Starfish Orphan Ministry

It was Hard to Say Good-bye!

2012-01-01T23:06:00.002-06:00

Friends Made!

2012-01-01T23:02:00.000-06:00

Party for a Princess!

2011-12-30T22:36:00.000-06:00

Mona painting nails at the princes party. Those little girls had almost as much fun as Mona did!

People Who Sew Pillow Case Dresses Make a Difference!

2011-12-30T22:04:00.000-06:00

This pretty pillow case dress is probably the first new dress this little girl has ever had! She looks thrilled! Thanks go to all those who sew our beautiful dresses that we are blessed to pass out to precious children like this one!

On Top of the World!

2011-12-30T21:59:00.000-06:00

The highest mountains in Haiti are 9000 ft. above sea level, we just climbed between 3500 and 4000 ft to a village just above Life Line Mission House, We took dental hi-gene products to about 75 or 80 kids. Had the awesome pleasure of sharing Gods word with them, Told them the Bible story.

. The climb up and down the mountain was grueling for a man my age but praise the LORD I made it and now I am TIRED!! We left the mission house a about 4:45 am with flashlights in hand and up the trail we went. Half way up the mountain the sunrise was spectacular, as I admired it I thought to my self how insignificant I am and just how awesome our God is! Praise his name! George Fields

Toys in Haiti?

2011-12-30T21:51:00.000-06:00

We as adults and children really take what we have and what we can obtain so easily for granted. We have seen so many children this week but this is the only toy.

A stick that was attached to what appeared to be wheels that had broke off of a stroller. Mona Kegel

Work, Work, Work!

2011-12-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

WORK!WORK!WORK! no R&R here,just a short time to get a lot accomplished! Today we had a lot going on, it was maintenance day at the compound, We repaired one of the solar ovens broken reflective panels, we built six new benches with desk tops for sunday school rooms, removed broken tile and replaced them and cemented them in place, the hatch cover for the water well was broken, cut out a new piece of flat steel and repaired it. But the best is for last! Tonight the Haitian ladies that prepare our supper meals, fixed us a traditional Haitian dinner, it was FABULOUS!!! George Fields

Some of Haiti's Blessings

2011-12-29T22:25:00.000-06:00

Love in a Bundle

2011-12-29T22:22:00.000-06:00

Team passed out Lifeline Love Bundles

How Many People Can You Put on a Boat?

2011-12-29T22:21:00.000-06:00

Alot!

Lifeline Compound

2011-12-29T22:10:00.000-06:00

We partner with Children's Lifeline for our Haiti trips! Take a look at their website, they do amazing things in Haiti!

Tica Makes New Friends Too!

2011-12-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

Kids from the village. Doh (nickname) and Adam.

Vicki Makes a Friend

2011-12-29T22:00:00.000-06:00

Hiking in the village outside children's lifeline mission house-Haiti

Clebner Prays!

2011-12-29T21:55:00.002-06:00

Russ Kegel: Clebner praying for George. What an amazing child!!

Michelle Chapman ( on last year's Starfish Haiti Team and Clebner's monthly sponsor): "I'll never forget how I felt when he laid his hands on my head and prayed for me and now we are so blessed to be his sponsors!"

Tica McCuiston,( Starfish Team in Haiti now) : That was one amazing and powerful prayer! Still brings tears when I see this picture. He is an awesome child!!!

Lifeline Love Bundles

2011-12-29T13:41:00.000-06:00

The team passed out Love Bundles at an orphanage outside Port Au Prince.

1000 Hot Dogs

2011-12-29T13:38:00.000-06:00

Russ Kegel, team leader: "|Team just cooked and passed out close to 1000 hotdogs to the kids in the village. What a blessing to see how excited they all were. Now to watch a local soccer game. :)"

Starfish Haiti Team

2011-12-29T13:34:00.000-06:00

We had 10 team members that left on Christmas night, and drove to St. Louis, then flew to Haiti. They arrived at the Lifeline compound on Monday evening. We have had some difficulties in getting email accounts of their experiences and pictures, so what we are posting is what we've pulled from Facebook. It looks like they are having an incredible trip!

Tuesday: Serving Breakfast & An Afternoon of Baking!

2011-10-06T09:17:00.003-05:00

We began Tuesday morning assisting at a fantastic ministry in San Salvador. This is a place that provides services very similar to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge or the Ronald McDonald House. They actually go to a local hospital in the morning and search for families to help. Most of the patients are children with HIV/AIDS, Cancer or other life threatening illnesses. They let the families know that they have a a safe and free misson where they can take them to receive a free warm meal and prayers for their family's illness and difficulties. Many of these people have traveled for hours or days to get to the hospital and are their waiting all day for an appointment.

We were so blessed to cook and serve a warm breakfast to these precious families. It was a pleasure to listen to their stories, pray for their families and reassure them of the healing powers of our great and All Mighty God!

The children were thrilled to color with us and loved their treat bags!

The little girls also left with beautiful new pillowcase dresses!

-----------------------------------

Next we headed back to Cipi for another visit with the teen girls!

The first on the agenda; a quick stop to deliver pillowcase dresses and shorts to all of the children at the center! We are so thankful to all of you who have sewed the dresses, shorts and skirts for many months! The hair bows we delivered this time were a huge hit as well!

For the first time, the boys got cool spiderman shorts too!
------------------------------

DO YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH?

In the afternoon, the teen girls were able to take a trip with us to an upscale bakery!

THIS IS UNHEARD OF! They are not allowed to help in the kitchen at the orphanage, and many of them told us they had never even cracked an egg before today!! They were beyond thrilled to be there! It was such a joy to see the smiles on their faces!

What a blessing to watch the excitement on the girls faces as they truly experienced real baking for the first time! After they finished and were waiting on their cupcakes to bake, we sat and talked with them as a group. One of the girls raised her hand and said, "Thank you so much to everyone who helped bring us here today. I have always dreamed of having a mother who would bake with me and today I knew what that felt like." What a powerful statement! Many of the girls told us they had never even cracked an egg before!

We hope that this experience will encourage the girls to realize and remember what they are capable of. We did our best to remind them that they have a Heavenly Father who has given each of them talents and they can do anything in life they set their minds to if they do it for the Glory of their God! Please pray that they will remember this experience and set goals for their future!

Hola! Greetings from El Salvador!

2011-10-04T21:32:00.005-05:00

Hola!

Greetings from El Salvador! Today began a week long celebration for the "Day of the Children"...

As a team, we began our day on the soccer field at Cipi helping with the inflatables! I'm not quite sure who had more fun! As part of today's special celebration, they were able to come outside and dance as well as play! Everyone had a great time! Especially the special needs children! They were able to sit with us in the bouncy house and experience freedom from their wheelchairs with giggles and smiles all around!

The children were so excited because the famous "CipiTio," a Salvadorian children's television star was coming to perform at the celebration! All day they were looking for him...

Is that him? No! That's Johnny Macho!

Is that him? No! That is Jose!

There he is! CipiTio!!! The kiddos were thrilled to see him! He did a great puppet show, played music, sang and danced with the children all afternoon!

In the evening we ordered pizza for the entire orphanage and served the children in the cafeteria. It was such a blessing to serve each and every one!

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs! Psalm 100:2

2011-10-03T00:29:00.002-05:00

Bienvenidos

We began today with a beautiful church service in San Salvador. The pastor and congregation were very welcoming of our team. They allowed us to join them in an incredible hour of beautiful praise and worship music. The congregation worshiped with pure joy to be in the house of the Lord... What a blessing to be a part of their service! They also invited our team member Aaron Garrett to worship on stage with them. He had prepared a beautiful song in both English and Spanish!

After the praise and worship time, our team took the children for their children's church. Dale & Cathy did a fantastic job of sharing several major events throughout the Bible with their Bible Story dramas. With our wonderful translator Mrs. Jenny they made the perfect team to capture the kids attention and share with them God's love for each and every one! The rest of our group did various crafts with the children and teens and talked more with them about Christ and his love for each and every one of them!

"What an amazing day! After having so looked forward to being a part of a Starfish trip...we are finally HERE!

     We worshiped together with believers in a different language and style but our Lord is the same and He was glorified!
     Dale and I got to teach the Bible story to two groups of children at the church and they were so precious.
     Then we were off to CIPI, the orphanage with all age children as well as pregnant girls and/or new moms and a special needs group of children.

After telling the Bible story to the teen age girls and teen moms, some as young as 13, they asked about how long we had been married. When we told them more than 30 years, they asked how in the world we could have been married so long! What a privilege to share with them.

The sweetest and most touching thing today was watching as Dale played with 3 special needs boys--all had to be tied in their chairs for their own safety, due to their disabilities, but Dale had them all laughing--loudly and with totally abandon! It was great! God is being so glorified here...! I am so thankful to be here!" Cathy Hancock

We spent the afternoon at Cipi where as Cathy said, she and Dale continued to share Bible stories with children of all ages. Carson and Aaron worked with some of the teen mothers on designing beautiful bracelets while Mike and I did animal crafts and face painting with elementary age boys. Then we all spent time with the precious children in the special needs center at Cipi as well. We played, sang, and loved on our precious friends and it was hard to say goodnight after helping feed them dinner. After a short visit with the babies in the cuna, we had to head out for the evening.

Tomorrow we will be back at CIPI for a Celebration! All this week the country of El Salvador is celebrating "National Children's Day." We will have the joy of helping bring in inflatables for them to play on, face painting, plus famous Salvadoran children's personalities to entertain and more!

Please be in prayer that through all of the excitement we can continue to build relationships that allow us to show God's unconditional love to these precious children in need. Pray that they may know that while their earthly father may not be available, their Heavenly Father is always right by their side!

We are so thankful that you have taken your time to follow along and we ask that you take an extra moment of your time to share our blog with someone today... You never know how sharing a quick note may influence someone else to make a positive difference in the life of a child! Whether that person begins to pray, a year from now donates their childs old toys, a few years later volunteers, or maybe in five years decides to adopt... Any one of those could make a drastic change in the life of an orphaned child.

All packed up and ready for the day! We've got everyone and we're on our way!

2011-10-02T02:02:00.001-05:00

The team met bright and early this morning. As we finalized the details on our luggage, and discussed who would ride in which vehicle and whether or not everyone had all of the items they needed, things began to feel a bit hectic. Just as usual, everyone is excited to get on the road. For those who have been before, they can't wait to see a familiar faces. And, for those going for the first time, their minds are running wild with excitement and the thrill of the unknown.

Over the previous months the specific team members have changed several times, but I am confident that God hand chose each of our seven team members very carefully. We are all very different and come from very different places. From Grandparents to Students, Single to Married, Different Occupations and Different Interests, but we know that God placed us together this week for one simple reason, to Love Him by serving and loving His own precious chldren!

Sunday we will begin the day at a local church here in San Salvador. Aaron Garrett, one of our team members will be singing along for praise and worship and them our group will be assisting with chilrdrens church for around 30 young chlidren. Dale and Cathy will be doing a dramatic stroytelling of many major events throughout the bible and the other team will be doing crafts with them as well.

In the afternoon, we will head to CIPI, an in-take center for San Salvador. There will be groups of babies and toddlers, young girls & boys ages 4-7, Teen girls, as well as a few Teen Moms with their own children. There we will be delivering supplies, and again doing bible studies and crafts, all while reminding our new friends that they are not alone, and they have not been forgotten! They will always have their Heavenly Father to help them through anything big or small!

We want to take it a step further, and that will require your help! To truly ensure these precious children that they are not alone and that they have not been forgotten by the world around them, we must continue to pass along these messages, we must continue to share statistics, and always continue to encourage Christians that adoption doesn't have to be a last resort! We know some people are not called to adopt or foster and that's okay. But, as Christians, we are all called to do SOMETHING!

Let your first SOMETHING be reposting this blog link to your Facebook page, or telling a friend to read this week's blog. Or just PRAY. We NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the power of prayer! But please take the challenge and DO SOMETHING to make a difference in the lives of Orphans TODAY!

Headed back to El Salvador!

2011-09-30T16:24:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, October 1st a group of seven will be leaving for El Salvador to serve children, teens, and special needs adults, who have no family to care for them. Please be praying this week for their safety, endurance and most importantly that they will be well received, making the exact impact God intends.

Pray for the hearts of the children and adults the team will be working with, that they may be prepared to hear of the incredible Heavenly Father who loves them unconditionally!

