to begin support-raising full-time.
As for when I’ll be moving to El Salvador full-time, the short answer is: I don’t know. Before moving, I must meet 100% of my support goal and attend a cultural training in Colorado. Right now, I am trusting God to provide everything I need to be able to move in early fall of 2016. If it is God’s will, I am sure we will be able to accomplish this together!
Dozens of people have asked me the same question:
“Why do you want to move to El Salvador?”
That question could take all day to answer, but I’ll do my best to sum it up for you. For me, it truly does not feel like an option. I was immediately in awe of this beautiful country during my first visit in March 2014, but since then my relationship with this place has grown much deeper. This isn’t about embarking on a great adventure or to help myself feel more cultured. I believe without a doubt that God is challenging me to sacrifice of myself and my home to serve Him in a place of great need. There is nothing more powerful in this world than an act of God, and it is apparent to all who go t
here that an act of God is occurring at the Children’s Development Centers (CDIs) where I will be serving.
The children in the communities I will be serving are born into a life of poverty and insecurity. Many don’t see a way out of this situation, and they grow up believing they are destined to continue this cycle into the coming generations. The mission of the CDIs is to restore hope in these children and their families, grounded in the relationship with Jesus that provides us everlasting freedom and power. That is why I want to do this. That is why I need to do this. Because even the forgotten are loved by God, and Jesus gave up everything to give them a chance to know Him.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. | Mark 10:45
If even Jesus, the Son of Man, perfect and holy, showed such passion and sacrifice, my only choice is to spend my life glorifying Him through serving where I believe God wants me to serve.
Although I’m not sure exactly what the coming months have in store for me, I do know that God led me to the CDIs and is continuously clearing the path for me to serve in El Salvador full-time. He has begun an incredible work in my heart for El Salvador, and I am trusting that because of my obedience he will carry it to completion (Phil. 1:6).
Prayer requests:
- That my time right now in El Salvador will give me a chance to refresh my spirit and strengthen my relationship with God and with the people I will be serving alongside when I move here.
- For an alert mind, ready to learn as much as possible while at training with Reliant Mission, February 2-9.
- For safe travels as I will be making my way from El Salvador, to Florida, then back home to Ohio within the next few weeks.
- For courage and guidance as I begin support-raising. I am praying that God will lead me to the right people to come alongside me in this mission.
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