The first blog…. we are about 2 days and a few hours out from trip “officially” starting. We have a great team who have been working hard, meeting and coorinating efforts to make the trip a success. Tomorrow night is our last meeting before we leave to sort through and pack all of the donations that have been received.
To anyone and everyone who has donated:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!!
I am excited by all of the donations of goods and monetary that we received. They will greatly bless the orphans and homeless of San Salvador.
Well, we are all packed and about 8 hrs away from our departure time to El Salvador. While I am a little sad to say goodbye to my family, I am very excited to see what God has in store for this team, not to mention the 90 degree weather! We have a packed schedule and will be working hard everyday. Next communication will be from El Salvador!!
well, we made it. and the weather and roads in ‘da burgh at 245 a.m. saturday didn’t make things look any easier! but after an extremely early, long morning or airport drone and heavy duffel bag transport, we arrived at the san salvador aiport early this afternoon without incident (unless you count jon snyder getting a heavy-duty security check search in pittsburgh). looks like we lost one bag of some donated shoes, but beyond that, everything went through OK and we got through immigration and customs without any problems.
we arrived via van and pickup to the home of our hosts, who have an adjacent set of bunk accomodations for out team to stay at for the week. the place is nice and clean, but far more than that, is run by this loving, welcoming and hospitable family.
we unwound just a bit as a few from our team went out to scope our workload at La Cisna, a state-run orphanage we will be doing a good deal of work at this week, including demolishing a large, dry-rotted corrugated roof and installing a new one with some donated materials (a tremendous plus!) so the bravest among us will be installing these 14 by 6 foot sheets or thick corrugated material on a two story roof in the 90 degree salvadorian sun.
over some good hot pizza and pepsi (yes, for all of you waiting on the edge of your seats to know if ethan will have access to his pepsi) we talked together about what this week holds for us…there is much work to be done…the outlook for the week it pretty intense…but we are looking forward to being alble to have such potential tangible impact on the orphanage ministries here.
as i write, out evening is being capped off by heading to la Casa de Mi Padre (the orphanage last year’s team spent much of their time at) to join the kids for a movie and popcorn.
we’re ready and excited for what this week will bring…and that being said, tomorrow starts bright and early, so i’ll sign off for the night. thanks for all your prayers and support!!
Hello,everyone..I am Victoria s sister and I am so glad that all of you arrived safely….Could someone please let Victoria know that a hammer is a tool with a long handle and a metal head for pounding nails….Hope u all have a meaningful week and a great first day!! Cant wait to hear whats going on….so jealous of that warm weather……
Hello,
Glad to hear that all went well with your flight! Bring some of that 90 degree weather home with you! Praying for a safe and productive week. May you see and hear from the Lord!
“Blessed are your eyes because they see and blessed are your ears because they hear” Matt.13:16
Hola, all!
It’s sunny today in the burgh. That means slush and clumps of melting snow falling from weak pine trees to our unsuspecting back of necks. So glad to know you arrived safely and hit the ground running. All is well, here. At least, in this household it is. We are well stocked with firewood, the driveway is shovelled and we even enjoyed a hot meal last night (frozen pizza). The triplets industriously assembled 76 candy-filled plastic eggs for church, even with minimal whining about not eating the candy. By the way, they send kisses, hugs and high fives. Please share these with the kids you meet, there.
We love you. Be joyful and careful in your work. And lift with your legs!!
)
See ya,
DEBBIE
Hey everyone hope the first day went well. While all of you are enjoying the 90 degree wheather I was toughing out the 20 degree wheather and tearing up the SNOW with snowmobiles. Hope everyone is well and having a good time. Talk to you guys later. Oh and by the way what is the time difference there?
Hi, Victoria…
Hope that you are doing well. Lexi misses you a lot and says ” I miss you…I cant wait to see you…when I see you, I’m going to Knock your teeth out! Just kiddin, Auntie Toria”…
Hope things are going well…we miss you a lot… oh, one more thing from lex “I love you so much that I will hug you to death until you die”..
By the way… to the group, she is seven and I promise she doesnt play violet video games…this is the result of her Aunt Victoria!!!
Be in touch…Praying for all of you!
Nikki
Sunday – very hot, extremely hot, do you get my point?!!??!
