well.. it felt like i almost died..
our team went out to a lake called suchitoto (pronounced sushi, as in the food, and toto as in the dog from the wizard of oz) in the northern central part of the country.. i had not been out there before, but we came with boardshorts ready to swim.. we ate at a little restaurant, and i had some incredible fish filet with garlic sauce.. reeally good!
as we were driving in, i saw an island out off one of the shores, and said to the people in my car, 'lets swim to that island..' well, the guys were slightly more excited about actually doing it than i was.. so after lunch, we got out boardshorts on, walked down to the water, and hopped in! the swim-to-the-island crew consisted of me, brandon, joe, and a guy named rob who was visiting from the states (he had come down for the spring break trip earlier in the year)
so we started swimming for this island! its crazy, but boys will be boys right? im doing my best not to exaggerate, but i would honestly say it was a good half mile.. okay okay, it doesnt sound like much to some of you people who do triathlons or are in decent physical shape.. but to me, it was brutal.. about halfway, i seriously thought i wasnt going to make it on my own.. it seemed like it just wasnt getting any closer.. the wind was going almost straight against us, so the waves were making forward movement tough.. we were all tired (except joe, who was a swimmer and was hardly winded) but i felt like i was gonna die.. i was about to start praying, 'Lord if You save me from this, i promise i will serve you in a foreign country or something,' but quickly realized that i was already doing that! so.. my selfish prayers of desperation and promises to God were kinda nullified..
well we finally reached the island, and i really cant think of a time in my life that i was more exhausted.. i smiled a weak smile, cause it felt so good to do something so hard, and actually accomplish it.. and it felt so good to realize that it was the Lord who gave me the strength and determination to make it to the island and not give up..
the island was not nearly as glamorous as we had hoped.. images from treasure island or swiss family robinson were quickly removed.. the island was surrounded on all sides by a tangle of thick floating vines.. we had to army-crawl through about twenty feet of these nasty vines just to get to solid ground.. the solid ground was covered with rotting leaves, spider webs, and enough cans and bottles to build a boat and sail back.. we were happy to get headed back..
we found a large log that could easily bear all of our weight, shoved it into the water, and began the swam back.. it was much more enjoyable having the log: one, i knew i couldnt drown; two, it was a lot more fun swimming together as a team than as four individuals; three, we were just kind of a goofy spectacle.. a fisherman in a boat rowed by us at one point and we must have looked like some pretty crazy gringos..
anyways, it was a lot of fun, a little scary, and a total adventure.. thank you for all of you who make it a priority to pray for my health and safety down here! ill try not to directly require it so much..
Friday, December 12, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
coatepeque hospitality
we went to lake coatepeque today with the whole team! it is one of my favorite places in el salvador, its just so gorgeous.. i think ive already mentioned it back when we went to the weekend camp with evangélica; if you dont remember that far back, let me refresh your memory.. it used to be a volcano at some point long ago, but collapsed and cooled off after an eruption, and the top filled with water.. its a lot like crater lake in oregon, if you have ever been there.. anyways, its one of the most beautiful spots that weve been to yet..
so we had lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the lake, and then we decided, hey lets go on an adventure! thats what were all about here.. the only way to actually get down to the lake shore is through private property, so we hopped a fence and ran as fast as we could.. no, not really.. we were just driving (along a very rough dirt road) trying to find a place where we could get down to the lake, and we saw a man at his gate, doing a little gardening.. we rolled down the window and, half genuinely wanting to know and half counting on good old salvadorean hospitality, asked him if he knew anywhere that we could get down to the lake shore.. so he totally invited us to come down! we were so thankful, we got to hang out on his tiny little boat dock, sharing with him about our work on the universities and enjoying each other with the girls dipping their feet in the water..
aside from just being really fun and such a blessing, it really just showed me yet another glimpse into the heart of this culture.. everyone we meet, regardless of what they have to give, are so willing to give it, and do it so humbly.. many americans with a lake house or a beach house would be tempted to invite people,more out of a desire for their guests to be impressed, than a desire for their guests to be served and loved.. this is not true of everyone, of course.. but i think there is a very noticeable difference in what our cultures value.. it was just great to see a man so willing to serve a group of gringos he had never even met before..
oh, and he also invited us to call him if we ever wanted to come to his beach house.. thats hospitality right there!
so we had lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the lake, and then we decided, hey lets go on an adventure! thats what were all about here.. the only way to actually get down to the lake shore is through private property, so we hopped a fence and ran as fast as we could.. no, not really.. we were just driving (along a very rough dirt road) trying to find a place where we could get down to the lake, and we saw a man at his gate, doing a little gardening.. we rolled down the window and, half genuinely wanting to know and half counting on good old salvadorean hospitality, asked him if he knew anywhere that we could get down to the lake shore.. so he totally invited us to come down! we were so thankful, we got to hang out on his tiny little boat dock, sharing with him about our work on the universities and enjoying each other with the girls dipping their feet in the water..
aside from just being really fun and such a blessing, it really just showed me yet another glimpse into the heart of this culture.. everyone we meet, regardless of what they have to give, are so willing to give it, and do it so humbly.. many americans with a lake house or a beach house would be tempted to invite people,more out of a desire for their guests to be impressed, than a desire for their guests to be served and loved.. this is not true of everyone, of course.. but i think there is a very noticeable difference in what our cultures value.. it was just great to see a man so willing to serve a group of gringos he had never even met before..
oh, and he also invited us to call him if we ever wanted to come to his beach house.. thats hospitality right there!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
a crazy week.. some big developments!
another week has passed, and i have not updated my blog.. i assure you there is good reason! this last week has been the most intense, probably since i have been here.. i have been in constant meetings with my co-leader kristen (potter), planning and talking and praying and working really hard.. like i said in last weeks post, there are some significant changes that have taken place in this past week, some really exciting things! i have to wait for a while to let you know about one, because we have been asked to not mention it yet.. but there is one that i do want to tell you about!
this past week, potter and i prayed through and settled on sixteen unique roles that each person on the team (other than the two of us, as general team leaders) would get to take ownership in, and lead the team in! this is a really exciting move for a couple reasons:
1. each person on our team has very unique spiritual gifts, that in some ways have yet to be utilized.. by giving everyone a role, we will all be able to use our spiritual gifts much more profoundly for the ministry here
2. there has been a general feeling of a lack of accomplishment among the team.. it often feels like we are just spinning our wheels here.. but now that everyone has roles, people will be able to see some very tangible things happen!
3. everyone plays a very significant part in accomplishing our mission for this year.. without everyone working together, we could miss some very important steps..
4. some of these roles involve things that have not been happening, that we have really wanted to see being done.. now we will see progress in areas we havent yet!
there are many more reasons why these roles are so important, but i hope that gave you an idea.. i thought it might be cool to share with you what these roles are, and what they entail.. ill just type out half of them, to give you an idea:
Prayer/Encouragement Leader (Bean)
Focus our team on and lay a foundation of prayer; lead our team in making each individual valued; do both creatively and intentionally
By laying a foundation of prayer and encouragement, our team will be energized by seeking the Lord and building each other up relationally and in ministry
Team Activities Leader (Joe)
Coordinate bi-weekly team fun times on Fridays; you would have a rotating monthly partner to assist in planning these times
By planning team activities, our team will value good rest, and be bound more closely together, thus growing our unity in ministry
Foundation Layer (Lauren)
Through information, strategy, tips, etc., paint a very broad and accurate picture of what life is like here in El Salvador for the future teams pursue interested students from the PSW region; compile a book by the end of the year of all gathered information
By laying a foundation for the next team, we ensure forward momentum for many years to come, demonstrate love for the future teams in easing their transition, and decode the culture for our own ministry in the process
Outside Communication Leader (Marijke)
Encourage people to keep their supporters updated; encourage and coordinate team-wide correspondence with ‘the outside;’ report ministry statistics to PSW each month
By communicating well with supporters and our region, we allow them to pray for the current state of our ministry, cast vision for why we are here, and work toward the broader mission of Campus Crusade
Outreach Leader (Jeff)
Lead our team in evangelizing Matías broadly and creatively; this includes daily evangelism tools, as well as envisioning and coordinating campus-wide outreach events
By leading our team in evangelizing well, we accomplish our mission of letting every student hear the Gospel, and give more opportunity to meet potential leaders for the movement
Men’s/Women’s Bible Study Leader (Brandon, Brenna)
Set direction for the men’s and women’s on-campus Bible studies; this doesn’t mean you will lead the study, but will lead the team in purpose, vision, and content
By coordinating these Bible studies, we will seek to gather interested students and grow them in their knowledge and love of the Lord, along with building community and relationships with them
Student Events Leader (Jenna)
Lead the team in gathering students for community events; this may evolve into developing a weekly meeting
By gathering students for community events, our team will continue to build relationships with students, along with connecting them to each other; having this type of community is a foundational step in building a movement that is not dependent on STINTers
so yeah, i hope that gives you a taste of what the roles are all about.. each person got to let potter and i know thier top two choices out of each group of eight, and one that they might not want to do at all.. it was so sweet seeing how peoples giftings were so orchestrated by the Lord that everyone got at least one role that was one of their top two preferences!
we had a really fun time announcing these roles to the team.. potter and i declared this past friday 'Roles Day,' and made it just a huge celebration for this sweet new phase of ministry.. we put 'rolls' of lifesavers into balloons and had each person pop one to determine the order.. the house was decorated with toilet paper rolls and we played a rap song that says 'roll out' every time the next person came up to find out their roles.. and then had cinnamon rolls for everyone after! kinda cheesy i know, but it was fun..
anyways.. this, along with the other ministry change, made for a very long and tiring week.. sorry i havent kept this blog totally updated!
love you all, please continue praying for our team!
this past week, potter and i prayed through and settled on sixteen unique roles that each person on the team (other than the two of us, as general team leaders) would get to take ownership in, and lead the team in! this is a really exciting move for a couple reasons:
1. each person on our team has very unique spiritual gifts, that in some ways have yet to be utilized.. by giving everyone a role, we will all be able to use our spiritual gifts much more profoundly for the ministry here
2. there has been a general feeling of a lack of accomplishment among the team.. it often feels like we are just spinning our wheels here.. but now that everyone has roles, people will be able to see some very tangible things happen!
3. everyone plays a very significant part in accomplishing our mission for this year.. without everyone working together, we could miss some very important steps..
