fragile

jorge & maritza

background.

our good friend jorge villeda is the pastor of the church we work with here in san vicente. he has been facilitating our teams from canada for years and does a great job. he often shares stories of life growing up as a young boy in el salvador. his family had very little money and could only afford a house made of used tin and sticks, much like the homes many of the people we are attempting to help live in right now. he tells a story of a storm coming thru one night and a wall of the house coming down on him while he slept! he decided then as a kid that one day no matter what he did for a living, he wanted to help people move out of homes like his and into a safe place for a family to live. well for 9 years now he has been doing exactly that! as a side job to pastoring his church he coordinates teams from canada to come build homes. this year alone over 100 homes will be build under his watch.

the story.

friday night he was driving home from visiting his mother's house in a nearby town around 10:30pm and nodded off at the wheel. no one saw the accident, but by the damage to the car we think it must have rolled at least once before hitting the tree. the police drove by sometime after the accident and called for the fire department as they couldn't get him out of the car. once on sight, the fire department took 45 minutes to cut him out of the car, then brought him by ambulance to the nearest hospital by ambulance. stu and i were with most of the kids at a youth camping trip that night along with his wife (maritza) and two kids when they got the call. the pastor's son in law headed out at 2am and we followed behind with maritza and others at 6am after packing up camp. at this point we become thankful for our health care system in canada despite the long waits. for even though we wait, we get the best care in the world once with the doctor. the public health care system of el salvador on the other hand is not quite the same. 8 hours after arriving: he was lying bent out of shape on the bed, no doctor had seen him, x-rays were not completed, and they said it might be a couple days for a doctor to come in since it was semana santa (easter weekend) and it would be hard to get anyone in during that time. by that time i have no doubt infection would have set in to his life threatening injuries and they would have had no choice but to amputate.

we contacted jim nobel (who heads up missions in el salvador), and decided to get him to a private hospital in san salvador. by lunch we were meeting with an surgeon looking at x-rays of his three seriously broken bones in his legs. (femur, tibia, and hip) later that afternoon he is was in surgery for over 5 hours to put plates and pins in. back home jim sent out emails to friends of pastor jorge and within a couple days the entire hospital medical bill was paid for! i want to say a big thank you to those that gave so generously and so quickly.

today.

6 days later he is still in the hospital with some new complications we were told this morning. they are keeping him in until monday at the earliest. prognosis: he has to stay flat for quite a while, cannot put weight on his legs for 2 months, then rehab... we hope and pray that his bones will mend well. we will keep you updated.

reflections.

life is fragile. the human body is no match for steel, concrete, speed, tree trunks or any combination thereof. we are fragile beings in many respects. emotionally and physically and spiritually. we are a second away from being here no more. pastor only remembers heading home and being tired, the next thing he remembers is the hospital. in the blink of an eye - life changes.

i told the kids this morning at breakfast to make the most of today, to enjoy it b/c you never get to do it over again. you only have one chance to live today so make it good. life is fragile, and yet so precious, isn't it?

precious

trent

Plant sequoias

Although I’m told that it is getting cooler here, my sweat-soaked pillow every morning tells a different story.  Rain is lurking on the horizon as we move into May.  That will be another new experience; one of the many.  But life is good, and God is good.  We have had a number of ups and downs over the past couple of weeks, but we do not lose hope or faith, and we are content in the fact that this is where we are right now, and this is where we are supposed to be.  Some days feel like not a whole lot gets accomplished, or that not many things get checked off of the to-do list, but we are being taught (and hopefully learning a little) that we need to redefine our picture of success.  I read a poem by Wendell Berry recently, and I think that a couple of lines in speak to this redefinition:

                “Ask the questions that have no answers.  Invest in the millennium.  Plant sequoias.”

I hope that we have begun to sprout some seeds for results that won’t be seen for a thousand years.  But when they do, what an impressive sight they will be.  And if we get the chance to see some glimpses of that future along the way, we will be thankful for every single one of them.

                As I stated before there have been a few ups and downs over the last couple of weeks.  I’ll start with the frustrations, as I like to receive the bad news first.  If you like the opposite please skip down to the next section entitled joys, and return to this previous section at a later date.  It will be a little like a choose-your-own-adventure.

