Providing safety

Today was an awesome day.  Not quite as hot as the last couple of days which was a blessing. We had two teams building this morning and each team built one house. 

The building when quite quickly. Ainsley and I always work together and second day building we always just fall into place knowing what our jobs at the site are. So fun working with a young girl who at 16 is already so passionate about helping and serving the people of El Salvador.  

During the day I had a few short chats with the home owner, Marina. She's 32 and a single mom with four kids, ages 15, 11, 7 and 2. The 11 year old is at boy and then 3 girls. Throughout the day Marina worked hard beside us helping to dig holes and help wherever needed.  It wasn't until I heard her story that my heart broke. Her two oldest kids and two youngest kids have different fathers. She was with the father of the two younger ones until 9 months ago.  After the youngest was born he began drinking and eventually became violent, beating her in front of the kids and at times basically raping her. When the youngest was a year old he beat her so bad she had to go to the hospital with her left eye swollen shut....and this time he went after the one year old too, causing her head to bleed. She told him he needed to leave. She took him back a short while later and he went back to beating her. She kicked him out again, this time for good. Marina works selling candy again and gum in the market sometimes making $6 a day and other days only making a dollar or nothing.  Providing for her kids is very hard. She went to the father asking for financial help. He said he would with the condition that He move back in. She stood her ground and thought of her kids and herself and said no. When we were standing with her in front of her house she broke down crying and kept saying "thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you. My kids will be safe. I thank God that he sent you to give me this house. Thank you than you."  My heart just broke. I was able to look her in the eye and affirm her that she has made the right decision for her kids and herself. That God will provide for her and that she is now safe in a house with locking doors and windows. We cried and I gave her and a huge long hug.  She was so overwhelmed.

The problems here are so extreme and it can be overwhelming thinking of all the people that need help. But I need to focus on the fact that Marina and her family now have a safe place to sleep and that has changed her life forever.

Hard work and a lot of sweat.....totally worth it.

Today was beyond amazing. 

It is so hard to put into words all that has gone on today. It always takes me time to process all that I have experienced and seen. But I will do my best.

We started the day bright and early at 7am with a pancake breakfast YUM!  We need to get the work day started before the high heat of the day, today was over 35 plus humidity.  This is a big group, 30 of us, so they split us into three groups to build. And each group was to build two houses today.  They purposely split up any friends/ relatives so that we can connect and get to know others in the group.  So Stephen and I are not on the same team.   We were right next door to each other so I was able to watch from a distance as the guys took him under their wing and taught him all the different things that needed to be done and how to do it.  Being able to observe from a distance was more fun than being right by his side.

I will have to get Stephen to write something about his experience. I don’t even know much about the families that he built for today. But at the end of the day he said it felt really good seeing how incredibly happy the families were when their new house was complete, and to know that he played a part in them getting that house. 

The first house I helped to build was for a family of three. The husband (Vidal) and wife (Berta) are in the 50’s and have an adult son with mental disabilities living at home with them.  Both Vidal and Berta work; Vidal is a janitor at a church and Berta is a maid in a private home.  Between the two of them they make about $140 a month. I chatted with Berta quite a bit learning more about her family and struggles. She has respiratory problems due to the dust in their old house and the dust that would come in their house every time a car would drive by.  She’s so thankful that this new house will have cement floors and good doors and windows to keep most of the dust out.  She’s also a diabetic, and I asked her questions about the health system here. So the government supplies her insulin but she has to buy the needles which are 7 for $3, which is a lot of money for her family, so she’ll use each needle three times before throwing it away.  She’s also supposed to take two injections a day….but only takes one, again to save on money for the needles.  She said she takes her pills after lunch and feels fine so doesn’t really need to take more insulin.

The second house we built was for a single mom, Esmeralda, and her 16 year old daughter Patty. Esmeralda is working full time and makes about $5 a day.  Patty is in grade 11, which is amazing most kids are a couple of years behind. I was talking to them about what it means to be getting a new house and about the community.  El Salvador is not a safe country and there is a lot of violence and corruption. But we don’t always see it.  The community was very welcoming and great hosts to us so I assumed it was a more stable area and a little on the safer side. But I made a comment to that extent saying it felt like a good neighbourhood. She was hesitant but said no, it really wasn’t and that getting this Shelter house meant that for once her and her daughter would feel safe at night with locking doors and windows.  I couldn’t imagine the fear that they had to go to sleep with every night. It is so comforting know that a huge difference has been made in their lives with just a few hours of hard work and sweat.

Aside from building today and meeting the families, I can’t say it enough, this group of people is amazing!  Their passion to share God’s love with the people of El Salvador is inspiring.  They sacrifice their own time and money to come down here multiple times a year to lead groups and build. It has been awesome to connect with them and hear more about their personal stories, how they got connected with Shelter and why they keep coming back. One constant in each of their stories is that they have heard a clear calling from God that they are to be here, that their hearts feel fullest when they are here.