4. some of these roles involve things that have not been happening, that we have really wanted to see being done.. now we will see progress in areas we havent yet!
there are many more reasons why these roles are so important, but i hope that gave you an idea.. i thought it might be cool to share with you what these roles are, and what they entail.. ill just type out half of them, to give you an idea:
Prayer/Encouragement Leader (Bean)
Focus our team on and lay a foundation of prayer; lead our team in making each individual valued; do both creatively and intentionally
By laying a foundation of prayer and encouragement, our team will be energized by seeking the Lord and building each other up relationally and in ministry
Team Activities Leader (Joe)
Coordinate bi-weekly team fun times on Fridays; you would have a rotating monthly partner to assist in planning these times
By planning team activities, our team will value good rest, and be bound more closely together, thus growing our unity in ministry
Foundation Layer (Lauren)
Through information, strategy, tips, etc., paint a very broad and accurate picture of what life is like here in El Salvador for the future teams pursue interested students from the PSW region; compile a book by the end of the year of all gathered information
By laying a foundation for the next team, we ensure forward momentum for many years to come, demonstrate love for the future teams in easing their transition, and decode the culture for our own ministry in the process
Outside Communication Leader (Marijke)
Encourage people to keep their supporters updated; encourage and coordinate team-wide correspondence with ‘the outside;’ report ministry statistics to PSW each month
By communicating well with supporters and our region, we allow them to pray for the current state of our ministry, cast vision for why we are here, and work toward the broader mission of Campus Crusade
Outreach Leader (Jeff)
Lead our team in evangelizing Matías broadly and creatively; this includes daily evangelism tools, as well as envisioning and coordinating campus-wide outreach events
By leading our team in evangelizing well, we accomplish our mission of letting every student hear the Gospel, and give more opportunity to meet potential leaders for the movement
Men’s/Women’s Bible Study Leader (Brandon, Brenna)
Set direction for the men’s and women’s on-campus Bible studies; this doesn’t mean you will lead the study, but will lead the team in purpose, vision, and content
By coordinating these Bible studies, we will seek to gather interested students and grow them in their knowledge and love of the Lord, along with building community and relationships with them
Student Events Leader (Jenna)
Lead the team in gathering students for community events; this may evolve into developing a weekly meeting
By gathering students for community events, our team will continue to build relationships with students, along with connecting them to each other; having this type of community is a foundational step in building a movement that is not dependent on STINTers
so yeah, i hope that gives you a taste of what the roles are all about.. each person got to let potter and i know thier top two choices out of each group of eight, and one that they might not want to do at all.. it was so sweet seeing how peoples giftings were so orchestrated by the Lord that everyone got at least one role that was one of their top two preferences!
we had a really fun time announcing these roles to the team.. potter and i declared this past friday 'Roles Day,' and made it just a huge celebration for this sweet new phase of ministry.. we put 'rolls' of lifesavers into balloons and had each person pop one to determine the order.. the house was decorated with toilet paper rolls and we played a rap song that says 'roll out' every time the next person came up to find out their roles.. and then had cinnamon rolls for everyone after! kinda cheesy i know, but it was fun..
anyways.. this, along with the other ministry change, made for a very long and tiring week.. sorry i havent kept this blog totally updated!
love you all, please continue praying for our team!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
of one accord
we got a second car!
after nearly two months of scouring the country for a reliable car, we finally found one! our team is now the proud owner of a 99 silver honda accord.. brandon and i went with layo to look at the car for the first time, then took it to our mechanic, mingo, who said everything checked out.. we got it at a great price, and are so excited to finally have two cars! we can now do things as a whole team, without needing to call a taxi.. it is honestly such a blessing..
it was also really fun to bring the car home; brandon and i planned it as a total surprise for our team! we paid for it, picked it up in the morning, got all the insurance and registration stuff taken care of that we needed to, and then showed up at the girls house with music blaring, honking the horn like crazy people.. everyone rushed out to see what the noise was.. and were immediately introduced to the newest member of our team! it was a lot of fun..
anyways, thank you all for your support! it enables us very practically to function as a team.. it enables us to take care of everyday needs, but also to get to campus more economically and with much for freedom: having ten people and five seats was pretty limiting, as you can imagine..
were so excited! thanks so much for your support!
after nearly two months of scouring the country for a reliable car, we finally found one! our team is now the proud owner of a 99 silver honda accord.. brandon and i went with layo to look at the car for the first time, then took it to our mechanic, mingo, who said everything checked out.. we got it at a great price, and are so excited to finally have two cars! we can now do things as a whole team, without needing to call a taxi.. it is honestly such a blessing..
it was also really fun to bring the car home; brandon and i planned it as a total surprise for our team! we paid for it, picked it up in the morning, got all the insurance and registration stuff taken care of that we needed to, and then showed up at the girls house with music blaring, honking the horn like crazy people.. everyone rushed out to see what the noise was.. and were immediately introduced to the newest member of our team! it was a lot of fun..
anyways, thank you all for your support! it enables us very practically to function as a team.. it enables us to take care of everyday needs, but also to get to campus more economically and with much for freedom: having ten people and five seats was pretty limiting, as you can imagine..
were so excited! thanks so much for your support!
Friday, November 7, 2008
coaching visit
dan and deb goodson came down this past week! they are our distance coaches from the states.. they used to be on staff in slo but now they are the campus directors for campus crusade at berkeley.. it was so good to see them! they were down here to check in on how were doing, personally and in ministry, to encourage us with what is going well and challenge us with things that need some work.. we had a lot to learn from them, and they were faithful to share their wisdom with us.. i feel so much more geared up for the rest of the year now.. very soon i will be letting you all know about some pretty significant changes in ministry down here.. cant wait!
so yeah, sorry i didnt write much last week! it was pretty crazy with them here.. ill try and get you all caught up with life here in the next couple weeks!
so yeah, sorry i didnt write much last week! it was pretty crazy with them here.. ill try and get you all caught up with life here in the next couple weeks!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
¡día de los muertos!
día de los muertos (the day of the dead) is a celebration that happens the day after halloween in many latin cultures.. it originated in mexico, but many cultures have adapted it in some way and celebrate it differently.. the original holiday was focused on family gatherings to honor those who had died through prayers, grave visits, and altars built using artificial skulls and filled with the departed's favorite foods..
el salvador does it a bit differently.. honestly, i think the only thing in common is the name haha.. we went to this little town up in the hills called tonacatepeque, the hometown of our national directors wife luchy.. we ate dinner at her sisters little restaurant as we waited for the festivities to begin.. we really had no idea what to expect; all we had heard is that its typically a little creepy..
well here are a couple pictures, you can judge for yourself.. a lot of folklore and history are the foundations for most of what you see in these pictures.. for example, there are stories handed down through generations of a headless priest who roams the streets after midnight, stealing the souls of children who are out too late.. there are also monsters and demons who are said to do the same thing.. im not sure where the wagon comes in to the picture, but i think its something equally creepy..
this whole experience was a lot of fun! there were tons and tons of people crowded on the streets watching the parade, there was a costume contest, and an annual tradition of gathering in the town square for pumpkin chutney (very interesting flavor..)
el salvador does it a bit differently.. honestly, i think the only thing in common is the name haha.. we went to this little town up in the hills called tonacatepeque, the hometown of our national directors wife luchy.. we ate dinner at her sisters little restaurant as we waited for the festivities to begin.. we really had no idea what to expect; all we had heard is that its typically a little creepy..
well here are a couple pictures, you can judge for yourself.. a lot of folklore and history are the foundations for most of what you see in these pictures.. for example, there are stories handed down through generations of a headless priest who roams the streets after midnight, stealing the souls of children who are out too late.. there are also monsters and demons who are said to do the same thing.. im not sure where the wagon comes in to the picture, but i think its something equally creepy..
this whole experience was a lot of fun! there were tons and tons of people crowded on the streets watching the parade, there was a costume contest, and an annual tradition of gathering in the town square for pumpkin chutney (very interesting flavor..)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
i have a cyst on my face
thats pretty much it.. i have a cyst.. and its on my face.. right on my cheekbone.. i have no idea where it came from! i pretty much woke up one morning a couple weeks ago and it had moved in and set up camp.. i was just waiting it out a while to see if it would do anything and just kinda go away, but i started to get pretty bad headaches so i got an appointment with a dermatologist..
the appointment was crazy! first of all, the clinic is really really nice.. and the doctor who owns and runs it graduated from uc irvine! so that was kinda fun, and reassuring.. anyways, she told me it was a cyst and that she was going to inject it with some stuff and it would start to go away.. well whatever she injected it with had a really fancy name, but it was basically just liquid fire that burned the whole side of my face.. no joke, i hadnt felt that kinda pain in quite a while..
anyways.. well see what happens.. i have a follow up appointment in a couple weeks so ill let you know how that goes..
and i decided not to put pictures of it on here.. youre welcome..
the appointment was crazy! first of all, the clinic is really really nice.. and the doctor who owns and runs it graduated from uc irvine! so that was kinda fun, and reassuring.. anyways, she told me it was a cyst and that she was going to inject it with some stuff and it would start to go away.. well whatever she injected it with had a really fancy name, but it was basically just liquid fire that burned the whole side of my face.. no joke, i hadnt felt that kinda pain in quite a while..
anyways.. well see what happens.. i have a follow up appointment in a couple weeks so ill let you know how that goes..
and i decided not to put pictures of it on here.. youre welcome..
