I can see the sun slowly sinking into a sea of clouds on the horizon. Another reason to be thankful. This should be an interesting trip. I'm with S.P. (another reason to be thankful) and 3 others. We're on a 'vision trip' for the Missouri Baptist Convention, trying to assess whether our respective organizations (churches/associations/BSU) should partner with locals to strengthen the El Salvadoran Baptist Association... in theory. Actually, I just want to nail down details for a trip in May when I'll be coming back w/students.
So far the trip has been pleasant. I'm looking forward to spending time w/S. I'd have come alone, but the Lord just worked it out that he wanted to come along. In fact, we made our plans separately and only found out afterward that we'd both established a plan to go. Working under S. for the past couple of years--since we came to Joplin-- has been wonderful. He's a true Man of God, and although our callings are different, I have benefited a lot from his wisdom and patience. He understands himself, and that gives him a combination of confidence and humility.
[Humility is the proper estimate of oneself. Charles Spurgeon]
I wonder why I write so much on trips like this and so little at home. Why am I so much more reflective?
Flying away from my family my thoughts naturally turn to them. I love them all so much. They are each so blessed, so gifted, so special, so unique... I pray that they would each grow to become true giants of the faith. I do not wish t impose my will on their future but in this one thing: that they grow in respect to salvation such that they are a blessing to those around them, a light for Christ to the world, nearer to God than I. My hope, my selfish desire is for their joy and happiness. If they each could experience the pleasures of he heart that they have brought to me, I would feel fulfilled. I love my family, they are my world.
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Almost midnight. We had an uneventful flight to San Salvador, then drove to Santa Ana. We're staying at the Hotel Tolteka. The ride from the airport took just over two hours and although we all jumped when our van ran over a stray dog, the eerie part of the whole trip was our police escort. Apparently the gang activity is soo bad (MS-13 & Mara Salvatrucha) that the local missionaries don't take any chances. Personally, I think it was overkill. But I'm not local.
.........
Well, today was interesting. Breakfast at the hotel, followed by the usual Latin American 8:30am start to the day. Of course, 8:30 in Latin America means 9:15. Then hour-long drive to Meta-Pan. There we helped re-open a church that's been closed 5-6 years. Going in we didn't even know if we could get the keys to the building. Primera Iglesia Bautista de Meta-Pan. The 3 women who have been acting as caretakers of the building have apparently been reluctant to trust anyone coming in to get the church back on its feet.
Our actions today were for the most part symbolic. We didn't win anyone to Christ. We didn't have a single person join the church. To my knowledge, there is no membership roll. There is no pastor, no church planter. There is hope.
--Bajo el arbol de mango--
We got to Meta-Pan around 10:30. Then we waited until 11:30 to get ourselves organized. A group of about 25-30 people from Primera Iglesia Bautista de Chalchuapa had come to help us and the plan was to do a lot of street evangelism all day. Instead, we realized that by the time we got started it would be time to eat lunch, so we prayed for a bit and spent an hour and a half hanging out and eating lunch under a large mango tree in the courtyard behind the church. After that we hit the streets.
I was sent out sin traslador porque nuestros lideres pensaban que mi espanol es bastantebien para compartir el evangelio. They're right. I can share the gospel in Spanish. However, I'm still nowhere near fluent and I'd struggle to a deep conversation. Any way you slice it though we were short a translator and my Spanish, broken as it may be, is much better than anyone else's on the trip.
Our group: Roberto (un diacono), Noemi, Susana, Oto, Alberto (8 yr.s old) and me. I'd marry Alyssa or Anna off to Alberto in a heartbeat. [Obviously not, at least not until they're all at least a decade older.] He's an amazing little boy. He wants to be a pastor so he can help people and tell them about God--like his father and grandmother.
I'll say this, even the reluctant ones of our group were bolder than 95% of the American students I've worked with. They need some discipleship and evangelism training, but they do not hesitate when an opportunity comes to share. We were supposed to be out for 3 1/2 hours, but covered our assigned area, and then some, in an hour and a half.
Back to the mango tree. We found out that we weren't the first group done. That's what happens when you try street-E during Siesta. Oh well.
The only chance I had to share personally came when Noemi and Susanna tried sharing with a family that was relaxing on their porch beside the sidewalk. The grandfather was there and it quickly became apparent that he was a staunch Catholic who was offended by their question: Are you a Catholic or Christian? Who could blame him. It was equally clear that he knew at least as much as both of the girls. (Actually, Noemi was old enough to be my mom and Susana young enough to be my daughter.) They both looked to me and I engaged in damage control immediately. Unfortunately the old man was just too agitated at that point. He was on the offensive and when I stymied his line of questioning he got irritated to the point of storming off.
Anyway, we were back early and spent two more hours beneath the mango tree. I like the tree, but we were bored to death eventually.
At 5pm we had an evangelistic service. S. preached well. No one came. Only our team and the people from Chalchuapa were there.
Afterwards we went back to Santa Ana for dinner. We had pupusas at a relatively nice (and cheap) restaurant. They had Coca-Cola Zero in glass bottles! I was great. I coined the new Spanish verb pupusear, which means "to munch pupusas." Our translators laughed all night over it.