We ended the evening at Stuart and Carie's house (Canadians living here) for a delicious BBQ dinner. And we had our debrief time there too. The debrief is always a highlight as we hear what each person experienced during the day. And tonight we got to hear Gustavos story, he's one of the local workers, hired by Shelter. He had an incredible story of coming out of a life of drugs, crime and three suicide attempts.....but God saved him from all of that and brought Stuart and Carie into his life and three years later he is passionate about God and the work that he is doing in him and through him. Such a powerful story of a life completely changed

Light in a dark place

Being back in El Salvador feels like I am home. The smells, the sounds, the language, the people....God has built this into my DNA. 
And to have Stephen along with me this year makes it even more adventurous and exciting.

Today we went to meet the 8 families we will be building for this week in the community of Nueva Esperanza (new hope). The community is well organized but very poor. Most families have a monthly income of less than $200. The houses are made of mud bricks with leaky unstable roofs....not good in an earthquake prone country. I work with the Shelter team leaders all year round making sure team money is transfered, insurance is in place, flights are paid for and accounts are in order. Coming down here and connecting with them in person is such a huge blessing and privledge for me. To walk through these communities with them and see the local people coming out to say hello to their Canadian friends just radiates just how big of an impact these men and women are having in this country. The connection goes beyond the language barrier and I can see that they are truly bringing Gods light into a very dark place.

At church this evening they made the service a missions Sunday to honor and bless the people of Shelter and the work they are doing. They did a pantomime to the old Ray Boltz song "thank you for giving to the Lord". They had Jim, the president of Shelter " sit up front as a representative of the group. As i was watching and listening to the words i thought back to last year when they had a celebration for all the families that received a house....there were over 600 people there....that was just from one building season. Shelter has been building here since 2001 it is mind blowing to think of how many lives have been impacted and changed because these men and women give of their own tifme and money to come  here and build, some of them two to three times a year. Wow!

Tomorrow we start our day bright and early at 7am and will be building. Both Stephen and I are excited to get our hands dirty.

It was very hot today in the high 30s plus the humidity, we had one young girl faint while we were out just from the intensity of the heat. If your one of the many praying for us while we're here, health and sfety from the heat are huge prayer items for tomorrow as the temp should be about the same.

Stephen summed today up as adventurous. A lot of new things for him to process from riding in the back of a pick up, to walking through communities of extreme poverty and hearing their stories of how they survive and provide for their kids. Cant wait to see what he walks away with from this week.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support.

New Adventures! Back in Ministry!

New Adventures!  Back in Ministry!

Dearest friends, I am back in ministry!  As you know, many years ago God planted a deep desire in my heart to be involved in ministry, especially international missions. This past year He has shown His goodness and faithfulness in fulfilling this desire of mine.

I wanted to let you know that I will be going on two international mission trips this year –to El Salvador & Mexico. But before I get into that, let me tell you how this all started.

God dropped an amazing opportunity into my lap in January 2014 when I wasn’t even looking!  I started working with The Great Commission Foundation last year (www.tgcfcanada.org). TGCF provides administration, accounting and donation processing for individual missionaries and organizations that don’t have the expertise to ensure they are compliant with CRA regulations for non-profits. With over 200 active partners I am in charge of Partner Care.  Our role in short is to provide a service that helps each partner focus on their ministry rather than worrying about the day to day accounting and administration required to run their ministry.

Part of TGCF ensuring that Partners are compliant with CRA regulations is to have a TGCF employee travel to see first-hand if they are doing what they say they are doing! I have the great pleasure of being the one to do just that!  When visiting partners I work alongside them and participate in their ministry. This is also an opportunity to build relationships with our partners and their staff and to ensure that TGCF is doing everything to serve them in the best way we can.

El Salvador http://www.sheltercanada.ca/

Most exciting ministry trip yet! Why?  Keep reading!

The family that recieved the first house I helped build last April.

Last year I traveled to El Salvador with one of our largest partners, Shelter. Shelter is an amazing organization! In 2001 the country was devastated by an earthquake that left 10’s of thousands homeless. Shelter sends approx. 30 teams each year, these teams will build over 300 houses for the people of El Salvador EACH YEAR!  All of their team leaders volunteer their time to raise funds, recruit teams and travel to El Salvador 2—3 times a year to build houses!

