We have been using an awesome tool called Soularium to start spiritual conversations with students and lead into the gospel. It is a survey with pictures including the one above. And I can proudly choose this picture to represent my heart these days. I have truly come to a place of contentment.

In the past week the Lord has given me a genuine joy in being here. I am proud to call El Salvador my home, and feel like I actually live here. I admit that the adjusting period took some time for me. It has been a challenge to live thousands of miles away and walking through changes in personal life, living situation, and freedom. During that time it has been easy to cling to the luxuries and relationships that the states offer and remember that this is just a year of my life.

But now in my heart I know that I am not just visiting. I am excited that my life is here, my friends are here, and God has big plans here that include me. Even today it was reassuring to be on campus and run into four groups of students that I have been developing relationships with. And this freedom of walking in the Spirit and taking hold of the plans God has is accompanied with the greatest contentment.

This is the most exciting thing gmail could have said to me today..

For the past 4 weeks I have been working so hard to get my first update out. I admit that it was slightly delayed in the first place, but technology for sure spun me in some circles. I don't want to give away anything, but I do believe that the update is well worth the wait. Some things I faced in the past few weeks.. a small scanner, limited illustrator abilities, borrowing a roommates computer and graphic design genius, miscommunication with the letter service, large files, inability to send large files, inability to downsize files..etc. But today we have success and hopefully you will hear all is well and the great plans God has for El Salvador!!

I other things, last Sunday was one of the most Salvadorian days I have had. It started with a church service with one of our good friends Elisa. She attends the first Christian church that was ever planted in El Salvador. After an encouraging service talking about trusting the Lord and his provision for our needs, we went to a local mall to have lunch with Elisa and her friends and most of their families. Imagine 40 of us in a mall food court, surrounded by several other groups doing the same thing. After that we went with Raul and Catterina (a younger married couple, Raul is a student's older brother) and their two year old daughter Gaby to a coffee plantation on top of the volcano. We packed around 18 of us into three cars and drove up the mountain to enjoy a slow afternoon of each others company, talking about life in El Salvador, learning Spanish, politics, the economy and everything in between. All in Spanish of course.






Here is a picture of our view from the table. It was gorgeous and a true blessing to be completely accepted as a part of a normal Sunday afternoon with these students. And we have an open invitation into the lives of this family at any time.







To the right is a picture of the girls from the day.

From left Brenna, Kristen, Jenna, Lauren, Elisa, Me, and Gabriella.

Soon to come: pictures from the campuses I am working on. Minsitry updates. Pictures from Jenna's birthday- Salvadorian style!

Welcome to my blog!!

I realized that update letters are just not enough. A one sided once a month run through will not suffice to the works that God has already done and will do during this year in El Salvador. So welcome to the more frequent update station, hopefully I can fill you guys in on whats already gone on.

I would love to share the vision that the national staff have for their country. Layo and Luchi Leiva are the regional directors for Campus Crusade for Christ in the Caribbean and Latin America and the national directors for El Salvador. They are working and praying for a movement of college students that will influence the future and make an impact on their country. They want to connect students to Jesus and then to a community of believers of all ages and social statuses in order to give them more opportunities to change their world and serve the needs of their country. In order to be able to acheive this goal, my team has been split into two smaller groups to influence four campuses rather than two. Although this change can be very hard on our team (it separates us and gives us completely opposite schedules) we are seeing the Lord's hand in ministry. We are bringing together the staff team and already developing relationships with students and walking alongside them as they follow Jesus.

I plan to update at least twice a week, so keep checking out whats going on. I have tons of encouraging stories and cultural mishaps to share.

Until next time,
Frijolita (my Salvadorian nick name)