We ask that you PLEASE continue to follow along daily as the team sends pictures and updates from their trip, along with prayer requests for their daily plans.

Please share this blog with your friends and family and feel free to post it to your Facebook status!

Thank you for your support!

2011-09-06T14:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Starfish Orphan Ministry. Our next international mission team will be leaving for El Salvador the first week of October. We also have teams planning trips to Haiti in December and southern India in February of 2012.

If you are in the Western Kentucky area and would like more information on how to serve orphan children locally we can help!

or an adoptive parent!

If you are interested in how you can become a part of one of these missions, what you can do to help, how to pray more specifically for needs, or would simply like more information on Starfish Orphan Ministry, please contact us at starfishorphanministry@yahoo.com, 270-519-7340.

Last Full Day

2011-07-22T22:06:00.001-05:00

"Today our team spent the day at CISNA, a government-run orphanage for boys. They usually range in age from ten to seventeen. There are about forty boys at CISNA right now; sometimes there are a few less, but usually there are more, often numbering over one hundred. They are very active and enjoy playing sports, so some of us played soccer with them, and some played frisbee. They also enjoy simple things like face-painting and listening to music with the team. CISNA made more of an impact on me last year than any other orphanage we visited, because I was so burdened with the fact that these boys and others like them are the future of El Salvador. A couple of times this week we have fed homeless people downtown, and I never want to think about any of these boys being among the destitute people we have seen living on the streets or belonging to gangs. It is SO IMPORTANT to make an impact on this group, to help them become future leaders and successful people in their country. After some fun time this morning, I talked to the boys about God's love for all of us, and that we are ALL neighbors that are supposed to love and support each other, no matter where we live. We talked about the way that God made each one of us different, with various talents and abilities, so that we can truly serve one another while glorifying Him. I asked them to look around at where we were sitting, reminding them that they would only be at CISNA for a time, and that one day they would be adults, ready to use their talents for good purposes. We prayed, asking God to allow us to see others as He sees them, with loving, kind, and forgiving hearts.
We enjoyed preparing a delicious lunch to share with the boys, grilling chcken and fixing corn and french fries also. Three of them had just completed a cooking course, and they were very proud of their diplomas. One of them helped us fix lunch, and he is quite the young chef. I told him that he can use his culinary talent to serve others and to glorify God, just like we had talked about earlier this morning. After lunch was over, the Starfish team painted the front of two of the dorm buildings, and a few of the boys pitched in to help us, which was great to see.
It was difficult to leave these young men this afternoon when the time came.. Many of our team members have made multiple trips to El Salvador, and have become well-acquainted with these boys as well as girls and boys at other orphanages. Many warm hugs were exchanged, along with promises that we would see each other again one day. Please add these young boys to your prayer list! A lot of them have experienced many terrible things that no one should ever have to go through, and working through these memories can often be a long and difficult process. Ask God to help them realize their need for relationship with Him and with others, and to give them the strength they need to become all that He created them to be!"--Mike Henderson

"Today was an emotional day for me. A combination of it being the last full day and going to Cisna made for a bad combination. We first started off with the usual, waking up and eating breakfast after a looooong day. We spent all day at the Cisna orphanage for boys 9-18 years old. When we first arrived I could tell that it was different, the boys thrived to have your attention. For me, this was the different part. At all of the other centers the kids wouldn't come up to you and introduce themselves; however, here they all did. I got to know so many kids and how they ended up there as well as their stories. There was one kid that stuck out to me, and I got to know him well as he continued to play with my camera. We played a variety of games such as Frisbee, basketball, and fùtbol. I had a lot of fun just hanging out with the kids at they all made their rounds to visit all of our team members. We also grilled chicken for all of the boys. This was an awesome experience because they don't get to eat that kind of food very often, I could tel they had a blast. The end part of the day was spent painting the outside of two of the dormitories. We had a good bonding moment during that as a team as we all had to avoid spilling paint, and painting each other!! It was an awesome experience to say the least. As the time here is coming to an end, I can really see that these kids need us to help support them. I am thankful for God allowing us to be stewards here in El Salvidor, and I thank him for choosing me to be here at this time. I am truly blessed!"-- Aaron Garrett

Today was our last full day in El Salvador! Tomorrow afternoon around 2:15, our plane will be taking off and we will be headed back to the United States! It has been a full week, and we are all going to miss being here in ES, but we are ready to be home and see our friends and families and to continue living out our mission in the "los estados unidos."

**A huge thanks from the team to those of you who have followed our blog and prayed for us this week! :)

Saddle Up!

2011-07-22T01:06:00.001-05:00

Hello blog followers!
Today we had an amazing time. Through everyone's hard work and fundraising we were able to take several teenage girls from CIPI horseback riding. We arrived not knowing what to expect, but we were delighted to hear laughs, see smiles, and enjoy the beautiful grounds we were blessed to be on. It was an especially significant day for me, considering that I have been riding since I was 6 years old and I was able to share the passion I have always loved so much and see that for one day, this passion was able to lighten these girls' heavy load. They were enjoying themselves and forgetting for a moment their unique and unfortunate circumstances. I was so happy and surprised to see their reactions when we surprised them with subways sandwiches, cookies, their choice of chips, and pepsis! They were absolutely thrilled with this meal, it was as if we were treating them to a 5 star cuisine. Thats when I thought how many times do we take for granted little things like running through a fast food restaurant like subway, most of the time its considered a bad meal, but to these kids it is like Christmas morning. We were also able to make fleece blankets with them, that would be only theirs, even after their time at the orphanage. This was a surprisingly incredible craft because most of the girls have no possessions that are all theirs alone. To me, seeing their smiling faces over something so small made me want to do so much more. Not only that, but it encouraged me that even the smallest deed can make these kids day, week, even month and that almost anyone can make a difference. Knowing that, I would encourage everyone to get involved..- Callie Smith

Some of the CIPI girls making fleece blankets.

Christan Flowers got to see a special friend today that she met on her first trip to El Salvador in 2009. Little Kelvin may have special needs, but he sure knows how to have fun and use his energy! Kelvin lives at a Catholic orphanage called Girola.

Today while the girls on the team went horseback riding with the CIPI girls, the guys stayed back at the orphanage and finished up their curtain project.

Tonight was our last night of feeding the homeless for the week! Thanks again to all of you who have financially supported this ministry. It seemed as if the food multiplied tonight! We seemed to have fed tons more people than we ever have before, but unfortunately, we ran out of food when we arrived at the mob of people downtown. Please continue to pray for this ministry and the people of El Salvador, and if you feel led, please help to financially support it!

Tomorrow the team will be headed for a day at CISNA, the all boys home. They plan to spend the entire day there cleaning, painting, ministering to the kids, and having a cookout and grilling steaks! Please pray for the boys at CISNA...they have almost all had an extremely violent, rough past, and they need prayers for guidance and control. Lots of boys from CISNA run away from the orphanage to return to their former gangs...Please pray for the children and our team tomorrow!

Día de playa!

2011-07-21T00:07:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, July 20
"After a marathon day yesterday, today we had the opportunity to take the San Martin group to the beach for some fun in the sun. The San Martin orhanage is specifically for special needs adults and children, and they are each very special and sweet in unique ways. We met them at a beach house at 9:30 this morning and they immediately all hit the pool first. The we moved to the black sand beach and everyone really enjoyed the water and waves. We also had a Michael Jackson dance party going on pretty much all day as well (Pablito has some moves). After a lunch of Pollo Campero we hit the beach some more, flew some kites, and busted open a Sponge Bob pinata. The group really enjoyed the day and they all behaved very well. Getting to spend the entire day with these guys was such a blessing to me. I got to see how sweet and nice they were to each other when they shared the kites, played together, and danced with each other. Although communicating with them was still somewhat of a challenge, a hug from one of them was worth a thousand words. Buenas noches, mi amigos........ P.S. David says "Wasssuuuup!" - Derrick Helm

Today we had the amazing opportunity to take some of the San Martin special needs children to the beach! They hardly ever get the chance to go anywhere outside the walls of the orphanage, so it was a special treat for them! They had a blast in the swimming in the ocean and the pool, playing games, busting a pinata, and most importantly, dancing to Michael Jackson! It was such a blessing to see the smiles on their faces!

Tomorrow, the girls on the team will be going horseback riding with the teenage girls from CIPI while the guys stay back and work on their curtain rod project. Would you please pray that the CIPI girls would be able to set aside their complicated life situations for the day and feel like we are their family? More than anything they need to feel the love of a family and God...

Busiest Day Ever!!

2011-07-20T00:59:00.004-05:00

"Today was a great day! I got to go to a place I had never been to, a nursing home, and I got to talk to people up to the age of 90 and probably older than that. They were very funny and had lots of stories to share with us! After that we went to a Catholic orphanage and got a tour of that. There was a little girl there that had Leukemia and we got to pray for her, which was awesome! From there, we went to San Martine! I had a great time and had lots of laughs with all of them. They constantly had a smile on their face and that made me happy. I hope they never forget the moments we spend with them. The last place we went was the Aids orphanage. When we first got there, there was a little girl sitting alone and not talking to anyone. I kept asking what her name was, but she wouldn't talk. I ended up pullin her off the couch and taking her outside and she ended up telling me her name. Maria, and was just stuck to me like glue. She was constantly asking me swing her and pick her up. She was the highlight of my day! But like I said, it was a great day!"-Christan Flowers

Tonight the team hit the streets of El Salvador to feed over 150 homeless people. After a long preparation of the meals, the team finally headed out in the back of Kurt's pick-up truck to deliver the food. They had a blast! Again, a big thanks to those of you who have financially supported the homeless feeding programs.

Tomorrow the team will be taking the children from the Special Needs orphanage, San Martin, to the beach! What a blessing that will be! Would you please pray for patience and energy for the team? After an extremely busy day and a late night of feeding the homeless, they are bound to be exhausted!

"July 19 is usually a slow summer day for me. Maybe I will grill or take a swim or watch my girls ride a horse. I have always felt that summer was a time to slow down and to enjoy the easy things in life. I learned a new lesson today. The most rewarding experiences of your life will be difficult, heart-wrenching, exciting, exhausting and will not be centered around you, but around others.

Our day began at 5:00 this morning when we began getting ready for our roller coaster day. We prepared scrambled eggs and refried beans for breakfast for the families of AIDS patients who are in the hospital. I found the combination unique but it is commonplace in El Salvador.

Our group of 11 plus our translators and other missionaries loaded the van and headed to the mountain to see a beautiful senior citizens home. A doctor left his property and an endowment to construct a model community for the elderly and someday soon an orphanage that promotes interaction with the two groups. Financial ability is not an issue here. There are so many beautiful smiling faces at Ciudadela. I love that concept. Orphans with no grandparents or families learning from the elderly while helping them to meet their physical and emotional needs. I was privileged to meet a 91 year old man who was rich with stories. He was such a blessing to me. I held his hand and we spoke to each other as the we were life long friends. We did crafts with the residents and left their favorite, "mister donuts."

In the middle of El Salvador is a lovely orphanage run by the catholic church. It was incredibly organized and immaculately kept. The Nuns patiently explained their challenges and needs. I hope someday that we can help them to meet some of their needs. I met a young lady there who was only four. She was beautiful with large almond eyes and gorgeous curly black hair. I watched her for a while and noticed a sadness in her that the other children didn't display. Finally, the head of the orphanage approached me and explained that beautiful Katherine has leukemia and is still very ill from a treatment. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and run. I wanted to be her "mama." I thought about the injustice that she had to fight the disease without a loving family to surround her. Then I remembered that our heavenly father loves her more than I could ever love her. We all held hands in the hallway and prayed for that precious child.

In the afternoon we headed to St. Martin, a home for people with special needs. They are beautiful in a different way than I would usually consider people beautiful. The simplicity of their wants and needs make them delightful to know. Pablito lives there. He is a precious man with downs syndrome. Laura had fallen in love with him and helped him find a diagnosis and treatment for his illness. Today he walks around in her sunglasses and thinks he is a movie star. Kike is a boy who was used as a drug mule. When I saw him in February he was confined to the bed as he moaned in excruciating pain. Today thanks to therapy and prayer he is sitting up, eating soft food, and even taking one or two steps alone with his walker. Ahhh, progress. Derek was so cute dancing with the young people. Eliza helped with crafts and most of the residents made necklaces with crosses and beads. But the highlight of our visit had to be David saying "Roll Tide Roll" under the direction of some very devout Alabama fans.