Today was a very productive day at la Cisna orphanage. We started out the day with a huge continental breakfast and then we all piled in the back of a dodge ram 2500 pickup truck. The ride over to the orphanage was an adventure for us all. We started with a little tour of the orphanage and some high-fives with the boys…. Then the HARD work began! We removed all of the existing roof because it was dry rotted and there were holes everywhere. It was a large undertaking, but with a lot of volunteer help from the boys, we were able to get it all removed. We also sanded the metal grates that cover the windows and removed a ton of debris. After working, we came back to our accommodations and took showers and ate some good lasagna. We had a nice worship and Bible study time with sharing and prayer. Thanks to shar shar, we are able to get this update done. – Thanks shar! That’s a wrap for now, until tomorrow.
PS… Thanks for all of the prayers and posts!
Hi Victoria and the Gang-
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5)
I am confident that your obedience to care for orphans will impact the children and adults that are watching your good deeds. And I join you in prayer that they may also commit to live their lives in obedience that comes from faith in Christ.
Thanks for giving up your week. You will be richly rewarded.
Luv-
Carla
OK. Today its 60+ degrees F outside. So much for shovelling snow yesterday. Hope the roof work is well underway. Tonight the Harrington and Pifer clans are combining to make cookies. I guess when the cats are away… the mice eat cookie dough! I pray your team is working really well together. The relationships with the orphans, unfortunately, are temporary. The relationships you build with each other can last much longer! I’m jealous and wish we were there. See you in five-and-a-half days!
Hey everyone. The roof work looks like its going well. I pray that everone is doing well and having a good time. Dayna its kind of weird not having my cell phone buzzing in my pocket all the time.
Hope everything is well, cant wait to see how the progress is coming.
hi dad it is maddie! I miss you so so
much.
Hello All,
Looks like you accomplished a lot on your first day! We are praying for the whole team and since it is so HOT- please remember the WATER- drink, drink and then drink some more!!! Try to bottle some of the sunshine and bring it home with you…However, we can’t complain too much about today’s weather here – it was 65 and relatively nice.
Dayna we love you and miss you and your DAD is still the worry wart. He hates the empty nest feeling.
We can’t wait to see more photo’s and updates. Take care and we hope that all of you are healthy. Enjoy the sunshine!!!
hi victoria, it’s your girl hopefully you are doing well. i pray that you and rest of the gang are doing fine. i miss you anbd can’t wait to hear from you. hopefully my country is treating you guys well. dont eat too many pupusas.
love ya,
claudia
Hey Victoria,
Wanted to say “Hi” and we miss ya. You know who was all red eye in church on Sunday from soaking his pillow.
Stay off the roof, and soak up as much sun as possible. It is suppose to be back in the 30′s by the end of the week.
Pictures went GREAT on Saturday, can’t wait for you to see them. Talk to you soon. We are praying for you.
Hi, All…sounds like you guys are working so hard and being productive..has anyone showed Victoria yet what a hammer is? LOL..
Hi, Vik…miss you alot…Cant wait to see more pictures….Hope that you are sleeping well…
love,
nik
P.S. Lexi misses you so much…
CHOOSE JOY…
we launched into today bright and early, ready to go, expecting the roofing materials to be delivered on a big flatbed truck shortly after our arrival onsite at la cisna, with a handful of some hired local skilled labor to boot…
instead, jon and kurt fought imperfect communication and red tape for much of the day while the rest of us, without any hired labor, scraped rusted iron window grates while straddling worm-infested unflushable commodes, and painted mistakenly mismatched colors onto the building’s interior, and finally watched half of the roofing materials arrive at 545 pm in a lopsided ’72 datsun pickup.
but all of us, again, watched in almost puzzled joy as scores of the orphan boys, freshly out of their afternoon classes, saw the old datsun pull up and immediately raced to the event, joining the unloading crew and getting right in to help–almost to the point of waving US off so they could carry these 18 foot sheets of corrugated material, like lines of ants at a picnic, up into the building (but of course the day was not complete without having to tell the boys that no, they could not paint us and no, they could not continue to have hammer fights with one another and no, broken pieces of ceramic asbestos corrugate are not nice things to hide away in your shorts pockets for use on your peers in the bunks.)
and so when it was all said and done, another day is behind us…one fraught with causes for frustration and impatience…and yet one that was somehow still filled with more tremendous hard work and accomplishment, with endurance, with smiles…and i am reminded of the importance of choosing joy, choosing contentment … because it seems the change God intiates in hearts and lives comes about through episodes like these, times where we see that we could stand to be learn a bit of patience, of perseverence … of joy.
even if our rumps are numb from hitting so many potholes riding in the back of that pickup.
