A Dream Realized.... By Ryan M. Tacy

I've always wanted to see where I was born... I've often thought about El Salvador and just accepted it wouldn't be possible to go there because I would never have the time or someone to go with me. I was excited to not only be going there to serve, but to go with my future wife and to be working with little kids!!



Going into it, I knew it was going to be tough to see the poor areas of the country and see MY people having to live like that. It did give me a lot of joy, however, working hands-on with kids, in an effort to provide them with hope for a better life.

Now, I have a restored my passion for helping others. Eventhough my family and I will live in the United States, I want to help build up the communities we worked with. I'm thankful for the people that we were able to meet and work with. I won't ever forget the experience and am truly blessed to have had this opportunity.

ESCUELA DE FUTBOL (Soccer School)

We taught VBS at the soccer school in Altavista in the afternoons. The kids were so well behaved! The purpose of the soccer school is to keep the children in Altavista and nearby communities involved in something they can be proud of and away from the violence and heartbreak that comes with gangs. Altavista was the area that we worked in which had the most trouble with gangs... The youth spend half their time together playing soccer and learning techniques and the other half learning about Jesus. This has proven to be very good for not only the children in the program, but their entire families.


Each day that we visited them, it was so HOT. Some days, Ryan did drills with them. By the end of the trip, we got to know the kids and their coaches very well.

Bendicion de Dios (God's Blessing)

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

We knew that we could not put into words how much we were effected by the community at Bendicion de Dios... or how incredibly special the people were... so have a look for yourselves!


THEY PRAY JUST LIKE US... THEY HURT JUST LIKE US... THEY LOVE JUST LIKE US...

GOD BLESS SAMUEL

This is Samuel... He was the sweetest little guy you will ever meet. We wanted to take him home, but he has parents. So, we will just have to settle for being in his life. Our plan is to sponsor him so his family can have food, he can go to school, have medical care and be able to learn about Jesus.

We love you, Samuel... and we pray for you every day.

DAY 2 - 6/21/10

(The view from the garden)

We awoke early to the sounds of roosters, dogs barking and people - before the sun even came up. Our housemates are Annie from Seattle, Savanah from UNC and Jake (Jacobo) from Colorado Springs, CO. Jake is "the baby" of the group and we feel a need to watch over him. Maria Louisa's house is so cool and she has a HUGE garden with a hammock.



We brush our teeth at an outside sink.

Our leaders picked us up for our first mission at 7:15am. After stopping to pray and gather supplies, we went to the place that will forever be burned in our hearts and minds... The houses are one-room homes made of sheet metal with no running water. The people here have limited resources and education. Many of them only own 1 or 2 pairs of clothes. A lot of the kids run around without shoes. When we pulled up in the van, the kids ran up and surrounded us like we were celebrities. They were extremely complimentary, "Senora, me gusta ____" You name it! The kids would tell you they like your shirt, or your hair, or your necklace... one day they liked Jackie's teeth!

We conducted VBS in a tent made out of tarps that was about 110 degrees. This was the "community center." We taught the kids an arts & crafts lesson about "planting the seed" just like Jesus does in our hearts and lives. We used seed packets left over from our friends' wedding: David & Meghan Killingsworth.

Within an hour, we had fallen completely in love with the kids in this community. Bendicion de Dios, also known as "La Communidad", a poor community sponsored by Christ for the City International.