Reflections from our trip

This is my third mission trip and my son's first. As always, we are a motley crew. This year the adventure started at the airport. Trying to find each other when there were 4 different flights and people we had never set eyes on is an adventure on its own. When we all finally found each other we headed to Ahuachapan.

Starting work with a new crew, especially when some can't communicate with each other may seem impossible, but somehow it always works out.

I have the unique blessing of being able to speak both languages and act as a translator for everyone.
I love watching everyone interact, work together, and become friends - language is not a barrier.
Somehow everyone communicates and the work gets done. And everyone comes out learning something new.

This trip we were working with drywall, something we're a little more familiar with that we've worked with possibly more than the El Salvador crew at this point. Tim helped organize us and we started working. Tim and Terry have an inclusive way of teaching. They gently coaxed us to try new things, offering up little tips here and there, complementing the work we did and really boosting our confidence. We all learned from them and we worked that way all week.

My son, the youngest in the group, has made some great friends. And I can tell he has loved this experience and has learned more than he could ever know about working with people, communication at its core, compassion for others - whether they are better off then you or not, inspiration from those you are trying to help, and being humbled in the presence of true faith.Read more