The End of Our Journey Here

Our last week in El Salvador and on the campus was just incredible. I had really been praying for God to do some awesome things the last 4 days of campus ministry. One of these things happened through a message on facebook I got from a guy at Matias who said he recognized me and was wondering what all of us from the U.S. were doing there. I told him about our ministry and how we love Jesus and that we had weekly meetings on campus. He was thrilled to hear that we were doing that there, and wanted to meet up with me and talk about it. When I talked to him in person on campus, I could tell he is a solid guy and really values his faith and wants to be more involved with VE. This was just totally a God thing for me. I didn't even have to find this guy myself while talking to students on campus. I believe that it was definitely a divine appointment for him to randomly see me on facebook.

The rest of the week continued to bring just more blessings, and God really poured into us during the rest of our ministry time. I had more really great conversations with students, including this awesome guy involved with VE named Juan Carlos. At our weekly meeting on campus 2, there was a great turnout again. There were more students that came who are really passionate about Jesus or are earnestly seeking spiritual meaning and truth and are thrilled to be connected with a Christian community at their own school. Another huge blessing was a farewell party we had that afternoon with all the students and staff from both Matias campuses who had been involved in that ministry. Several people from our team got to share encouraging stories in front of the group of different ways they had seen God's spirit really move and change the hearts and lives of students they had talked to, as well as of themselves. We also were told by several students and by Manuel and his wife Ceci how profoundly they had been impacted by our experiences together and how much they deeply appreciated and loved the work we had done and the time we spent in El Salvador. This all just gave me an enormous amount of joy inside. The whole project had been super rewarding, but it was at that point that I realized that it was much more worth it than I can express. Even through the days I didn't feel like talking to students or was tired or had a less than ideal attitude, I was totally sustained through dependence on my savior. Our whole team was in agreement after our time there that all our hard work had really yielded change and many touched lives. I really feel like I'm a different person in significant ways because of this trip. To top off a tremendous day, we had dinner that night with the STINT team of 7 students who had just flown in from the US to stay here and pick up the ministry where we left off. It was so great to talk with them, hear about how they had come to commit a year to missions in El Salvador, and share our wonderful experiences with them.


The Summer Project and STINT teams combined!

Friday through Sunday night, we stayed at a hotel in a different city for our debriefing. As a team and as individuals, we got to process through all that we had done, and all that we had learned from God about Himself, us, and other people. We were instructed on how to best prepare ourselves for the transition back into our once familiar lives in the States, and also on how to most effectively apply our experiences to our lives and continue with what we had learned.

If you would like to hear more about this trip, don't hesitate to ask me and I will tell you as much as you want to hear!

1 Week Left!

Time has flown by so fast since we got here. Funny how it never ceases to surprise me how fast life goes by. You would think I might've gotten used to it by now.

This past week on campus was just real great. It started off kinda rocky though, and most of us had trouble feeling like initiating conversations when we got to our respective campuses on Monday. I kind of think being off campus for a week threw us off a little, but some people definitely felt spiritually attacked and discouraged. Nothing that a little prayer and encouragement can't change! It was definitely an exciting week though. A few more people made decisions for Christ, and also a lot of great conversations and divine appointments. One really cool example is that 2 people from our team talked to 2 girls on campus who said they had heard there was Bible study opportunities on campus and that they were carrying around their Bibles until they ran into somebody who could tell them more about it. Our 2 students were totally thrilled and blown away by that. Definitely not a coincidence. I really don't believe in coincidences though. On the Matias campus 2, the one I've been at, we were talking to students all week about the first Vida Estudiantil weekly meeting on that campus on Thursday. There are already about 10 students from that campus who have gotten involved in leading the movement and helped prepare for the meeting. We were astonished when there were almost 40 new students at our very first meeting for that campus! Praise the Lord for that. Not that we doubted many students would come, but we didn't expect a ton of students to remember us advertising the meeting. Even after the meeting, many students stuck around to talk to us more about VE and were very interested in getting involved with the movement and meeting up with us to talk more. Since we have been launching a new movement on campus 2, our part of the team there has had to work hard and sometimes persevere through brief moments of discouragement. After the meeting on Thursday and more great conversations on Friday, we felt satisfied and that our work had paid off.