In April I will be traveling to El Salvador and I get to bring along my nephew Stephen!  Stephen is 15 years old and has a huge heart! He is a very compassionate, caring and giving young man. This will be his first time in a third world country and seeing some extreme poverty. I am so

Typical house to be replaced with a Shelter House

excited to experience this alongside him and see things through his eyes. I am praying that he will see that he can impact the world one life at a time. We don’t have to feel small and insignificant when we see all of the hurting people in the world. If we help just one we have made a huge impact in that person’s life!  Stephen and I get to get our hands dirty and build houses for some of the least of these.  It is tough work in the heat and dirt but so incredibly rewarding!

Mexico  http://www.c-quest.net/

I will also be travelling to Mexico sometime in the next few months. We are currently working out the details of this trip.  C-Quest provides ministry opportunities for church groups and individuals through internship programs. Some of the local work they are doing in Mexico are with a Seniors home, Orphanage and a soup kitchen. They have requested that I participate in one of their group projects to serve as a team translator and have requested that I provide feedback on how they are organizing their trips given my experience in leading teams and participating in previous mission trips. They are a large organization and this will be a great opportunity to have time to sit down face to face and see how TGCF can serve them better! 

The financial goal for these two trips is to raise $3,500.  This will cover travel and in-country expenses for both Stephen and I in El Salvador and for myself in Mexico.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to come alongside these incredible ministries and serve with them and to serve them in the administration capacity.  

More-so than the finances, I covet your prayers.  El Salvador is not the safest country to travel to and the poverty that we will witness is very hard to process. We would love to know that you are praying for us in preparation for the trip as well as while we are away. If you feel God leading you to give financially that would be a huge blessing for us as well.

I hope to talk with many of you in person before I leave and I look forward to sharing the stories, experiences and testimonies of God’s amazing love and faithfulness, when I return.  Keep checking back here for updates while we are on our adventure to El Salvador! 

Thank-you for your love, friendship & support.

Vicki and Stephen!

Ecuador - reconnecting with old friends

It has been 10 years since I was in Ecuador.  And that was when I lived here for 7 months.  my friend monsy came to visit me in belligham about 4 or 5 years ago, other than that I haven't seen her or her family. I have always called her family my adopted ecuadorian parents. When I lived here I spent Christmas with them and they made sure I got to do some sightseeing and always checked up on me at the school too. After my YWAM program I stayed with them for not her 2 1/2 weeks.  Monsy's dad was the one who picked me up from the airport  and it was like he was picking up his long lost daughter, a great big hug and a little bit of tears in his eyes.
The first day here was quite a relaxed day, everyone going on little sleep since we didn't get home from the airport until 2am.                       
We went out for lunch and I got one of my favorite dishes! A whole fish with Patacones...fried plantains. Oh it was just as good as I remember.
Monsy's brothers Becker and Alex, with his wife and three kids, came by in the evening to visit. They all look the same, like no time has past. It's really refreshing to be in a place where kids aren't attached to smart phones, tv and video games. Instead we all went out to play basketball, including Monsy's mom who is a very good player. My team won of course haha and we were out numbered 3 against 4.  
Monsy's niece (7) and nephew (5) have been here for the weekend. I gave them each a Kinder Surprise egg which was a big hit! They haven't stopped playing with the motorbikes they got inside them. Saturday 8 of us, 5 adults, 2 kids and a baby piled into the Kia sportage to head to Otovalo.  Baby's don't use car seats here, they just sit on your lap. And when you run out of room in an suv you just throw one or two in the trunk and off you go.
Otovalo is an awesome city on market days. It's a HUGE artisan market, On Saturdays the market takes up more than one third of the city. The merchants are mostly indigenous people dressed in traditional clothing. The stalls are a rainbow of bright colours. Paintings,  alpaca sweaters,scarves, blankets, hammocks, purses. It goes on and on.  I could easily spend hours upon hours wandering the stalls. Monsy is definitely a better barter than I am. She thought they were trying to put put a higher price on things since I'm a gringa  and would easily talk them down a few dollars. I'm on the hunt for some alpaca wool to knit myself some slippers but so far no luck. I won't stop until I find some it's so expensive at home and I saw tons of it really cheap in Peru there has to be some somewhere here.
Last night the good old fashion fun continued with some ping pong. Man am I out of practise! I remember I was Fairly decent when we had a table growing up.  We played some crazy ping pong games too...you would hit the ball put the paddle down for the next person in line and run to the other side to line up for your next turn. Trying to see how many hits we could get in until someone screwed up. It was a ton of fun with a lot of laughs. All the neighbour's came out to the courtyard to watch and laugh.
This morning we're off to church, I'm excited to see if I recognize and remember any of the songs.
The days have been very laid back and relaxing like vacation should be.
My Spanish has held up very well too! I have been able to understand pretty much everything until Becker purposely throws me off with slang and local sayings and then laughs. All in good fun haha.

Fun in the sun on the Curonian Spit, Lithuania!

