Fours months ago I left California to live and serve in El Salvador, and now with Christmas quickly approaching, I am finally beginning to feel like I am settling in.
As most of you know it is not my first time on the mission field – or in Latin America, but my time here so far has required many adjustments. The biggest of them for me has been learning to serve in a church the size of the city that I came from. With over 30 active ministries, it is always busy – there is always something going on – and always something to do. Suffice it to say that over these four months I have been slowly learning what it really means to be teachable, flexible, and available for cross cultural work.
The first test I faced in getting established was that of patience and trust as I started looking for a place to live, and safe transportation. There is something intimidating about living on your own in a foreign country. At first the excitement of so many new things pushes you forward, but then after the excitement fades, it begins to feel like you're climbing a mountain without the right equipment. And yet even without really knowing exactly what I was doing, the LORD brought me up to the top – with the help of a few new friends here, the prayers and support of many in the states, and the patience and love of the fiancee He brought alongside me.
There were many divine appointments along the climb up of course – most notably of which was the privilege Rebeca and I had of praying with a 35 year old man while buying a refrigerator, who had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He accepted the LORD that day, and passed away only two weeks later. What a blessing to know He is with the LORD.
English Class
Immediately after renting an apartment and buying a car, I was asked to start teaching several English classes in one of the church plants outside of the city. It seems that everywhere I have been I have been asked to teach English, and every time it has been a challenge for me to do it well. How do you teach someone a foreign language – especially one that is so overly complicated? If you don' t personally think English is very complicated, just think about the 'i' before 'e' rule, and all of it's complications.
But behind the pretense of English being difficult to teach (and it is), was something entirely different – I didn't really want to teach English, and would have much rather been teaching the Bible. But as Jonah most assuredly learned before me, the only way for someone to be fruitful in the kingdom of God is through obedience- whether we feel like doing it or not. It is only after we have begun to act in obedience that we start to 'feel like obeying'. And even though Jonah was very bitter after having watched God work on the people of Nineveh, he was obedient enough afterwards that he went on to write about the whole thing– which makes me think that Jonah, too, learned this same lesson. So, since the beginning of October, when the LORD provided me with an apartment, I have been teaching English several hours a day and am beginning to enjoy it. The classes began with my teaching seven different groups of students, five days a week. My students range from 5-60 years old, and include two groups of orphans, one adult class of new believers, and twice a week tutoring sessions with one of the Pastors of a church plant outside of the capital – who (after much prayer from many in the states) has also been a great source of encouragement and one of the few here I am able and comfortable seeking out for counsel.
Teamwork and Flexibility
So, just as I began to feel comfortable (or almost comfortable) teaching English, I was asked to take a two week hiatus to help with some special events in the Capital. Calvary Chapel San Salvador was celebrating their 17th anniversary, and would be hosting a week of evangelistic 'Anniversary Dinners' as well as an hour long Christmas performance each night, and a dozen or so parties for Children attending the services. I was moved temporarily back to capital, and asked to work with a ministry team of missionaries from Potter's Field Ministries. What ensued were long hours of decorating, prop building, cleaning, errand running, and table setting, and waitering for 12 straight days, 12 hours a day. During all of the hard work, more than 2000 dinners were served, 400 new people visited the church, and nearly 100 people accepted the LORD as their savior. It was a huge stretch for me – I personally can't remember having worked so much 'overtime' before, but even more was the feeling that this year I was 'missing thanksgiving'. The reward of course, is that of knowing that the kingdom of God is growing – and of course the fellowship I was able to share with the other missionaries. As iron sharpens iron – so I was sharpened during our time of fellowship, though certainly it was not without challenges.
Love is Patient
Rebeca and I have also both been blessed, of course, as we continue in our pursuit of God together, and our walk forward towards marriage. We have faced many challenges as well – it has been a challenge to learn how to spend time together while balancing two different schedules, as well as how to deal with all of the new hurdles to jump over as I further incorporate myself into her already tight knit family. We have also been wrestling with planning a practical wedding – with the challenge of finding a date that fits into her University schedule. Through it all we have both been challenged and encouraged by the biblical standard of true love as seen in 1Corinthians 13, knowing that even when we are found incapable – Jesus, who has already completed this standard, is ever ready to help us walk it out through the empowering of His Holy Spirit. We have both found that, above all else, patience is something that we both need to grow in.
Looking forward with Thankfulness
After two weeks of literal table serving (Acts 6:2-3), I am preparing to serve in children's ministry as we start up several VBS's in various church plants around the country during the next 8 weeks of vacation. My exact role in all of this isn't entirely clear, though I can assume that I will be very busy. I am blessed to be able to work with so many children, and, hopefully impact their lives for Christ (Big thanks to Pastor Bill and Pastor Ben for the crash course in VBS they gave me this summer - I know it will be put to great use). This week I am also looking forward to final exams for School of Ministry. Whatever the Lord brings, I know that He will use it to take me further along the path He has laid out for me, and prepare me for what lies ahead.
In the end, my time so far has been overflowing with many people, places, and things for which to be thankful. I am continually learning every day, though above all else, I find that God is continually reminding me of His great love, and constant faithfulness.
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