Reaching out in El Salvador

Was there any specific reason you went?
Yes, my church has a long-term connection with a church in San Salvador. Every summer, we go to be a part of their church and help them reach out to the communities there.

Have you gone before?
This was my third trip there.

What exactly did you do there?
We helped the church with their outreach program, and went on a weekend retreat with them. That was interesting because I was alone with a group of Spanish-speaking people the whole weekend!

Did anyone there speak English? Did you have trouble communicating with them?
There are a handful (who) know it really well, while the majority don't know it well enough to use it with us. I know some Spanish, and I got used to it after awhile. I was even able to have one or two good conversations.

Did you stay in El Salvador the whole time?
No. We traveled to Nicaragua with the group from San Salvador to do a mission project there. It was a 12-hour bus ride from San Salvador, but it was worth it! It was neat to see the unity within the group even though we were from two different countries.

Does anyone from the other church ever come to America?
It's really hard and expensive for a large group of them to even get visas to come to America. One of the pastors there was in the middle of getting (his) visa during our visit, and he had to pay $100 just to have a meeting for a chance to get a visa. He did get it, so his visit is definite. He and another pastor have both been up here before, although it was at separate times.

What was the best part about going?
It was cool to connect with the congregation in San Salvador on such a deep level. I look forward to that every time I go.