Next door we visited the Aids orphanage where Cassidy entertained the young children with a puppet show. Our precious interpreter, Jenny, read to them. Callie taught them how to do cartwheels and backbends. They loved playing in their backyard with the guys. Tug of war was there favorite. As they all finally fell over entangled with our team members, we erupted in laughter and it was a perfect end to our visit.

After dinner, we prepared over 140 meals for the homeless. OK Here comes the part about being excited and scared and overwhelmed. Imagine people with nothing, no really nothing. Weathered faces, ragged clothes, toothless smiles exhausted from the attempt to stay alive. When they hear the roar of the diesel truck they know that Kurt is bringing another team with food. One elderly lady graciously accepted her gift then lifted her hands to the Lord to give thanks. A true vision of what Thessalonians 5:18 means. One young boy of about ten ran to the side of our truck begging for food. His feet were bare and his clothes were so so big. Our hearts broke but his spirits were lifted when Laura threw the tennis shoes off her feet to him. Laura returned home barefoot but we all learned a lot about giving.

Tonight I am writing this with a list of about hundred things racing through my mind. There is so much to do here. I hope if you are reading this you will join us by doing whatever God leads you to do. It will change your life and grow your heart!.."- Jackie Smith

Familiar Faces...

2011-07-19T00:44:00.002-05:00

"We started today back at the CIPI orphanage where we were yesterday. Some of the team worked with the children again doing puppet shows and playing. Some of the guys worked on making and installing some curtain rods in the teenage girls' rooms. Their current "curtains" consisted of some wire hung from the walls with blankets drapped over them. Laura and Jackie picked out some fabric for some new curtains when the rods are complete. We will be back at CIPI Thursday when we hope to complete the curtain rods and be ready for curtains. There are not glass panes in the windows, so these curtains will provide protection from the rain, sun, and mosquitoes and hopefully make the room feel a little more like a home to the girls. There was a teenage girl that was just dropped off by the police at the orphanage last night that was very upset this afternoon. Girls from our team did the best they could to comfort her in her situation. Please pray she can be reunited with her family asap. This evening we took the kids from the La Casa orphanage to Wendy's for dinner and to play. We all had a good time. Tomorrow looks like it is going to be a busy day, starting early fixing breakfast for hospital patients, then visiting the San Martin orphanage, then ending the day feeding the homeless on the street. Getting ready to turn in for the night and get our much needed rest." -Derrick Helm

Tomorrow the team will begin by preparing breakfast for patients and families at a near by hospital. From there they plan to visit the special needs orphanage at San Martin. Tomorrow evening they will return to the mission house and prepare dozens of meals to take to homeless families living on the inner city streets of San Salvador. Please continue to pray throughout the day for everyone who's path they will cross. Pray for their hearts to be open to learn more of the endless love that our God has for them! Please pray that JOY may be brought to the special needs residents of San Martin even if it is just for a few hours, that they may know no pain, but know the JOY and PEACE of the Lord!

"I have been to the orphanage that we visited today, many times over the past 5 years. I have been there on numerous occassions this year! I thought I knew what to expect, especially since we had just been there yesterday. When we arrived, there was a girl that was sad and crying. Cassidy was loving on her, and trying to comfort her. The girl was DEVISTATED! I had seen many younger children on their first day in an orphanage, and I can tell you, that once you see that, you don't forget it! This girl was older than the others I have seen in her situation, she was about 15. She told us that her mother sent her to look for a relative, and that on her way home, she got lost. She came upon a police station, and went in to ask for directions. The police took her straight to the ophanage, and left her there, without trying to find her parents. She was most upset that she had no way of letting her mother know that she was okay, and she could not even imagine what her mother must be thinking. She said that she missed her little sister's hugs. The longer we were there, the heavier she weighed on my heart! I finally decided to love her like her mother would. I loved on her just like I would one of my own children if they were broken like this young girl. I held her tight, swaying back and forth, rubbing her hair. I told her that it would be alright, and I prayed for her. I prayed that God would allow her to feel not only her mother's love through me but HIS love as well.

People often ask me, "well is it not better to send the money that you would spend on a trip like this, than to go yourself?" I can tell you, that no check could have shown this girl the love of God, the way that our team did today! Please pray that this precious girl will be reunited with her own mother very soon!"~Laura Roberts

The Henderson family had a great time at dinner tonight with their friend! They first met several years ago on the first Starfish trip to El Salvador and have kept a very special friendship ever since!

Laura and her special friend also had a great time together tonight as well! What a blessing to see happy, smiling, familiar faces!

Please pray for the homeless that the team will meet on Tuesday night. Pray that they might ask why someone cares enough to feed them. Why? When no one has seemed to consistantly care in their lives before, is someone paying attention now? Pray that the opportunity to explain of God's love and understanding will arise!

To those of you who have financially supported the homeless feeding programs we want to remind you of Proverbs 22:9 -
"He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor..."

As the team packs sacks with meals tomorrow, we will never know the eternal impact that those paper sacks may make!

Our love can never match His...

2011-07-17T22:19:00.006-05:00

The team arrived safely in El Salvador last night and started today by helping with church services and Sunday school. They spent the rest of the day at the CIPI intake center and orphanage, spending time with infants, toddlers, young boys and girls and teenage girls, some who are mothers themselves. While some faces were familiar and others were new, the first day is always unsettling, much like the rest...

Today was an awesome day!! Words can’t explain what all I’ve seen and heard today. This is the first time going on a trip to El Salvador and I didn’t quite know that to expect when coming here. All I have to say is I’m in awe. This morning started off with church, which by the way was awesome to experience. We got to spend some time with the kids in their children’s program. We told a story about the Ten Commandments and it was truly amazing to see how much those kids knew, even at 4-5 years old. The older kids, approximately ages 10-14, knew everything that we were going to speak on. It is really humbling to see them thriving for knowledge about the word and God Himself. After Church we got to eat at a local restaurant called Pollo Comparo. It was really good and could be compared to Chick-fil-A or KFC in the states. Once getting back to the mission house and changing we got to go spend time at an orphanage called Cipi. We saw and got to spend time with many kids ranging from newborns, teenage mothers, special needs, and other young boys. It is amazing to see how happy all of these kids are just to see us and to know that we are there to be with them and to spend time with them. As we see these children it is very humbling. We have so much and are unhappy, yet they have so little and are very happy. It is amazing how God works in the lives of different people and how one person can just be filled with joy with so little. We are looking forward to the things that we are going to be seeing and experiencing in the days to come!

-Aaron Garrett

The following is a short story written by Ryan McKinney.

This is his second trip to El Salvador with Starfish...

I'm a fighter...

My name is Carlitos. I was born with hydrocephalus which caused cerebrospinal fluid to build up in the cavities of my brain... At just a few weeks old, a medical shunt was surgically inserted to relieve the pressure and fluid from my brain. Nobody expected me to survive so after the surgery I was placed in a crib by myself and left to die.

But I'm a fighter...

As I laid on what was to be my deathbed, the Starfish orphan ministry came to my aid. They picked me up one by one and gave me the love that I had so longed for. I was sad when it came time for them to leave, but I understood why they couldn't stay...

One year later I'm still here, but in a new crib. Starfish came once again to see me today and once again I was able to experience that love and compassion that I have so longed for. The same love and compassion that keeps me fighting and hoping that they will come back one day and give me more.

Because of Starfish, I am a fighter...

Thank you for continuing to pray for the team throughout the rest of this week! Please pray for STRENGTH, both physical and emotional. Pray for God's precious CHILDREN! Pray that their HEARTS may be filled with JOY and that LASTING changes and IMPROVEMENTS may be made in their ENVIRONMENTS and DAILY LIVES! Pray that HEARTS will come to know CHRIST!

On Monday the team will be returning to Cipi to help meet some of the needs they saw during their visit today. They will pick up supplies in the morning and head over to the orphanage to get to work. Then, tomorrow evening they will take around 40 children from another orphanage out for a fun dinner in San Salvador!

The Week is Coming to an End...

2011-07-09T00:23:00.002-05:00

Friday's post will be delayed. Please check back with us Saturday evening to see how things went for the team on both Friday and Saturday. There will be lots of pictures and testimonies as we wrap up this group's time in El Salvador.

We thank you for your consistent prayer throughout their journey and their safe travels home. We thank you for faithfully following along on the blog and tirelessly praying for the team! Your love and encouragement has them going and they love knowing that you are involved by watching what they are doing each day!

As their hearts are saddened to leave the precious people and sweet children they have fallen in love with, I know they are also eager to get back home to you as well!

Please be praying for their emotions over the next few weeks as they return home. For most everyone who goes on a trip like this, it is normal to not quite feel like yourself for a few weeks. It takes an adjustment period to process some of the things they have experienced and seen, before you return back to "normalcy."

Starfish Orphan Ministry thanks you for allowing your family members to be a part of this incredible experience. Thank you for supporting them in a life changing experience they will never forget. If you helped in any small way, you also helped in a very big way. By helping someone go on this trip, they loved on a child who would have otherwise been without love this week. So we thank YOU for loving on these children, too!

GOD is so GOOD and we THANK HIM for an INCREDIBLE WEEK!

Check back Saturday Evening for More Pictures!

A day with a squatter's camp community...Meals and VBS for over 800

2011-07-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

"Today we were greeted by smiling faces at the entrance of the Squatter's Camp. The Squatter's Camp is a community where people live in houses made from sticks, plastic, and old pieces of tin. They had set up a tent and plastic chairs for our program. They were so excited to see us. We gave the people donations including toys, treats, hygiene products, pillowcase dresses, and flip flops. We also fed the people. We prepared enough food for 750. We worked in shifts passing out donations, preparing food, painting faces, telling Bible stories, and making balloons. They loved it! I was asked so many times if we were coming back or when were we coming back. I was hugged and kissed goodbye by so many children and adults. I know they must have felt loved....but so did we!" - Shannon Wilson

"Today at the Squatter's Camp I was awestruck by the people's generosity. They have only what they need to survive, and yet they are not selfish. They helped unload the truck and even brought us chairs to put our food on while we ate. There was one gentleman who asked me to play the guitar. As I was tuning it, a string broke. He started trying to fix it right away, but we needed pliers. He went away for a few minutes and came back with some. Even though I couldn't communicate with him very well, he knew what I needed, and he made sure those needs were met. I came on this expecting to fulfill someone's needs, and we accomplished that. What I did not expect was for someone to do that for me. These experiences taught me that even if you have nothing to give, there is always a way to give more of yourself." - Nolan Brelsford

"The hope of suffering. As I look back on the week, I question how so much suffering can be allowed by a God that tells us that every perfect gift comes from above. If God is so good, why must innocents suffer unjustly? In my limited understanding, it makes no sense. Then I realize that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. However this over quoted verse is little consolation after witnessing such terrible atrocities. He makes things work together for good for those who love him, but what of the orphan, the widow, or the homeless? From the outside, we remain unable to see the bigger picture, but glimpses of it may be seen if we look hard enough. In the great commission we are commanded to be his hands and feet, touching an ever worsening world with the gospel. He has given us the opportunity to be an extension of Christ: feeding the hungry, touching the sick, and loving the unloved. God allows these evils to exist not because he is not just, but because he understands things we do not. In a world devoid of pain, how would we be able to truly know and accept love? We could not and would not. If everything was perfect, we would remain unaware of our need for a savior. But the world is fallen; our only hope is love. It is this love that heals all hurts. This love transcends pain. It gives hope for the raped, abused, and abandoned. This love is the reason we are here. If we can affect one child with the love we have come to know, our trip was more than worth it. Watching the children bask in our affections assures me that this trip is not in vain. At first, the task appears too daunting, the need appears too great. We must understand that we cannot change every life, but we can change one." - Nathan Allison

Wednesday, A change of scenery...

2011-07-07T00:19:00.000-05:00

For many children children who grow up in orphanages around the world, they rarely see or experience much outside the facility walls. For several years, Starfish teams had been visiting a center where there were murals of the ocean painted on the walls. We realized that while they had grown up very close to the ocean, many of the children had never experienced the beauty of God's work and had no idea what the painting was! Today the team had the privilege of taking more than fifty children to play in the ocean!

