preparing to go

It's been a long time since I posted a blog. I apologize primarily to my mother and mother-in-law, since they may be the only ones who missed it.

I wanted to get going again because tomorrow night, my family and seven other incredible people are flying to San Salvador to visit with the church there for a week. Jason, Vanessa, and Ana Hill, Sandra Landaverde, Liz Gitto, Teresa Chavez and Mariela Solano are coming with us. We are going to have an incredible time of fellowship with the disciples there, sharing our faith and inviting as many people as we can to the church's anniversary service, and serving the poor, both in the church and in the community.

Josue & Veronica Ortega lead the church there, and we can't wait to spend time with them. As well, Jonathan & Karla Perkins and Chris & Vivianna Boyer are great friends of ours that used to be here in LA, and they now live in San Salvador, so we are really excited to spend time with them as well.

I am very excited and nervous about this trip. This is the first trip like this that I have had the honor of taking, and I am so excited about what God is going to show me. I feel as if God has been preparing my heart over the last few weeks - preparing me to be broken, humbled and changed at a core level. I have been saddended and frustrated by the brokenness of mankind and the cloud of decption that hangs over so many people and keeps them in a state of practical atheism. I have been distressed by the level of greed and self-focus that has permeated our society to such a level that I begin to doubt if we will ever make it out. (Lord, increase my faith!)

Last week I came upon a man beating up a prostitute in my neighborhood. I stopped, and the man left. I tried to help the girl, but she was so trapped in the lies about her life that she had believed, that she was unable or unwilling to want anything different for her life. All I could do was give her a ride and some money. It broke my heart that one of God's daughters didn't have someone in her life to care about her and help her really see who Jesus is. I pray for her every day now.

Meanwhile, I am preparing to go to a country that I have never been to, so I can try to encourage people I have never met to follow Jesus, and to experience his love for them. Who am I, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?

The Turning Point has been amazing. Absolutely amazing. Six of the eleven people going on the trip have been sponsored by someone else in the church. How great is that?

We sent out one email asking for donations, and the response was absolutely overwhelming. Last night, our team came to our house to pack our bags. Each person is checking one piece of luggage with their personal items plus one piece of luggage filled with clothes, shoes, toothbrushes and toothpaste. After packing eleven bags with stuff to take, we had SIXTEEN bags of clothes left over that we didn't have room for. I took those clothes to the San Fernando Rescue Mission this morning. I drove away from there in tears because of the hearts of the incredible people in our church. To God be the glory!

I will do my best to blog as often I as I can from El Salvador, so if you found this one, keep checking back!

Please pray for us, and for God to move in us to love him more, and for him to move through us to help many other people know him better.

"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." 2 Chronicles 20:12

"Whoever claims to live in himmust live as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6