Frustrations:   When you travel to El Salvador and you pass through customs, you will receive a nice shiny sticker in your passport in exchange for a crisp $10 bill.  This sticker lets you do whatever you want in the country (with the exception of influencing the country’s political process) for a maximum of 90 days.  After this time you can face fines (I asked if you can be deported, which would mean a free plane ticket back to Canada, but haven’t received a firm answer yet) for remaining in the country.  Those wanting to stay longer than 3 months can alleviate this problem by applying for temporary residency for a 1 year period.  We were well aware of this process before arriving, and as such had prepared all of the necessary documentation, under the guidance of the El Salvadorian consulate in Vancouver.

                When Trent and I went to San Salvador last week to formally apply, we were informed that our understanding of the documentation requirements was not exactly correct.  In fact everything that we had done in Canada over a period of at least six months was wrong and unusable here.  Also, in order to evade culpability in the situation, the Immigration department ensured us that they have no connection with the consulates in other countries, and can’t be held responsible for misinformation.

                So, after trying to pull my hair out, but not being able to due to a new haircut that week, we drove to the Canadian Embassy in San Salvador, in order to plead our case.  We learned that this is not the first time that this happened then informed us of their rates to start the process again.  With a little more pleading, we received a glimmer of hope (maybe).  The Embassy is going to have a meeting with El Salvador’s Immigration, in order to see if we can use what we have, as is.

                With only a week left on our 90 day tourist sticker, we had to return the next day to San Salvador, this time with everybody.  We were able to beg for a ninety-day extension (we were told this is a one-time offer), and now with a charge of $25 per person we each received a less-shiny extension stamp.  We can definitely stay until July 23^rd, but after that...we’ll see what happens?

                Generally we have been pretty healthy over the last two months, but we have had a few clinic visits over this time.  Trent has been suffering continually with allergies to the dust and pollution in the air.  This has caused ongoing breathing and coughing problems, as well as sinus infections.  The doctor has prescribed a few different things but nothing has had a long-lasting result.  We continue to pray for relief for him, and hope that with the rain coming; maybe some of the allergens in the air will be removed.

 

Brian is on the left

                We also spent a bit of time this week at the clinic and hospital, but not for one of our group.  Our truck, as shown in a previous post has now been outfitted with a steel cage for hauling people.  Our kids, along with most of those in the villages view this structure as a jungle gym, and hang from the top sides and back at every opportunity.  We had a little accident as we were driving in San Antonio Caminos.  A little boy named Bryan (about 10 years old) was hanging on the outside of the cage (unbeknownst to us) as we drove down the road.  Somehow his leg got pinched between the wheel and the fender, bruising and scraping him pretty badly.  In the end nothing is broken or damaged badly, but little Bryan could use prayer for a speedy recovery.

                The final thing that I want to include in this section is the frustration that I feel as meet more people and hear more of their stories.  There is so much pain here!  We will include more detailed stories over time, but as a general statement so many people are carrying the burden of traumatic events in their lives.  In fact it becomes a bit surprising to hear a story that doesn’t contain hurt from death, abuse, war, poverty, addiction, or all of these things.  Trent and I have become quite friendly with a group of local drunks.  They spend all day and night sitting semi-conscious on a corner one block down from our house.  It’s easy to judge this group for the state that we find them in every day.  That is until you hear their stories.....  Jose lived in Houston for a good chunk of his adolescence where he was told by his mother that he would be a failure if he didn’t reject his language and culture, and become more like the white kids.  Later in life he became a father, but one of his sons was killed at age 13.  He asked us as coherently as he could, “How can I fill this hole in my heart?”.....

Jose

  Julio (aka Coolio) lost one of his best friends last week.  After returning from the funeral, just as he sat down to drown his sorrows he received a phone call that another close friend had just been murdered as well. No wonder they keep drinking.

I’m frustrated with the pain, with the darkness of the situations that people have gone through, with my inability to do more, and with myself for the times that I grumble and complain, and for when I’m not thankful.  The difference between me and Jose and Julio is not as big as I may think it is.

