El Salvador Mission Report - Day 7, Lee G.
Aug 18, 2010Last night something hilarious happened. Delon saw Pastor Tara throwing out papaya seeds and was like, “What are you doing?!” He said that he used to eat papaya seeds in the islands and we were crazy for throwing them out. I personally would never think to eat them because they look like fish eggs but Delon exlaimed, “We used to eat those by the spoon full!” So Pastor Tara invted him, “Go ahead!” So Delon took a big spoon full and shoved it in his mouth. At first he was all into it like, “This is medicine in the islands dude!” I looked away for a second and then looked back to find his face with this serious, distraught expression. He was chewing slowly now with his mouth slightly open and then… “I was wrong. I was wrong… These things taste like shoe polish! I just ate motor oil! It burns! My stomach!” We laughed so hard we cried. That was rich.
Earlier that night I did my first alter call. No one came forward but a young couple decided to be baptised that night. I’m falling in love with the church I’ve been preaching at, La Providencia in El Salvador. The people are so kind and sincere. Even though we don’t speak the same language there is always such reverance, respect and love in the worship and I know I will miss them when I go.
It was obvious today that we were sleep-deprived. Everyone was on edge but we still had some big laughs. Today the group had an all-time high of arguments. 9 out of 10 conversations quickly turned into disputes within minutes and we hit a new record by 1:30 PM! And best of all, we’re in a foreign country and can’t escape each other! Today we went to the grocery store to get pens, crayons and notebooks that we’ll give to young students at a school tomorrow. On our way back home the car was overpacked so we had to squeeze four people into the back seat and I got the privelage of riding with my head out the window like a dog down a busy El Salvadorian city street; breaze blowing in my face and squinted eyes shielded by my glasses. I looked up at the vibrant blue sky with whisps of white clouds wondering if the sky in Philly looked the same… Probably not.
I gazed ahead as we sailed towards a huge green mountain clothed with trees grass and shrubs that stood proud and tall like a prize against the sky, causing the brightly colored houses and stores we passed to seem pale in comparison. I smiled in awe as I beheld this small piece of the beautiful earth God has made. We have tainted, imposed on and corrupted this planet with sin but one day God will cleanse and make it new again. I look forward to that day and am enjoying telling people in El Salvador that it’s coming soon and all we have to do is confess our sins to Jeusu Christ and accept him to be part of it. Please continue to pray that God will work through us so we can touch hearts and bring people to Christ. Thank you for your support and prayers.
Sincerely and with love,
Lee G
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