Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Beautiful Are the Footsteps:



How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the                               messenger who brings good news, 
the good news of peace and salvation,  
the news that the God of Israel reigns!  Isaiah 52:7

 ¡Qué hermosos son, sobre los montes,
    los pies del que trae buenas nuevas;
del que proclama la *paz,
    del que anuncia buenas noticias,
del que proclama la *salvación,
    del que dice a Sión: «Tu Dios reina»!   Isaías 52:7


 


One of the ministries of the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador that I get to work with is called “Infancia con Futura.” (Children with a Future) This ministry meets most weekday afternoons from 2:30 - 4:30 at the church’s kindergarten facility.     

 Uno de los ministerios de la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista en El Salvador que me pongo a trabajar con se llama "Infancia con Futura." Este ministerio se reúne casi toda las tardes de lunes a viernes de 2:30-04:30 en los instalaciones de Kinder de la iglesia .


Well, I say this ministry meets beginning at 2:30 each day because that’s the time the children arrive at the building, but it actually begins a bit earlier.

 Bueno, yo digo este ministerio se reúne a partir de las 2:30 cada dia, porque ese es el tiempo que los niños llegan a la iglesia, pero en realidad comienza un poco antes.


Around 1:00 each afternoon, you can find Fidelina (pictured above in brown shirt and blue pants) in her home getting ready for work.  Soon after 1pm, she begins her walk through the neighborhood.  She goes to almost every home in several nearby neighborhoods, inviting the children of to join her.  The children who are planning to go to the Infancia con Futura, finish up their lunch, get dressed, and join Fidelina on her walk to the Methodist school.  

 Alrededor de la 1:00 cada tarde, usted puede encontrar Fidelina (en la foto en camisa cafe y pantalones azules) en su casa preparándose para el trabajo. Poco después de 1 pm, comienza su paseo por la colonia. Ella va a casi todos los hogares de varios colonias cerca, invitando a los hijos de unirse a ella. Los niños que están planeando ir a la Infancia con Futura, terminar su almuerzo, se visten, y unirse a Fidelina en su paseo a la escuela metodista.


I love walking with Fidelina on this journey because it’s just one more opportunity to get to know the children more.  As you can see from these photos, the walk is actually a lot of fun!

Me encanta caminar con Fidelina en este viaje, porque es otro oportunidad  para llegar a conocer a los niños más. Como se puede ver en estas fotos, la caminata es en realidad un montón de diversión!


The walk is not hurried. The children are playful along the way.  Some of them even buy snacks along the way in neighborhood stores.  

El paseo no se apresuró. Los niños son juguetones en el camino. Algunos de ellos incluso comprar bocadillos en el camino en las tiendas de colonia.
 





As soon as they get closer to the Methodist School, the children run ahead and wait eagerly for Fidelina to unlock the door.  

 Tan pronto como se acercan a la Escuela Metodista, los niños corren por delante y esperan ansiosamente Fidelina para desbloquear la puerta.


Once open, they run inside and begin a game of soccer or freeze tag while waiting for Norma and Janeth to arrive with a devotion and crafts.  The three ladies cook a snack for the kids each day.  

 Una vez abierto, se corren al dentro y comienzan un juego de fútbol o Curita y Sangre a la espera de Norma y Janeth llegar con una devoción y la actividad artesanía. Las tres damas cocinar una bocadillo para los niños todos los días.



This ministry is vitally important and very close to my heart because it provides a positive, safe, and Christ-centered environment for children to hang-out in the afternoons.  Children in El Salvador, similar to children all around the world, face the pressures of the world outside the Kingdom of God.  Pressures to join gangs, to grow up too fast, and to walk away from their faith.  A simple word of encouragement from someone who cares may be all it takes to build a strong foundation of self-worth in a young person.  What happens at the Infancia con Futura ministry each day is rather simple in nature, but has an eternal impact on the lives of children who are very important in the heart of Christ.


Este ministerio es de vital importancia y muy cerca de mi corazón, ya que proporciona un ambiente positivo, seguro y centrado en Cristo para los niños para pasar el rato de espera en las tardes. Los niños en El Salvador, al igual que los niños de todo el mundo, se enfrentan a las presiones del mundo fuera del Reino de Dios. Las presiones para que unen a las pandillas, que crecen demasiado rápido, y para renunciar a su fe. Una simple palabra de aliento de alguien que se preocupa puede ser todo lo que se necesita para construir una base sólida de la autoestima en una persona joven. Qué pasa en el ministerio Infancia con Futura cada día es bastante simple en la naturaleza, sino que tiene un impacto eterno en la vida de los niños que son muy importantes en el corazón de Cristo.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Ants in My Pants!





"Four things on earth are little, yet they are extremely wise:
Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Conies are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
Locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
A spider can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces."
~Proverbs 30:24-28


This scripture hangs over my kitchen sink because I am at war with ants!  They are trying to invade my kitchen…and our entire home.  At one point there were at least three different colonies descending upon our laundry room that leads into our kitchen.  (It’s a Salvadoran style laundry room with a Pila, a Gringo washing machine, and a sunny space for drying clothes.)


It’s been hanging in the kitchen for weeks now, yet Brian just noticed it tonight.  He said, “I think it’s funny you have a scripture about ants in the kitchen.”  

 He knows they drive me crazy.   

One day I made him move our pantry cabinet out of the kitchen so I could clean behind and all around it because I found a swarm of them in there that morning.

I explained to him that this scripture is there for a purpose.  That same day after emptying, moving, and scrubbing the pantry I was about to lose it with those ants.  My strength alone could not cope with them…so I googled scriptures about ants and I found this link.    


I read the story, wrote the scripture on a yellow index card and posted it over my kitchen sink.  Each time I wash the dishes, I read that scripture.  

Since then I now have only one colony invading the kitchen, but they really only get as far as the sink these days.  I don’t think the scripture had any magical powers in getting rid of the ants, but I do believe it gave me comfort in knowing that I can find wisdom for any problem, even one as tiny as an ant, in God’s living Word.