"God is at work in San Salvador. The vastness of His ocean was seen by over 50 orphans today and some for the first time. God's grandeur is rarely seen as plainly as in looking into the eyes of a smiling, joyous and loving 9 year old boy. His name is J**, and as his tiny hand clutched mine, I was filled with a peace. How could this little boy, without any family to love and take care of him, smile so big! From every shell he picked up to each crashing wave, J** smiled and laughed. We serve an inscrutable, immeasurable, incredible God, and although this little boy may never have loving parents, today he had 25, and God certainly has a plan for him."---Josh Hancock

"I had a really great day in El Salvador! We got the opportunity to take the CIPI teen girls, teen moms with their babies, and the children to the beach. It was such a neat experience because, for most of the girls and children, it was their first time seeing the beach. One of my favorite parts of the day was helping the teen girls and moms find the perfect swimsuit. Before we left for El Salvador, we were able to round up swimsuits from various people and stores so we could bring them for the girls. Well, when we got to the beach we dumped out a suitcase full of all the bathing suits we had collected. We then helped the girls find one they liked and fit. They loved this! They would find one and run into the bathroom to put it on. They would come running out of the stall, giggling, and saying "ooh and ahh" at each others swimsuits. What was so special about this is that we got to see the girls act like regular teenage girls. They put down their walls and barriers and opened up. We were able to see past their tear stains. They really had a great day. My prayer is that God will watch over them, and that they will know that they may not have parents that care about them or love them, but at least they have a Heavenly Father to look to. That they will know that their Heavenly Father will never leave them or forsake them. That His love is unconditional."------Maddie Morris (thank you to those who donated swimsuits!!)

"Today was a wonderful release from the difficult situations and suffering we have been ministering to. We loaded sixty kids and staff from CIPI on buses and headed to the beach! When we arrived at the beach house, Shannon W. asked if I would take pictures. When the kids and the mission team first went for a swim in the pool, it was a true blessing to capture photos of the laughter and smiles and splashing! It was also a blessing to watch those, who for whatever reasons, were reluctant to participate at first begin to soften and ease in and eventually blossom and smile! After a great fried chicken lunch, I was ready for the surf, and was privileged to accompany beautiful eight year old C**. We held hands and waded into the ocean, and at eight years old she was fearless in the surf! She laughed jumping the small waves and dove under the big ones. She did not want to return to shore until they finally called us all in for the day! I will sleep well tonight! Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."---Steve Bloemer

"Johnny has been telling us all week to get out of our comfort zones. After loving on those with special needs, trying to get past language barriers, and listening to all of the incredibly sad stories of children while trying to smile instead of cry in front of them, I thought I really had gotten out of mine. Today, God showed me otherwise. I noticed that one of the translators, Abby, had been talking to one of the teen girls for a long time, so I felt the need to go sit with them. Although I couldn't understand what was being said, I continued to hear "Jesus" in Spanish and the translator, Abby pointing to her heart. My own heart jumped when I saw the girl say "Si". Despite the language, I knew that she had just admitted that she needed to receive Christ into her heart. Abby asked me to be the one to help her pray and ask Jesus to be her Savior. I was very nervous because I've never done that before although I've witnessed it many times. I was so glad that Abby was there, because I was so overwhelmed that is was hard to put all of my thoughts into the prayer. It was one of the biggest blessings I have ever received. I thank Jesus for using me, an undeserving sinner, to bring honor and glory to His name. It is so exciting to take part in furthering the kingdom of God!"---Mandie Hodges

Sisters Carrying Sisters!

Please continue to pray for the team as they continue throughout the rest of the week. On Thursday, they will be serving more than 700 residents at a squatter's camp.

What an honor to organize a Bible School for the children and serve meals to the entire community! Please pray that God's love will be shown to these families who are living in daily desperation. Pray for open hearts, open minds, and much healing!

Tuesday in San Martin

2011-07-06T00:40:00.000-05:00

This morning the team made meals for families at the local children's hospital and then headed to the city of San Martin. Most of the day was spent with our precious friends at the special needs center. Below you will find several touching stories from group members about relationships made with the amazing residents there. As you will read, they also spet time playing with younger children at an HIV/AIDS orphanage in the same area, but photos are not allowed.

"I like to think that I'm a lot tougher than I really am. After only a year and a half as a social worker, I've learned how to separate myself from most of the pain that I see in my clients. I've learned to look past the bad neighborhoods, the mismanagement of money, and the neglect hat I see in my clients on a daily basis. So when John told me that I was going to feed the homeless, I assumed that I'd be fine (being the tough person that I am). A thousand years of social work and all the mental separation in the world couldn't have prepared me for what I saw last night. Men, women, teenagers, and babies--all suffering. None of them knew if they would wake up in the morning, let alone when the next meal would be. The desperation that was in their eyes as they grabbed the bags of food out of my hands was something I'll never forget, something that I'll never find the words to describe. When I got back to the mission house, I laid in bed crying, trying to figure out why such suffering and desperation exists. I haven't figured it out yet, but I have realized in working with "the least of these" that I am not quite as tough as I thought was."---- Anna Thomas Brien

"What words can I use to describe today? The answer is too many. I will tell you, however, my favorite part of the day. It was when we went to the AIDS orphanage. We were only there for a few minutes, maybe thirty or less. My expectations of what we were going to see were nothing compared to the real thing. I imagined sickly children, which I was afraid I would not want to play with due to their illness. Instead I met the most perfect little children ever. These children wanted to play and laugh and eat candy and I praise God that is exactly what He enabled me to do. Instead of being afraid to play with them I almost instantly jumped in to play. I wish now we had more time to spend over there. God is the ultimate enabler and He definitely enabled me to show those children His compassion. I will be praying for them and I hope you will too. - "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27 these people are doing God's work everyday and may God bless them generously for it!"----Charlie Watson

"Today we went to San Martin. We had so much fun with the great people that live there. We enjoyed playing duck-duck-goose, doing puppets, face painting, balloon animals, and just having fun. The hardest part for me was being with the young boys that live there. They were so excited when we reached out for them, kissed them on the cheek, or just touched them. I wanted to show them love and let them know that Starfish will always be there for them."----Sydney Stivers

David with the famous Johnny Macho!

Our sweet friend Pablito!
PROOF THAT OUR INCREDIBLE GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES EVERYDAY!
How much more proof could anyone need...?

Please continue to pray for the team's strength and focus as they continue on their journey!

Preparing Meals...

2011-07-05T22:22:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the group preparing meals to take to patients and their parents at the area children's hospital...

Stay tuned for today's full blog post!

Day Two...Digging Deeper...

2011-07-05T00:02:00.002-05:00

"Yesterday when we went to the orphanage for a few hours, I mainly just held the babies and sat with some toddlers. I didn't really get involved with the kids or let God guide me and show me how to minister to the kids. Today, however, I said a prayer right before we entered the orphanage and asked God to help me love the little children like he did and does. I spent the majority of my day painting smiling faces and holding the hand of a little girl that is mentally handicapped. Not only did I get to bless these kids with a little more love than they usually get, but they blessed me so much as well. I have experienced far greater joy today than anything I could feel back home in Kentucky. I have fallen in love with the orphans!"---Kathyrn Beale

"I am drawn to the baby room like a magnet...they are so precious and innocent....just to be able to hold them and pray over them is such a blessing! I'd love to have them all. The highlight of my day was face painting with the teenage girls. B** is one of the new girls whose mother tried to sell her so she ran away. I asked her if she wanted me to paint her face..she said no...she wanted to paint mine! I sat close to her as she gently and tenderly touched my face and arms with her soft brush strokes..you could tell she was loving it! What an amazing gift...thank you Lord for giving our family this precious time together....loving and serving your children!"----Sandra Allison

"Today was a busy day. Here's the reader's

digest version--to CIPI for Bible story/puppet shows, painting doors and walls--to nursing home for fellowship with elderly..what a special treat-they are smart and have amazing stories. After lunch, back to CIPI for more wall painting, face painting, holding babies. Two things stand out. Kurt has a vision (and I believe a divine calling) to build his own boys orphanage; it happens that God provided a tract of land in a safe, secure, beautiful location. This will be a big project for Kurt, but God is in the big project business. Pray for favor from the

government, financial resources, successful creation of charitable foundations, and for Kurt as this process moves forward. Make this prayer a priority, not a trite request. Secondly, we will eat three large meals today with the mission team. Tonight, part of our team will take food to the homeless in San Salvador. It is heartbreaking but I suspect tens of thousands of God's children in this city will not eat today, and there at child who will go to bed hungry tonight a few hundred yards from where we will grill burgers. Pray for Starfish Orphan Ministry, Kurt Ackerman and family, John and Laura Roberts, and mission teams who are working in El Salvador. Matthew 25:34-40--Hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, strangers; God loves the "least of these"..his children just as much as you and I."----Bob Beale

"As the oldest on the trip..Boy, I never thought I'd say that I will share an experience from the "older folks" home! Don't get me wrong the children are out of this world; but a 93 year old man, Adam, asked me to help him to the cafeteria! Of 75 older folks and 25 of "us" figure the odds. Those who know me are aware I'm not a big "God-thing" type person. Well, guess what? My new friend is a recovered alcoholic like myself. Sober for 22 years. He shared his life story, about working on the Panama Canal for years, about his three sons, and about being a member of a certain 12 step group. When I shared with him how God has been working a miracle in my life for eighteen and a half months, he pointed heavenward and said "Ah, yes the Almighty"! He, too, believed God is his miracle. When we said our goodbye, he touched me on the chest and called me his COMPANION. I've decided some things are simply a "God-thing"; little miracles like I experienced on this Independence Day. What are the odds it was merely coincidence?"---Mike Ward

Prayer Requests...

The team is so thankful for your continued prayers. They are making deeper connections with His children as the days go by and emotions are increasing. God is working in wonderful ways! Tuesday the group will be serving children and patients from an El Salvador AIDS organizaion. Please pray that God will give them strength to encourage and share with these sweet people in need of God's love. Please also pray for the homeless living on the streets of San Salvador. The team will be passing out meals and sharing with them how much our Jesus loves them, several times this week!

New and Different, but very much the same... Sunday in El Salvador

2011-07-04T01:15:00.003-05:00

The team got in late this evening from a long day of wonderful and new experiences. They started the day off by attending church with the Akerman's and many of the interpreters that we have grown to know and love over the years. The Starfish team learned late last night upon their arrival that some of them would be helping to lead praise and worship at this mornings services! They were a little nervous, but it was great!

Here is a note from Jordan Beale on how her first day in El Salvador began...

"I'm not really much of a morning person, so whenever one of my roommates woke up at 6:30am, I wasn't happy. Not having to leave until 9:45am, I had a long time to wait and some time to grumble. I complained to my family about having to get up soooo early. My morning went on as usual until God wanted to show me something amazing. During the church service, their pastor recognized a family that had gotten up before dawn to walk three hours and forty five minutes to church! That means they were on the road at six o'clock! All of those complaints I had muttered flooded my mind, and I was filled with remorse. These people in El Salvador valued God and church way more than I do. They willingly got up. I had grumbled. What was I thinking? This changed my attitude and opened my heart to experience the rest of my day. To experience every moment God had for me. To experience true compassion in the eyes of those beautiful orphans.". -----Jordan Beale

Jordan wasn't the only one who didn't know exactly what to expect..."On Sunday morning we went to Kurt and Susan's church. When our bus was parking the people were waiting to greet us. Worship started in just a few minutes. I was thinking to myself 'What's this actually going to be like'. These people are going to be worshiping God in their own language...a language I don't understand. I just knew that I am going to worship and praise with all I have. They began to sing the first song and I began to worship. It became an awesome time for me. I love to worship. The Lord impressed on me right then more than ever...these people are worshipping in the same spirit! They know how to worship. It doesn't matter what language that you speak. What matters is that we lift up His name in worship. You can see extreme poverty all around. These people in church this morning are rich because they know God. It doesn't matter what we are going through. When we have Jesus in our heart, we are rich!"----Gene Allison

"'Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day'--and that is what we did beginning our day with an awesome time of worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at a dynamic church in San Salvador. As we poured out our praise to God, He was filling our hearts with His love to be poured out on the babies, toddlers, children, teens, and handicapped at CIPI orphanage. God brought smiles to the faces that were empty, as the babies were held tenderly and spoken to lovingly, bubbles and laughter floated through the air, little boys with soccer balls had a reason to play with joy, and teen girls that were broken beyond our comprehension received hope in Jesus. God is at work in El Salvador! How awesome to be joining Him in His work! Words cannot describe but eternity will tell the whole story."---Rhonda Bloemer

"What an amazing day! We began by going to church...not a Baptist church, not a Methodist church,....just church, worshipping our Lord and Savior with other believers..praising Him! Familiar praise songs were sung...only in Spanish! Classes were held for the children and teenagers, sharing about the glorious armor of God. What a heart-warming experience...to feel such unified worship with believers in San Salvador. Then we were off to CIPI, a state orphanage. What a delight to embrace and play with the special needs children. How they just yearned to be touched. Many of us spent a great deal of time holding, rocking, and feeding precious babies. Others tirelessly tossed toddlers in the air, hearing their delightful squeals. I have prayed that we would be the hands and feet of Jesus this week. I have prayed that we will bring smiles. I have prayed that we would see the face of Jesus in others. My prayers are being answered and this is only the first day! Thank you, Lord!"---Phyl Brien

The team will start Monday morning off painting at one of the local orphanages. Then they will be heading to the nursing home and new orphanage site. After lunch, they will head back to CIPI for the rest of the afternoon to spend time with the kids and teen mothers. Prayers are requested for strength and hope for the team and the orphans of El Salvador. There were also three girls mentioned tonight to lift up special prayers for their safety and hope. Their names are *B, *G, & *J.

