Agros Blog

Dear Dave,

Just wanted to let you know that I was thoroughly blessed by my mission trip to El Salvador earlier this month. Julie and Arun did a wonderful job as coordinators, and the team members quickly bonded together.

My day started with breakfast (most often some combination of beans and rice), followed by work in a field (from 8 until noon). Lunch was followed by free time where we played games with the kids, talked with the villagers and hung-out with other team members.
In the evening, our team provided activities for the community, such as outdoor movie night or celebrating a birthday.

I was surprised as to how poor the villagers are. They live in adobe (dried mud) houses, have no electricity, cook on skillets using wood fuel, have no books (only 3-4 adults out of the 40 in the village can read or write Spanish) and no have health care (many adults in their 40’s have lost many teeth; if you get sick you either get better or die).

But they have much faith and rely on God for all things. They know that it is only by God’s grace that they wake up in the morning, alive and ready to start a new day.

More than “doing” work, this trip for me was about
relationships. Highlights for me included sitting in Isabel’s kitchen, talking (in my limited Spanish) about her life and her children. Or talking with Felipa while she worked on some kindergarten-level worksheets that we brought with us, as she practiced writing her ABCs. I asked her if she had ever written any words before. She said, No, it was the first time she had ever
written words with a pencil.

Other mission trips that I have been to, have been about service and team-building. This trip was about relationships with villagers.

God’s presence was powerful for me. I was brought to tears a few times. Not because I was sad or felt
sorry for the villagers (on the contrary, they had, or have, much to teach me about faith and hope), but because His presence was so evident, I was overwhelmed.

I made some women friends and am ready to go back to El Salvador! I know that UPC is sponsoring another trip in July, so pray for me that I would hear God’s voice in this (if I haven’t already!).

One of my prayer requests (before I left) was that I would be “constantly aware of the voice of God- moving me. I want to experience the power of God and be changed by it”.

I have been (and am being) changed.
God bless you,
Barb