Yesterday our team got to go zip lining through and over a beautiful canopy of trees. It was an exhilarating experience, and a few of the runs were a quarter of a mile long and hundreds of feet above the ground. Sometimes I feel like we get kind of spoiled with fun things on this mission trip, but 5 days in a row on campus, although totally rewarding, really is draining physically and emotionally. I'm very thankful to be blessed with weekends of rest and relaxation.

We're about to start our last week on campus, and in the country. We will only be on campus Monday through Thursday. Thursday afternoon the STINT team will arrive, and we expect to get to hang out with them and pass the ministerial torch that night. Friday we will travel to a different location near the ocean for a few days of debriefing before we fly back to LA on Monday.

Over half way through project

In this past week, we weren't on campus at all because all students in El Salvador get that week off for some sort of holiday celebration, but we still were kept pretty busy.

On Monday, we got to travel in a bus with about 20 of the VE students to do a service project in which we painted 2 different elementary schools. These schools were in a rural community without much resources, so each school was basically 2 rooms, and each designated for 2 or 3 grades. A really fun part about that trip was piling all 48 people into a cattle truck to travel down a road unfit for a bus. It was a good experience to give to that community, but it was also a really great bonding time with our Salvadorian friends. That Wednesday we also got to further spend quality time with the VE students at a really beautiful beach.

Tuesday and Thursday of that last week we had the opportunity to go to a government-run orphanage for girls and for boys 12 and under. Because it was not a privately run orphanage, the funding was very marginal and many kids lacked items for even basic hygiene. While we were there, we brought lunches we made for all the children and basic needs of underwear, socks, and toiletries, cleaned and painted, and mostly just spent time playing with and loving on these children. Many of them we learned actually had locatable parents, but were placed in the orphanage because it was so bad at home. What was quite heartbreaking was encountering several girls as young as 13 who were pregnant or had newborns, many as a result of rape, even some because of incest. One of the volunteers there was a 23 year old guy named Chris who used to be in an orphanage himself. He has had the opportunity to swim for a prestigious swim club in the U.S., but was compelled to stay in San Salvador and work in this orphanage because of the stories of some children and the great need they have for love and attention. Afterwards, a lot of us felt a little sense of hopelessness about these kids and the limited impact we can have in their lives in such a short time. We received a lot of encouragement in what we were doing from Layo (pronounced "Lie-o"), the regional Campus Crusade director for all of Central America. After having dinner at his house the Monday before going to the orphanage, he encouraged us for helping the VE movement on the Matias Campus and expressed how meaningful it is to him that we're here. He knew what we were going to witness at the orphanage and told us that it wouldn't feel like much impact just going there 2 different times. Layo told us that out of all the Salvadorian government's income, 95% of it goes towards the salaries of the politicians and officials, which leaves 5% for the rest of the country's needs, including places like this orphanage. He really put things into perspective for us by really casting a clear vision that by ministering to students on one of the best universities in the country, we are hoping to bring up future leaders in the nation's government to be following Christ with their lives and have transformed hearts that make decisions that really benefit the people of El Salvador more instead of filling their pockets with mass amounts of wealth. This perspective impacted me incredibly, and made me feel both very appreciated for being here, and gave me so much hope that our influence in these student's lives would not only affect the individuals and the campus, but also overflow into a transformation of the country's economy and policies. The gap between lower and upper class wealth in El Salvador is currently vast, but there is room for change.

Well I know that might have been both dense and heavy, but I'll let you chew on that until the end of this week. It felt good to be back on campus today, and I anticipate great things to tell you about at the end of this week.