The team is so thankful to know you are following along daily, praying for them and their journey to serve. We ask that you continue to praise God for the wonderful missionaries and leaders He has given us to work with in El Salvador. We continue to pray for thier families and the amazing work God is doing through them.

2011-07-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

The team before church this morning...

We all arrived safely last night in San Salvador The memories immediately filled my mind as we drove through the streets. As the rain came down hard all through the night, I prayed for the people of El Salvador. Today we will be going to church where we will participate in Praise and Worship and then have a Sunday School service for the kids. We will have lunch and then head to CIPI (the girls orphanage). I am praying that God will use our team in an amazing way this week. I am praying that we will be His hands and feet to the people of El Salvador. ~ Shannon Wilson

Look for Sunday's full post in just a few hours!

Safe arrivals!

2011-06-12T12:59:00.002-05:00

12:24am, July 2, 2011

The first July 2011 Starfish team to El Salvador arrived safely in San Salvador this evening!

Please be in prayer for the group as they hit the ground running on Sunday. Pray for strength and endurance for each team member, as well as our missionaries and translators. We also ask that you be in prayer for everyone that the team will be in contact with. Please pray that their hearts will be prepared to learn more about our incredible Heavenly Father and HIS amazing love for each and every one of them!

Please stay tuned for more posts!

Friday, the last day in El Salvador

2011-04-09T12:10:00.002-05:00

Friday was a busy day and very emotional since it was the last day the team would be working on the ground in El Salvador. The pictures from this post are a mix of favorites from the week. Below, you will find a short note on Friday's activities from Shannon.

"Today was a very busy day here in El Salvador. We started our morning at San Martin putting together beds for the residents. Not only did we donate beds, but also pillows, clothing, art supplies, radio, reusable lunch bags, over-the-counter medications, water bottles, etc. While we were working on the beds, some team members went back to CISNA to finish putting up the other two basketball goals. We then distributed goods to the Squatter Camp. We gave them dresses, toys, food, toothbrushes, and flip-flops. They were are so grateful. After a quick lunch, we went to a retirement home on top of one of the mountains. It was beautiful and so were the elderly folks within it. There on that mountain is also an opportunity to build an orphanage. That evening we went to the market and a dinner of pupusas (a famous Salvadorian dish). When we were on mountain eating, we saw the most beautiful view of the city of San Salvador. It was lit up like a Christmas tree. We ended the evening by feeding the homeless..this was the third time this week. None of us can believe that we will find ourselves back in the States in less than 24 hours. This was a life changing, heart breaking experience that no one on this team will ever forget." ~ Shannon Wilson

The team should be arriving back in Paducah around 5pm on Saturday. Please be in prayer for their travels and safe arrivals back at home!

THANK YOU to all of those who helped make this trip possible and to those who continue to support Starfish Orphan Ministry! Please remember and encourage others that while not everyone can adopt or travel internationally, ALL of us are called to help ORPHANS, and EVERYONE can do something!

No matter your age, financial situation, or religious denomination,

ORDINARY PEOPLE MAKING AN EXTRAORDINARY DIFFERENCE,

ONE CHILD AT A TIME!

Please contact Starfish Orphan Ministry if you would like more information:

Email: Laura starfishorphanministry@yahoo.com or Ashley starfishvolunteers@yahoo.com

Phone: Laura 270-519-7340 Ashley 270-748-6970 Robin 270-217-6410

Facebook: "Starfish Orphan" or our Cause page at

http://www.causes.com/causes/60316

A special friend from Thursday

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As the week was drawing to an end this Friday, Maddie found herself thinking back to the emotional Thursday she had spent with the children on CIPI. So, before we start on Friday, Please take a moment to read Maddie's words about her new friend and her prayers for his future!

Yesterday was a day of many emotions. We spent the day at CIPI. CIPI is an orphanage with different sections, one part teenage girls, another teenage moms, the special needs, and lastly the children. Through God we were able to transform the rooms for the teen girls and the teen moms. This was a very exciting part of the day because we got to see happiness and joy from their faces and expressions. We also had the blessing of getting inflatable jumpy things for the children. We were able to see smiles and get giggles out of the kids. But what broke my heart the most was when I sat holding little Carlos. Carlos is a two year old boy with special needs. He isn’t able to walk and his brain doesn’t function right. What hurt me the most was when I was sitting there, and heard that Carlos was a normal boy when he was born. He was physically abused by his parents. His parents broke his left leg and he was beaten and received concussion after concussion so his brain can’t function properly. I just can’t understand why people could do that to a poor innocent baby. It just blows my mind that people could do something so inhumane as that…………….My prayer for tonight is that God will be with little Carlos. That Carlos may feel loved and cared about. That King Jesus will watch over him and place a tender hand on him. And also that He will be with the people that did and do physically abuse children. That He will change their hearts and let them know that they are loved as well.........Maddie Morris

Thursday full of Joy!

2011-04-09T00:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the technical issues and delay in Thursday's blog! Here is an extra special edition!

Thursday the group spent most of the day back at CIPI, the intake center for babies, toddlers, special needs, and girls of all ages, including teen mothers. We have wanted to do something special for the girls for some time now, and boy did this group go all out!

Before & After

Here is a note from Brian Carter:

Today we were back at CIPI and we spent the day painting and fixing up the teen girl dorms. As we painted, I watched the girls go back and forth with their daily activities. In the afternoon I sat with all the girls and gave them pictures that Alex had taken of them. (Many have never owned a picture of themselves.) At one point during the afternoon I looked up to see Jody and his daughter Carson, walking hand-in-hand. It is often the simple things in life that mean the most and hurt the worst when it is lost. These girls are starving for affection, and need someone to walk with them, hand in hand.

These girls and their friends of all ages were so thankful for the sweet women who made them pillowcase dresses! The team told them that the makers cared for them and prayed for them while sewing!

"I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply impossible. One must see it to fully understand what me and my team members have experienced. Today I was able to rock a precious little girl named Johanna. Her mother, who is my age, has been blessed with a wonderfully behaved baby. As I was rocking her and loving on her, I found myself reminding God of his promise given to us in Jeremiah 29:11. “God”, I said, ”You’ve told her that you have plans to prosper her and not to harm her.. for a hope and a future. I trust you to stay true to that promise in her precious little life. Bless her God, bless her.” Hope and a future? But she’s already started out in an orphanage where hope has been forgotten, and futures are the streets? The violence in El Salvador won’t stop, the poverty doesn’t seem to be getting any better, and morals are no more. So how can you have hope, or a chance at a future? God opened my eyes while I was looking into Johanna’s. It’s not our job to stop the violence, boost the economy, or even teach others about “morals.” We have one job, and that is to share with others what Christ has done to bring us a hope and a future. Jeremiah is talking about something beyond this short life we’ve been given. It’s about eternity with the I AM. I found hope and peace in that as I was holding and praying over Johanna. Praise God for the undeserved hope and future he has offered us!" ~ Emily Carter

In addition to working on the girls dorms, our group spent Thursday afternoon putting on a carnival for all of the kids at CIPI! From inflatables to skits and even a dance party, they made sure the afternoon was full of smiles, laughter and children who knew they were greatly loved!

What an amazing week! The first few days were emotionally overwhelming. I have never seen so much pain and rejection in my entire life. I just wanted to hug them all and love their pain away. The first day we were at Cipi (teen girls, teen moms, special needs children, and children from the age of newborns to adolescence). This is where I first connected with Karla, a seventeen year old girl rejected by her family. She needed so much love and I wanted to have so much more time with her. Today, we went back to Cipi and I was able to spend more time with Karla. We talked together, we played on the inflatables, we worked on decorating her bedroom and we all ended the night by dancing in her new room. We had so much fun and I have already seen a change in Karla. Karla said she knew God had sent us to her and these were the best two days of her life. Although this week has been overwhelming I have also been overjoyed being a part of and watching God overcome the sadness and poverty these children have to deal with every day. ~ Kathy Shadburne

THAN YOU SO MUCH to all of those who helped us put these smiles on such sweet faces this week!

Wednesday

2011-04-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

The day began with a visit to the grocery! Before sharing the teams words and photos about the beach, I wanted you to see the incredible amounts of food and supplies your donations purchased!!! Like the story of the boy with the loaves and fishes, it is always amazing when God reminds us of how he can multiply blessings to care for His family!

It was a beautiful, sunny day in El Salvador today. The beach was gorgeous..black sand, tons of palm trees, and gigantic waves but the most gorgeous part was all the boys faces at CISNA (the boys orphanage). Their faces were more beautiful that any beach scene one could ever imagine. We spent an entire day swimming in the ocean, playing on the beach, hanging out on the lawn of the beach house, grilling hamburgers, etc. It was an unbelievable day. I prayed this morning that these boys for a moment could escape their situation, enjoy God's amazing creation, and just accept all the love (God's love) that this team has to offer them. I do believe all those things were accomplished today by the grace of our Heavenly Father. ~ Shannon

"As I sit here and think about enough words to make a decent paragraph about my feelings this week, my heart breaks. Words can not begin to express what I have felt this week. These kids are breaking my heart. They are filling my heart with several emotions. As I walk into the orphanages, I see faces I remember and faces that are brand new. When God called me to come here a second time, I knew what to expect. I knew what the conditions would be like. I can say I was extremely overjoyed and had no doubt God would move in the lives of this team and the kids we would encounter. All I can say is thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity to make a difference, and I pray every night that God will bless the kids and make them aware of the hope they have. I pray He will let them know that we will never stop loving them and that they are on our minds each and every day"...........Chelsie Brown

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handwork....there is no speech nor language where His voice is not heard. Today, His voice spoke loudly. His glory revealed itself as blues and whites and silvers and oranges brushed across the sky. The precision of the rise and fall of rolling ocean combined with the crafted crashing of the waves showed us His handiwork. Today, no speech differences or language barriers quenched His great voice. But, in all its beauty and majesty, His voice today made my heartache. As the boys splashed in the ocean and played in the sand, it all seemed familiar, too familiar. Any vacation in my family could include me sitting on the beach as the boys splashed and played, jumped and surfed. But had these boys? Who had sat and watched them? Who had and sat and taken pictures of them? Who would pack up their sand toys and wrap a towel around their chilled bodies as they headed back up? Today that was me."............Rachel Yates

Thank you for continuing to pray for the team and the sweet orphans of El Salvador!

Tuesday at CISNA

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McKenzie and Theresa with new and old friends!

Tuesday was another busy day in El Salvador. The team spent most of the day at CISNA the boys orphanage that is housed in a former prison. As always, The bus was greeted by very enthusiastic boys awaiting their arrival! While the boys were in school for the morning hours, our group cleaned their living quarters, scrubbed their bathrooms and repaired a the broken basketball goal.