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February 10, 2008 Santa Ana, E. S.
Sunday. We split up into 3 grupos. I went with D.G. to Ahuachapan where I was to preach t Primera Iglesia Bautista. Sonia, our primary contact here, told us that they were celebrating a year of work, so we expected there to be a special service, but we were still overwhelmed by what we found when we got there. They weren't celebrating another year of work, but their 90th Anniversary! They had special cards made and laminated for the occasion. They'd been in revival since Thursday, and I was the grand finale. Now, I've been in churches where that wouldn't bother me, but here...
As soon as we got there we were introduced to the Honorable Jose Angel. He gave us a brief--very brief--tour of the church, which was as nice as any protestant church I've ever seen in Latin America, then we were escorted to the front pew as the music began.
At first everything seemed fine, like a normal worship service being led by the local music leader. Then the mariachi band took over. They were professional, and they were GOOD. I hope there's music like that in heaven. They're supposed to mail me a CD. After the mariachis came the presentations--seven churches sent representatives (well, nine, but two came later in the program) who all spoke to the congregation. Some gave money, 2 sang, some prayed, and all gave a short blessing. Only after all that did I get to speak. I preached on the 3 graces--Common Grace, Cheap Grace, and Costly Grace. It was a sermon inspired by God, assisted by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Wayne Grudem, and delivered by the weakest of all vessels--me. My translator was also named David. Nice guy. About to graduate from the university of Santa Ana. My Spanish has progressed so quickly that I was actually able to preach parts of the message in Spanish without him. Although I lacked any confidence that the message was received, David groves told me it went very well and that he could hear people behind him affirming what I said. He must be right because a young woman named Ana Selia came forward to receive Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! After my sermon it was the local leader (the church is pastorless al momento), Jose Angel, who gave the invitation, then the 8th church's representative spoke, then Ana Selia came forward (I was called up to lead her in a sinner's prayer), then the 9th church, more mariachis, the offering, and it was over. All told, it was a 2 1/2 hour service, and it was good.
After the service we were treated like celebrities at the fellowship meal, then we were picked up by the rest of the team and drove to lunch in the city of Apaneca. We ate at the Hotel Alicante Montana Ruta de las Flores. The restaurant w s amazing, set high in the mountains. We ate outside in a garden surrounded by beautiful flowering shrubs and trees, hammocks, and a pool with a waterfall flowing into it, and a child's playground. The food wasn't bad either.
After lunch we went to another restaurant nearby for dessert. I'd already eaten twice though, so I abstained. It was also set in a garden.Later we went to see the Maya ruins at Chalchuapa. El Tezumal. They remind me of Lamanai in Belize, but not as nice. From there we came back to the hotel, shopped for an hour at the mall across the street and debriefed. Fin.
One more thing: They have Coke Zero here in bottles!
One more thing: The volcano we passed twice on the road is fantastic!
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February 11, 2008 Santa Ana, El Salvador
Today is the day that S. wet his pants. Even now I can't think of it without laughing. It was an eventful day.
After breakfast this morning we all jumped into the van w/Maya (our interpreter) and headed to San Cristobal. There we stopped to meet w/pastor Leonardo Martinez of Iglesia Bautista Filadelfia. The church backs up to the national border w/Guatemala. Seriously. There is a broken-down wall behind the church that quite literally is the El Salvador/Guatemala border.
When we were told this, of course, we all headed straight for it and for about a minute we took turns getting our picture taken 3 feet inside the Guatemalan border. I was startled and somewhat amazed to get a text seconds later from Claro Guatemala--a cell company--on my iPhone informing me that I was welcome in Guatemala and my services would work there. Apparently the iPhone was tracked via GPS. Scary. Amazing. Cool.
BTW, the volcano we saw yesterday is named Volcan Chingo.
Anyway, it wasn't long after the text that S. went to the bathroom and, uh, missed. He caught the stream on his shirttail and it splashed all the way down his leg. Could've happened to any guy. Can you believe I'm actually writing about this? BTW, S. laughs about it too. That's the kind of guy he is.
His accident though, prevented him from coming with us to the elementary school down the road where David was able to share the gospel at an assembly of the entire student body. He wasn't allowed to give an invitation, but otherwise it went very well. He used the Kingdom Sports Products soccer ball that has 5 color panels on it. It works on the same principles as a witnessing bracelet or the Wordless Book. Afterwards we spent some time talking with the pastor about the needs of the church, visited a market just on the other side of the Guatemalan border and ate lunch at the rattiest restaurant I've ever been in. I wouldn't even have guessed that it was a restaurant. There were no menus, you just ate what they gave you. The food was good though. [Wooden benches, dirt everywhere, crates and pallets against the walls. The table next to mine was a cable spool. Nice people, good food, who cares about the rest?]
After lunch we went to Candelaria de la Frontera. There we hung out for a while, then went to the Instituto Nacional de Candelaria de la Frontera (the local middle/high school) where I met the principal (Director Miriam) and was able to share first with her in the office and then with the entire school using the same method David did earlier. It was my first attempt using the balls, but it went well, given that the invitation couldn't be given. [Even in El Salvador, there are limits.]
