Thursday July 22

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Hello from your friends in El Salvador. Pancakes were on the menu this morning (yes, Stuart that is the kind of news most Methodist want to know) Not all the servings were the same as poor Heather soon found out. Heather’s had a plastic cockroach between two of the pancakes. She yelled and immediately went to our Santa (Logan) who along with his helper Joe have been leaving presents for the little sisters of the group. No one seems to know who took a mattress and put it on the roof. Rubber snakes found in some beds, and all their beds and mattresses switched all around. But some have their suspicions. Work was broken up into a few different locations on Thursday. Wayne and Steven finished putting a water line into the parsonage so our friend Cornillio will have water inside the house. Don’t get too excited. It isn’t like back home when Jeff Savage would come and install new plumbing, but Wayne did a fine job and now there is what we would consider an outside faucet inside the living room, although the living room has dirt floors. We broke up into several groups with a few of the ladies staying at the church to mix concrete and paint metal trusses and others going to the clinic to paint walls. Several of the guys helped by lifting concrete bucket by bucket up a ladder to the second floor of the church extension. Boy, were those buckets heavy, especially after the carrying several of them. Lauren will give you more details about the first day of VBS I’m sure since she lives to interact with the kids. I can tell you it went well. The fingernail and face painting were a big hit along with Uncle Eddie. A former Communist Gorilla who found Jesus in prison and now does a puppet ministry for children in the area. They loved him. We had a lengthy prayer session with many of your friends and family prayed for. We then opened letters telling us that you guys are praying for us while we are away. Very touching. Thanks so much for your prayers and concern. I also wanted to thank you all for your comments on the blog. They give encouragement to our mission members.
God Bless
Larry McCormack

HEYY my Fabulous family and friends!! I have been waiting all week to write you! Wow WOW WEE WOW! (That’s a Katie Tiger phrase) I just thought I was blessed…God has revealed so many new blessings to me this week and it’s just Day 6 and it’s not over! First of all, the devil did not want me (or Jimmy) on this trip at all! As most of you know, the day before we left Jimmy and I were in a bad wreck on I40 and ONLY by the Grace of God walked away from it, a true miracle. I am overwhelmed by His great Love that has been revealed to me through the people of Chinameca as well as our group from the Glade. We have had small groups every night after our God Sightings and Devotion and that has probably been one of the most powerful things of the whole trip. CHAINS BROKEN! BARRIERS KNOCKED DOWN! LIVES TRANSFORMED! HALLELUJAH!!! I learned so much through my recent internship for Evangelism that just ended July 9th and it has set me up and prepared me for topics and questions that have come up here. I praise God for that opportunity and how it prepared me for such situations. I am so proud of our youth and all of you should be too. Not only because of their willingness to come on this trip when they could be laying out at home or hanging with friends, etc, but because of how they have opened up their hearts and minds and touched God’s people in another country, even with a language barrier God is shining through them all. I praise God for their boldness and their obedience!! Obedience has truly been the word that God has placed on my heart this entire trip. Every night in small group, somehow or another, the word obedience comes out in my response.
I was walking back to the church from the work site on Tuesday and I heard a guitar and singing somewhere inside the yard of the church. After leading music acapella the first night I ran to them and started singing! They spoke pretty good English and I clicked with them immediately! They loved the good ole hymns as well as contemporary songs, so we got along perfect! After singing “How Great Thou Art” one of the guys, Arnoldo, looked at me and said, “That reminds me of my grandmother.” I explained to him that it reminded me of mine as well because they both played the piano and sang and how my Papa loves all of the Hymns. Arnoldo said, “Yes, but my grandmother died.” I replied, “I understand both of mine have too, but great memories!” Talk about connecting and a moment for us that he nor I will ever forget. They were sweet enough to stay for dinner and play/help lead music with me that night! A true blessing! That is just one story out that has impacted my life and proved to me how big God is and that He is really EVERYWHERE!
Last night we were asked to dance and Joe and I danced to “Now Behold the Lamb” by Kirk Franklin and the girls and I did our “He Wants it All” by Forever Jones dance again. Talk about being proud! Man these girls are becoming true witnesses and leaders for Christ, and that is what it is all about! Katie, Ali, Mary, and I were the only girls that stayed at the church today and we worked on painting the rebar and mixing concrete, while the other girls painted at the clinic and the guys were back and forth between the two. We had a great day and definitely made today a fun adventure! After a brief rain and lunch we had VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!! ) YAY! In music we sang, “I’ve got the Joy Joy down in my heart”, and I remembered it in Spanish from the kids teaching it to me last time I was down here! Then, we sang “This is the Day” and they really knew that song!! One of the girls ran to me that had remembered me from five years ago and I most definitely remembered her too! Very special moment especially to see how she is grown physically as well as her involvement in the church and the joy she showed singing and praising God. Of course, we enjoyed the ice cream shop this afternoon and had a great dinner! It’s time for devotion. I have got to run, but remember LALA LOVES YOU and thank you so much for your continuous prayers, encouragement and support!! See you all soon!!
FABULOUSLY BLESSED-Lauren LaFevers

Advertisement