UPDATE

So, we will probably not be able to upload any pictures due to a lack of internet access,

we are having so much fun with our team ... the kids we are working with are adorable. we are going to be working in 4 different communities while we are here.

today, we handed out bibles to over 100 kids. we are staying with a sweet woman named Maria Louisa who cooks yummy Salvadorean food & takes good care of us!

we hope to post again soon... FYI, we are keeping journals so we can TRULY update the blog when we get back.

thank you for loving us :)

ARRIVAL!

Hi friends!

We made it safely & have taken a long ride through the countryside & ciudad. Ryan saw the city in which he was born!

For now, we are resting at the soccer school & waiting for the rest of our team to arrive. Already, we have met Pastor Javier & Alexis (who we love eventhough we had to wait an hour for him outside of customs.... small snag. HAHA)

We will try to post some pictures soon... Goal for today: Learn mas espaÑol.

It looks like we will have email most days, so keep checking!

SOOO READY....

We've been talking about it for over a year. We've been actively preparing our hearts, minds & bank accounts for months. Now the time is here. We leave for El Salvador tomorrow at 6:45am.

Here are some prayer requests we have:

1) Please pray for safe, uncomplicated travels for us.

2) Please pray for Ryan's heart to be light & grateful for his wonderful life as he sees where he was born.

3) Lastly, please pray that our trip would glorify God.

We decided to post a picture of the (person) we will miss the most ;)
Stay tuned...

OF GOD?

This past week, we've learned..... OVER AND OVER AGAIN.... that there's forces which work against those preparing to carry out God's work.

Whether you know it as "the devil" or "darkness" or "the opposite of God", the name doesn't matter. What we're here to tell you, with complete certainty, is that IT IS REAL.

First, Jackie's passport arrived late. Last Saturday, Jackie found out that one of her friends she grew up with passed away in his sleep. Then, Tuesday at work, Jackie was informed that one of her kids passed away. Lastly, TODAY, with 2 days to go, more information became available about our itinerary for ministry... and SURPRISE!!!! We need malaria meds. While Ryan was at work, Jackie researched travel clinics which are open on Saturday. There's ONE. In Winter Haven.... over an hour away!

MORAL OF THE STORY: We encourage EVERYONE to go on a mission trip and prepare your heart to serve others... but be careful of what starts to happen when you make that decision.

2 DAYS!!!!

Countdown is ON!

Hi friends!

To clear up some confusion, El Salvador is a small Central American country located on the Pacific coast between Guatemala and Honduras.

FOUR DAYS... Count it.... FOUR DAYS until we leave for our mission! God has been working on our hearts and we know good things are going to happen on this trip!

Here's a picture of one of the neighborhoods we will be working in. It's funny/ironic/certain that when you are gearing up to do God's work and you are in prayer/devotion time on a regular basis, there is a spiritual warfare that begins to sink in. Here's the example: We've been doing LOTS of teambuilding and getting excited for the trip, praying every day, packing, collecting supplies from lots of wonderful people... AND BAM... Saturday: Jackie finds out one of her friends she grew up with in MA passed away in their sleep.

So, we put on the "armor of God" & keep moving forward, heavy hearts and all. Then, on Tuesday PM, Jackie recieved the news that one of the kids she was close to at Covenant House took their own life. MORAL OF THE STORY: Caution if you're about to carry out good deeds in the name of the Lord... 'cause there's also "forces" working against that.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the Spielman family of MA, for M.K. to be free from whatever was hurting and for the rest of this week to be prayerful and uneventful. AMEN.

This time, NEXT MONTH!!!

We are SO, SO, SO excited!

Final payments have been sent in (Thanks be to God!), we are have already started our team training and are learning more about El Salvador & it's culture.

CFCI will be sending 8 people to El Salvador June 20-29th.

Our interary is SO cool...

June 20- Travel day, arrival in San Salvador. Meet our team

June 21-24th - Working at a recreation program for at-risk youth during the AM & running vacation bible school in the PM.

June 25 - 26 - We will take a boat to a nearby island and be working with poor communities for 2 days. (anyone who knows Ry - don't worry, we'll be bringing motion sickness medicine!)

Sunday, June 27 - We will attend church as a group and have the opportunity to do some guided tours in El Salvador

June 28 - Beach day, debriefing & team time :)

June 29 - Back to FL!

We've outlined the week so you can know what we're doing at all times. Our leader tells us that we should have consistent internet access, so we'll definitely post pictures, too!

BEFORE WE KNOW IT....

We are getting very excited! Our trip is nearly paid for, plane tickets are set! We found out yesterday that there's 3 other team members who will be traveling with us, including the leader, Elsa.

Many of our friends have had life-changing experiences on mission trips and we know that God is working to prepare our hearts and minds for our time in El Salvador. The community we are connected with at FUMCWP has been such a blessing to us!

HERE ARE SOME BIBLE VERSES WE'VE BEEN READING OVER THIS WEEK:

Matthew 25:35

Luke 4:18

James 2: 2-6

and the one that has particularly resounded,

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:17-18