El Salvador

Since I won't have my phone and internet is sometimes sketchy in El Salvador, I'm putting a link to our student site, just click on "news & updates".  Jody is hoping to update every day what we are doing in El Salvador, maybe a picture or two, but I wouldn't count on it :(  There is a time change, I believe either 2 or 3 hours, and the posts will be late at night, so you may have to read them the next day!  If I'm able I will update as I can!  Thank you again for continuing to pray for our team and we look forward to sharing when we get back!!!

Today is the day

Today I'm asking for you to prepare our teams HEARTS...pray that we will be open to the Holy Spirits leading, we will be obedient to God in whatever He asks of us, we will be open to sharing our faith with others, open to new things and experiences.  That being sad to leave our loved ones for a week would be replaced with comfort and excitement in being able to go and serve!  For a few of our students this will be the first time overseas, for a few this will be the first overseas trip without a parent with them or just leaving very difficult situations at home.  Pray that we wouldn't be preoccupied with the things at home, but focused on the task at hand!  Prepare our HEARTS for the week!

1 day

Today I'm asking for CONTINUATION...as I said this is a youth mission trip.  I'm asking for a CONTINUATION of God's leading in each of our lives.  As in any trip we will come back on a high, I pray that our team will continue to stay in God's word, studying God's word, staying in church, sharing God's love with others and being an example to those around us, keep that flame going!

2 days

Today I'm asking for SAFE TRAVELS...as I said earlier this week we'll be on a plane for about 4 hours, mostly over water (yikes), traveling by bus or taxi while in El Salvador, walking around sharing with the people of El Salvador and doing daily things.  Please pray for SAFE TRAVELS for our team before and during our trip!

3 days

Today I'm asking for PEOPLE...please pray for all the PEOPLE we will come in contact with on our journey, whether it be in the airport, on a taxi, people we meet on the street in El Salvador, children we visit, people we are able to minister to, or even people we can share our trip with when we get back!  We are called to be examples, please pray that all these different things we will experience, we will be able to show God through every aspect!  As one of my new favorite songs says "put your love glasses on"-see people through God's eyes, be compassionate and soften the hearts of the PEOPLE so we can share God's love with them!  

4 days

Today I'm asking for GOOD HEALTH...a few weeks ago at camp Jack got a cold, then I got it, then Emma (and about 2/3 of our youth group) .  It was a nasty cold that finally went away for me 13 days after it started!  Most of our students ended up at the doctor with either an upper respiratory infection or sinus infection, I decided to tuff it out and let my body fight it on it's own...so I'm asking for you to pray for GOOD HEALTH for our entire team.  Keep us free of sickness before we leave and also while we are away in a foreign country!  Please pray for our tummies, that we would not end up with any icky stomach viruses or any other tummy problems ;) because we are not used to the food in El Salvador!  I'm taking lots of vitamins to hopefully get my immune system ready to kick butt on some germs :)

5 days

Today I am asking for prayer for our KIDDOS.  My parents will be here to take care of them while Jody and I are away, I am absolutely confident that they will be completely taken care of, my prayer is for our KIDDOS to understand why we are going.  My immediate thought when I heard about this trip was "I can't leave our kids in the US while we (Jody) are both gone"...I even woke up one night this week so upset about our KIDDOS feeling like we were abandoning them, but Jody reassured me that we are being an example to them, God is worth it, He has called us to be "missionaries" and if He calls us somewhere we better go!  What a step of faith we are taking in both Jody & I leaving the country while our KIDDOS stay behind!  We are being obedient to God and we can be in no safer place than in God's will!  They are super excited that Papa & Wanka will be here with them for a whole week spoiling them, so we're also hoping this will help when we leave!  Please keep in mind they have never all 4 been away from Mommy & Daddy longer than a day or so, this will be a stretch!

6 days

Today I ask for PRAYER for our trip...I sent out about 50 support letters, and included self-addressed envelopes, my main motivation for sending out the letters was to gain PRAYER support.  This trip is a HUGE step for me and I need PRAYER support, unfortunately I only received a handful of the letters back :(  I'm hoping that everyone who received a letter will remember to pray for me even if they didn't send the slip of paper back saying that they would ;)  I am also a few hundred dollars short of fully funding my trip.  Although I am a worrier by nature, I was and am confident that God will provide the money I need, so this too is a PRAYER need!  If you are reading this and are willing and able to give you can do so through our church website by clicking here.

ONE week...

from today myself, Jody, 3 adult chaperones and 9 students will be on a plane from Atlanta, Georgia to San Salvador, El Salvador.  This has been an emotional week for me already, I can't imagine what next week will hold!  Emotional, I'm sure some of you are saying "Why?"  I like schedules, organization, things that are the same, it's my personality I've been this way as long as I can remember...this will be my first trip outside the US, this will be my longest plane ride (4hours), this plane ride will be over water a large majority of the time, I am leaving my 4 babies at home (in the safe care of my parents), we are traveling to latin America where things are extremely laid back and schedules look great on paper!  Jody has told me to remember 3 things...1. Flexibility 2. Flexibility 3.Flexibility.  Me and flexibility don't get along too well, don't get me wrong since marrying Jody, having 4 kiddos, being in ministry, student ministry, I have HAD to be flexible, I'm not saying I can't or won't, it is just not "normal" for me!  Already this week I've been pushed outside my comfort zone.  God has already been teaching me so many things, revealing so many obstacles in my life, things I need to change, that have been strong holds in my life for so long, things I never realized until a few days ago!  I'm excited to be in El Salvador, to be obedient in following where God is leading me, it's the getting there that will be the hardest!  So for the next 7 days I'm asking all of you to please pray for this Mama, scared to leave her babies, scared to try something new, just scared in general, but willing :)  And for the next 7 days as we are in El Salvador...  

Hey guys, I'm back...AGAIN!  We've been beyond super busy these past few weeks!!!  I'll have to do a whole months worth of updates once we get back from El Salvador, but I didn't forget you, I seriously haven't had the time to get on here and get a blurb & picture out!  Stay tuned for updates about our trip to El Salvador next week!!!