Hey All,
Looks like you’ve been quite busy. It’s so great that you guys have taken time out of your busy schedules to do this. God will surely bless you. Our prayers are with you.
I would have liked to see Michelle’s face when you saw the worm-infested commodes. And hear her comments.
Oh, and Michelle, we miss you!!!!!! It’s so quiet around the house without you. And BRADY misses you too. He’s driving me crazy! – always around my ankles. Boy, will he be glad when you come home. So will we.
Miss you all and God Bless You!!
Hello Everyone,
It is so cool to be able to see some pictures and hear the stories of what is happening there. You all are in mine and Jeanlynne’s prayers.
Sue, I showed the office staff the blog, they are all impressed and have printed the picture of you from the blog and put it up on your computer. Fred said if you can work that hard, he might have to put you to work on the trucks.
hey jake!
e-mail and phone are up and running.. nice to hear what is going on with you all!
we are staying busy… i’ll fill you in when you get home about the amount of whining going on.
adam says hi, he misses and loves you very much!
don’t forget the sunblock!! ( if you are not alread burned by now!!)
becky
We miss you guys! Keep up the awesome work down there. If you get a chance (not that you will.) Make sure you pull out a soccer ball to knock around on the pitch a bit with the boys. Pray earnestly, hug liberally, love unconditionally.
It sounds like you guys are getting a lot done, but also experiencing some frustration! Just keep trusting that God knows what’s going on! There are lots of people praying for you…keep up the good work!
PS I would also have loved to see Michelle’s face!
Hey Dayna!
Did you get to see Gabriella yet? Hope everything is ok. Michelle decided to show up at school today, but dont worry we didnt talk about you or anything.:-)
Sounds like the roof is going well. Hope everyone is having fun and working hard. Looking forward to see how Tuesday went.
Ahhh…Good ol’ Pittsburgh rain. And plenty of it! It has rained all day. Between rain and melting snow, the creeks are pretty high and scary looking around here. Rain and mud. And of course I didn’t add the quart of oil to the Tahoe yesterday, per its electronic request, in the 65 degree sunshine, no! I waited until today when I could pop the hood in the grocery store parking lot, standing in pouring rain, to satisfy our 8-cylinder, gas-guzzling engine. Procrastination doesn’t pay.
Well, we are doing fine, even despite my procrastination in many areas (oh, I still have to wash yesterday’s dishes, too). Our week isn’t turning out like I planned, either, (much like yours), but it is good, nonetheless. So many people have offered us various kinds of help. Caleb Cragle even offered to come split wood! We are physically surviving better than I thought. But we do miss you very much. All of us say so regularly. Four X’s on the chart, with four more to go! Tomorrow, we are over the hump! Milla says, “I love you.” The boys are watching movies downstairs. That’s their way of dealing with their separation-from-Daddy anxiety.
Take care of each other, all of you!
DEBBIE
Hi, Vik…guess what? Patsy and Bob got the call from the their adoption agency and have been matched with their beautiful daughter…They will be traveling to China in 4-6 weeks to get her…10 months old…I ll show you the picture when you get home…
Lexi says ” I hope you like the messages. Did all of the people laugh? I love you. How many more days til you get home? Auntie Toria, will you come over when you get home? I miss you so much. I will hug so much until you are 566 years old!!!! ”
Praying for all,
Nik & lex
Victoria,
Of course I’m emotional from the pictures already! Sounds like you guys are having a great week. I’m jealous of the weather, bring some home for us! I’m praying for all of you, and look forward to more pictures and stories. Oh, by the way, I would not take those hammer comments from Nikki…she has no idea about your dryer/ electrical skills!!
Love ya Sister!
Becca
jake,
adam says ” i love you daddy. see you tomorrow. i love you everybody. i love you mama abby , mama. blkejrwlkewjoiruwoei. from adam ” and that is a direct quote….
Mom & Sue,
Love & Miss you from Centreville VA! Everyone at New Life is praying for you and the Mission Team. We cannot wait to hear about your experience. Sounds like you are all working hard and making a difference. You are both amazing women and I love you. May this draw you closer to God and bring Glory to His name.
love, Jenny xoxoxo
Hello, all,
This is Joseph, I am the brother of Michelle. I am not sure if you all know her or not, but she’s a pretty cool cat. I just wanted to say that you all rock! You are making a difference in the world and in the lives of many El Salvodorians! You are building your fruits:)
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which He has prepared in advance for us to do.”