Joy – We have started a process of getting to know our friends in San Antonio Caminos.  We are meeting each family, house-by-house, and learning names, taking pictures, and asking them to give us pieces of their histories, as well as hopes for their community.  This has been an amazing opportunity to hear the dreams and goals of different people, as well as finally starting to attach names to faces and visualize family trees in the neighbourhood.  We are feeling welcomed and accepted in this process, and have even been invited to help with a little farming at the end of May (The majority of the community rents small sections of farmland in an area about a 1 hour walk from their homes).

                I also find joy in the fact that we are being invited by people in the community to do things simply as friends and neighbours should.  Winnie, Ellis, and Elias are in the same kindergarten class as a brother and sister named Joelito and Daniela.  The kids have quickly become good friends, and Carie and Kerrie have become friends with their mother Carmen.  Carmen works in the market selling underwear and socks at a small both, and she is very bubbly and kind.  Along with her husband Alex (who drives buses occasionally between San Vicente and San Salvador) they live with their two little children in Alex’s mother’s house about a 20 minute walk from our house.  Two weeks ago they invited us for dinner (all 12 of us!) in their small home, which is no small feat considering that Carmen earns between 2 and 3 dollars on a good day, and Alex only can get work occasionally.  After a delicious dinner we were invited to stay for a small church service in their home with 3 other couples.  To me it is such an honour to be included in the lives of others here, without agenda, but simply as friends.  As I sat there that evening I reflected on the journey that has brought me to this point.  This is not how I pictured my life 5 or even 2 years ago.  I’m joyful that somebody had a different picture for me.

                Finally, I’m joyful for the changes that we see God making in people’s lives.  If you started at the ‘good news’ section first, this will make more sense when you go back to read the previous section.  Our new friend Jose came to us for help the other day.  He told Trent and me that he was at the end of his rope.  He is physically, emotionally, and spiritually at rock-bottom.  He doesn’t want to drink any more, and knows that it is killing him.  His life needs to be mended.  The fortunate thing is that we live for the one who can truly mend us.  We invited Jose to come with us to church, and after assuring him that he could come in the clothes he was wearing, he came.  And he listened.  And he napped for a bit.  But he came, and we pray for his redemption.  The next day I saw him asleep on his usual corner, but that’s okay, I’m still joyful anyway.  We’re all taking baby steps.

               

Stuart

Sights and smells of the market, Santo’s Tio and his pepetos and Mariachi Band while doing laundry

I think that the market here is one of my favourite things. I thought I would share it with you for some fun light reading and then fill you in on what we have been up to.

Everyday we walk the kids to school and the fastest route is through the market. The people that work down this street like to make comments about the children dressed up in their uniforms. The kids like to keep their heads down and walk, but I encourage them to look up and say ‘hola’ since the comments are usually “Que linda, or que precisoso or bien gringitos.(How cute, How Precious or Nice little gringos) To which I always reply no gringos, somos Canadienses!!!” I need to make sure that they know. And they usually laugh. There is a lady at the end of the street that sells flowers and every morning it is our routine to say Buenos Dias every time we see her. She has no teeth and with the biggest smile you have ever seen she replies “Buenos Dias” right back.

Then on my way home from dropping off the kids I head right to the bread lady. There are only two ladies (that we have found so far) that sell these magnificant soft and delicious, usually still hot buns. If you don't get there by 8:15 at the latest, you miss out! Then I head towards an abundance of vegetables. There are so many fresh, inexpensive fruits and vegetables that it is almost impossible to choose. I often come back with way too many things!

Next the weird smells begin to accumulate and it's off to buy cheese and chicken. If you would have asked me before we came here if I ever would have bought chicken in the market before, I for sure would have said no!! But the chicken is fresh and delicious and we are healthy as can be!

My favorite is the cheese ladies. They sell cheese for pupusa's, and for eating solo, and the best crema around! They always let us sample their goods and make sure we know that they are getting the best they have to offer.