Afterwards we sat around for a couple of hours doing nothing, then we went to a special church service at the church where we were staying--Templo Batista Candelaria. Jerry Palmer gave the sermon with Maya translating and gave about the best invitation I've ever heard. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Of course, all we can do is be faithful, and this proves it.
As the trip has carried on we've grown closer as a team. Tonite we all finally came clean with one another on how we really feel about the trip so far. It was ugly, but good. We came here seeking God's vision, desiring to know how we can partner w/locals to expand His kingdom in El Salvador. So far, we've done a lot of ministry, but not much information gathering--the key component to achieving our stated goal. Tomorrow we'll confront Sonia, the local leader we're working with, and try to radically change our agenda.
I've been telling guys from the beginning that I like the ministry, but it's not what I came for. Tonite they all admitted drawing the same conclusion. We'll see what happens next. I think it will be good since we're all together on it.
One more thing: I invented a verb earlier in the week--Pupusear. Its catching on. Today our driver--Juan Carlos--added cafeciar--to drink coffee. It was the first time he's volunteered to talk so far, and it was hilarious.
One more thing: we've eaten at Pips Carimar, Pollo Campero, and Burger King, respectively, over the past three nights. Aren't you glad you know that now?
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February 12, 2008 Santa Ana, El Salvador
The day is almost over, and so, mercifully, is the trip. Today we did two more presentations with the witnessing ball in schools. David did one, I did the other. Mine was done at C.E. Francisco Maravera and taped by Mike and Jerry.
We ate lunch at Pollo Campero and dinner at Mister Donut. The pupusas at Mister Donut are horrible. They did sell this odd concoction of frijoles wrapped in a banana mash and deep fried. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was.
As for fulfilling our purpose, which was to find a place to partner, mission accomplished. We hashed out a lot of stuff with Sonia, who is the regional coordinator for the western portion of the country. Long meeting, but good. It looks like we'll partner the Spring River Baptist Association with her region here.
The need is huge, and pastor after pastor all say the same thing; they need help with evangelism, e-training and discipleship. Pastoral education is also high on their list. Steve and talked about starting the Instituto do Teologia Bautista here, but obviously its beyond either of us. I sincerely hope I can come back w/students in may. [In fact, the May trip fell through. Very frustrating.] This place is starting to grow on me.
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February 13th, 2008 San Salvador, E.S.
Late. Tired... so tired. Just had a 2 hour conversation w/ S. about ministry, Calvinism, the Southern Baptist Convention, life in general. In so many ways, we think alike.
Today was a good day. We met 2 more pastors, shopped a bit here in San Salvador, and met w/ a representative of the National Association. (Their national association is equivalent to our state convention.) I was able to meet with Sonia about bringing a team in May, and also got to spend some time w/ the national director for youth ministry--Denny (Denis). He's all you could want in the position.
Tomorrow we fly home, which is great because I really miss Mandi and the kids.
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February 15, 2008 Webb City, MO, USA
Final thoughts.
I'm sitting in the gym at First Baptist Church in Webb City, watching Nate at basketball practice. How providential that his team should be called the Ducks?! Anyway, I missed the whole family, but at this moment I realize how proud I am of my son. He's truly a gift of God.
As I think about this past week, several thoughts crystalize in my mind...
1. These people need help.
2. God is moving in El Salvador.
3. I want to go back. I'd rather be where God is moving than He's not, although that may be bad theology. (Sorry, Blackaby, can't be helped.)
4. Pupusas aren't all that great.
5. Life is often not as hard as it seems. By that I mean that we work and stress out over so many things, but we really don't have to. We need to just do what God commands in His word and let the chips fall where they may. So much of life is beyond our control, but we worry about it anyway.
6. There is some really good Christian Latin music out there--mariachi, hip-hop, reggaeton... good stuff.
It was a hard trip, ultimately. We went in with expectations that weren't met and really had to force a different agenda on the El Salvadorans to accomplish our mission. I was an integral part of that process, playing a much larger role than I anticipated. Still, if the "suggestions" I made are applied to future teams, I think those teams, especially the vision teams like ours, will be more successful and have an easier time of it.
In some ways the trip reminded me of Brazil. There too I had to do much more than the plan called for. On that trip the team leader griped at several people individually and drove his wife to tears when he melted down into a vicious tirade one afternoon in the presence of the whole group. I'll never forget having her sobbing on my shoulder, simultaneously defending him ("He's not really like this."), and running from him ("I'm ashamed to be with him right now. I can't face everyone like this). It wasn't the only time a woman cried on my shoulder during that trip. That guy was a real a**hole, and he was a pastor!
The one time he took aim at me I just blew him off. He was clearly unbalanced, a condition I assume was NOT normal for him. Of course this time David was the team leader and he was magnificent. It was the El Salvadorans who were messed up. I've never seen a national body so devoid of leadership. I'm looking forward to returning in May.