You’re livin’ by the word! That’s what’s up! Represent!!
apparently i have been given the nod yet again to post tonight…we all just closed out another back-and-forth kind of day by going out to a late but nice steak and chops restaurant, and i will simply say, through my bias for latin-american cuisine, that the meal was nearly a spiritual experience.
the day was filled with a tremendous amount of painting–usually exceedingly tedious, but always much needed, as well as working with some good hard-working hired help to get a good chunk of the work done.
we also got some extended time to simply spend with the boys at La Cisna — games, frisbee, soccer, football, pictures — and these boys just ate up the attention and were a joy to be with (although i think we all felt like we had been gang mobbed for two hours).
another early day tomorrow … we hope to bring most of our work at La Cisna to a close tomorrow. thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers, and for your posts…they help keep us sane and grounded, and have become the entertainment for our late nights!
Hi Victoria, How’s the most beatiful girl in the world today? I miss you! I hope you are wearing your sunscreen.Please stay far away from any power tools, I would like you to come back in one piece! I just thought I should tell you that Virgil flipped his truck today on the way to your house. He just got a new tool that will take the squeaks out of your floor!He said it is the standard in the business.LOL. Behave yourself and stop butchering the Spanish language! Take care, Randy.
hello all
Everthings going well. Having a great time with the kids. Seeing different things here really makes you grateful for what we have at home.
I hope you’re having a smooth week so far Jackie. Missing you all a lot. Does anyone know what’s going on with Terry? Gram is worried.
Love you all
Mom xoxoxo
This is Jim M from Renal Solutions in Warrendale. How is Cindy Lutz doing? Have her post a response. CYA.
Hi Mom (Bev),
I miss you and hope that you are having a great time. I am having trouble writing this because your cat is walking on the keyboard. I think she misses you too!
I wanted to let you know that everything here is fine. We had a lot of rain but the creek did not come out of its banks, and has since gone down.
I believe you predicted that you would win the lottery while you were gone? Well I don’t know about that, but Gary is looking for the winning number from his lottery thing. I don’t know where your ticket is at, but he said that he checked with everyone else, so you just might have won!
You are in my thoughts and prayers everyday, I am so proud of you, of all of you!! Enjoy your time in El Salvador.
Miss you lots!
Love, Kate
Hi Bevie,
Sounds like you will be an expert painter by the time you get home…a new career? I’m betting your hands are hoping they never see another paint brush!!!
Glad that all is going well…at least according to God’s plan. May his matchless grace be apparent to all as he provides for your teams daily needs.
You are all in our prayers.
Miss you.
Love,
Sue
Jon,
We have been praying for you and the team all week. It is so great to be able to read the posts daily and somewhat “feel” like we are there with you. We are so excited to hear even more of the trip details when you return – and see all the pics. Be careful, and serve with no holds barred. We love you!
Kent, Erica, Madalyn, Kalea & Ainsley
Hey Michelle (Shet),
I miss you soooooo much and I hope you are having a blast. Ive been checking this website daily and it sounds like you have are working hard and having fun.
I have so much to tell you so you better be ready when you get home! I am so proud of you and I love you very much. I wish I could be there with you but dont worry, Im going next year!!!
<3 Bash
Hey Vik,
I hope all is well and that you are enjoying your time. Have you seen the little girl from last year? Take a picture of her if you can. Can’t wait to hear about your trip when you return. Let’s double when you get back. Love you and be safe.
Gretchen
Hey Dayna and team. Sounds like everything is going well and you all are having fun. Glad to here the work at La Cisna is almost done. Im sure the boys really liked playing games with all of you. Cant wait to here how Wednesday went. Only 3 more days
I know you are all working so hard and painting, and kicking soccer balls and stuff, but could someone please post some more pictures? The watching and waiting cyber world thanks you in advance.
)
hey gram its terry im fine. the trial is going as good as expected. hopefully it will be done at the endof the week i hope your trip is a joy for you fo get away and help others out i miss you mom says hi and we love you be send some pictures if you have time have fun and be carefull terry and mom
Hello Everyone,
It is so cool to see the pictures and hear about how things are going. I can’t wait to hear all of the stories of how lives have been changed! You guys are in mine and Jeanlynne’s prayers.
Sue, the office staff have printed the picture of you working from the blog and it is now taped on your computer monitor. Fred said that if you can work that hard, he might have to put you on the delivery trucks instead of the office.