More Cool Stuff

So this past week has been pretty incredible. We've been on campus each day Monday to Friday to meet new students, explore their spiritual lives, and tell them about Vida Estudiantil and how they can both meet new friends and be challenged in their faith at weekly meetings and Bible studies. We knew that Matias has 2 separate campuses, but since coming here we have discovered that students only have classes in one or the other depending on their major, so half of us have been going to campus 2 every day, and I am in that half! It's pretty cool because we're kind of launching a new movement on campus 2 as well as being a catalyst on campus 1. Each day has been a new experience, with both challenges and blessings. All the students I have talked to have some kind of spiritual belief, yet some are more secure in their spiritual life and destination than others.

As well as just sharing our faith, we also advertised to each student we talked to about the first weekly meeting of Vida Estudiantil (VE) on Campus 1 which we had on Thursday. It really was just a party to start the semester off for them. It was kind of a stretch to get students from campus 2 there since it was about a 15 minute walk, yet still a bunch of students came, and there were at least 50 new students from both campuses at the party which was really exciting for us on project and the Matias students. It was a great time of meeting new people, sharing what the mission and vision of VE is, and hanging out with the students. I would say there are roughly 20 students actively involved with VE, mostly from Matias campus 1, and Manuel and the other staff told us that if we could help them get about 15 or so new committed students to this ministry, they would be ecstatic. Already this week there have been at least 9 students who made first time decisions to put their faith in Jesus. I had the privilege of witnessing this first hand with 2 guys that I and my friend Clay got to talk to. Each day this week seemed better than the last. Though some of us on the project have had some tough times with students either with language barrier or disinterestedness, the day we had the party was a huge boost of encouragement, and God was definitely doing awesome things through our conversations. I think we all felt great about this first week.

We also had the opportunity on Monday and Tuesday morning before going to the campuses to hang out with students at a christian school. Monday we were with students grades 7 through high school to do Soularium, a picture survey that is a great tool for making conversations about life and spiritual things both fun and comfortable. I was surprised at how vulnerable these students were to talk about what is good in their lives and what is hard. Many of the ones I talked to wished that they had a better family life. On tuesday all of us guys did a pretty ridiculous dance routine for a while to a crowd of younger students, which was such a blast. Then we just played basketball and soccer with a bunch of kids. Definitely a fun and great experience to see the joy these students had when us big kids came to hang out with them.

Last night we went to Benihana's for Jamey and Lauren's birthdays which were the last couple days. I've never been there, but it's so entertaining to have the chef cook everything in front of you. After that we all saw Inception. Amazing. My mind was blown as I'm sure is true of those who have seen it. Don't miss that one.

This next week the Matias students have a vacation. Seems early after only 1 week into the semester. Since we won't be on campus, we will be able to do both some service projects and some fun things which I look forward to telling you about!

I feel like the longer I'm here, the better it is. Praise the Lord for that.

I'm loving this place more everyday!

So I've been super busy the past week and haven't found much time to update the blog again, but I've honestly been having the time of my life here. About half the time since my last update we've been just getting to know and appreciate our surroundings. That includes driving a couple hours to a cool town called Juayua (pronounced "who-a-you-a") to see a cool artisan and food market and experience delicacies such as rabbit, going to a beach and trying some surfing, and going to the top of a nearby dormant volcano to eat at an awesome restaurant that overlooks the city and countryside. Last Sunday we visited a local evangelical church that Manuel's family usually goes to. The songs and sermon were in Spanish, which I know very little of, but it was still really special to see the passion for Christ in the congregation, especially all the men in the church who show outwardly their love and need for God. 2 of the nights this past week, we split up into men's and women's times in which we shared life stories with our groups. It was so awesome to hear how God has worked in the lives of all the other guys on our team. I was really impacted by how powerful testimonies are in general and how people's lives being changed by Christ's love are much more compelling to me of my certainty of Christianity than all the best philosophical arguments for it. In my fellowship with the group, we all connect super well and just love being with each other so much. I'm certain that we have been hand picked by God specifically to be together for this project.