Sunday, October 26, 2008
pre-skype craziness
i just wanted to post these cause i think theyre funny.. we were just waiting for fall retreat to call us on skype yesterday, and we started messing around on photo booth.. were kinda a goofy bunch, so yeah.. hope you enjoy!
emo band shot
a cow just got hit by a car..
trev just got in a car accident..
everyone got stung by bees
no one called anything..
fish hook!
nap time
we want you for stint
you know..
be super stoked..
oh dang, theyre calling!
emo band shot
a cow just got hit by a car..
trev just got in a car accident..
everyone got stung by bees
no one called anything..
fish hook!
nap time
we want you for stint
you know..
be super stoked..
oh dang, theyre calling!Saturday, October 25, 2008
campamento! and skype with fall retreat!
so the last few days have been pretty long.. evangelica had an overnight retreat at this incredible lake in the mountains, at a place called castillo del rey, or 'the kings castle'.. we went as students, not part of the event planning or anything but just as students going with other students.. we really wanted the students to see us as just fellow students, not as part of a group or associated with anything, but just as friends who want to know them more..
we started on friday afternoon by dividing into teams (i was on the águilas anaranjadas, or the orange eagles) and the fun began with some ice breakers and games.. it was fun to get to know some of the students on my team.. then at dinner i sat near some girls, and i got to share with them why i am living in el salvador.. it was great to be able to have a full conversation in spanish! its seriously so encouraging to feel like i can carry on a conversation for the most part..
then we had a speaker share about how we can 'face the giants' of sin in our lives by following the Lord, staying in the Word and living correctly.. again, he spoke all of this in spanish, and we were able to understand about ninety percent of what he said, and one hundred percent of the heart behind it..
then we watched a movie called 'facing the giants,' which you may have seen or heard of.. it was pretty good, but the cool thing is that they decided to show it with spanish audio dubbed over, and spanish subtitles.. i was pretty proud of myself because i understood practically the entire movie!
by the time the movie and the 'battle of the sexes' was over (i cant explain in words, but i have some pictures) it was past one o clock.. after a mildly uncomfy sleep in a bunk bed, i awoke at six in the morning, ate a very.. conservative.. breakfast, and got on the road..
then we got to skype our entire campus crusade movement at cal poly! our team got to tell about five hundred students what we are doing in el salvador, and hear from my good friend natalie who is in turkey on stint..
it was a crazy couple days, but it was such a blessing! i feel like i really connected with a couple students, and i cant wait to continue those relationships!
i love you all, thanks for your prayers.. i feel like the Lord is about to do really great things here! so please keep praying!
we started on friday afternoon by dividing into teams (i was on the águilas anaranjadas, or the orange eagles) and the fun began with some ice breakers and games.. it was fun to get to know some of the students on my team.. then at dinner i sat near some girls, and i got to share with them why i am living in el salvador.. it was great to be able to have a full conversation in spanish! its seriously so encouraging to feel like i can carry on a conversation for the most part..
then we had a speaker share about how we can 'face the giants' of sin in our lives by following the Lord, staying in the Word and living correctly.. again, he spoke all of this in spanish, and we were able to understand about ninety percent of what he said, and one hundred percent of the heart behind it..
then we watched a movie called 'facing the giants,' which you may have seen or heard of.. it was pretty good, but the cool thing is that they decided to show it with spanish audio dubbed over, and spanish subtitles.. i was pretty proud of myself because i understood practically the entire movie!
by the time the movie and the 'battle of the sexes' was over (i cant explain in words, but i have some pictures) it was past one o clock.. after a mildly uncomfy sleep in a bunk bed, i awoke at six in the morning, ate a very.. conservative.. breakfast, and got on the road..
then we got to skype our entire campus crusade movement at cal poly! our team got to tell about five hundred students what we are doing in el salvador, and hear from my good friend natalie who is in turkey on stint..
it was a crazy couple days, but it was such a blessing! i feel like i really connected with a couple students, and i cant wait to continue those relationships!
i love you all, thanks for your prayers.. i feel like the Lord is about to do really great things here! so please keep praying!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
the two most beautiful words
thursdays are our weekly meetings at evangélica university, and this week i got to talk about grace! it was really cool.. i shared on a passage i had read in 1 kings 19.. i will give you all a short summary:
elijah is this amazing prophet of God, but when his life is threatened his faith falters in the Lord and he runs for his life.. he flees into the wilderness, and when he is all alone he asks God to take his life.. why? because he was ashamed of his sin, and realized that he had committed the same sins of doubt that his forefathers committed.. but God, instead of ending his life, gave elijah food to eat.. twice.. and then took him on a forty day journey through the same wilderness his forefathers wandered through many years before.. and then brought him to the same mountain on which moses received the ten commandments.. and then revealed Himself to elijah through a mighty wind and an earthquake and a fire..
isnt that crazy? elijah was in the pit of despair, filled with shame because of his sin, deserving and desiring death.. yet God had other plans, and just lavished grace on elijah.. he met his physical needs, then strengthened him and prepared him through his journey, then revealed Himself to elijah, an honor that a small handful of men have ever known.. we see a very different man at the end of this passage than we do at the beginning, and the difference is Gods abundant grace.. someone very wise once said this, and i think i agree: 'the two most beautiful words in all the Bible are 'but God...'' those two words change everything.. we were dead in our sins, but God.. we deserve to be separated from Him forever, but God.. we will fail, but God.. over and over again, God steps in to our failures and rights the wrongs.. do we see that in our lives? do we give God the recognition and the glory due His name?
this is the question i tried to leave the students with.. how have you seen Gods grace in your life? and i connected it to my own life and my struggles with sin, and how i have seen Gods grace mark my life so clearly..
anyways, it was really sweet! i just wanted to share that with you, and i pray that you will look for Gods grace in your life! here are a couple pictures from our weekly meeting..
left to right we have elisa, xavier, julio, tatiana, lauren, bean, and brandon there in the back.. and chiky cookies..
elijah is this amazing prophet of God, but when his life is threatened his faith falters in the Lord and he runs for his life.. he flees into the wilderness, and when he is all alone he asks God to take his life.. why? because he was ashamed of his sin, and realized that he had committed the same sins of doubt that his forefathers committed.. but God, instead of ending his life, gave elijah food to eat.. twice.. and then took him on a forty day journey through the same wilderness his forefathers wandered through many years before.. and then brought him to the same mountain on which moses received the ten commandments.. and then revealed Himself to elijah through a mighty wind and an earthquake and a fire..
isnt that crazy? elijah was in the pit of despair, filled with shame because of his sin, deserving and desiring death.. yet God had other plans, and just lavished grace on elijah.. he met his physical needs, then strengthened him and prepared him through his journey, then revealed Himself to elijah, an honor that a small handful of men have ever known.. we see a very different man at the end of this passage than we do at the beginning, and the difference is Gods abundant grace.. someone very wise once said this, and i think i agree: 'the two most beautiful words in all the Bible are 'but God...'' those two words change everything.. we were dead in our sins, but God.. we deserve to be separated from Him forever, but God.. we will fail, but God.. over and over again, God steps in to our failures and rights the wrongs.. do we see that in our lives? do we give God the recognition and the glory due His name?
this is the question i tried to leave the students with.. how have you seen Gods grace in your life? and i connected it to my own life and my struggles with sin, and how i have seen Gods grace mark my life so clearly..
anyways, it was really sweet! i just wanted to share that with you, and i pray that you will look for Gods grace in your life! here are a couple pictures from our weekly meeting..
left to right we have elisa, xavier, julio, tatiana, lauren, bean, and brandon there in the back.. and chiky cookies..
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Christmas retreat site!
i dont think i have filled you guys in on this! but this gives me an excuse to i suppose..
we are currently in the beginning stages of planning the first Christmas conference/retreat that campus crusade has ever had in el salvador! this is an incredible opportunity to gather students in a place far from the stress of school and every day life, continue to build relationships with them, share Christ with them, and hopefully even see some of them step up as leaders in the movement! it is a really cool thing to be a part of, and our team has a lot of ownership over how it will look, the theme, what we will be doing.. pretty much everything! you will all be hearing a lot more about this conference as it develops, because it is such an incredible opportunity!
well potter and i drove out to the camp where we will be having it, and we fell in love with the place.. we can totally see this retreat happen here! it is a really cool place, with a lot to do and a lot of space to have fun and move around.. just wanted to show you all a couple pictures!
we are currently in the beginning stages of planning the first Christmas conference/retreat that campus crusade has ever had in el salvador! this is an incredible opportunity to gather students in a place far from the stress of school and every day life, continue to build relationships with them, share Christ with them, and hopefully even see some of them step up as leaders in the movement! it is a really cool thing to be a part of, and our team has a lot of ownership over how it will look, the theme, what we will be doing.. pretty much everything! you will all be hearing a lot more about this conference as it develops, because it is such an incredible opportunity!
well potter and i drove out to the camp where we will be having it, and we fell in love with the place.. we can totally see this retreat happen here! it is a really cool place, with a lot to do and a lot of space to have fun and move around.. just wanted to show you all a couple pictures!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
hallelujah and a dance party
we went to church (me and three others) with andrea, a good friend of ours, and her mom.. it was really interesting! it ended up being a somewhat pentecostal church, with a lot of singing and dancing and hands waving.. the pastor was very expressive and passionate.. it was difficult to understand everything, but we could generally follow along and the teaching was pretty solid..
one really cool thing about this place is that they have such a strong sense of community.. at the end of the message, they invited people to come forward, and a ton of other people came around and among them, and laid hands on them and prayed.. it was just so cool, because there were old women laying their hands on the shoulders of young men, girls hugging their friends and praying over them, men praying for groups of younger boys.. it was just really cool, because i think it was kinda a picture of what God created the universal church to be.. it is inter-generational, and transcends gender, and is simply a group of people following Christ.. so yeah, it was really encouraging!
next sunday, we might try and check out a different one.. ill let you know when we finally land on one for good, if we do..
well after church, we celebrated jennas birthday, shes twenty two! our third birthday celebration so far.. and i am next in december (send me something)..
we went to dinner at benihana, where they cook all the food in front of you and do nifty little things with knives and shrimp and onions and stuff.. i have done that kinda thing before, but when you have twelve or thirteen people crowded around it definitely adds to the experience..
after dinner, we came back to the house and had a piñata party (they are crazy with piñatas here) followed by a dance party until about one in the morning.. i learned a little bit how to salsa!
our birthdays are one of those days that we hold sacred around here, because it is a chance to feel like we are at home, with family.. and to take a break from the chaos and really enjoy each other.. so, thanks jenna for being born!
one really cool thing about this place is that they have such a strong sense of community.. at the end of the message, they invited people to come forward, and a ton of other people came around and among them, and laid hands on them and prayed.. it was just so cool, because there were old women laying their hands on the shoulders of young men, girls hugging their friends and praying over them, men praying for groups of younger boys.. it was just really cool, because i think it was kinda a picture of what God created the universal church to be.. it is inter-generational, and transcends gender, and is simply a group of people following Christ.. so yeah, it was really encouraging!
next sunday, we might try and check out a different one.. ill let you know when we finally land on one for good, if we do..
well after church, we celebrated jennas birthday, shes twenty two! our third birthday celebration so far.. and i am next in december (send me something)..