Hi Victoria, I hope all is well. I assume by the lack of photo coverage that you are staying away from any work. I miss you your beautiful smile and your bright eyes.(is her face turning red yet?)Zack from the Olive Garden said he misses you too. Can’t wait to see ya! Your friend, Randy
Hey, everyone! I agree with Randy…. Victoria should definetly stay away from power tools…but has anyone told her that a paintbrush is not a makeup brush….lol
Lexi says “I love you…so so so so so so so so much….I love you so much that your leg will fall off…lol…you are so sweet like tuna!” she s laughing at herself.. “You are so soft like a leaf…”
Hi Victoria I can’t wait till you get home so that I can take you on a real date to a classy place like Panera Bread. I hope you are finally out of that whole Italian guy phase. My shift ends at midnight on Saturday.
What time does your flight land?
Its time to trade that olive skinned guy in for some earings and freckels.
p.s. thanks for the tip I owed my mom 20 bucks.
hey vic, what’s up? hope you are doing well. i have been doing my homework regarding hotels in italy. well it’s wednesday and i can’t wait to see you and hear from you. by the way are there any pictures?. love you and miss you!
claudia
hey jake,
thanks for the flowers, got them today. adam thought they were the edible arrangements ones and started to dive right in!
the recycleables ( how do you spell it?) are really starting to build up near the sink. boy i wish you were here for that, you do such a great job
becky
daddy,i love you and you like to move it move it and adam did this
Hi Vic
I had no idea you were the most beautiful girl in the world…wow, that’s some title! I hope all is well and you are having a very meaningful week. I’m looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
The most beautiful dog in the world sends her greetings and says to be safe.
Luv-
Carla and Lacey (bark!)
OK! i think we have some pictures coming shortly!
these have been some really, really full days. early breakfasts, late lunches, even later dinners, finally getting back to our accomodations in time to debrief and go back to sleep to do it again. but there is a sense of meaning and purpose, a sense of self-giving that is energizing and healthy for all of us.
we made some real progress in the painting arena today, and will be going back for a good chunk of tomorrow to finish it. the hired help should have finished the roof by now, and the electrical work should also be done tomorrow. the building is really being transformed.
we also headed out to la case de mi padre, and prepared and served the kids and staff dinner, then spent some time with the kids…the evening turned into a multi-lingual all-request sing along when one of the older boys who had an old guitar got wind of the fact that there was a guitar player in that group of gringos serving dinner — a roomful of us happily sang along to everything from “open the eyes of my heart” and “i could sing of your love forever” to “eye of the tiger” and old macdonald had a farm.
la case de mi padre is a quality, unique ministry, seeking not simply to meet basic needs of these kids from extremely messy backgrounds, but rather to provide care that starts with the heart and soul, anchoring everything by the Lordship of Jesus, and letting the outside be changed accordingly. they take extra effort to work with the biological families, however available they are, to counsel, teach, encourage and model, with the vision and hope that the vicious patterns of abuse and dysfunction can be stopped for good through the work they do. and the kids show it in their behavior and joy–what a difference between la casa and the state run orphanage we’ve been working at.
and what a day. more tomorrow!
Hola Renal Solutions c/o Jim Mullner. All is well here. Thank you so much for taking the time to check on me. If you are reading the posts from here, you are getting a pretty good idea what our days have been like. This has been an incredible experience and I will tell you about it when I get back. Thanks again for posting – I needed it today. See you soon. Cindy
Hi Bevie,
Dave & I are heading to Blacksburg today to start on Jay & Wendy’s kitchen. Can’t wait to see pictures and hear of their experience in El Salvador. They were at the San Salvador airport at 2 PM last Saturday…so you were probably getting your luggage when they were checking in….too bad you didn’t get a chance to see them.
We will be back home Sunday so I probably won’t get a chance to talk to you until Monday.
Hope all continues to go well.
Can’t wait to see you.
Love,
Sue
HI All, It sounds like Wednesday was a great day. You got a lot of the painting done and it had to be a wonderful experience at la case de mi padre. I know that this had to be ONE ( of many) of the highlights for Dayna. It must have been really fun and rewarding to serve dinner and have a sing along. It would be great if the sing along was recorded and we could see it when you get home. Thanks for the daily posts-we like reading them. We can’t wait to hear more about the details from the week.
Dayna we love you. Take care all.