We are in our fourth and final country. We arrived in Lithuania yesterday in the city of Klapedia. The city itself doesn't have much to offer. You can see the entire Old Town in less than an hour and it is full upscale stores and restaurants. The only attractoins or points of interest was a building where Hilter gave a speech during the second world war and then a few really random and weird statues. Like a grimm reaper crawling out of a river which was described as "something out of a child's dream"more like a nightmare!!!  And a little mouse...if you can find it....you tell it your secret wishes and they will come true. Or the Cat, if you rub it's tale you will have good luck. We only found the grimm reaper.

Today we explored the Curonian Spit, a short 7 min ferry ride from Klapedia. If I ever find myself back in this part of the world i would stay on the Spit and enjoy a few days of lying on the beach and renting a bike to explore the endless number of trails that span the entire island.

One thing to note before venturing over to the spit with a vehicle is that there is only ONE gas station on the whole island and it is over 40km from the ferry terminal. We noticed we only had a quarter tank when we got off the ferry and went straight to the gas station...which also only has two pumps!

The village of Nida was very cute and lively. A lot of vacation homes here...apprenently a favorite spot for Germans to have a cottage. The beachs went on forever! And the sand was almost powder soft and white! The oddest thing about this sand was the sound it made when you walked! I had heard of a beach in the maritimes of Canada that "sings" when you walk but had never experienced it!  This sand made almost a squeaky shoe sound as you walked. So odd!  We dipped our feet in the Baltic Sea! I got up to just past my knees but no deeper....it was freezing!!! One day i'll need to figure out how many different bodies of water I have dipped my toes in. Beaches are well marked as family (with clothing), women only (clothing optional) or family (clothing optional)....the odd thing with this was that the family clothed beach had nothing but a small sign to seperate it from the womens clothing optional beach. And we only saw one sign on the whole spit that was a mens only beach but there was plenty of womens only beaches.

We checked out the Unesco sight on the Spit, sand dunes!  This is a protected area of the island and you are only allowed to stay on a very well marked path and can't venture too far onto the dunes themselves. The sand on the dunes was a littlle more corse than the beach sand and had speckles of amber all over it. Amber is EVERYWHERE in the Baltics.  From the top of the trail in the dunes we could see clearly from one side of the spit to the other. From the Curonian lagoon to the Baltic Sea!  At the widest point on the island it is 4kms wide....the narrowest is only 400 meters.

I was so incredibly thankfully for bright sunshine and no clouds today! Of all days today was the day to have no rain!  Such a refreshment from all the clouds, rain and wind we have had for the majority of our trip so far.

I think we will both sleep well tonight!

5 Castles, a manor and a cable car ride...sore feet and blisters!

We are in Segulda, Latvia now this is said to be the adventure capital of the Baltics. Right around the corner from our hotel is a chair lift for the ski hill.... however, I dont see anything that is really much bigger than a hill we would tobogan down. There are a lot of biking Nd walking trails through beautiful forest areas.

We set out this morning for what the lady at the tourism info place said would be a 6km walk. Megans guide book also said this...they only failed to mention tht it was 6 km just between two of the castles....one way. So once again we have walked over 15km in one day and our feet are screaming!

It was a very beautiful walk through the centre of town, seeing the Segulda new castle and ths Livonian order castle before crossing the Gauja river on the cable car. The cable car ticket office looked like a watch towet or something from world war ll...and the czble car didnt look the best either.  And people bungee jump from this thing!!! I am all about adrenaline and would love to bungee jump one day, but this thing looked far from safe to jump from.

At the other side of the cable car was an old manor that looked like a ghost town. There were a few other houses around it that ws assumed were abandoned,  until we saw people pull up and go in with bags of groceries. Would love to see what these places look like on the inside.

We began our quest to find, Gutmams Cave next....and yes it felt lime a quest with poor signage. There are many well maintained walking trails in the area its just a matter of picking the right one to get to where you want to go! We did eventually make it to the cave....in travel books and other write ups about tbe cave it is said to be one of Latvias top attractions with inscriptions dating back to the early 1800s. Although interestig to look at and find the oldest inscriptions the cave itself is small and not so impressive to be called a top atttraction. If I was driving past it would be worth a stop to see.....but maybe not walking a few kilometers like we did. Hahah.

The highlight of the day a d bigfest castle In Segulda is the Turaida Castle....a 2km walk up hill from the cave. Its a fairly well preserved castle and the workers are in medieval dress. It was worth the hike.

Our feet are very sore and tired and scream everytime I get up. We walked back to town (only a 2min walk) to try to find some dinner.....there is not a proper sit down restaurant to be found! You can have your pick of amazing bakeries though!  After walking down a number of streets we settled for a pizza from a small deli like restaurant and a couole of pastries from a bakery.

Since our feet will not tolerate any more walking tonight I believe it will be a night of reading.