"It's hard to explain the feelings I am experiencing right now because frankly I have never felt them before. I know God has blessed us with this opportunity but overall I feel like I'm the one that has been blessed and I will be changed by this forever more" ......Drew Shadburne

"This trip so far has been very hard and emotional. This would be my fourth trip to this beautiful place of El Salvador. Every time I come I feel like God opens my heart more and more. One thing I have noticed is how people think that the more you go your heart hardens and you don't cry as much. Well, I am a witness to say that does not happen at all. I have cried more than I feel like I have ever cried. This trip has been difficult because I constantly find myself asking God "Why I am not the kid on the street? Why am I not the 15 year old girl who has already had a baby, has been raped by her father and she is pregnant again? Why am I not the baby who was abandoned at birth? Why am I so blessed?". But I know God gives us a home and a peace that surpasses all understanding. One girl on the trip said that when our heart is broken because of these people, the only thing we can do is fill it up with Jesus Christ."........Carson Stivers

"Today was a day at CISNA...a boys home filled with many stories of desperately hurting hearts. As I listened to a twelve year old boy tell his life's journey. He was abandoned by his mother at the age of eight. As I looked in his sad eyes I was reminded that my son was eight years old. Still so innocent and dependent in so many ways. I can't imagine him alone in a strange place so afraid with no one to hold him. Tonight my heart is so heavy. How many moments I have taken for granted. Realizing how we allow life to get so hurried, and stressed that we miss the many blessings all around us. God gives us each 24 hours each day. We are allowed to spend them whatever way we choose. My prayer tonight is for this child of God to feel peace and hope that only his Heavenly Daddy can provide.".........Leigh Ann Kephart

The photo below shows a sad but common occurrence when our team leaves CISNA. If you look closely at the back window of the bus, you'll notice how the boys always jump on the back of the bus, wishing they could leave with the group...

Wednesday, the team will spend a whole day at the beach with all the boys from CISNA. With the many bonds formed while the group was there yesterday, we can't wait to see how God will work today. Please continue to pray for God's children of El Salvador and for the encouragement of our team!

Welcome to San Martin!

2011-04-05T01:49:00.003-05:00

The entire group was excited and looking forward to today's visits. Those who had been on past trips always enjoy seeing the familiar faces of our friends, and those who had not been before, were looking forward to seeing the sweet people they'd heard so much about. As usual, today's visit to San Martin felt like an emotional roller coaster. It was a long, emotionally draining day for our team, but filled with rewards!

They were greeted by the infamous David with a big "What's up?" and of course his unforgettably contagious smile! From there they visited the small dormitories on the grounds and saw one suffering special needs resident after another. With their hearts broken for those laying in their beds all day, or those who wanted to go outside but couldn't without extra help, they gathered with many residents on the front lawn. The precious residents of San Martin loved "duck, duck, goose", blowing bubbles, puppets, crafts, etc.

When Leigh Ann picked up this special needs child to give him water, she noticed his shirt...
It is from a Starfish 5K event!!!

Several team members then visited the AIDS orphanage next door, where they made crafts and played games with some of the most energetic children they had ever seen! It is such a blessing to see kids with severe illnesses running, laughing and playing!

"The human hand has made an impact on me this week. I have been painting orphans' hands and putting their little hand prints on different objects. As they each have opened up their hand for me, and I have smeared the paint on their palm and fingers, I have been reminded that each one is his/her own masterpiece. God has made no two hands alike, no two people the same fingerprints. I saw a man whose hands were covered in fungus, cracked open and bleeding. I gave a disabled man, who couldn't use his legs, a paintbrush that he took in his hand and helped us with a project that we were supposed to do. We gave food to families who lived in cardboard shacks, and they received it with their hands. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus and be a blessing to the "least of these", but I can honestly say their hands have been a blessing to me".....Mechelle Harp

McKenzi & Laura love on our friend Pablito.

Pablito rarely gets to leave his bed due to an increasingly worsening hand and foot disorder.

"It is unreal how truly blessed we are. I never really realized that until today. To see God's precious children suffering the way they are is heartbreaking. The one thing these people do not lack is a love for life and a joyous heart. All they want is to be loved, and I am so glad we got to love them. We may have changed one day in their life and that's all we may ever do. It's hard to realize we can't really do anything without God, but it is true. We are helpless without our Savior. No matter how much we change their life, they have impacted ours even more. One thing God taught me so far this week is that we speak English and they speak Spanish but love is universal. Just hugging on these beautiful children makes a difference. Like Orsy ( one of the awesome translators) said "a butterfly flaps it's wings and a tornado can form on the other side of the world". We must be butterflies in a world of caterpillars doing small things for God's glory, not our own, in order to create a tornado somewhere else." ...........Mckenzi Bellt

Tuesday the team will be spending the day with the boys at CISNA, this is a large former prison that has been turned into an orphanage for boys ranging in age from 7-17 years. Later tomorrow evening, they will be preparing hundreds of meals to take out into the city and feed to the homeless!

Please continue to pray for this trip, the team members and the precious people they meet each day. We ask you to pray for boldness to share God's love, strength to endure, attitudes and hearts for His purpose, as well as safety and guidance for everyone.

Sunny Sunday

2011-04-04T02:40:00.005-05:00

The team's day started out by visiting Jahaziel's church. They listened to a very enthusiastic message in Spanish along with great singing...again all in Spanish. They were then able to share a Bible story along with crafts with the children. The kids loved it and so did our group!! After a quick lunch and change of clothes, the team headed to a government in-take orphanage. At CIPI they gave a princess party for the teen girls explaining that God is their heavenly Father, and they are each, one of His princesses. The teen girls from the orphanage had their makeup done, fingernails painted, and took lots and lots of pictures. They LOVE cameras. They just want desperately to have their photo taken so they can see how they look. A simple thing we take for granted everyday. They all looked beautiful, of course! The team members also loved on the special needs kids, small children, and babies. Many were also able to spend time with the teenage girls, many of which are new moms.

"Today was a blessing seeing an old friend at CIPI. His name is Nelson, and he has been at the orphanage the past three trips I've taken. He is still living with other special needs children who have very few care givers to feed, bathe, and love on them. It breaks my heart to be so blessed and then see so many with nothing. I am asking God this week to teach me how I can make a difference in the least of these. I am very honored to be a part of this mission trip. I also thank Starfish Orphan Ministry for this opportunity. Please pray for the lost and abandoned in El Salvador". ......Lauren Kephart

"So many things were beyond belief for me today, but the first thing that God revealed to me was how blessed I am. I know it's what most people say, but it is such an intense and humbling experience to see the hurt and conditions that children around the world endure each and every day. Secondly, God is such a great God. He just reassured me that through the few hours that I was able to spend with Hosea, Francisco, and the other boys in the special needs area that I am doing the right job, career, or whatever you want to call it. Thirdly, but not lastly, I was awed by how God just showed me how to listen to Him more. As Hosea sat on my lap for an hour, and was unable to speak or even understand my words, he listened and smiled. So for nothing else, I was able to sit and listen to God today with an awesome kid in my lap holding my hand". .....Laine Cooper

Tomorrow the group will head to San Martin, a large special needs home. They will play games with them, make crafts, listen to music, and just love on God's sweet people. They will also visit the AIDS orphanage where there is a little seven year old girl just waiting for immediate adoption. After lunch, they will be feeding the people of the Squatter's Camp along with giving them Bibles. It is sure to be a long an emotional day. PLEASE PRAY for the team members as they are stepping out of their comfort zones to bring the love of Christ to those in need!

Saturday Night

2011-04-03T22:00:00.007-05:00

The following is a note I received from Shannon Wilson. Here is her reflection upon arriving in El Salvador on Saturday Night:

"We have all arrived safely in El Salvador! The flights were good with little turbulence. After we prepared for our day tomorrow, and are settling in to bed, I think the most interesting part of my day was the flight from Dallas to San Salvador. I was blessed to be sitting by a beautiful Salvadorian woman who was coming home to visit her family. She, her husband and two children now live in Maryland, but she grew up in El Salvador. We had so many things in common even though we came from two different countries, two different ethnicities, and two different backgrounds. We both agreed that our God is an amazing God. He can take two total strangers, put them on a plane together, and watch how He works in them. Our God is the same in the United States as He is in El Salvador. I thank God for being the same God no matter where we go and what we do. I thank God for putting amazing people in my path every day, and I pray that I always take the time and energy to see them. I cant wait to see how God will work in us to do great things in this beautiful country! Thank you God for this day! Thank You for never changing, and thank You for my new Salvadorian friend, Oneyda. She truly touched my heart!" ~ Shannon

Safe arrivals!

2011-04-03T20:26:00.003-05:00

The team arrived safely in El Salvador
last night around 8pm!

They have stayed busy since they landed, but be sure to check for blog updates first thing Monday morning!

2011-03-28T15:21:00.003-05:00

Be sure to follow our next team on their

Journey to El Salvador April 2-9, 2011.

Please also experience our past trips to Haiti and El Salvador

through previous blog posts!

John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.

2011-02-20T22:34:00.000-06:00

This incredible group of students from Lone Oak High School has made a lasting impact on so many orphan children in El Salvador. We are so thankful to everyone who helped make this trip possible! There are too many to mention, but we hope that you know if you have done anything for this cause, you have affected the lives not only of orphans, but of those watching your love be shown around the world. You have made a difference to COUNTLESS children in El Salvador, and a major difference in the students who participated in this trip. They truly are our Future Business Leaders and the next generation to improve conditions around the world. Thank you for helping them be so service-minded!!!

Day Three... Learning the village life

2011-02-19T23:48:00.033-06:00

Today the team traveled west to the town of Ahuachapán, near the Guatemalan border. Here they visited with local residents, delivering rice and beans to the community.

The group also had a chance to pass out more supplies, shoes and clothing to children in the area.

When they learned our group was coming, more than 300 children came into town and lined up for balloon characters, face painting, crafts, games and lots of fun with our students!

They spoke with local teens about learning life skills, abstinence and the importance of an education.

The residents were so glad to receive aid and know that someone cares about them. Our students were able to see first hand, how important it is to GO and not just send money. Without visiting, we may not ever learn of all the needs that we can easily meet.

Tonight the team had the honor of once again preparing and serving meals to the homeless.

The hundreds of homeless living on the streets of El Salvador range from children to senior citizens. Many of them count on ministry teams such as ours to survive and are very grateful to receive a meal.

Tomorrow the LOHS team will travel to San Martin where they will have a day they'll never forget! They will be visiting a large special needs center that houses around 100 residents from 10-60 years of age, all with varying levels of disabilities. This is always a very emotional but often favorite day for Starfish groups.

The precious people of San Martin love without judgement and are so thrilled to have a day of others showing them love and caring for them. Due to overcrowding and understaffed facilities, the residents rarely get to play outside. Many of them spend day in and day out tied to chairs or beds in order to protect them from harming themselves or others, due to their disabilities. Tomorrow, our team will take these sweet people outside for puppet shows, games, dancing, crafts and many, many smiles!

Day Two... LOHS in El Salvador

2011-02-18T23:34:00.025-06:00

The group had a day full of hard work, and many new experiences. They spent the majority of the day at CISNA, a boys center that is located in a former El Salvador women's prison.

The center typically has 40-60 boys ranging in age from 8-18. Even the youngest of the boys in this orphanage have been exposed to worlds unknown by our teenagers. Many of them have lived on the streets of San Salvador, and some have been involved in inner-city gangs in order to survive. The young men of CISNA sleep in former prison cells, have little or no personal belongings, rarely have shoes to wear and have been sleeping on metal beds with only remnants of old mattresses.

These are photos taken by Starfish on trips in recent months. When the Lone Oak team arrived today the mattresses were even worse, and none of the boys had pillows to rest their heads on...

Upon seeing the need for mattresses and pillows, the group was able to purchase just what the center needed! Tonight, over 40 young men sleeping in this former prison will have a brand new soft mattress and they will lay their heads on new pillows, all bought with love!

Some of our girls delivering new mattresses!

And new pillows!

Members of the team also worked hard cleaning up the dorms, bathrooms and painting.

The team scrubbing the boys orphanage bathrooms

and cleaning walls before getting out the paint and brushes!

If you look closely at these two photos from past Starfish trips, you will see the conditions of the shoes some of the boys are wearing, and you will notice that they often play soccer and spend their day with no shoes to wear at all.

Thanks to amazing corporate donations and the hard work of students and their parents, EVERY boy at CISNA received brand new sneakers today!!!

Now, not only will playing sports and walking around the facility be more comfortable, but they will be protected from cuts and infections that were often caused from being barefoot on concrete all day!

One of the LOHS girls fitting shoes on Moses! Thank you Sketchers!

