El Salvador 2010 Day 7

Day 7

Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Scrambled eggs with ham, yeast rolls, assorted tropical fruit, and of course BEANS. Strong coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice, too. All on the veranda overlooking the lake at the 'Vista Lago' (lake view) hotel. Be on the bus by 7 or they'll leave you.

One thing that is really impressive on this trip is the young people. I am especially proud of ours from MJ, but there are several from other congregations here, too. They are all patient and long-suffering all day long. I have not heard any of them complaining. They are on time and ready for every occasion. They play with the children who are always around the clinic, sing out during devos and services in English and in Spanish, and have made a lot of friends here.

Which brings me to one of my least favorite topics: leaving the friends we've made here. But let me tell you about our day first. Today we only had a half day of clinic time so that we could pack up the trunks of supplies and do a proper inventory, something they weren't able to do last year with so many people sick. Several people went back to the hotel with the materials and did the nitty gritty job of counting and listing everything. Many of the rest of us went out to schools or to Bible studies with our Latino preachers and spent our last few hours in Tonaca enjoying the warm sunshine and cool breeze.

It has been my honor the past two days to be a silent partner for some great Bible scholars including Elias Roque, Sr. and Elias, Jr. They each have a great manner of approaching people and helping them see what the Bible says for their lives. I am so impressed with the way they can decide so quickly which verse applies in a situation, turn to it, and teach with authority from God's word. Although only one of the studies resulted in a restoration, many good seeds were planted in hearts that should yield results later.

At 5 p.m., just after the baptism of a new sister, the men began setting up the chairs in the street for our evening "culto" (worship service). We sang in English for 30 minutes while people gathered under the branches of the ancient rubber tree (it's at least 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide), outside the clinic for our final night of the campaign. At 5:30 one of the preachers from Panama began his sermon, while the little ones and teens went off to their classes, and we began our nightly "mystery time" listening to a Spanish sermon, searching for "Segundo Timoteo capitulo uno, versiculo dos" (or whatever he said). We adults resort to elementary behaviors, whispering what we think he said (in English), turning to it if we can, then trying to follow along as he reads too quickly in Spanish. We are easily distracted by a fussy baby or whiny toddler. Several of us whip out lollipops for the toddler and offer to hold the baby. We notice the dog that walks through the middle of the congregation, the doves that flit overhead, as well as the passersby who choose to walk directly behind the preacher. The speaker system broadcasts the whole service across the central park where locals sit eating pupusas and sipping horchata in little "mom & pop" cafes. Some listen and come closer, others act unimpressed. After several verses of the invitation song, we are dismissed.

Now, time is running out. It's getting to the dreaded "goodbyes". The routines of running the clinic are over. The huge room where we have arranged and rearranged folding chairs for our morning devos, group meetings, divisions of the clinic, and children's class is being swept by our fabulous Roy Shannon (what a hard worker!) and his trusty sidekick, Justin from Brushy, TN. Chairs are being loaded on a truck to be returned. The inflatable pool we've used for a baptistry is deflated. The computers we've used to enter data for the pharmacy are shut down and packed away. Children are walking away with all their "loot" from their class. The teens are taking pictures of themselves with various young'uns. I hug the ladies we've met, murmuring "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you). Oh, no. Many of our eyes are getting teary. I shake the hand of the man whose office we've used all week, who has been so gracious to let us use his desk for the data entry. I look around for the local preacher, Enrique, and his wife, Isis. They are busy loading things. I look for the bus. We usually run there after services, hurrying to get to the hotel and supper, but this time I am the first "gringo" on the bus and they must honk the horn and yell "andale" many times to get all the team members untangled from their many hugs. I am unable to walk the half a block back to get anyone. For one thing, I'm tired out. For another, I don't want to say "goodbye" again.

Back to our hotel for our "last supper" by Chef Rone. He leaves tomorrow; his talents have been a great blessing for all of us. There are close to 90 campaigners with all the local people who have come to doorknock. Tomorrow all of the Latinos will head for their respective countries: Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. It's hard to realize that these hard-working men (and two women), who have translated, taught Bible studies, and pitched in with every job, will be gone from us so soon! Once again, it's difficult to part from dear brothers who have shared in a concentrated effort like this.

We are all thankful that we've not had as much of the sickness or to as great a degree as was experienced last year. A few people have had some "down time", but we've made it through the actual campaign part. Tomorrow we'll do some sight seeing.