Mom and Sue,and all..just wanted to say once again how very proud we are of you…thanks for taking the time from your busy lives to help those that really need it..you truly are making a difference there,and believe it also here at home.Family really pulls together and helps everyone out.Mom you know what I mean when I say that,and being the oldest and the things that you and Nonnie have said and taught me,are sinking in.Mom you look so good and are smilin like there is no tomorrrow.Love you bummers…xoxooxoxooxoxo..Just wanted to let you guys know that..Hogs and kisses…Tikey(AnnaMarie):)
P.S.Nana Sue,J.D.is walking so much,and looks great.I got some loving from him yesterday…
Hi Daddy! I miss you. Do you want to play ponies when you get home!
DA-DA
Hi All
We’re so glad to hear everything is going so well. Our prayers are with you. Also for your return trip.
Love Ken and Gail
Hi Jake,
Glad to hear you are doing well. Can’t wait to hear more about it when you get home.
Sounds like things are going well despite a few bumps in the road (sorry no pun intended)We pray for your continued strength (emotionally and physically) and safe trip home.
Hey Dayna and group.
Looking at the new pictures it looks like everyone is having fun. Sounds like the night at La Case De Mipadre was a good time for you and the kids. Hope everything is going well and things are better there now than they were a week ago.
Cindy!!!
This is Cindy’s borther Steve….
Sorry for not posting up earlier, I hope that y’all are having a a great time / experience down there and that everyone is safe and sound.
I got a great chuckle reding about the ’72 Datsun, one of those great off the beaten path in Central America experiences (I spent some time in Honduras in the ’90′s)
Y’all are doing great work down there, thank you for all that you’re doing to help folks who can definatly use a hand.
The Mt Carmel gang is doing fine, and all send thier love.
Love ya Cindy, looking forward to hearing about the trip!!
Steve
Hi Jake,
Being the computer savy person that I am and after looking at this website everyday, I finally figured out where the messages and pictures were – and of course saw your picture first. Sounds like your working hard and having an awesome time. Can’t wait to here about everything. Dad and my prayers are with you and the team.
Love,
Mom
Hey Michelle,
I’m glad to see and hear that you, and everyone there, are doing such good work and having fun at it! Sounds like the weather is HOT!
We miss you very much and I’ll be glad when you come home. Meanwhile, I pray for your safety and that you continue to learn and grow in compassion for those who need help. We’re all very proud of you.
While you’re gone I’ll keep Brady off the countertops.
I Love You.
DADSTER
Sharlene,
We missed you at Bible study yesterday morning! We prayed for you and the whole team. We’re expecting a full report when you get back. Enjoy the rest of your time and don’t let Jon harass you too much!
Hi Vik I really like the pictures. It is so nice you guys are doing such great things. You all will be blessed so much. Miss you GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. Tell Stefano I said HI! I love you. MAR XO
“The most beautiful girl in the world”… Did we determine if this man has a brother/ friend yet? LOL! What about this Olive Garden man that I have not heard about, are you keeping secrets? Simba sends his kisses to his Aunt Victoria, and to tell Lacey only a few more weeks until the teeth cleaning “we’re” scared! Can’t wait to see you sister, stay safe!!
Love ya,
Becca
p.s
They picked new tribes on Survivor….
Hey thanks for all the posts..thought you were’t going to post at all. Surprised me. : ) How is everything at school going? My week has been amazing! See you in a couple days!
Hey! I love you guys! My week is going great. It is soo nice to be here. I definantly dont want to leave. Might have to ship myself here in the summer. : ) It is so great. Working at La cisna is so much fun and hard at the same time. I had to say goodbye today. And oh course i balled my eyes out. oh well..Well I’ll see you in a couple days! Call you when i’m in the country! : ) love you.
so good to hear from everyone! it won’t be long now, and we will be home. Love and kisses to all.
Hello all
This has been the best experience for me. I have learned a lot. To the people that made this possible, I thank you. You have no idea how much I appericate this opportunity.
To my journey group family. I miss you guys. If you thought I was emotional at the last meeting, you should have seen me the past two days. Can’t wait to see you
Jackie and Chris. I’m glad to hear things are going well. What’s up chris? I haven’t heard fron you. Hope you’re okay. Can’t wait to see you all. Missing you guys a lot.
Jackie, I couldn’t find you a little sister, but I did find a little boy who i just want to bring home. his name is Julio and he’s 13. It was really hard leaving him and the other kids today.
If you thought JD was spoiled before.Look out!
love you all
Mom, Na Na, Sue xoxoxox
Hi Michelle we hope your are doing well. I bet you have a really nice suntan. Are you wearing the Mickey Mouse hat we got for you? We love and miss you.
