The trip, thus far

Hello all!
Well we're halfway through with our month long adventure! And the Lord
has been doing a lot for and in us.

We started out the month pleading with ISNA,the government
organization in charge of the well being of the orphans, to let us
know where some of the HIV orphans had been moved. The assistant
director gave us access to this information and permission to go into
the orphanages while we're here this month. Some of the children had
been moved the a larger orphanage near San Salvador and some still
live in Zakatecolouca.

We met a young man named Edwin. He's a young man in Zakate who is
dealing with some mental disabilities. The assistant directors words
were that "Nothing works" and "There is no hope". He was found in the
mountains of Honduras, on the run. He was violent and psychotic at
times, beating himself and others. He has scars along his body, simply
from self harm. the assistant director said that "He is the worst case
we have ever had".

When we got  there and met Edwin for the first time, he went around
greeting all of us and we got to sit down and share the Gospel and
sing songs. The entire time Edwin was very attentive and Mike made
sure to speak encouraging words to him. After playing some games with
the kids, Mike had us all break off into different groups with the
kids to share the Gospel. Oliver and Mike took Edwin off to a private
place to speak with him. After about 2 hours when we all met up and
began to play some more with the kids Edwin, Mike and Oliver came back
and there was a noticeable change in Edwin. He came up to the group of
us very somber and clinging to a Bible. He came up to me and pointed
to the Bible and simply said "Me Gusta". Which in translation means "I
like this" or "I love this". I told him that I also love it and that I
loved him. He pulled me into a hug, he gives the best hugs. Mike would
later tell us that while speaking to him, Edwin was caressing and
kissing the Bible, holding it to his chest and keeping it near him. He
had asked Mike if he could keep the Bible, but the Bible belonged to
Paul, and we hadn't brought any Bibles to give out. He said he wanted
it with him at night, just in case. But here's the thing, Edwin is
illiterate. Without even being able to read ti himself, Edwin knew the
importance of God's Holy Word and wanted it near him at all times. Let
Edwin's desire for the Word admonish you like it has me. I can't
remember the last time I literally clung to the Word because of how
precious it is. Seeing how attached Edwin was to the Book, Paul told
him he could keep it. The wails that came from Edwin after, I will
never forget. He sobbed as he clung to Paul and the Bible. This young
man, only 15 years old, was experiencing family, love, and grace all
in one day, things he probably never experience before. Needless to
say, Edwin cried out to the Lord that day, and we have a beautiful new
brother in the Lord.

But, my friends, the enemy is crafty and was not happy with what
happened that day. We tried to get permission to let Edwin stay with
us at La Esperanza for a few days, and gained permission from ISNA,
but when we went to the orphanage we were met with a horrible story.
Apparently the nuns and the orphanage had heard about what had
happened and Edwin's Bible, and had taken it from him and thrown it
away. At this action, Edwin became violent and began hurting himself
and punching out the windows. He was admitted to the Psych Ward, and
we have not seen him since.

It breaks my heart, the evil in some people's hearts. But I ask you to
pray for these people who have taken Edwin's Bible. Young Edwin
understood something that the hardness in their hearts will not allow
them to see. Edwin has hope, but these women will have to stand before
the Lord one day to answer for what they've done. I only hope they
have repented on this side of heaven before that day comes.

The men from our later Lakeside team were able to visit the orphanage
as well, and Lorenzo was able to have some precious time with a young
man named Reuben. In talking and praying with him, we have another
brother in the Lord! Reuben is a 14 year old HIV positive boy, who
understands too well just where he is in life. When Lorenzo asked what
he would like to be prayed for, all Reuben said was "For someone to
love me enough to take me home." Let the testimony of Reuben be a
reminder that there are children out there who don't only ask for a
new toy, or to go see the latest movie, but simply for love, and for
someone to care about them.

The Lord is moving greatly in El Salvador, but the enemy is active as well.

Our project at the school next to La Esperanza in El Salvador was a
success! we were able to lay and large slab of concrete to be turned
into a soccer and basketball court!