we went to dinner at benihana, where they cook all the food in front of you and do nifty little things with knives and shrimp and onions and stuff.. i have done that kinda thing before, but when you have twelve or thirteen people crowded around it definitely adds to the experience..
after dinner, we came back to the house and had a piñata party (they are crazy with piñatas here) followed by a dance party until about one in the morning.. i learned a little bit how to salsa!
our birthdays are one of those days that we hold sacred around here, because it is a chance to feel like we are at home, with family.. and to take a break from the chaos and really enjoy each other.. so, thanks jenna for being born!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
day off
everyone went to a lake today, and im guessing theyre having a pretty sweet time! i decided not to go cause i had a pretty exhausting week, and had a lot that i wanted to get caught up on.. such as getting caught up on this blog, writing letters home, reading and journaling, administrative stuff.. its been really nice actually! i really enjoy spending time by myself, in the quiet, with no one else around.. its really relaxing for me, and i definitely needed to relax.. saturday is the only day all week that i get to sleep past eight or so! so i totally loved it, even though i would have loved to go to the lake.. but the lake isnt going anywhere, so im sure ill get out there at some point.. anyways, im gonna get back to work.. love you all
Thursday, October 16, 2008
a tightening.. and some karate kids..
i went with lauren to the orthodontist today! she has been going to this guy for a couple weeks now, and i guess he is one of the top orthodontists in the country.. anyways, i just thought it was funny that i went to an orthodontists office in el salvador.. pretty random right? its one thing i definitely never thought i would do here haha..
oh, and right above the office, there is a tae kwon do studio for kids, and it was one of the funniest things i have seen in a while.. these little three and four year old boys were trying to figure out how to jump.. some of them werent paying attention at all, and were just standing in a circle hitting each other on the head with folders.. i guess some traits of boys transcend culture haha.. anyways, i am not sure why i included either of these things on here.. i guess just cause its a little slice of life for us down here..
oh, and right above the office, there is a tae kwon do studio for kids, and it was one of the funniest things i have seen in a while.. these little three and four year old boys were trying to figure out how to jump.. some of them werent paying attention at all, and were just standing in a circle hitting each other on the head with folders.. i guess some traits of boys transcend culture haha.. anyways, i am not sure why i included either of these things on here.. i guess just cause its a little slice of life for us down here..
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
making friends
one thing our team has been experiencing a lot of lately is just a desire to be friends with the students here, and not just have 'contacts'.. we want relationships with these people! we want to be investing a lot into those we meet with, know them personally, become part of their lives.. and it is something that we havent been experiencing much of..
well today was a pretty sweet breakthrough with this! we invited some students to go to the movies with us.. we watched a (somewhat lame) action movie with vin diesel.. but the point wasnt the movie, it was just to spend time with students away from campuses and appointments.. we had a couple guys show up and hang out with us! it was really cool..
then.. do you remember carlos from my prayer letter? brandon and i met with him a few weeks back.. anyways, he wasnt able to make it to the movies, but he invited us over to his house to watch the el salvador vs. suriname soccer game with him! we ended up going to a restaurant near his house, had dinner with him and his girlfriend, and watched el salvador dominate..
it was a really sweet day.. please be praying that we will continue to make true friends here!
well today was a pretty sweet breakthrough with this! we invited some students to go to the movies with us.. we watched a (somewhat lame) action movie with vin diesel.. but the point wasnt the movie, it was just to spend time with students away from campuses and appointments.. we had a couple guys show up and hang out with us! it was really cool..
then.. do you remember carlos from my prayer letter? brandon and i met with him a few weeks back.. anyways, he wasnt able to make it to the movies, but he invited us over to his house to watch the el salvador vs. suriname soccer game with him! we ended up going to a restaurant near his house, had dinner with him and his girlfriend, and watched el salvador dominate..
it was a really sweet day.. please be praying that we will continue to make true friends here!
TIHANY!
some of our salvadorian friends invited us to the circus! it was 'two for the price of 1' week, so we couldnt turn it down.. i guess its a show that started in vegas and has been traveling through central america.. it was pretty good! it started out kinda slow (with a crowd of creepy clowns) but it ended up being pretty sweet, and we had a really good time.. i took some pictures, but one of the ladies working for the circus came and yelled at me for taking pictures! ..so i had to sneak some.. more at the gallery
Monday, October 13, 2008
a new friend
i had a really cool conversation today that i wanted to share with you.. we were on matías this morning, pretty much just wandering around, looking for students who were available to talk for a while.. walking through the cafeteria near the arts building, i saw a girl sitting at a table alone with an architectural model next to her! it was soo cool to see an architecture student! i was hesitant to sit down and initiate a conversation with her, because i was nervous about my spanish.. but i told the other guys i would catch up with them in a little bit, took a deep breath, and introduced myself..
we ended up talking for about forty five minutes about architecture, all in spanish! it was incredible.. all my inhibitions about my abilities to speak seemed to vanish, and i felt like i was just having a conversation with a friend.. its hard to describe why this was so significant to me.. i guess the language barrier has been such a huge hindrance in our teams ability to connect with students.. and i feel like today was a real breakthrough for me personally, because i really connected with a salvadorian student in a full-spanish conversation! it was really encouraging at one point, when she actually said i spoke spanish well and she could understand me..
i know this probably seems like a really small thing to be talking about.. and i think it is.. but at the same time, it was huge.. so thank you for rejoicing with me!
we ended up talking for about forty five minutes about architecture, all in spanish! it was incredible.. all my inhibitions about my abilities to speak seemed to vanish, and i felt like i was just having a conversation with a friend.. its hard to describe why this was so significant to me.. i guess the language barrier has been such a huge hindrance in our teams ability to connect with students.. and i feel like today was a real breakthrough for me personally, because i really connected with a salvadorian student in a full-spanish conversation! it was really encouraging at one point, when she actually said i spoke spanish well and she could understand me..
i know this probably seems like a really small thing to be talking about.. and i think it is.. but at the same time, it was huge.. so thank you for rejoicing with me!
welcome, dave!
we received a visitor today in el salvador! his name is dave myers, and he is originally from north carolina.. he has spent quite a bit of time doing missions work, through several organizations including campus crusade, for the last six years or so.. he is currently on a visoin trip through central and south america, visiting different missionaries and organizations and seeing how their ministries are run.. in the next six months or so, he hopes that the Lord would lead him to a ministry where he could dedicate anywhere from the next three years to the rest of his life in full time missions work..
we are so happy to have him with us! it has been a privilege to open our home to him and invite him to be an eleventh member of our team.. please pray that the Lord would give dave direction as to where he is called to give his life in service.. what an exciting time for him! please pray for his provision and safety in his travels as well..
thanks!
we are so happy to have him with us! it has been a privilege to open our home to him and invite him to be an eleventh member of our team.. please pray that the Lord would give dave direction as to where he is called to give his life in service.. what an exciting time for him! please pray for his provision and safety in his travels as well..
thanks!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
dinner italiano
theres this really nice looking italian place right next to where the girls live, and we have always wanted to go in.. well tonight we finally did! we got really dressed up, took a couple trips to get all the girls over, and had a really nice team dinner together! we got a little bit of red wine and white wine (the red wine was much better), i had some dang good pesto, and we had an awesome time as a team! here are some pictures.. theres also more at the gallery..
wine through a straw is classy.. dont judge me..
wine through a straw is classy.. dont judge me..
Saturday, October 11, 2008
here we go..
so i finally have a moment to catch you all up on why life has been so crazy the last couple weeks.. we have been all over the place, and ministry has been pretty exhausting lately.. i figured the best way to do this was to put the blog entries in chronological order, so that way there isnt one huge blog you have to sift through.. cause thats never fun.. so yeah, there should be three or four new blogs below, after "im sorry.."
thanks, love you all!
thanks, love you all!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
worldwide day of prayer
the leadership of our movement here in el salvador - our stint team, national staff, and some student leaders as well - gathered today to pray for each other, this nation, and the entire world.. it was amazing to realize that the entire campus crusade community in every land and nation around the entire globe assembled in the Lords presence to lift up praises and requests.. it was a very humbling and encouraging time, as we spent nine in the morning til four in the afternoon in prayer.. we prayed for each others personal needs; we prayed for our ministry; we prayed for the students on our campuses; we prayed for the leaders of this country, and the leaders of the united states as well; we prayed for the leaders of crusade movements in the latin america region, and in every region around the world; we prayed for physical needs, spiritual needs, and emotional needs; we praised, we worshipped, we asked boldly of the Lord.. we trust the Lord heard our prayers, and that the Lord will use the prayers lifted up to Him around the world in mighty ways..
thank you for joining with us in prayer! please continue to pray for our ministry here in el salvador, that the Lord would use this year to raise up a movement of passionate students that will long outlast us.. pray for our upcoming Christmas conference, the very first student conference campus crusade has ever done in el salvador! pray that our planning would go well, that leaders would be raised up out of this time, that the Lord would soften hearts and change lives!
thanks everyone..
thank you for joining with us in prayer! please continue to pray for our ministry here in el salvador, that the Lord would use this year to raise up a movement of passionate students that will long outlast us.. pray for our upcoming Christmas conference, the very first student conference campus crusade has ever done in el salvador! pray that our planning would go well, that leaders would be raised up out of this time, that the Lord would soften hearts and change lives!
thanks everyone..