# Posted @ 9:21 PM on Friday, March 19, 2010

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El Salvador 2010 Day 7 Day 7 Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Scrambled eggs with ham, yeast rolls, assorted tropical fruit, and of course BEANS. Strong coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice, too. All on the veranda overlooking the lake at the 'Vista Lago' (lake view) hotel. Be on the bus by 7 or they'll leave you. One thing that is really impressive on this trip is the young people. I am especially proud of ours from MJ, but there are several from other congregations here, too. They are all patient and long-suffering all day long. I have not heard any of them complaining. They are on time and ready for every occasion. They play with the children who are always around the clinic, sing out during devos and services in English and in Spanish, and have made a lot of friends here. Which brings me to one of my least favorite topics: leaving the friends we've made here. But let me tell you about our day first. Today we only had a half day of clinic time so that we could pack up the trunks of supplies and do a proper inventory, something they weren't able to do last year with so many people sick. Several people went back to the hotel with the materials and did the nitty gritty job of counting and listing everything. Many of the rest of us went out to schools or to Bible studies with our Latino preachers and spent our last few hours in Tonaca enjoying the warm sunshine and cool breeze. It has been my honor the past two days to be a silent partner for some great Bible scholars including Elias Roque, Sr. and Elias, Jr. They each have a great manner of approaching people and helping them see what the Bible says for their lives. I am so impressed with the way they can decide so quickly which verse applies in a situation, turn to it, and teach with authority from God's word. Although only one of the studies resulted in a restoration, many good seeds were planted in hearts that should yield results later. At 5 p.m., just after the baptism of a new sister, the men began setting up the chairs in the street for our evening "culto" (worship service). We sang in English for 30 minutes while people gathered under the branches of the ancient rubber tree (it's at least 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide), outside the clinic for our final night of the campaign. At 5:30 one of the preachers from Panama began his sermon, while the little ones and teens went off to their classes, and we began our nightly "mystery time" listening to a Spanish sermon, searching for "Segundo Timoteo capitulo uno, versiculo dos" (or whatever he said). We adults resort to elementary behaviors, whispering what we think he said (in English), turning to it if we can, then trying to follow along as he reads too quickly in Spanish. We are easily distracted by a fussy baby or whiny toddler. Several of us whip out lollipops for the toddler and offer to hold the baby. We notice the dog that walks through the middle of the congregation, the doves that flit overhead, as well as the passersby who choose to walk directly behind the preacher. The speaker system broadcasts the whole service across the central park where locals sit eating pupusas and sipping horchata in little "mom & pop" cafes. Some listen and come closer, others act unimpressed. After several verses of the invitation song, we are dismissed. Now, time is running out. It's getting to the dreaded "goodbyes". The routines of running the clinic are over. The huge room where we have arranged and rearranged folding chairs for our morning devos, group meetings, divisions of the clinic, and children's class is being swept by our fabulous Roy Shannon (what a hard worker!) and his trusty sidekick, Justin from Brushy, TN. Chairs are being loaded on a truck to be returned. The inflatable pool we've used for a baptistry is deflated. The computers we've used to enter data for the pharmacy are shut down and packed away. Children are walking away with all their "loot" from their class. The teens are taking pictures of themselves with various young'uns. I hug the ladies we've met, murmuring "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you). Oh, no. Many of our eyes are getting teary. I shake the hand of the man whose office we've used all week, who has been so gracious to let us use his desk for the data entry. I look around for the local preacher, Enrique, and his wife, Isis. They are busy loading things. I look for the bus. We usually run there after services, hurrying to get to the hotel and supper, but this time I am the first "gringo" on the bus and they must honk the horn and yell "andale" many times to get all the team members untangled from their many hugs. I am unable to walk the half a block back to get anyone. For one thing, I'm tired out. For another, I don't want to say "goodbye" again. Back to our hotel for our "last supper" by Chef Rone. He leaves tomorrow; his talents have been a great blessing for all of us. There are close to 90 campaigners with all the local people who have come to doorknock. Tomorrow all of the Latinos will head for their respective countries: Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. It's hard to realize that these hard-working men (and two women), who have translated, taught Bible studies, and pitched in with every job, will be gone from us so soon! Once again, it's difficult to part from dear brothers who have shared in a concentrated effort like this. We are all thankful that we've not had as much of the sickness or to as great a degree as was experienced last year. A few people have had some "down time", but we've made it through the actual campaign part. Tomorrow we'll do some sight seeing. # Posted @ 9:21 PM on Friday, March 19, 2010 Comments: Post a Comment << Home	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ Physical Addrees: 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 Mailing Address: P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37121-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM Past Archives: March 2007 March 2008 March 2009 March 2010 March 2011 March 2012 March 2013 March 2014 March 2017