Say hi to our Dad for us. God Bless you.
Hi Sue,
We were at the air port then and I looked for them but with 26 suitcases to pick up and go thru security was a little crazy. The Ackerman home where we are staying Susan goes to Dr. Inglases. I believe he is involed with one of the orphanages we worked with. Today was very emotional for all of us. I will tell you all about it when I get home. Tell the kids I said hello.
Love Bevie
Hi Katie,
Glad all is well please send this on to the family and let them know all is well and I have lots to share when I get home. Today was very emotional and rewarding at the same time. I forget where I put the lottery ticket I’ll check when I get home. take care of my cat I’ll be home late Saturday night.
Love Mom
Hey Victoria,
Our guys are out of control. I need your help to keep them in line! It is not a job for just one person. You should hear everything that they wanted to write.
I can’t wait to see you and hear all about your trip. I am praying for you and the team.
Rand is concerned about the sunburn. Use that sunscreen!
Could you PLEASE write a short blog so that someone will quit crying in my ear about it.
Love the pictures.
Talk to you soon.
XO Pink
Victoria, How are you? I miss you sooooooo…. much. I got your card in the mail. Should I tell everyone what you wrote in it?(just kidding). The card was very nice. I was wondering why you dont blog to any of your fan club back at home. I thought maybe you found a very ethnic looking bull fighter and he helping you with your spanglish.lol.. I find it hard to believe that you can get much work done in designer shades and hoop earrings. I do however notice how much the people of El Salvador adore you.That part is a no brainer because you are a wonderful loving person.(that part I am serious about). I cant wait to see you. Your one sided pen pal, Randy.
Hi Victoria it’s me again. Just ended my shift at O.G. Hey if you’re still stuck on that big goofy Italian guy, I think maybe your friend Becca might be interested in me? Is she a big tipper also? Tell her I can get my moms car on saturday. Think she might want to double date? I can get us free bread sticks!! What earings do you hink I should wear?
Okay,it is a small world. We’ve only been to Olive Garden once since it’s been built and I’m pretty sure that Zack from Olive Garden was our waiter!
Jon,
Tori, Ian, and I miss you and we can’t wait to see you! Enjoy your last few days in El Salvador. Tell Mrs. Mediate that we said hello. Love you!
Dear Zack,
I was so happy to hear from you! I am glad that all is well at the Olive Garden. You sound like you’ve been working some long shifts! Anyhow I just wanted to quickly say hello and STOP stalking me …you FREAK!! Thanks for all of the posts…I am been completely embarassed and am so glad that my church family had the opportunity to read them and harass me! See you all soon! Good night!
Well we did it!!!! we managed to do the impossible, remove a roof, install a new steel roof ( without any holes), painted the entire place using 30 gallons of blue and beige paint, added electrical service (outlets, new lighting,all new switches and a brand new breaker box). we are all tired and we are all hungry for home. This morning we took a break from la sisna and drove to San Martin which is an orphanage for special needs children. we played football, made sticker plates and surprised the kids with a good old fashioned snow ball fight (courtesy of some imitation snow and some agua.)These kids were the most loving and caring kids we have encountered. It was definatley a tear jerker. We left San Martin to go back to La sisna to complete the painting and to check on the progress of the roof. when we got there the extra guy’s we hired to help with the roof had almost finished all the painting!! we were thrilled! We were able to clean up the site play a little bit with the kids and we presented the newly remodeled building to the director who in returned with the help of the children presented us gifts of pillows with sisna embroidered on them. The kids promised to keep the new dorm clean and well maintained.
We then came home and packed over 100 bag lunches to hand out to the homless of El Salvador. we traveled to back alley’s, bridge overpasses, and a train dock and handed out the luches plus alot of the blankets that all of you generously donated. Well that is enough rambling for one night!1 I promise that Ethan will post tommorow. (he is passed out-o) (my Spanish is really getting good-o)
HI Dayna,
It was great hearing from you! It’s Friday and I wonder what you guys will do today?? Yes, I can only imagine how hard it is going to be for you to leave but you have made a difference in El Salvador, especially for all the children that you have come in contact with this past week and even last year… I hope that you took a lot of photo’s so that we can use one as our background on our computer.