Anything you want you can find here in the market, if you go deep enough. From pharmacies, to grain sellers to clothes venders, dvds, drinks, feminine products, and even the molino. When Jaunita first told us that she had to take our frijoles (red kidney beans) to the molino, I had no idea what she was talking about. She said she only need $.25. And I could not for the life of me figure out what she talking about, when finally I said I would go with her. Turns out that everyone here takes their frijoles and maiz to the molino to grind for making papusas and tamales! I had to explain to Jaunita that we don't have a local molino in Canada!!

So there is a mini pictoral telling of my experience with the "Mercado" here. It is so amazing to be able to buy locally and go to the market everyday if needed. I guess you will have to come visit if you want to experience it for yourself.



Next... How are things going with what we set out to accomplish here?
I am reading a book called, When Helping Hurts; How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself. I often contemplate this idea. What can we do here in the time we are here that will have lasting effects without creating more problems when we leave? This is a toughy!! Everyday in San Antonio I see need. Need that hurts my heart! I do know however that while I can hand out food one day, the next day they will have empty tummies again. Today I read in this book a quote from a founder of a successful ministry in inner-city getto in Maryland. "We decided to relocate to an inner-city neighborhood- not to change it or save it, but to be neighbors... We held tightly to the commitment of God's Shalom for Sandtown, but we had no plans or programs. Instead of imposing our own agendas, we sought to place our lives in service to the community... For over two years we weren't working to renovate houses, we were out and around in the community, "hanging out." During this time the foundational relationships were formed... Everything revolved around building community together...."
This is a profound thought for me, but kind of what we have been striving to do as well. At first, I was feeling a little like we were letting people down because we weren't getting our "projects" going as quickly as I would have originally liked. But now I feel at peace and that we are here doing what we are meant to in God's eyes and hopefully going about it the right way.

A couple of days ago we spent the afternoon in San Antonio and just hung out at Santo's uncle's place, while Stuart and Trent did repairs on some of the previously built houses, Santo pulled out the only chairs they had for Kerrie and I to sit on. The kids right away got busy fitting in. And by this I mean getting as dirty as possible, and chasing around the numerous pigs, chickens, goats and dogs.

 It always amazes me how the people that have so little always give so much. They brought out this fruit called Pepetos (I think) that Santo's Tio had to walk for 1hr each way to get, to share with us. At first I have to admit I was a little unsure... You open it up and eat the fruit around the large seeds in the middle. Then you spit out the seeds. (The whole thing just looks like a weird bug to me.) Well, Violet took a liking to this fruit and couldn't get enough! Only one problem though, she didn't want to spit out the seeds. Tio assured me that they weren't bad for you or anything, they were just really bitter. Apparently Violet has no taste buds... After she ate about 3 whole pepetos, I decided it was probably enough since it was a new food, and Violet sure enough found her way to every single person eating them and managed to get more. All in total she ate about 15 pepetos. I was the only one who payed the next day having to change her diapers, but she was fine and the people there loved trying to get her to come to them using pepetos as bait!!
 While we visit we have also been given; mangoes of all kinds, avacados, tamales, crema and huge smiles everytime we come. It really teaches me a lesson and humbles me to the core.

Another thing we did today was take 3 women and their children to do their laundry in the Apastepeque Lake. Usually they have to pay to take a bus there and back which costs a dollar each way. Considering the average wage for a day is $6, that is a fortune! Not to mention soap and bleach. This turned out to be the best day I have had here so far. We spent the entire day swimming, helping the ladies with their laundry, listening to a Mariachi band and eating freshly caught Talapia and rice. We came home burnt like crazy, but it was so worth it and exactly what I call living in community.

Click on the link below to see the Video.....





Video of Mariachi Band

 
 
 
























These are women who have major stories to tell, I will just share with you a little about one lady named Esmerelda. She is 19 years old and lives and cares for her 4 brothers ages 17,15,13 and 5, she also has a husband and a 2 year old son. Two years ago her step father died from diabetes, and then her Mom had a firework go off in her face and one side of her body was completely burned. Last year on April 20th her Mom was brutaly murdered 4 blocks from their house by her exhusband in a fit of jealousy. Now Esmarelda is left to care for the rest of her family. She is the sweetest girl you will ever meet and is doing an amazing job at raising her family, but our heart breaks for her and all the other sad stories that we hear everyday. All I ask is that I can continue to befriend her and give her a hand in any way possible. Today we only did half her laundry, I asked why she didn't bring the rest and she said that there was too much. Usually it takes her 5 hours just to do half. I told her next time to bring it all and Kerrie and I would help.