Tomorrow our group will be traveling to remote villages near the boarder of Guatemala. They will see the circumstances that many of the children in the orphanages have come from. The team will learn a lot about Salvadoran culture in rural communities and see first hand how they live off the land.

They will be delivering rice and beans to families, giving educational talks to school children and much more!

Enjoy these other pictures from the past two days!

First Day in a New World..

2011-02-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

The team left Nashville early this morning. They were excited and anxious about what the rest of the day would hold. With just two short flights, they found themselves in a new world. One very different from their own...

After gathering all of their luggage and making it through customs, they wasted not time in getting to work. First the group headed to the CIPI intake orphanage. This is where children are brought in daily off the streets and they stay here until they can be replaced with family or moved into a more permanent orphanage.

There are infants, toddlers, and boys & girls up to age seven. There is also a special needs center and a large number of teenage girls, many of which are pregnant or already have babies of their own.

Next, the team headed over to the mission house to get settled in, but didn't rest for long. The group quickly began making meals to deliver to the homeless living on the streets of San Salvador. Sandwiches, fruit, crackers, drinks and other snacks were delivered to hundreds of homeless who would have otherwise gone without a meal today.

We are so proud of this group and what they are doing for others. Their love for the children was so evident in their interaction with the kids of CIPI. Their concern for the homeless was shown in their eagerness to feed the hungry and make as many meals as possible.

Because the team got in so late tonight and they are still getting settled, tonight's blog is shorter than usual. Hopefully there will be more than one tomorrow!

Be sure to look for more photos and messages from students each day!

Keep the team in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as they continue working with orphan children, learning about El Salvador's culture, aiding the homeless and giving out shoes & clothing!

Thanks to generous donations and the students hard work leading up to the trip, the group will be identifying and funding projects to improve conditions for these precious children who have no families.

Lone Oak High School Beta Club preparing for El Salvador!

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On Wednesday, February 16th the

Lone Oak High School Beta Club

will be traveling with Starfish Orphan Ministry, to aid orphan children in El Salvador!

The students and their parents have spent the past few months working together diligently to collect donations from corporations, local businesses and individuals in the community!

Thanks to their great efforts, and the generosity of so many supporters, more than $20,000 in funds and supplies will be put to use, making a difference to countless orphan children this week!

The group would like to thank the many corporate and individual sponsors who have made this possible! It often seems that with 147 MILLION ORPHANS around the world, the problem is just to big for our meek efforts to make a difference.

Your contributions will make a difference for so many, and hopefully encourage others that it is possible to MAKE A DIFFERENCE, ONE CHILD AT A TIME!!!

Please join us in the parking lot of Lone Oak High School at 2pm on Wednesday to help send the team off! We encourage you to follow along through this blog daily!

Please post words of encouragement throughout the week for the students as they embark on this incredible journey to aid orphan children!!!

Preparing to leave...

2011-01-02T21:52:00.000-06:00

Wow! This week has been incredible! I know the team is probably not ready to come home and leave their new friends behind, but the trip is coming to a close. God is continuing to do AMAZING things! Please read along with Matt McCuiston as he describes Sunday's events!

We started the day off going to church. The people in the worship service were very enthusiastic about worshiping God. What really impressed me the most was when the pastor asked if there were any visitors there and told them to stand. There were three that stood up and he asked what their names were, where they were from, and if they knew Jesus as their personal savior. WOW! Why don’t we do that? That is what I call taking care of business!

After church we went to Port-au- Prince. What a devastated area. There was trash all in the streets, buildings tore down from the earthquake last year, and a lot of broken hearts. I realized that the government was not going to ever do anything about it when we pulled up to the capital building. The earthquake was last January, and the palace, which is their White House, was still in shambles.

Afterwards we came back to the compound and reloaded the truck and went to another church to deliver food. When we got there, the generator that feeds the church electricity was broke down. We gave them 14 boxes of food and two 50lb bags of beans. The pastor asked if we had anyone that could speak some words of encouragement, and the other team members volunteered me. So I spoke about keeping Jesus as their savior and that all their problems are temporary. I told them to hold onto God and that we all need to try to be better Christians for Him.

After this we came back and started packing for our trip home. What a week it has been. We are a blessed bunch. To have a God that not only sent His Son to die for us, but He placed us all in a free country where we do not have to scrounge around for food, we can take a bath whenever we want, we can worship freely, and I could go on and on. The simple fact is that God loves us all equally. None of us are better than the next, and its hard to believe but these very same people who have all these troubles, will be side by side with us “when we all get to Heaven.”

1 Samuel 2:8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s

and on them he has set the world.

The team is so thankful to everyone for their prayers, love and support! On Monday morning they will be wrapping things up in Haiti. The plan is to get up early and visit with local children before heading to the airport in the afternoon. Please pray not only for the team's safety, but for those they are forced to leave behind in these horrible conditions...

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You saw with your own eyes the great trials, signs and wonders; The mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples! ~ Duteronomy 7:19

Be sure to read today's comments from Brittney Edwards and Kelly Rezney...

1/1/11--seems like a perfect date for the start of an amazing new year. Last night we were told that we would be leaving at 5 am New Year's Day to hike two hours up a mountain to a village. While we may have groaned at the prospect of rising before the roosters (yes we hear roosters every morning), it was an experience that could top any Times Square ball drop or champagne toast. It was pitch black when we started climbing the steep mountain. As we climbed farther up, the sun peeked over the ocean and mountains in the distance. The sky opened up into an amazing display of colors. As we huffed our way up the mountain, we were passed by men on mules and a woman carrying supplies on her head. This steep journey, that even Brittney as a marathon runner was struggling with, is one that the Haitian people make it with great ease! When we arrived in the village, we led about 200 children, into the church. We handed treat bags to each of them and fitted the girls with pillow case dresses and the boys with t-shirts. Almost 100% of their clothing comes from the donations of generous Americans. They wear these with pride, even if they don't know what the shirts say. They quickly became entertained with the puppet shows and songs. The joy on their faces could melt the hardest heart. We ended our visit with a prayer for the people of the village that God could provide for their needs.

Our final destination of the day was to one of the poorest orphanages in the area. The people running it are indescribable, the love and hope they give these children is unparalleled. There were about 24 orphans to whom we gave fruit snacks, crackers, stuffed animals and clothes. We also colored with them and led them in songs. There was one little boy with special needs, that seemed to be missing his stuffed animal. Another girl came up, and at first Kelly thought she had taken his Tigger. But, it was just the opposite. The little girl, his twin sister, was safeguarding it for him. She looked after her brother and shared her food with him. This three-year-old girl who has no parents and no possessions in the world, could very well have kept the toy and food for herself. Instead, she was totally selfless. This is a theme we have seen over and over, like the little boy at the tent city who divided up his candy with the other boys--those with the least are willing to share the most. It is a lesson that we can follow. And here's the plug for Lifeline-- Kelly has decided to sponsor that three-year-old girl, and you can sponsor a child too, ensuring that they will get a full belly and the hope for a better life.

But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

2011-01-01T02:06:00.000-06:00

Today the group spent time distributing goods and supplies to a large "Tent City." These cities spread all across Haiti since the major earthquake.

All of Friday's comentaries come from the journal of Michelle Chapman:

"Once we were driving up the dirt road to the tent city, people started coming out of their tents, especially the children. There was a sense of excitement in their faces. We each took a box and followed the leader to different tents and dropped off our boxes. The tents were made of tarps and sticks. It was VERY warm inside of them. Each had one bed with a blanket, a chair in the corner next to the bed and in the front right corner there was a “kitchen.” The kitchen consisted of a foot by foot area where they can put their pots and pans on a very small table. It would not be what we consider as a house... After passing out the boxes, we moved all of the children into the tent church. Here we passed out pillow case dresses, treat bags, and t-shirts. I walked up to this little boy, about 2 years old that had no clothes on. He was eating some crackers from his treat bag. He ate so fast that by the time I got to him the crackers were gone! An older girl, Sonya, proceeded to open up his other bag of crackers. She took 2 of them and gave him the rest. I felt so sorry for him. He was just standing there. No parents, no siblings, nobody specifically looking after him. He had nothing but the crackers."

"I knew this may have been the only thing that he has eaten in a while."

"As we were getting ready to leave the leader of this 'city' gathered all of the people he could around our truck. Our time here ended with Todd bringing the gospel to the people and saying a prayer while Robinson, our Haitian friend interpreted."

"From here we went off to one of the poorest orphanages. We walked in and all of the children were sitting on wooden benches. They started to sing a song about how they were so glad that we were there. We handed each of them silly bands, treat bags, and pillow case dresses. All of the children joined us in a version of Father Abraham. They sang in Creole while we sang in English. After pictures of the beautiful girls, we were taken on a tour of this orphanage. There are about 20 children who live here. It is put together with some concrete block walls and tarps. There were 3 beds. We were told that most of the kids sleep on the ground on tarps. My heart was broken for them. As we were listening to the conversations between the woman and man who work here, I began to cry. The thought that keeps running through my mind is this:

We have a choice to make!

Are we going to sit back, live our lives, and do nothing, OR are we going to stand up for justice and do something to help others?"

Thanks again to all of our Pillow Case Dress Friends!

Please continue to be in prayer for the Starfish team members, their guides in Haiti and of course the children, men and women that they are working with throughout the week. This is a physically and emotionally exhausting time and they all appreciate your extra prayers!

Why we go...

2010-12-31T00:20:00.000-06:00

It sounds like the group had a very full day on Thursday. There was more work in the clinic, cleaning of the orphanage and school and many new relationships were founded...

The following story came from Melissa Grosskreutz... "The most impactful thing that happened to me today was when a small group of people showed up from an orphanage. There were 6 children that were fairly new that came to get a check up by the doctor. These kids were so precious. They didn’t know what a slide was. We climbed up to the landing with them. It took awhile but one of the boys slid down the slide. He looked frightened on the way down, but once he reached the bottom the best laugh came out of this little person. You know the kind that comes from your belly, yeah that one. That helped all of the boys get excited over this slide. They came running. One little girl, Kimberly, looked frightened standing on the landing. I carried her down and held her. I asked one of the workers what her story was. Apparently, Kimberly and her two brothers were dropped off at this orphanage because they were living on the street and their mom couldn’t take care of them. This broke my heart. Soon after that, Kimberly laid her head on my shoulder and started to cry. It didn’t take me long to join her. Here in my arms I am holding this little one who has a mother who couldn’t take care of her and her brothers. But, the Lord kept telling me “She is mine. I have not forgotten.” James 1:27 says this, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This is why we are here. The children of Haiti are not forgotten. These are precious in His sight. These are His.

This is the sweet boy who received stitches on his forehead wound yesterday. It seems to be healing well!

Please pray that he will continue to heal and grow healthier!

To those of you who have worked so hard on pillowcase dresses and blankets... Thank you from the children! Thank you for serving and for the prayers you gave over these sweet blessings!

As you can see from the girl pictured above, and below, you are very much a part of this team!!!

HIS PROMISE is this:

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14.18

Please be in prayer for the group on Friday as they travel to a large tent city. They will be handing out treat bags, medical supplies and lots of love.

Please pray for safety. Pray that there will be impacts made to improve the conditions and help the residents in some way.

Pray for open hearts and minds for both the team and those they will meet.

Wednesday... Hitting the ground running

2010-12-30T01:02:00.000-06:00

Today began with a group prayer at the cross...

"Today we got up at 5a.m. and went to the prayer rock to pray at the BIG cross on the hill. WOW you could see everything! What a beautiful place Lifeline is at. Mountains everywhere, the most beautiful place I've ever been in my life. Later, we went to see kids in the village and what a different experience that was. Words could not decribe it. The kids love to hold onto you and we had 4 to 5 kids to every team mate! I love kids so its a natural love for me, but to see kids who have NOTHING, man, let me tell you... they love to be loved. This was a crying moment..." - Jordan Moneymaker

"I'm not sure how to explain today. It was the most amazing experience of my life!! Things have been great and I met a pastor that drove 4 hours to get supplies from Lifeline. He is taking care of 85 orphans and they all live in tents. Donald and Lifeline are going to try and help him and we gave him a little money. Josh opened the clinic today for at least 6 kids one with a very bad cut. But mostly the things we saw in the village no words can describe . Very overwhelming and my heart is in pieces tonight." - Russ Kegel

Please continue to pray for the Starfish team as they do more work in this poverty stricken country. Pray for the adults and children they will encounter today. Pray that they will hear of Jesus' love for them and know they are not alone in this battle!