Friday, October 3, 2008
i'm sorry..
i just want to apologize to all you guys who come here to stay updated regularly on my ministry.. i havent done a very good job of keeping my blog up to date.. we have been pretty bogged down the last couple weeks, and most of the nights i have been really exhausted.. i promise i will update soon! tomorrow should give me some time to sit and write, and fill you in on all the craziness of the last couple weeks.. thanks for your understanding!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
feliz cumpleaños
we were tricked! my team of five was invited to a Bible study with a couple students who have really befriended us.. we have been wanting to see ore of what they were involved in, so we gladly accepted (despite being a little tired).. so we show up expecting a quiet spanish Bible study.. but we found out, pretty much once we arrived, that it was a surprise birthday party for a friend of theirs!
it turned out to be a crazy night.. there were about twenty students there, and they were all so hospitable and accepted us as their own friends! we had cake, sang a ridiculous amount of birthday songs (no joke, they have about seven..), and played the most insane round of piñata that i have ever witnessed.. we have some video of it that i can hopefully figure out how to show you all.. it was crazy!
anyways, i just wanted to let you all know that we had an incredibly fun night, and that it is honestly a huge part of our ministry here to just become friends with these students, and tonight was such a sweet breakthrough.. please pray that we would continue to make friends and build strong relationships with students here!
it turned out to be a crazy night.. there were about twenty students there, and they were all so hospitable and accepted us as their own friends! we had cake, sang a ridiculous amount of birthday songs (no joke, they have about seven..), and played the most insane round of piñata that i have ever witnessed.. we have some video of it that i can hopefully figure out how to show you all.. it was crazy!
anyways, i just wanted to let you all know that we had an incredibly fun night, and that it is honestly a huge part of our ministry here to just become friends with these students, and tonight was such a sweet breakthrough.. please pray that we would continue to make friends and build strong relationships with students here!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
car update
i just wanted to update you all on the car situation here..
we have one car bought and paid for, with registration and insurance! it is a 2003 hyundai elantra, and we got it for a really good deal! praise God for His provision.. it took about a month for the whole process, which was long but worth every minute.. our car has been an incredible blessing to our team, allowing us to meet regularly with all ten of us, drive ourselves to ministry, set our own schedules more or less.. it has brought many blessings to our team, so thank you for your financial support and your prayers!
we are currently still working on car número dos.. a second car will allow us to do things together as an entire team of ten without relying on taxis, which are pretty expensive.. it will also allow us to do ministry without having to ask the national staff to drive us, which will be a blessing to everyone involved.. we are looking into more elantras because they are the best quality for the best price we can find.. we have had some good leads and driven a few around, but it has been hard to find another car that is a good deal and is in good condition.. we really depend on our national director, layo, in the process of searching for a car.. if we went out as just americans, we would get taken advantage of! having layo there means that we will get a fair deal.. this process has been difficult because layo has been very busy (september and october are his busiest months of the year), and he has not been able to help us much in this process.. so please just be praying that the Lord would provide a second car for us!
if you would like to see pictures of the first car, and some of my house, check out my gallery! i should have them up in the next couple days..
http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
we have one car bought and paid for, with registration and insurance! it is a 2003 hyundai elantra, and we got it for a really good deal! praise God for His provision.. it took about a month for the whole process, which was long but worth every minute.. our car has been an incredible blessing to our team, allowing us to meet regularly with all ten of us, drive ourselves to ministry, set our own schedules more or less.. it has brought many blessings to our team, so thank you for your financial support and your prayers!
we are currently still working on car número dos.. a second car will allow us to do things together as an entire team of ten without relying on taxis, which are pretty expensive.. it will also allow us to do ministry without having to ask the national staff to drive us, which will be a blessing to everyone involved.. we are looking into more elantras because they are the best quality for the best price we can find.. we have had some good leads and driven a few around, but it has been hard to find another car that is a good deal and is in good condition.. we really depend on our national director, layo, in the process of searching for a car.. if we went out as just americans, we would get taken advantage of! having layo there means that we will get a fair deal.. this process has been difficult because layo has been very busy (september and october are his busiest months of the year), and he has not been able to help us much in this process.. so please just be praying that the Lord would provide a second car for us!
if you would like to see pictures of the first car, and some of my house, check out my gallery! i should have them up in the next couple days..
http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
some bittersweet news
manuel and cecy, the national staff couple that works with my team of five on matías and evangelica, sat us down today.. and through tears imformed us that they would not be able to join us on campus for the month of october, because they need to focus full time on support raising.. they have been so close on finances that it has been difficult paying bills on time.. the entire national staff team leaves campus for the entire month of november to raise support full time, because by the end of the year they are nearly out of support! it is such a difficult situation to be in, because they want so badly to be able to continue in ministry alongside our team.. i just cant imagine the stress they feel as november approaches.. first and foremost, please be praying that the Lord raises their support! pray that the Lord would increase their reliance on Him, and trust in His provision.. pray that they would be encouraged during this time! they, as well as the rest of the national staff, have such great hearts for the Lord.. it is hard knowing that they are unable to do what they love because of money.. so please just keep them in your prayers..
if there could be a bright side to such a sad occurence, i want to encourage you that the Lord has used this in some interesting ways for our team.. it has been difficult for our team as we suddenly had appointments scheduled all week with students who only spoke spanish, which is something our fluency levels were probably not quite prepared for.. but the Lord has really blessed us through this process, as it has stretched us to use spanish much more, and experience a lot more ownership over our ministry here.. and i feel like our language skills have been growing greatly through this 'baptism by fire' process.. it has been hard, but there has been so much joy, and bonding as a team, and growth from all this that it has really been a blessing in disguise having to take the reins of our ministry here.. praise the Lord for His sovereignty, in ordaining this to happen at this specific time! and please continue to pray for manuel and cecy, as they are raising support and being stretched in their faith as well!
love you all..
if there could be a bright side to such a sad occurence, i want to encourage you that the Lord has used this in some interesting ways for our team.. it has been difficult for our team as we suddenly had appointments scheduled all week with students who only spoke spanish, which is something our fluency levels were probably not quite prepared for.. but the Lord has really blessed us through this process, as it has stretched us to use spanish much more, and experience a lot more ownership over our ministry here.. and i feel like our language skills have been growing greatly through this 'baptism by fire' process.. it has been hard, but there has been so much joy, and bonding as a team, and growth from all this that it has really been a blessing in disguise having to take the reins of our ministry here.. praise the Lord for His sovereignty, in ordaining this to happen at this specific time! and please continue to pray for manuel and cecy, as they are raising support and being stretched in their faith as well!
love you all..
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
fresh perspective, new direction
earlier this week, we sat down with manuel and cecy, after a couple weeks working on campus, to discuss what we liked, what our goals are, and how we are doing in reaching them.. after looking at the goals set in the past for reaching our two campuses, we talked about what needed to be changed.. we ended up having a really incredible and inspiring conversation that really reminded me of why i am here..
we discussed how these students arent simply just numbers.. the goal is not set at a certain number of students each year to share the Gospel with.. our focus is not on numbers or percentages or demographics.. our focus is really on the hearts of students, the lives of young men and women, and our scope truly is the entire country.. for example, what is more important: to see five hundred students come to know Christ, and then vanish into the woodwork of everyday life; or to see a handful of students become truly passionate for the salvation of their families, friends and peers? to have hundreds of people fill the churches year after year, so long as american missionaries are working here; or to see a movement form that sustains itself long after our teams leave?
we realized, after looking through the Gospels at Jesus' three year ministry, that His focus was not on simply preaching to the masses.. He knew that He was here on earth for a very short time, and He had a very specific purpose for everything He did.. His primary focus was on pouring time and energy and love into His disciples.. the twelve followed Him everywhere, knew Him intimately, learned to trust the Lord for everything, and were trained to carry on His ministry.. with Jesus' last words before He ascended, He urged His disciples to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations," teaching the people what Christ taught them.. flash forward two thousand years or so, and now there are thriving movements of Christ-followers all over the world..
we want to model that same focus here.. we want to pour out everything we know, everything we are, for these students.. teach them to observe what Christ has taught us, and send them out to reach the far corners of their country, and beyond their own borders, with the love and truth of the Gospel..
so pray that we would be building friendships and solid relationships with students! pray that we would be able to hang out with them outside of time on campus! please pray that the Lord would be revealing to us how to have truly effective discipleship times..
thanks everyone!
we discussed how these students arent simply just numbers.. the goal is not set at a certain number of students each year to share the Gospel with.. our focus is not on numbers or percentages or demographics.. our focus is really on the hearts of students, the lives of young men and women, and our scope truly is the entire country.. for example, what is more important: to see five hundred students come to know Christ, and then vanish into the woodwork of everyday life; or to see a handful of students become truly passionate for the salvation of their families, friends and peers? to have hundreds of people fill the churches year after year, so long as american missionaries are working here; or to see a movement form that sustains itself long after our teams leave?
we realized, after looking through the Gospels at Jesus' three year ministry, that His focus was not on simply preaching to the masses.. He knew that He was here on earth for a very short time, and He had a very specific purpose for everything He did.. His primary focus was on pouring time and energy and love into His disciples.. the twelve followed Him everywhere, knew Him intimately, learned to trust the Lord for everything, and were trained to carry on His ministry.. with Jesus' last words before He ascended, He urged His disciples to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations," teaching the people what Christ taught them.. flash forward two thousand years or so, and now there are thriving movements of Christ-followers all over the world..
we want to model that same focus here.. we want to pour out everything we know, everything we are, for these students.. teach them to observe what Christ has taught us, and send them out to reach the far corners of their country, and beyond their own borders, with the love and truth of the Gospel..
so pray that we would be building friendships and solid relationships with students! pray that we would be able to hang out with them outside of time on campus! please pray that the Lord would be revealing to us how to have truly effective discipleship times..
thanks everyone!
Friday, September 19, 2008
we bought our first car today! its a hyundai elantra, and we got it for a really good deal.. it handles really well, which is incredibly important in a place like this.. brandon and i took turns driving it back to our house, and it was quite the adventure.. i actually felt surprisingly comfortable amidst the huge buses flying past, the weaving motorcycles, the jaywalking pedestrians, and the other cars constantly trying to jam their way ahead of you.. it felt natural, but we definitely need Gods protection as we are out there on the road..
this car is such an answer to prayer itself: it will allow us to do ministry better; connect more as a team now that we have more control over our schedule; take care of details that we used to have to depend on others to take care of.. it is such a blessing to finally have a car! thank you for your prayers, and for the financial support you gave so generously.. it has enabled us as missionaries to do what we have been called here to do!
hopefully soon i will put a video up on the online gallery of me and brandon driving!
this car is such an answer to prayer itself: it will allow us to do ministry better; connect more as a team now that we have more control over our schedule; take care of details that we used to have to depend on others to take care of.. it is such a blessing to finally have a car! thank you for your prayers, and for the financial support you gave so generously.. it has enabled us as missionaries to do what we have been called here to do!
hopefully soon i will put a video up on the online gallery of me and brandon driving!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
a sweet opportunity
despite being in recovery mode from our stomach issues the last couple days, our team was invited over to layos house for dinner to hear about a really cool opportunity for ministry.. we met with a representative from josh mcdowell ministries, a branch of campus crusade.. josh mcdowell, if you have not heard of him, is an incredible man who has done so much for the Lord in his life.. he has written many books that have impacted countless people around the world for the Gospel.. he is also a traveling speaker, speaking at venues all over the globe..
well josh has agreed to come to el salvador for a week this coming may! although it is a long way off, we have a lot to plan and prepare for.. the Lord has used josh's speaking engagements in other countries to bring a lot of change and make huge differences in the movements happening in those places, and He is definitely capable of using josh to do similar things here in el salvador.. please be praying that the Lord will use this opportunity somehow, however that may be.. pray that students will be touched by the truth josh will bring, and that our movement will grow!
well josh has agreed to come to el salvador for a week this coming may! although it is a long way off, we have a lot to plan and prepare for.. the Lord has used josh's speaking engagements in other countries to bring a lot of change and make huge differences in the movements happening in those places, and He is definitely capable of using josh to do similar things here in el salvador.. please be praying that the Lord will use this opportunity somehow, however that may be.. pray that students will be touched by the truth josh will bring, and that our movement will grow!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
it was bound to happen..