Anyway, I am sure that this is long enough and I will stop here. Next up a passover celebration at our house in Spanish, English and Hebrew. (Hopefully I can find Matzoh or I will be making it!) and a visit from my brother Daniel, Teresa and Nephew Seth.
Carie

Juanita's story

FEAR, a word that has come up a number of times in our home.... I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Our oldest son Isaiah has been having trouble at night going to bed because his fears have gripped him so tightly that it has been consuming him. As a mother, we never want our children to have such fears, but what do you do when you can't 'make' it go away? What if in your world, you can't make the physical fears just disappear and say they don't exist?

We have had so many changes in our world the past 2 months, but especially the last few weeks. I know that this is a terrible thing to bring up, especially for our friends and family who have had to endure a very cold and long winter, and we are NOT complaining, but the heat has definitely been a change. It takes its toll on everyone especially the women and children!! lol Annah was wishing for the snow and wanting some relief from the heat the other day.

School has been another adjustment, and we are so proud of the kids for their attitude and ability to slide into another group of kids and pick up with their schooling. Isaiah and Annah's teacher, Edwin says that they are an answer to prayer because he has been hoping for a way to further his english and so now every friday the grade 3's, 4's and 5's have English class with none other that Miss Annah and Mr Isaiah!!! :) We cannot get over the overwhelming kindness and generosity of the kids at school. They have been showered with little gifts and these things they call 'tazo chips' all so they can play and be included in the group.

The sounds that we hear are new! Its not so much what we hear as it is when we hear it. For example, let's talk about the garbage truck. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that we have garbage pick up here. Because we live on a corner we get garbage picked up on M,W,F and on the other days T,Th,S also get the pick up! This is amazing for someone who gags at the smell of garbage and can get rid of it every single day! The teeny issue is that to let you know they're coming they bang on a piece of metal with another large piece of metal clanging to all in hearing range that they are near! I wish you could hear it... its something else! Still, not a HUGE problem you might say? Well, 2 days ago they came at 3:45 AM!!! And most other days its anywhere between 5 & 6 AM.... Why not put it out the nite before you ask? Because the dogs tear it apart and spread it as far as they can. Another great thing for a gagger!! I'll say no more on the issue. Except that when the garbage isn't being picked up the army is running by singing their song!! Also between 5 & 6, just when you've fallen back asleep from being woke up from the clanging!!!

The presence of the army is seen everyday. They are many, and for the kids especially, its different to see guns everywhere you go. Some of them even wear a black ski mask to intimidate even more! Here they are seen as protection and are very friendly to everyone passing by. They are doing their job, well I think. It's just that we never see guns at home.

A new Home, which has been a huge blessing. We live in a great duplex, with the McAllisters below. Its safe, clean and in a great location. The hospital, police station, church, market, school, central park and Super Selecto (grocery store) are all within a 5 block radius.

New rules for driving apply! Like when you want to make a left hand turn, it's a good idea to shoulder check over your left shoulder because chances are good that someone is still going to try and pass you on the left! People pile into the backs of the trucks here like we pack cattle into a truck! They are hanging off everywhere, and not just in town but down the highways!! Its common to see a couple of people just sitting or laying on top of a huge load of bricks or produce on a flatbed just cruising down the highway! I wish I had a picture to show you!

Honking is a given, people are always honking! Sometimes to just say

'hello', or to let you know they're there, or 'please open the gate' or "I am going to drive over you if you don't get out of the way!!" Carie and I took turns driving to the capital yesterday, we did very well and only had a couple of angry honks!!!

