El Salvador - Beautiful People

There were so many amazing people I met on this trip! You need to hear their stories and see their faces. No matter the circumstances they radiate hope and joy. Take a look!

Frankie

Before I left for El Salvador my parents jokingly said "Don't come back with a boyfriend!" Well you don't need to worry about a boyfriend but I did absolutely fall in love with this little boy! The first night at Casa Concordia, the Luther Welcome Center we stayed at, a ton of Salvadoran children were running around playing. I found a friend in little Frankie and he convinced me to "jugar beisbol," play baseball. Little did he know I am absolutely awful at the sport. Turns out he made the rules up as he went anyway! The game consisted of me throwing the ball to Frankie, him hitting it and then running in a circle of made-up bases. He never got out and I never got to bat! I only got a point if he felt like giving me one! We had such a great time! The score was 21 - 6 and we finally stopped playing because it was so dark we couldn't see the ball anymore. The rest of the weekend I was taunted, veintiuno - cinco, veintiuno - cinco in a singsong voice. Frankie is a beautiful child with life and laughter always in his eyes. He is an extremely smart 7 year old and reads far better than many of my students in America.

College Students

These students have amazing dedication and perseverance. They are all attending college in El Salvador during the school year. They spend every vacation, and most likely weekends at school working to help pay for their schooling, which costs $1500 per year. One of the girls spent all summer working but was unable to attend the first week of university because she used the money to buy food for her family. She sacrificed for her family but missed out on valuable time in the classroom. Each of these students has a partial sponsorship but is in need of any help they can get! Think about it! $1500 per year for college courses - they are the future of El Salvador! Anyone want to help out?

Bimita

Seriously...this girl is a doll! Bimita is the daughter of Don Victor, our site manager for Habitat. The house we were working on was a member of his family! His mother lives down the road and all of his family lives in this little neighborhood up in the mountains! His daughter is truly a shining star and put us all to shame! She filled buckets for us and was up on the scaffolding helping us each day after school!

Melvin & Josue

Melvin with Immanuel

These two guys were so sweet! They were our constant companions in San Salvador! They were riding in the back of the truck with us wherever we went, pushing the water off the tarps, aiding in translation, hiking the volcano, and helped care for the kids! Their smiles and laughter were contagious!

Karin

Karin was my truck-riding buddy and artist of the week! After the volcano we rode in a truck during a long downpour. Her little screams of delight were so innocent and cute! I spent the hour attempting to cover her from the rain and hold a semi-dry mattress over her so she didn't get any wetter! At the holiday parade she spent the afternoon using rocks like sidewalk chalk, drawing pictures for all to see! Her eyes shine with joy! I love it!

Kids pictures - These are just various pictures of the other kids I was blessed to spend some time with! Praise God for their beautiful smiles and innocent hearts!