..and it finally did..
well, our whole team has been sick now for the last two days.. we must have eaten something this weekend that got us sick, because everyone on our team (except laucky lauren, last one standing) has been 'riding the d-train,' as they say.. everyone has had some combination of multiple digestive symptoms and fevers with chills..
me personally, i have experienced it all in the last couple days.. i havent thrown up, praise the Lord for that.. but yeah, it has been difficult.. we are all incredibly exhausted, and have missed two days already being on campus..
please pray for healing! thank you so much for those who already have! we are taking medicine, drinking electrolytes, and getting plenty of rest.. i will update you soon on the health of the team!
well, our whole team has been sick now for the last two days.. we must have eaten something this weekend that got us sick, because everyone on our team (except laucky lauren, last one standing) has been 'riding the d-train,' as they say.. everyone has had some combination of multiple digestive symptoms and fevers with chills..
me personally, i have experienced it all in the last couple days.. i havent thrown up, praise the Lord for that.. but yeah, it has been difficult.. we are all incredibly exhausted, and have missed two days already being on campus..
please pray for healing! thank you so much for those who already have! we are taking medicine, drinking electrolytes, and getting plenty of rest.. i will update you soon on the health of the team!
Monday, September 15, 2008
happy independence day, el salvador
we went to a parade today in the heart of san salvador in celebration of the day el salvador gained independence from spain in 1821.. i have written a little bit about the circumstances of the spanish occupation of el salvador, but to summarize; the spanish treated the native salvadorians pretty objectionably, and tense relationships even today..
therefore, independence day is quite a celebration.. and salvadorians know how to party..
dont forget to check out the photo gallery for more, and better, pictures:
http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
therefore, independence day is quite a celebration.. and salvadorians know how to party..
dont forget to check out the photo gallery for more, and better, pictures:
http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
'vamos a la playa'
a salvadorian student from our movement invited our team to stay at his beach house for the weekend! it was such a blessing from the Lord, after our first full week of ministry, to be able to just relax and enjoy each other as a team.. this past week has been the hardest so far, but to end it with a weekend trip to an incredible beach with my whole team was amazing!
the water is about eighty or eighty five degrees.. we were in this beautiful little bay with only locals and not much tourism.. gorgeous waves.. soda in glass bottles, 'ceviche de camarones' (kind of like a shrimp salad).. it was pretty picturesque..
speaking of pictures, the ones at the online gallery are full quality, and i have quite a few more from this little trip.. so go see them at http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
love you guys!
the water is about eighty or eighty five degrees.. we were in this beautiful little bay with only locals and not much tourism.. gorgeous waves.. soda in glass bottles, 'ceviche de camarones' (kind of like a shrimp salad).. it was pretty picturesque..
speaking of pictures, the ones at the online gallery are full quality, and i have quite a few more from this little trip.. so go see them at http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller
love you guys!
Friday, September 12, 2008
spanish with yuri
language has been somewhat of a drain on our team as a whole, because it becomes very exhausting to have to have your mind working so hard constantly to translate everything in order to eat, or know whats going on, or make important decisions with the national staff, or simply have a conversation with a student.. these are things i have taken for granted until i got here and realized how hard it is.. it has been fun, but it has definitely been challenging.. we have had some trouble finding someone who would be able to tutor us, seeing as most tutors around are english tutors.. there are also french schools and german schools, but there is obviously not a big market here for americans trying to learn spanish..
today we started our spanish tutoring! manuel, one of the national staff here, talked to an acquaintance of his that was willing to tutor us in spanish.. it wasnt until meeting him today that we found out just how privileged we are.. his name is yuri, he is a Christian salvadorian jew, and he has an incredible story.. when the war began, he was fifteen years old.. he loved languages as a kid, and taught himself english and german, so when the war started he made a very good living translating for all the reporters from the u.s., england, and germany.. when he was seventeen, the president of el salvador went about hiring a personal translator, and yuri was hired among the hundreds of applicants.. although he was a year too young to work by law, the president simply signed papers making him eighteen years old so he could hire him! yuri has been working for the president personally for twenty two years now, and is the only man in the country with the power to sign off on legal documents in other languages.. he oversees image for both political parties here in el salvador.. he is fluent in nine languages and five dialects, including hebrew, portuguese, italian, french, russian, yittish, japanese, and zulu.. he is currently teaching himself mandarin as well.. he only teaches executives and high ranking government officials, and charges $300/hr per person for his lessons, because he has been able to make people fluent in a second language within two months.. he is a very brilliant and gifted man, who truly loves the Lord and cares about us..
oh, and he is teaching all ten of us on the team, an hour each week, absolutely free!
praise God for His provision! there is no way that something like this can happen apart from the Lord simply providing for us, and desiring to make our ministry effective.. please pray that we will be diligent in learning the language, devoting time to it, and not wasting this incredible blessing.. be encouraged that God is watching out for us.. pray that these spanish lessons will enable us to have a much stronger ministry here.. and pray that we get to meet the president of the country! it may not happen, but it is entirely possible, and change happens quicker if it happens from the top down..
love you all..
today we started our spanish tutoring! manuel, one of the national staff here, talked to an acquaintance of his that was willing to tutor us in spanish.. it wasnt until meeting him today that we found out just how privileged we are.. his name is yuri, he is a Christian salvadorian jew, and he has an incredible story.. when the war began, he was fifteen years old.. he loved languages as a kid, and taught himself english and german, so when the war started he made a very good living translating for all the reporters from the u.s., england, and germany.. when he was seventeen, the president of el salvador went about hiring a personal translator, and yuri was hired among the hundreds of applicants.. although he was a year too young to work by law, the president simply signed papers making him eighteen years old so he could hire him! yuri has been working for the president personally for twenty two years now, and is the only man in the country with the power to sign off on legal documents in other languages.. he oversees image for both political parties here in el salvador.. he is fluent in nine languages and five dialects, including hebrew, portuguese, italian, french, russian, yittish, japanese, and zulu.. he is currently teaching himself mandarin as well.. he only teaches executives and high ranking government officials, and charges $300/hr per person for his lessons, because he has been able to make people fluent in a second language within two months.. he is a very brilliant and gifted man, who truly loves the Lord and cares about us..
oh, and he is teaching all ten of us on the team, an hour each week, absolutely free!
praise God for His provision! there is no way that something like this can happen apart from the Lord simply providing for us, and desiring to make our ministry effective.. please pray that we will be diligent in learning the language, devoting time to it, and not wasting this incredible blessing.. be encouraged that God is watching out for us.. pray that these spanish lessons will enable us to have a much stronger ministry here.. and pray that we get to meet the president of the country! it may not happen, but it is entirely possible, and change happens quicker if it happens from the top down..
love you all..
Friday, September 5, 2008
God is moving!
a while back our team met with layo and luchi, our national directors, to discuss vision.. i wrote about it in an earlier blog, but just as a refresher, one of the things he talked about was a great need for discipleship and training.. pastors here in el salvador arent very 'movement-minded,' meaning that they are not focused on discipleship and outreach.. churches here do little to move beyond their own walls, spiritually or physically..
today, layo met with an old friend named luis who used to be on staff with vida estudiantil (campus crusade here in el salvador) for many years.. luis informed layo that he had a plan to start a training center for pastors in el salvador! the closest thing to compare it to would be a seminary.. he had all the details worked out, and asked layo to come along side the project to provide curriculum and actual training and discipleship materials.. he came to layo because he knew that vida estudiantil had exactly what he wanted, exactly what was needed, for this training center to work..
what an answer to prayer! el salvador is in need of multiplying movements that are focused on leaders.. this new training center provides exactly that, and so much more! we are seeing God do incredible things, and we have yet to really jump fully into ministry yet.. amazing! please keep praying, the Lord is definitely answering them..
today, layo met with an old friend named luis who used to be on staff with vida estudiantil (campus crusade here in el salvador) for many years.. luis informed layo that he had a plan to start a training center for pastors in el salvador! the closest thing to compare it to would be a seminary.. he had all the details worked out, and asked layo to come along side the project to provide curriculum and actual training and discipleship materials.. he came to layo because he knew that vida estudiantil had exactly what he wanted, exactly what was needed, for this training center to work..
what an answer to prayer! el salvador is in need of multiplying movements that are focused on leaders.. this new training center provides exactly that, and so much more! we are seeing God do incredible things, and we have yet to really jump fully into ministry yet.. amazing! please keep praying, the Lord is definitely answering them..
Thursday, September 4, 2008
i need a bit more practice
i led a discussion today at Evangelica, one of the two universities i will be working on this year.. it was a great discussion, we talked about the Vida Estudiantil (Campus Crusade) vision statement:
'ayudar a plantar movimientos in todas partes, haste que cada salvadoreno tenga contacto con un verdadero seguidor de Jesus'
or, in english:
'to help plant movements everywhere, until each salvadorian has contact with a true follower of Jesus'
we talked about whether this was important, if it was necessary.. i asked them if they thought it was even impossible.. i asked them what they saw in their country that needed change, and who they thought was capable of accomplishing it..
and i tried to do it all in spanish! it was really hard, slightly embarrassing as i stumbled over my words.. and i felt like i wasnt getting through to any of the students because of the language barrier..
we ended up having such an incredible discussion! praise the Lord for using my feeble spanish capabilities to bring about some truly thought-provoking dialogue.. we read the Great Commission, which you can find at Matt. 28:16-20.. Jesus calls his eleven disciples together, after His resurrection and before He ascends into Heaven, and tells them to go forth into all the world, teaching people about the incredible things Jesus did..
then i just encouraged them with this thought: Jesus used eleven men to change the entire world forever.. the world will never be the same because these eleven men were faithful to what Jesus had called them.. these men were simple fishermen and farmers, most of them with little or no formal education.. yet Jesus used them to do things never seen before in the world.. then i told them, 'you guys are leaders.. within the next five or ten years, you will be the leaders of your country.. you have the opportunity to change the course of history of your entire country!'
i hope and pray that the Lord will plant the right seeds in the right places, that these students will understand what a crucial role they play in seeing their country change.. please pray with me.. this is what we are here for, to help this come to pass!