Smells. This is an entire topic for me. As I mentioned earlier I gag a lot, and I am getting better! But I do miss our clean streets, and no littering bylaws! When we came back from a field trip on friday, as we neared San Vicente the kids and parents started unloading their garbage out the bus windows!!! Sometimes the smell is a bit much and combined with the heat, smoke from burning garbage and the cheese and meat in the market, it can be a bit overwhelming at times.

Why tell you all this, and what does it have to do with fear? Well for some, I can just hear you say, "why would you ever want to go there? Are you not afraid?" My answer of course, sometimes yes, but compared to the fear others live in each day, these things are not something to fear but only to get used to!

I want you to meet our good friend Juanita! Juanita is 44 yrs old and lives in a small 2 bedroom house with 3 of her 5 children and 1 grandchild. Juanita's husband was shot while at work driving a bus exactly 2 years ago. Why? Because he was told he needed to pay the $3000.00 for the deeds to his house. He had already spent years paying this off and when it came time to get the papers, they said they'd never paid and wanted the money! Of course they couldn't pay this, so they shot him. 38 yrs old, 5 children, 2 grandchildren, and a wife left without work. The bus was full of people and the police were called, but because there is such a fear of what might happen if they stand up and make a statement of what they saw, not one person stood up! So the police can do nothing. Juanita has had little work since (and what she had paid very poorly) She is often afraid to be in her house for fear they might return! She is always looking over her shoulder. She was very nervous around the anniversary of the shooting last week that they might return... Thankfully, nothing happened. When she came to work in our home 3 weeks ago, she was so thankful to have work, to be able to do what she loves..... cook (which we are all thankful for) :) and be in a home that feels safe to her. The other day she apologized for being late, because when she went to leave her house there was a drunk man outside her door and she could not get passed him! She is lovely and is great with the many children we have and we all love having her in our homes. I can't think of what it would be like to have this kind of fear? Do I look over my shoulder ever? No. Do I wonder where I'm going to get food to feed my family? No. Do I hope that my child won't die because I can't take them to the Dr knowing they have Dengue fever? No. Have I ever wondered if my husband is not going to come home at the end of the day? No.

She was sitting with one of the kids helping them with their spanish one day when I noticed she was holding the book very close. I wondered if maybe she couldn't read, but then quickly realized that it wasn't because she didn't know how, it was because she couldn't see! We were able to take her in to see a Dr and have her eyes checked! She now has a pair of bifocals and a smile on her face!

She also has such huge faith. However after her husband died she did not return to church. Pastor Jorge would ask her everytime he saw when she was coming back. All along this time she continued to pray. She told me that the night before she started to work with us, she spent the night on her knees praying that she would find some work, so she could feed her children. She said God answered her prayer with a resounding YES when the very next morning we went with the Pastor's wife Maritza to find her in the market and ask her to come work with us. She left what she was doing immediately and followed us home!! Two weeks ago she met us at our house on Sunday and came with us to church. To see her eyes filled with tears and her heart filled with the holy spirit that day was an amazing sight for us all to see. This is her story, and she is our friend. We have many more stories like Juanita's and people we want you to meet.

So what do I really have to fear? Not too much. And when I do, there is nothing I can do but give it to my Father. We all have fear, it just looks different. We were not made to live in fear and there is very little that we can do on our own to get rid of it! Maybe by hearing what other people fear every single day, may make our own fears seem not so bad.

Kerrie-Lynn

one more thought...

Volcan Chichontepeque

(we live in its shadow)

hello again,

just had one more thought i wanted to add to the last blog. we also want you to use your gifts, talents, abilities and passions while you are down here. we are experts in very little, but with all of us together we are experts in a lot of things. from farming to building and healthcare to daycare you are experienced in many things that can help down here in so many ways. so start thinking of the things you would like to bless the people of el salvador with and let us know your thoughts so we can start planning together! we are excited as we think of the good we can do together...