During this past week, we went on campus 2 different days. The first time, we met up with the staff and the students involved in Vida Estudiantil, did a prayer walk through the campus in groups, and got to know the students a bit. I really love them. They are super friendly and funny and passionate about the ministry of bringing students closer to Christ. Our second day on Campus this past week we went out in groups sharing our faith and inviting students we met to come to the weekly meetings of Vida Estudiantil and the english clubs we will be having twice a week. Most students were very interested in this christian community we told them about, and in finding a more meaningful relationship with God. This week the students would only come on campus to find out what their schedules would be for this next semester, but this next week when they begin classes for the new term we will be on campus each weekday to either evangelize, work with the english clubs, or do follow up with new students. A couple days ago, we were trained by the staff alongside the other Salvadorian students how to effectively organize and share our personal testimonies of how we have come to follow Jesus and also how to effectively do outreach and followup during launch week to get new students involved in the movement.

So only about 10 days after arriving, God is already rocking my world. Can't wait to see what else He has in store for us when our ministry starts to pick up more!

First couple days in San Salvador

The team: from left to right: (top) Jared, Clay, Jamey Pappas (staff) with his son Jason, Riley, Andrew, Meredith, Alex, Christian, Karli, Kimberly Lauren, Myself, staff Adam and Alyssa, (bottom) Brandon, Sarah, Hannah, Jodi, and Grace.

El Salvador! Before I write anything else, I need to preface by telling you what this project is about. Our team consists of 6 guys and 8 girls from Cal Poly, a guy from UCLA (Jared), and a girl from New Hampshire (Hannah) and 3 staff members and one of their families. Our main purpose is to continue building spiritual movements on 2 of the top universities in the country through evangelism, follow up, and discipleship in hope that we may be influencing the future influencers of El Salvador to be Christ-centered leaders who lead the country with godliness, and sound moral judgement.

After a 3 day briefing at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA, our summer project team flew out of LAX on a redeye and arrived in El Salvador at 7 AM yesterday morning (thursday). We were all quite tired by the time we arrived, but very glad to have made it nonetheless. Most of the day was spent driving to our hotel in San Salvador, the capital, and sleeping since we didn't get much rest on the flight. We're staying at the Hilton Princess, a pretty nice hotel actually with lots of amenities, because we apparently got an unbeatable deal to stay here. We met Manuel, a middle aged Salvadorian who is on staff with Vida Estudiantil on the campus of Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado which we refer to as the Matias campus. Vida Estudiantil means Student Life and is the Campus Crusade for Christ movement in El Salvador. Manuel is such an awesome guy, super friendly and great sense of humor. I learned that he is friends with Steve Jordan, who is the father of one of my best friends in Lodi. It's crazy the connections you can make! After some rest, we went to have dinner at the house where the STINT girls live when summer project people aren't here. STINT stands for short term international missions. It's about a 1 year commitment to an international mission project with campus crusade. For dinner, we had pupusas, the only truly native Salvadorian dish. It's kind of like a tortilla, but really thick and stuffed with anything like cheese, beans, pork, and/or vegetables and topped with vinegary cabbage and salsa.

Manuel, his wife Sessy, and a STINTer Brandon who went to Cal Poly, and Selegna and Jeanette, 2 other women on staff, talked to us after dinner a little about how the campus ministry works. Today they came to our hotel and gave us a pretty comprehensive overview of what is appropriate and acceptable in the culture of El Salvador; how to dress, how to greet, interacting with the nationals here as visitors from the United States, and other social etiquette. We learned that Salvadorians are very people centered with respect to time rather than event centered like in the US. People place high value on who they are with at the present, and will be late for class or any appointment rather than abruptly leave an unfinished conversation. There are many other things about the culture that I will just have to experience on my own and tell about in more detail later, but one thing that is very striking so far is that Salvadorians are extremely friendly, polite, and hospitable people. Although I haven't had interaction with a ton of nationals yet, it has been true with every single person I've met, and I've been told numerous times that this is a common thing about the people. It is now past my bedtime and I need all the sleep I can get, but I will update again once we have more interactions with students on the college campuses.

Coming Soon: Blog posts from summer project!