Today was our second full day of travel in El Salvador and we got up extra early this morning (6 a.m. instead of 7) because the school we went to was only in session during the morning hours. On the bus ride, we enjoyed one of our daily devotionals from Leslie, who talked about how we need to humble ourselves as a team and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, to work through us.

We arrived at the Bonanza school (grades 1-6) around 8 a.m., where we were greeted warmly by the children peering out of their classrooms to see what all the excitement was about. Once we arrived, we performed a couple of skits, shared a little bit about our lives in America, and Jaye did a little magic show (probably the most popular amongst the younger kids). Afterwards, we broke up into 4 different classrooms (in our small groups) where we played some more games (my group in particular did an egg-race). When it came time for us to share our pictures which help tell our spiritual paths) and the gospel-bead bracelets, the kids were really responsive. A couple of girls, named Katya and Maria, gave me hugs; and it made me feel that I really do have a purpose here and God has put us here for a reason: and this is it! The principal told us that since they have no one at home to love them and care for them, they are so grateful we came along and showed them compassion and kindness: the things that they are missing in their lives.

After we were finished at the school, we went to the local mall, around 5 minutes from Hotel Siesta. There, we played a scavenger hunt game, where each small group had a list of tasks to complete in 2 hours: ranging from buying a candle, to seeing how many people each group could share the gospel bead bracelet. I believe that we were able to minister to more than 50 people at the mall, which was nice since they stopped what they were doing to listen what we had to say about God’s love for them.

Lastly, in the evening, we traveled to a homeless shelter where we served for a couple hours. There, Tim presented the gospel bead bracelet and Howard said a prayer to bless them and let them know that there is someone who loves them and desires to become part of their lives. It was really moving to see the way that so many people wanted God to lift the burden of their sins away: there were even people gathering outside to listen to what we had to say.