--

quick facts about el salvador:

population - 6,822,378 (plus 12 white people in san vicente)

31% of that number lives on less than $1 per day.

in other words 2,114,937 people live on less than $1 per day. imagine that! it would take a full work week to buy a vente low fat vanilla latte... puts things in perspective to think of this way, for me anyway.

trent

visit jefferson

hello again. well now that we have internet we can actually communicate a bit better. you can expect the blog updates to come on a regular basis... but don't hold your breath. things never go that smooth in central america it seems! we know of a lot of people wanting to visit us this year. family, friends and many who want to minister to the poor of el salvador along with us. this is exciting for us and we look forward to it with great anticipation. in order to accommodate everyone, we need some info from you and to let you know our thoughts...

first, our questions:

1. we would like you to email us if you are interested in coming down. also, let us know a rough or detailed timeline of when you are thinking of traveling.

csmcalli@gmail.com

family@berstad.org

2. please let us know what you hope to do while you are here and why you want to come.

second, our thoughts:

1. we hope to establish a number of goals for ourselves over the next few weeks. we really want you to join in with us in that ministry. we hope that sharing our journey here will be what makes the trip special.

2. we would also ask each group to raise money to go towards building a home for a family in great need while you are here - we are asking you to ask others, not to pay more of the cost out of your pocket. the cost of a home is $2700. when you return home you will have lots of people who contributed asking how your time was and hear the stories about the family you helped. whatever you come up with financially is fine, we simply want everyone to do their best at trying to raise the funds. we will take care of the rest!

3. we are working on approx. costs for living expenses for visitors: accommodations, meals, transportation, etcetera... we would love to be able to foot the bill for all of you while here, but the reality is we cannot afford to host groups and cover those costs as we ourselves are living with help from others!

4. we are thinking that about a week plus or minus is a good length of time to come, so consider that when planning. let us know and we can figure just about anything out though!

finally, please know that we truly want lots of visitors. we look forward to sharing our world down here with all of you.

--

Kerrie with Jefferson and his mom

on another note, we just finished up five houses today. 5 in 3 days with a team of 10 people from BC. we were able to build for a family which has quite an amazing story so i thought i'd share that one today. Jefferson is a 9 month old boy who lives in the village of san antonia where we will be focusing our ministry this year. in november a team was here and left money behind to take him to the doctor because he has hydrocephalus (water under the skull). without the money to pay for medical care there was little doubt he wasn't going to make it too many more weeks. his head was easily twice the size it ought to have been. our friend pastor jorge took him in to the clinic here in town. here is the note he sent us back in november...

I would like to inform you that we took the 5 month old child to the Pediatric clinic for the consultation in San Salvador with dr. Fernando Moreira Mendoza who is the pediatric surgeon. It was a MIRACLE as we got their at 10am and he examined him immediately and spoke with us and also asked how we met Jeferson Antonio.

The doctor was touched by God and closed his clinic early to help out. He moves his other consultations to 3:00pm and he joined myself and Jeferson to the Benjamin Bloom hospital. He spoke with the director of the hospital and he ordered the operation for Jeferson on Tuesday November 23^rd.

The consultation cost was $100 but he did not charge us at all and he also said that he would take care of everything. We are grateful as this happened through the glory of God.

fast forward a few months and jefferson has had the surgery. completely successful! and too top that (if possible) the doctor paid the whole bill! not one penny spent to save his life. yesterday we finished framing his house, today and tomorrow they are working on the concrete floor. so i just can't help but think what a different story would have been told here without a bit of help from some regular joe's from canada who decided to take some time and some money, maybe even sacrifice some stuff or an all inclusive and help this family out. i can't help but wonder what kind of difference it will make to have a "non-dirt" floor and a 'non-leaky' roof for a 9 month old recovering from surgery on the brain! i have a hard time imagining... the things we never consider going without are commonplace here. doctors, medicine, surgery, shingles, floors... we are concerned with carpet or tile or hardwood, but never with the sub floor beneath it! so it was a good couple days. it's emotional to see that family working away on the blocks and concrete for the floor. their eyes are full of joy and hope. a good day. thanks for reading and letting me share this story. hopefully you'll get to meet jefferson this year if you're one of the ones hoping to join us this coming year! below is a picture of our door. drop by sometime! (just let us know when)

trent

this is a shot of the springs and frame of basilio's truck. he drives four guys and all the tools in it each day to work with us- half hour one way. amazing what rope can do! i think it would even be more amazing to see what a welding machine could do!