El Salvador: Day 1

Well, do I have a lot to share with you! I've decided to do our trip just one day at a time, since there is just so much to say!

The day started off by being picked up for the airport at 3:45. It was way early! I captured a beautiful shot of the sunrise from the plane though!

We flew from KC to Houston, then from Houston to San Salvador, El Salvador. My first ever view of the ocean was from the plane, which was pretty amazing.

Upon arriving in El Salvador, we were first struck with the heat...it was not fun at first! But we got used to it and were struck by the cold when we came back!

We waited for a few minutes for our two trusty translators to pick us up from the airport. When they pulled up, the Americans that had been to El Salvador before ran to greet them, which left us "newbies" standing awkwardly wondering what was going on. But we soon learned that our translators are fantastic people and I would go back to El Salvador just to see them again! I got as teary-eyed saying good-bye to our translators as I did saying good-bye to the beautiful girls at the orphanage.

We drove from the airport to our hotel, about 1.5 hours away. During that time, we were quiet. The poverty surrounding us was shocking. As was the driving! Super craziness! We came upon a fatal car accident on our way. One person had died at the scene, the other was just hanging on...being rushed to the nearest hospital in the "ambulance" (the back of a pickup truck). At that point, I knew the week was going to be eye opening to say the least.

The countryside is very beautiful. However, the streets are very dirty to our American standards. There were many people walking along the roads in tattered clothes and bare feet. Homes were little more than a shanty made of concrete blocks and a tin roof.

We went to our hotel and checked in. Then we headed to Strong Tower church, whom our church partners with. Our youth pastor (who was also leading the trip) preached, while our group sang a few songs and did two testimonies. A few others from the group (including Luke) did some games and crafts with the kids as well. During the church service, it really all started to sink in. I got a little nervous, I got a little sick and just overwhelmed. Luke was out helping with the kids, Jesse was sitting across the church, I barely knew my team members I was sitting by and there was no English being spoken. It was scary. My comfort zone was officially GONE! But I took some pills to calm my stomach, prayed really hard and endured the 2.5 hour church service. These pictures are of the Strong Tower music team, Jason & Cheryl giving their testimonies and Joe preaching (all with the help of Walter & Milton).

After church, we headed to Wendy's (our first real meal of the day) and then back to the hotel. Day 1 was tough...I was incredibly nervous & uncomfortable. But God used these feelings to work on me throughout the week, as you will see later.

I want to thank all of you who supported us, both financially and prayerfully. This was a great experience. Luke and I both can't wait to go back...if God has that for us. Day 2 coming soon... :)