'ayudar a plantar movimientos in todas partes, haste que cada salvadoreno tenga contacto con un verdadero seguidor de Jesus'
or, in english:
'to help plant movements everywhere, until each salvadorian has contact with a true follower of Jesus'
we talked about whether this was important, if it was necessary.. i asked them if they thought it was even impossible.. i asked them what they saw in their country that needed change, and who they thought was capable of accomplishing it..
and i tried to do it all in spanish! it was really hard, slightly embarrassing as i stumbled over my words.. and i felt like i wasnt getting through to any of the students because of the language barrier..
we ended up having such an incredible discussion! praise the Lord for using my feeble spanish capabilities to bring about some truly thought-provoking dialogue.. we read the Great Commission, which you can find at Matt. 28:16-20.. Jesus calls his eleven disciples together, after His resurrection and before He ascends into Heaven, and tells them to go forth into all the world, teaching people about the incredible things Jesus did..
then i just encouraged them with this thought: Jesus used eleven men to change the entire world forever.. the world will never be the same because these eleven men were faithful to what Jesus had called them.. these men were simple fishermen and farmers, most of them with little or no formal education.. yet Jesus used them to do things never seen before in the world.. then i told them, 'you guys are leaders.. within the next five or ten years, you will be the leaders of your country.. you have the opportunity to change the course of history of your entire country!'
i hope and pray that the Lord will plant the right seeds in the right places, that these students will understand what a crucial role they play in seeing their country change.. please pray with me.. this is what we are here for, to help this come to pass!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
a crack and a boom
i think our house may have been struck by lightning earlier today.. we were all waiting for our ride to come pick us up, just reading or whatever, and it started to thunder.. only occasionally could we see the lightning in the beginning; it was almost noon and it was hardly cloudy at all out our windows.. within minutes it was absolutely pouring, and the thunder was setting off car alarms every time.. then we heard a huge crack and all the windows shook with the thunder that came right on its heels.. it was nuts, ive never heard thunder like this.. so yeah, im pretty sure we got hit.. or at least it came incredibly close.. and it happened more than once too!
thats what the rainy season in el salvador is all about apparently.. kids arent even phased by it..
ps there was a little earthquake the other day.. we live kinda close to a volcano that rumbles every now and then.. it was like a four pointer..
and now the thunder is starting back up again..
thats what the rainy season in el salvador is all about apparently.. kids arent even phased by it..
ps there was a little earthquake the other day.. we live kinda close to a volcano that rumbles every now and then.. it was like a four pointer..
and now the thunder is starting back up again..
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
cell phones
we got cell phones today! it was a pretty complicated process, but i think it was worth it in the end.. cell phones are much different here than in the us.. we have five phones from one carrier [digicel] and five from another [movistar]; both are pretty expensive.. the only plans they have are for eighteen months, so we had to do 'prepago,' or prepaid.. its not terrible, but we have to watch how many minutes we are using.. and do a lot of texting!
we are also getting ready to purchase our cars! this will finally enable us to work better as a team, as well as do ministry much easier.. as of now we are depending on the national staff for rides, and it is getting difficult.. pray that we get some good cars that will last for many years! we plan to leave them for the teams coming down after us, in the next few years..
thats all for now..
we are also getting ready to purchase our cars! this will finally enable us to work better as a team, as well as do ministry much easier.. as of now we are depending on the national staff for rides, and it is getting difficult.. pray that we get some good cars that will last for many years! we plan to leave them for the teams coming down after us, in the next few years..
thats all for now..
Sunday, August 31, 2008
fiesta en las montanas
the last post was really long.. ill try and keep this one a bit shorter..
we got to go up into the mountains to this little village that has a pretty popular little festival every weekend, with food and music and little booths where people sell their wares.. little threaded bracelets, assorted nuts, foam alligator toys, mariachi singers.. it was pretty sweet, we had a lot of fun.. and then we went a little further up into the mountains to a little coffee plantation, where we had a little dessert and mochaccino.. layo and luchy are trying to show us their country and welcome us with appreciation and true salvadorian hospitality.. and we are soaking it up, it has been wonderful..
it was difficult seeing poverty so close at hand, to really be immersed in it.. throngs of street dogs with skin sores and sunken rib cages, old women with no teeth, little children peddling beans and tomatoes for their parents profits.. and all flocking to our team because we are perceived as being incredibly wealthy.. it was deeply moving, and i spent a lot of my time in that town just quietly observing and contemplating.. my thoughts kept centering on two things really:
first, that i am so blessed.. for whatever reason, i was born in a land of justice and opportunity and freedom, where i have never faced corruption or starvation or true poverty.. i have to think that i have been so blessed because the Lord wants me to use the incredible blessings He has bestowed upon me to serve those who are hurting around the world.. we are so well taken care of in america.. praise God for that, and may we all be more willing to give out of that incredible blessing to reach out to those who genuinely need..
second, that these are the people i have a heart for.. Jesus' heart broke for the impoverished and the hungry and the sick and the blind and the hurting and the burdened.. a quick breeze through any of the four gospels can tell you that.. and He has begun to develop that same heart in me as well.. i ache for them, and with them.. as much as my privileged mind can understand what their daily lives are like.. i want to see these people come to know the wonderful love of Christ that fills empty hearts.. but i know that i can share the Gospel with these people all year and see a handful, maybe even a churchful of people come to Christ.. but in order to truly care for these people, to care for the people after them, we must also work hard at reaching the leaders with the love of Christ, so they can in turn pour it out lavishly upon the people they are supposed to be serving.. the crimes will continue to spiral out of control, the poverty will continue to permeate their society, children will continue to go to bed hungry, unless the people who have the power to change these things are moved to action.. and that is why the Lord has called me here!
well i tried to keep it short.. looks like i kinda failed.. but i hope it was an encouragement to you, and i hope it moves you to action.. whatever that may be.. but of any action you choose to take, please continue to pray for our ministry here, for the people of el salvador to be touched with the Gospel, for the children and mothers who i can picture in my head even now who so desperately need what Jesus Christ has to offer..
love you all
here are some pictures from our mountain adventure..
i set up a photo gallery at http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller, and ill try and keep it updated with lots of cool pictures!
we got to go up into the mountains to this little village that has a pretty popular little festival every weekend, with food and music and little booths where people sell their wares.. little threaded bracelets, assorted nuts, foam alligator toys, mariachi singers.. it was pretty sweet, we had a lot of fun.. and then we went a little further up into the mountains to a little coffee plantation, where we had a little dessert and mochaccino.. layo and luchy are trying to show us their country and welcome us with appreciation and true salvadorian hospitality.. and we are soaking it up, it has been wonderful..
it was difficult seeing poverty so close at hand, to really be immersed in it.. throngs of street dogs with skin sores and sunken rib cages, old women with no teeth, little children peddling beans and tomatoes for their parents profits.. and all flocking to our team because we are perceived as being incredibly wealthy.. it was deeply moving, and i spent a lot of my time in that town just quietly observing and contemplating.. my thoughts kept centering on two things really:
first, that i am so blessed.. for whatever reason, i was born in a land of justice and opportunity and freedom, where i have never faced corruption or starvation or true poverty.. i have to think that i have been so blessed because the Lord wants me to use the incredible blessings He has bestowed upon me to serve those who are hurting around the world.. we are so well taken care of in america.. praise God for that, and may we all be more willing to give out of that incredible blessing to reach out to those who genuinely need..
second, that these are the people i have a heart for.. Jesus' heart broke for the impoverished and the hungry and the sick and the blind and the hurting and the burdened.. a quick breeze through any of the four gospels can tell you that.. and He has begun to develop that same heart in me as well.. i ache for them, and with them.. as much as my privileged mind can understand what their daily lives are like.. i want to see these people come to know the wonderful love of Christ that fills empty hearts.. but i know that i can share the Gospel with these people all year and see a handful, maybe even a churchful of people come to Christ.. but in order to truly care for these people, to care for the people after them, we must also work hard at reaching the leaders with the love of Christ, so they can in turn pour it out lavishly upon the people they are supposed to be serving.. the crimes will continue to spiral out of control, the poverty will continue to permeate their society, children will continue to go to bed hungry, unless the people who have the power to change these things are moved to action.. and that is why the Lord has called me here!
well i tried to keep it short.. looks like i kinda failed.. but i hope it was an encouragement to you, and i hope it moves you to action.. whatever that may be.. but of any action you choose to take, please continue to pray for our ministry here, for the people of el salvador to be touched with the Gospel, for the children and mothers who i can picture in my head even now who so desperately need what Jesus Christ has to offer..
love you all
here are some pictures from our mountain adventure..
i set up a photo gallery at http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller, and ill try and keep it updated with lots of cool pictures!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
big vision, big God
we had dinner at layos tonight [layo and his wife luchy are the national directors here in el salvador.. they also oversee campus crusade for the rest of central america, mexico, and the caribbean.. they are incredible people].. anyways, they gave us a big picture view of why we are here and what we are helping them accomplish.. it was incredible! i got goosebumps several times sitting at that dinner table, and i wanted to share it with you as well.. i want to give you a picture of the reality of this country, and the reality that God can use our team to literally change the course of history for this entire country!
layo shared with us a bit of the history of his country, which many of you have probably already heard through my conversations with you.. el salvador, like many central american countries, was conquered by the spanish empire long ago.. when they came, they pronounced everyone Catholic, and declared that the native salvadorians had no souls and were not equal with them.. when they finally did recognize the humanity of the natives, they forced them to abandon their gods and embrace Catholicism.. the natives, however, continued to worship their gods internally while practicing a ritualistic, external Catholicism.. this created a fracture in the salvadorian culture, fostering a dual morality that exist to this day; there is no conflict here between doing whatever you wish during the week, and simply performing a few rituals at mass to be forgiven..