It is supposed to snow here, either today or saturday so enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine. Take care, we love you and will see you soon. You and the whole team are in our thoughts and prayers everyday. Love, MOM and DAD
hey jake?
do you mind going on a date with zach when you get back so i can get some free breadsticks?
you can just go “as friends”
( if you have no idea what i am talking about see above)
i mean zacK
Hi everyone,
It sounds as though you have had a tremendous week. You have been in our prayers all week and we hope you enjoy your last hours with the kids. Hope you have a safe trip home.
Hi Victoria just wanted to say hi and goodbye one last time to you and all my new girl friends! I still think you can do better than Mr. soooooooooooooooooo beautiful, but thats just jealousy talking. And some one tell that Becca chick she can spell my name anyway she wants!
Have a safe trip home everyone and great job!!!
Hey Dayna
That will give you something to think about on your flight home. Hope you hava a good last night. I guess i will actually have to carry my phone with me tomorrow. Cant wait to hear from you.
Sounds like you have had another amazing trip. I am so excited to see you and hear how the trip went when you get home. I went to the mall yesterday.
Hope everyone has a safe and uneventfull flight home tomorrow.
Your crew has done yeoman work. I love the way the children join in on the “fun”. Loved the pictures. Everyone looks pretty healthy. Did you all get tanned? I hope this gets thru– Looking forward to your safe return.Love and hugs.
Well guys… what a week! I am so excited for and proud of all of you. As I have been praying for you I can’t help getting teary (you know me)… not just because of what you are doing but because of who you all are! I so love that you are a part of Discovery and that you are allowing yourselves to be used in this way!
Thank you!
Have a safe trip back… it will be warm and sunny when you get off the plane at midnight… promise
Hello Everyone,
Well it looks like your week is coming to a close. We really enjoyed reading all the news you guys had for us and the pictures that you finally posted. Once again, it’s really great what you guys did. I’m sure you’ll all come back changed and blessed. And appreciate your homes more than before you left. Except for maybe the snow. Yeah, sorry guys, we got some more snow. Michelle, I’ll have to bring a coat with me when I go to pick you up. Yeah, welcome back to Pennsylvania. Land of the beautiful weather. Michelle we sure did miss you!!! Can’t wait to see you!
Have a safe trip back. I’ll be praying that your flight is an easy and safe one.
Love, Mom
Hey everyone! I hope that you were able to relax today and enjoy your last full day. You deserve some relaxation! Thanks so much for all of the hard work that you put in this week. As Tori would say,you are all “missionaries like Paul.” Enjoy the sun and bring some back for us…it’s snowing again! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow Jon!
HAVE SAFE TRIP HOME!!!!
Hi Victoria, I hope you are well. Remember as soon as you get home you lose an hour of sleep with daylight savings. I hope you and your team feel as blessed as the people of ElSalvador.
Looking forward to seeing you when you get home. God bless you all, Randy.
Hi Jonathan,
Another incredible, life-changing experience! Thank you for always saying “yes” to the Lord to go and serve! I am so very proud of you! Your Dad would be equally proud! Can’t wait to see you…I miss you! Safe travels home! God bless you and the team! I am sure the Lord is quite please with all of you!
I love you, Jon!
Mom
Sharlene,
Hope it was as great an experience as last year. Kids are fine and looking forward to staying up late to go to the airport. Anne made it home late tonight just ahead of lots of snow – roads were already bad in places. It should be white when you get here (the real thing, not that fake stuff).
Love you.
Mom and Sue,It’s saturday morn.you guys will be home this evening,Sue I know a few people will be happy to see you,me being one of them…I’ve missed talking to you sister.Mom,you are”SUPER”never any doubt in my mind…relax on your flight home and know what you have been able to do and what you have seen…I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS,thanks for a job well done.!!!!!!!xoxoxooxoxoxx
I just wanted to say well done also to all the parents who were home all week with their kids.
lets pray our spouses can help kick us into “spiritual gear”
OK all, we finally have a blip of service, so i’ll do a quick last post. first of all, thanks so much to all of you who have been posting and thinking and praying for us…it has been a week of impact both for the kids and orphanage directors and workers we dealt with, but also on each of us. we shared a beautiful afternoon and evening last night at the black sand beaches of el salvador, singing, praying, and talking about our week. God has done some wonderful things in each of us.
as i write, we are sitting in the oh-so-comfy molded framed airport chairs at the san slavador airport, all anxiously awaiting greeting our families after what will be a particularly long day of international travel.
it’s a good hour and fifteen mintes till boarding…maybe it’s time to go get my boots shined. see you all soon!