This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to go on my 1st overseas mission trip. We went to Santa Ana, El Salvador and helped the church of Elohim. We met many wonderful people there. Many of the people there live in 1 room homes made of metal. Some of these houses had only 3 walls or had no door so it was open to animals or people. It was not unusual to see dogs or chickens roaming around inside homes or in the church.
The people of Elohim showed us a lot of love. It was such a blessing to see how much they loved and supported each other and they extended that love to us as well. Worshipping with them was an experience I hope to never forget. In spite of their living conditions they know what it means to be content whatever your circumstances.
Some of the things that we helped with were painting, putting a roof on a building, and lots and lots of digging and moving loads of dirt by wheelbarrow. We moved a large wall of dirt to create a driveway in front of the church. We also had 2 sessions of vacation bible school. We sang songs in Spanish with the kids, made salvation bracelets and did face painting and recreation. I found out that teaching 3-5 year old who don’t speak English how to play Tug-of-war is not an easy task.
The women of the church spent many hours of the day in the kitchen cooking meals for us. The men of the church worked side by side with us. Seeing us get out there and work was very motivating for them and these men often got started working before we arrived in the mornings and continued to work after we had quit for the day.
This was an amazing and unforgettable trip. I would encourage anyone who has never been on a mission trip to take the opportunity if you can.
-Sarah
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