Arrival in a new world...

2010-12-28T21:44:00.000-06:00

The team arrived safely in Haiti today! While they are so excited to see what God has in store for them, they seem to be shocked at how truly horrible the conditions are in many places. As you'll ready below, the drive from the airport to the Lifeline House was quite an emotional one. I encourage you to look over the photos and comments from the team, and then take another close look at the photos. Every time I've reviewed them, I've noticed more horrifying sights in the back grounds. The beautiful majesty of God's creation of the mountains, but look closely and you realize their are tent cities full of displaced families, covering the mountainside... Ashley

Here is Codie McKellips take on arriving in a new world...

"We got onto our truck which was basically a cage with tin over it to keep the dust out. We all sat in the back and drove an hour and a half to the compound. We went through the worst part of Port-au-Prince and saw all the rubble and tent cities. cows and horses just walking around... Then we passed a tent city on the side of the mountain. The mountains were GORGEOUS and right next to the ocean... It's really amazing what God has created. We went through another poverty stricken area and then a farmer's market. Some people waved and others got mad at us for waving or smiling...

When we were in the midst of the worst of port-au-prince there was a brick wall that ran along one of the tent cities that had graffitti on it that had a picture of praying hands and said:

WE NEED HELP.

Once we turned onto Lifeline road where the compound is, we saw all these children that started to yell and run towards the truck and wave at us. They were so excited and precious! The kids would yell "wan wan" which means white; they knew we were here to help them."

"So Glad to be safe at Life Line Ministry Compond Haiti! Very Overwhelming as we arrived to a country like nothing I have ever experienced... We are now in for the night in the mission house. In the distance you can hear the people of the village singing to the most beautiful music. So Thankful for safe travel and for the team I am so honored to be a part of... God is Good :) This little boy was outside the gate as we drove in ..What a smile :) the children got so excited to see us coming with hope and joy of what tomorrow might bring.. Please pray for the people of Haiti and guidance for the Starfish Team. I am blessed and Thankful..." Leigh Ann Kephart

Please pray for the team as they jump in with both feet on Wednesday. They ask that you specifically pray for the children they will meet; open arms and open hearts. Pray for safety and courage as well as strength and endurance. God is doing amazing things!

Thank you for being a part of this trip!

Haiti Bound!

2010-12-27T22:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight was a great time of prayer and encouragement for our team leaving for Haiti. A special thanks to all of the friends, family and supporters who came to cover them in prayer before the trip. We know God has great plans for the coming week and we ask fo continued prayers!

The group will be flying out of Nashville early Tuesday morning, and will arrive in Haiti later in the day. Please continue to follow along daily on this incredible journey and join us in supporting the team and the children they will be working with throughout the week.

2010-10-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

On their final day in El Salvador the team visited some familiar faces. They began the day at CISNA's orphanage for boys. The young men range in ages from 7-17 years old and live in a former prison. I use the word "former" loosely because things haven't changed much at all. The boys are sleeping in cells on thin mats with discusting conditions. The turn over rate for workers is high and there is only about one employee per 40 or or so boys. Many of them escape to join gangs in the city, and are later caught by police and brought back. It is an amazing thing to see the hardened hearts of these young men, broken by God's love for them. The government allows Starfish to come into the orphanage and share with the boys that God has a better plan for their lives.

Diego, shown here, is a boy we met several years ago on our fisrst visit to CISNA. At the time, he was one of the youngest boys there, and quickly attached to Jay Michael, one of our team members. After spending some time with Jay talking and playing, Diego asked if Jay could be his Papa. Since then, their relationship has continued to grow. The following trip when Jay wen't back to visit Diego, he prayed and accepted Christ! Jay was unable to go on this trip, but wrote a letter to Diego and continues to be a positive influence to this young man of Christ.

The group spent the day talking with and encouraging the boys, plaing games, teaching them of God and His love, painting faces and building relationships.

Below you will find Stanley, another friend we met several years ago. He is a self educated young man who has traveled the world and speaks several languages. Somehow, he has ended up in this orphanage in El Salvador. Over the past few months we have spoken to Stanley and he expressed his desire to learn to play the violin.

Kathy Gardner was able to get a violin donated for Stanley that Starfish sent to him with lesson books last month. Olivia Harp was on this weeks team and helped Stanley improve his technique!

Brian Carter wrote, "Today I watched Olivia giving a violin lesson to a young man who would soon have to leave the orphanage called CISNA. I had positioned myself there to take a picture of the two, so I could share it with her parents. The young man had played the insturment before and he had some ability, but he was struggling to put his fingers on the right strings. with a warm smile and a tender touch, our Olivia took his hand and placed it in the correct place. The result was wonderful to watch... The music filled the air of the courtyard and the young man's face broke into a smile. When he finished, they shared a moment together as she praised him and they laughed together. I realized that this week God has taken our hands and placed them on the lives of these people, and our shared moments together have brought a smile to all. Our great God has blessed our week with moments like this daily!"

Before ending the day, the team stopped by La Casa de mi Padre where they were able to visit many great friends that we love and miss dearly! These are some the first relationships God built with us and the children of El Salvador, and they will always remain close to our hearts!

As the week came to an end, we hope we completed God's mission to El Salvador to the fullest. He loves these children and so do we! Our prayer is to continue His work with these precious children we have come to love so much and bring awarness of their circumstances to the world!

Defend Widows and Orphans and Help Those in Need Isaiah 1:17

2010-10-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

Today's activities took place in Soyapongo. This is a community currently receiving aid from the Fuller Center for El Salvador. Homes are being built to aid victims of recent flooding a mud slides resulting from earthquakes and hurricane rains. Starfish has been building a relationship with the Fuller Center for a while now, and was honored to help out for the day.

Our group first spent time painting a playground for the children in the area. Then, they went into the school and were able to put on Bible School activities. You can see from the pictures there were crafts, Bible stories, games, singing and more!

These children are from families that are some of the poorest in El Salvador. Thanks to the Fuller Center the kids are now able to attend school, have a safe place to play and most importantly hear about Jesus Christ!

Please continue to be in prayer for the team on Friday. The week has been full of happiness and saddness. tears and smiles and as it comes to an end, emotions are running high. The group will be visiting a couple more orphanages tomorrow and don't want the week to end! They appreciate and thank you for your continued support and prayers!

I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. Job 29:15-17

2010-10-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today was a day of fun, sun and special momentts with precious children...

Our group toook the children from CIPI's special needs department to the beach. Children who normally NEVER get to go outside of the orphanage were able to feel the cool ocean breeze. Each team member took a child and let them feel the warm waves and let the water splash on their skin.

Faces normally frozen in time with expression of pain and discomfort were covered in smiles.

Today's note from Brian Carter, Pictured Above:

"Today we took special needs children to the beach. Most of us were nervous about working with these kids because of there severe handicaps. We each went in and picked up the children and rode with them on the buses to the beach. My heart was quickly melted by a little boy named Nelson, who rode on my shoulders to the bus. I will be forever changed by the laughter of these children who we held in our arms, as the waves crashed around us. We have seen a lot of poverty and hurting since we arrived in El Salvador, but today we saw joy in the faces of these children. MY HEART IS FULL!!!!"

Tomorrow Starfish will be pairing up with the Fuller Center. They are another group working long term in El Salvador. They are building homes for families displaced by a combination of hurricane rains, earthquakes and mud slides. Our group will be painting playground equipment in the complex and spending time doing Bible School activities with the children in the area.

The group and the children are so grateful for your support, thoughts and prayers! Thank you for following along on this incredible journey that God has so perfectly planned!

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

2010-10-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

Today was full of fun for the team and everyone they worked with! They started the day off in San Martin at the special needs home where they did crafts, games, puppets and of course a mega dance party! The residents vary in ages but a smile is the same no matter how old you are!

These precious people thrive on a loving touch, a smile and a friend who loves them.

Next, everyone went next door to the HIV/AIDS home. This is an orphanage that many children are sent to when they first test positive as infants. Sometimes, with further testing, it's found that they don't have the disease and they are sent to differnt homes. Many of the children however, we have seen there year after year.

As you can see, once again the pillowcase dresses were a huge hit!

Before heading back to the mission house, the group visited a squatters camp. This is a location in the city where homes are built of sticks, trash bags and sometimes sheets of metal.

The following is a note sent today from Shannon Stivers:

"I am at a loss for words as I sit to type about our experience here in El Salvador. Words seem cheap. My emotions are raw and I have cried a million tears. In the past three days I have: rocked a new born baby abandoned at birth, watched homeless men women and children crawl out from under a bridge for food, kissed the face of the handicaped adults that the world has forgotten, and prayed with the beautiful El Salvadorians that call a squatter camp home. As I lay in my bed and wept last night the only prayer I could muster was for His quick return. I pray that the Lord will come and end the suffering and pain. Until he does, I pray that He will continue breaking my heart and yours. I pray that we will not rest in our comfort, in our conveniences, and in our "security." Starfish IS making a difference here. God is using his people to reach those who are in the worst of circumstances and in desperate need. I am blessed to be a part of this fabulous group of people! All glory, honor and praise to our King!"

Thank you for continuing to PRAY and for following along. Please pray specifically tomorrow for the special needs group at CIPI. Our team will be taking them to the beach! A very rare treat for these precious children of the KING!

"I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." John 14:18

2010-10-04T21:48:00.000-05:00

Thank you for continuing to follow our team on this incredible journey! They so appreciate your prayers, and want you to know that God is doing

TRULY AMAZING THINGS!

The Starfish Gang was welcomed with open arms to CIPI's orphanage this morning! This is a location that we have worked with for years now. It is the place where many children in El Salvador are brought to when they are picked up off the streets or removed from their families. It is a very emotional place but as you can see from the pictures, the team was able to bring many smiles to normally sad faces!

They spent the day doing puppet shows, taking kids outside to play, loving on children and talking to many of the girls they had taken to the beach yesterday. Many of the babies you'll see in these pictures belong to those young girls.

The pillowcase dresses so many of you have worked on for the past few months were a huge hit! What a precious way to share God's love. The girls were told how the sweet women who made their dress prayed over it; for their safety, their hearts and their future as a princess of the king!

Tomorrow will be another physical and very emotional day. Our group will be traveling to the city of St. Marin. Here they will visit a large special needs center that houses around 120 residents of various ages and many different disabilities. It is a trying but greatly rewarding place! Some of the group will also visit an AIDS orphanage with children from newborn to about nine years old; all of which have HIV or AIDS. Finally, they will finish up the day in a squatters camp with some of the poorest residents in El Salvador. There they will pass out Bibles and food, minister to the families and listen to their needs, all while entertaining and sharing God's word with their children through puppet shows, games and crafts!

He alone has spread the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea! Job 9:8

2010-10-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Today was a very eventful first day for the group!

The team took about 75 girls to a private beach home that a Starfish friend so graciously donated. Many of these girls had never seen the beach, most had never been swimming, and a good portion had NEVER left the orphanage. The group picked them up at the orphanage this morning, bused them about an hour out to the beach and spent the day treating them like the Princess' of the King that they are!!!

For many teen girls in El Salvador, living on the streets or with gangs becomes a way of surviving at a very young age. Stealing to eat, begging for a place to sleep, and prostitution to feed themselves, and in many cases their children, is simply a way of life. Their value and place in this big world is often lost and forgotten.

All of the girls went through a special program today teaching them how valuable they are to their Heavenly Father. They were "crowned," received certificates of their royalty and were given t-shirts as a reminder proclaiming their place as a "Princesa" of the King!

Simply hearing the loving words of the team; feeling His love through the touch of their hands; seeing the group's desire to serve them; tasting the meals prepared for them; and of course smelling the fresh sea air made a lasting impact on the hardened hearts of these precious princesses.

Please pray for the team as they travel to the CIPI orphanage on Monday. They will be working with babies, (some are children of the girls they had today) as well as a large group of special needs children. Pray for their continued strength and endurance as they go through this week and for the individuals they will be ministering to, that God would prepare their hearts to hear His words. Thank you all for your love and support! Feel free to leave encouraging comments for the team!

Arriving in El Salvador!

2010-10-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

The team arrived safely in El Salvador around 8pm this evening. They said their flights were smooth and they can't wait for tomorrow!

They will be taking 75 teen girls to the beach on Sunday!

Please pray for their safety and that God will open the hearts of these girls to hear His word and receive His love from our team!