five percent of the population owns almost everything here.. this five percent is made up almost entirely of people of pure spanish descent.. they are called criollos.. they run the banks, the government, the media, they own the land.. there is little opportunity to move up in class.. in the past few decades, a small middle class has emerged that now is about twenty five percent of the population, mostly made up of mixed spanish and native descent.. they are called mestizos.. the rest of the population, about sixty percent, live in poverty.. if they dont sell something today, they do not eat tomorrow.. sixty percent of the population!
there have been a steady stream of missionaries here since the fifties.. as of 1970, less than three percent of the population claimed to be evangelicals.. during the war, the Catholic church became very political, driving away people who genuinely wanted to worship apart from connections to political issues.. the evangelical church exploded during the next few decades, and continues to grow.. as of now, one in every three people here are evangelical Christians.. there is one church for every seven hundred people here..
this is incredible! praise the Lord for using an ugly war to bring life to so many people.. but here is the thing that i find so inconsistent.. why, when the evangelical church has grown so much and there are so many believers, is the country still wading in poverty? why have crime rates skyrocketed? why is there no real change?
this is the case because the vast majority of the true evangelicals are in the ninety percent of the population that are relatively powerless to change much.. the way the social system is set up, it is nearly impossible for that ninety percent to move up in the social system, let alone affect any sort of lasting difference in their society.. an attitude of, 'this is just the way it is' permeates this country.. no one is motivated for social justice because the ones who need the change are powerless to produce it.. and the ones with the power to change it simply dont care enough..
here is the point: in order to see real change happen in this country, that top five percent need to see Jesus.. they need to hear how Jesus had compassion on the sick and the poor, how he changed the world, turned religion and politics and economics upside down.. if this top five percent really sought to be more like Jesus, the entire country would, without doubt, transform.. the only way poverty can truly be solved is if the countrys leaders want to see this transformation, and begin to have a heart for the poor and the starving..
the sweet thing about all this is that this is what my team is here to do! we will be sharing Jesus' powerful, radical, life-changing and life-giving message to the current and future leaders of this country.. we will be working with students who will literally assume control of this country within the next five or ten years! if these leaders are truly touched with the message of the Gospel, they will literally alter their countrys history..
how sweet is that?! what an honor it is to be here in the very foundational stages of such an incredible awakening! it is so humbling to think that the Lord may use ten college students from another country and eight national staff to forever change el salvador..
please be praying! pray for the hearts of the students we will be working with, that they will see how beautiful the Gospel is! pray that they will want to be the men and women that God uses to change the violence and corruption in their country! pray that our team and the staff would be united in this incredible cause! this is a huge vision, but there is a very big God who is in control..
thanks guys!
layo shared with us a bit of the history of his country, which many of you have probably already heard through my conversations with you.. el salvador, like many central american countries, was conquered by the spanish empire long ago.. when they came, they pronounced everyone Catholic, and declared that the native salvadorians had no souls and were not equal with them.. when they finally did recognize the humanity of the natives, they forced them to abandon their gods and embrace Catholicism.. the natives, however, continued to worship their gods internally while practicing a ritualistic, external Catholicism.. this created a fracture in the salvadorian culture, fostering a dual morality that exist to this day; there is no conflict here between doing whatever you wish during the week, and simply performing a few rituals at mass to be forgiven..
five percent of the population owns almost everything here.. this five percent is made up almost entirely of people of pure spanish descent.. they are called criollos.. they run the banks, the government, the media, they own the land.. there is little opportunity to move up in class.. in the past few decades, a small middle class has emerged that now is about twenty five percent of the population, mostly made up of mixed spanish and native descent.. they are called mestizos.. the rest of the population, about sixty percent, live in poverty.. if they dont sell something today, they do not eat tomorrow.. sixty percent of the population!
there have been a steady stream of missionaries here since the fifties.. as of 1970, less than three percent of the population claimed to be evangelicals.. during the war, the Catholic church became very political, driving away people who genuinely wanted to worship apart from connections to political issues.. the evangelical church exploded during the next few decades, and continues to grow.. as of now, one in every three people here are evangelical Christians.. there is one church for every seven hundred people here..
this is incredible! praise the Lord for using an ugly war to bring life to so many people.. but here is the thing that i find so inconsistent.. why, when the evangelical church has grown so much and there are so many believers, is the country still wading in poverty? why have crime rates skyrocketed? why is there no real change?
this is the case because the vast majority of the true evangelicals are in the ninety percent of the population that are relatively powerless to change much.. the way the social system is set up, it is nearly impossible for that ninety percent to move up in the social system, let alone affect any sort of lasting difference in their society.. an attitude of, 'this is just the way it is' permeates this country.. no one is motivated for social justice because the ones who need the change are powerless to produce it.. and the ones with the power to change it simply dont care enough..
here is the point: in order to see real change happen in this country, that top five percent need to see Jesus.. they need to hear how Jesus had compassion on the sick and the poor, how he changed the world, turned religion and politics and economics upside down.. if this top five percent really sought to be more like Jesus, the entire country would, without doubt, transform.. the only way poverty can truly be solved is if the countrys leaders want to see this transformation, and begin to have a heart for the poor and the starving..
the sweet thing about all this is that this is what my team is here to do! we will be sharing Jesus' powerful, radical, life-changing and life-giving message to the current and future leaders of this country.. we will be working with students who will literally assume control of this country within the next five or ten years! if these leaders are truly touched with the message of the Gospel, they will literally alter their countrys history..
how sweet is that?! what an honor it is to be here in the very foundational stages of such an incredible awakening! it is so humbling to think that the Lord may use ten college students from another country and eight national staff to forever change el salvador..
please be praying! pray for the hearts of the students we will be working with, that they will see how beautiful the Gospel is! pray that they will want to be the men and women that God uses to change the violence and corruption in their country! pray that our team and the staff would be united in this incredible cause! this is a huge vision, but there is a very big God who is in control..
thanks guys!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
i have arrived!
hi everyone,
i hope you are all well! first of all, thank you so much to those of you who supported me in going on this trip.. i want you to know that the Lord has used you in incredible ways already, and i know He will continue to do so..
i set up this blog so i can keep you all informed about what im doing here and what our ministry looks like..
we have had a very sweet last couple days, from arriving on the plane until now.. we are settling in to our house, which i share with the three other guys on my team, jeff joe and brandon.. we absolutely love it! [i will post pictures online soon] we have had the privelege of meeting layo and luchy, the national/regional directors.. they are incredible people, with an incredible vision and heart for the people of el salvador.. they stayed all through the civil war and raised their kids while a third of their fellow salvadorians fled to other countries as refugees.. you will be hearing much more about them..
earlier today, we actually got to do a little ministry! we visited one of the campuses we will be working on, universidad evangelica, and got to be a part of their weekly meeting.. campus crusade in el salvador is called 'vida estudiantil'.. we introduced ourselves and had conversations with the students.. it was really exciting to talk with students that we have been praying for for many months already!
i have already started to pick up on the spanish much better, i am understanding most of what the students say, and i can respond back fairly well.. my three years of high school spanish are flooding back, and i have such a strong desire to be able to speak to these students in the language of their hearts.. i still have a long way to go before i could be considered bilingual, but it has only been 48 hours.. hopefully i will get there!
here are a couple ways to contact me:
- skype: my user name is trevor.d.miller
- email: trevor.miller@mac.com
- phone: 1 (661) 347-0594
- when you call this number, it will actually dial my computer in el salvador, while your phone sees it as simply making a local call! technology is amazing yeah? feel free to call, it works really well.. you can leave a voicemail too..
- paper mailing: it would be so much fun to get a paper letter! im not sure how much it is, you would just have to ask at the post office i guess.. here is my address:
Trevor Miller
Senda Los Claveles #13
Colonia Primavera
Santa Tecla, La Libertad
EL SALVADOR
and one other thing: i will be posting pictures on my mac gallery.. go to http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller and you can see all my pictures! there arent any posted yet, but hopefully soon!
well i think thats all for now.. please feel free to call or write with any questions or encouragement or anything you like!
i love you all..
i hope you are all well! first of all, thank you so much to those of you who supported me in going on this trip.. i want you to know that the Lord has used you in incredible ways already, and i know He will continue to do so..
i set up this blog so i can keep you all informed about what im doing here and what our ministry looks like..
we have had a very sweet last couple days, from arriving on the plane until now.. we are settling in to our house, which i share with the three other guys on my team, jeff joe and brandon.. we absolutely love it! [i will post pictures online soon] we have had the privelege of meeting layo and luchy, the national/regional directors.. they are incredible people, with an incredible vision and heart for the people of el salvador.. they stayed all through the civil war and raised their kids while a third of their fellow salvadorians fled to other countries as refugees.. you will be hearing much more about them..
earlier today, we actually got to do a little ministry! we visited one of the campuses we will be working on, universidad evangelica, and got to be a part of their weekly meeting.. campus crusade in el salvador is called 'vida estudiantil'.. we introduced ourselves and had conversations with the students.. it was really exciting to talk with students that we have been praying for for many months already!
i have already started to pick up on the spanish much better, i am understanding most of what the students say, and i can respond back fairly well.. my three years of high school spanish are flooding back, and i have such a strong desire to be able to speak to these students in the language of their hearts.. i still have a long way to go before i could be considered bilingual, but it has only been 48 hours.. hopefully i will get there!
here are a couple ways to contact me:
- skype: my user name is trevor.d.miller
- email: trevor.miller@mac.com
- phone: 1 (661) 347-0594
- when you call this number, it will actually dial my computer in el salvador, while your phone sees it as simply making a local call! technology is amazing yeah? feel free to call, it works really well.. you can leave a voicemail too..
- paper mailing: it would be so much fun to get a paper letter! im not sure how much it is, you would just have to ask at the post office i guess.. here is my address:
Trevor Miller
Senda Los Claveles #13
Colonia Primavera
Santa Tecla, La Libertad
EL SALVADOR
and one other thing: i will be posting pictures on my mac gallery.. go to http://gallery.me.com/trevor.miller and you can see all my pictures! there arent any posted yet, but hopefully soon!
well i think thats all for now.. please feel free to call or write with any questions or encouragement or anything you like!
i love you all..
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