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!
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