We were able to spend some time in Honduras. The church is alive and
growing! I would ask for prayer for the growth of the church in
villages like Hacienda Grande and Ostuman. And the Word is spreading
in Guatemala as well! Mike has spoken of looking for land in Guatemala
to start a church plant! The people are hungry for more of God's word.
We heard of a dear sister, a woman whom I remember from last year.
I'll give you a bit of her story. Last year when we were working on
Dominga's house, a woman with her baby would be watching us work. One
day she spoke to one of our translators, Celenita, and told her she
would like us to pray over her. After Mike spoke to her we learned
that her young baby was very sick and that she had gone to the witch
doctor for healing, but that the hard work we had been doing was
testimony enough for her to know that we served the true God. Mike
admonished her, asked her to repent and then had her bury the
bracelet. We prayed over her and her child and split our ways from
there. She had been on my mind from time to time, but when we arrived
in Honduras this year, we learned that since that day she had been a
faithful sister in the Lord and she was constantly growing. How
encouraging to know that seeds only planted last year were growing
beautiful fruit! She came to the baptism and helped lead worship, her
baby boy with her, healthy as could be!

But, we need to pray for our sister, whose name is Araseilis. She has
a hard back story. She is a widow and has been living with her father
for the past couple of years. She can hardly afford money for food and
her living situation is less than desirable. Her father is a violent
man and refuses to help her because she refuses his sexual advances.
She is trapped in a home, with a father who constantly tries to rape
her. This is the sad reality of the depravity of man. That a father
would try to rape his daughter. I hope you are angered by this, but
that your anger remains righteous and develops into prayer for this
man. The darkness of his heart is causing him to hurt his own flesh
and blood.

We took up a love offering to help build a small room, away from her
father's house, that she could live in. The Lord was gracious and we
were able to raise the funds so she can live away from her father.

Please pray for our sister, who finds hope in the Lord, even when
terrorized by her earthly father.

We've had bits of sickness roam around through the team. Fevers,
vomiting and stomach issues have been a problem. But I do believe it
is beginning to pass, and thank the Lord that He has given us a few
days of reprieve, so we can truly rest.

We are only a little over half way through and the Lord is already
pushing us, so I ask that you pray for endurance and unity among us to
finish well.

Something you may be able to help with:

La Esperanza in Honduras has been without steady water for almost 5
years now. This needs to change. SOS is looking into buying a nearby
property that has a natural spring for water, so that La Esperanza can
have water independent from the Catholic-run government that shuts off
there water. We are looking to raise funds to help with this process,
so if you feel inclined, please give to the cause.

I thank you all for your prayers and thoughts, it means a lot to the
whole team. I will try and update you again when we have internet
access.

Love Always,
Christina

Introduction to the team: Christina Donovan

So, I thought it would be appropriate for each of us to let you know a little bit about who we are, so we're going to be posting our stories.

 We'll start off with mine.

 Hi!

My name is Christina Donovan and I am currently 20 years old. I'll be turning 21 in Central America on July 15th! I'm currently a student studying for a Elementary Education Degree. I want to tell you a little bit about how the Lord has worked in my life and how He has led me to this place.

I grew up in a Christian home and my parents always made sure I was saturated in the Word and surrounded by a Christian community. I knew all the right things to say, how to act and how to conduct myself and the typical church kid. I went to church on Sundays and considered myself pretty mature because I went to grown up service with my parents. As a child I believed the fact that my parents went and were well known in the church meant that I was saved and I didn't have to answer for my own actions. I believed there was a God, and that He had a Son Jesus who was mentioned a lot, but other than that I was naive to what it meant to be a Christian.

It wasn't until I was approaching teenage years that I began to face the fact that my actions and thoughts accounted for more of my Christian walk than I thought they would. My grandfather passed away and that experience changed my world view in a big way. I had never experienced pain and sorrow like that and it was a new sensation to me. My thoughts turned to "Why would God allow this to happen?" and "If he(my grandfather) was such a good Christian, why would God take him?". It was kind of quick when my grandpa died and unexpected, so it was something I hadn't prepared for. Instead of turning to the Lord I turned to my anger and let it take control of me.

Through a series of angry outburst I slowly pushed away everyone close to me and kept to myself. I decided that even if God was real I didn't want anything to do with Him and I could take care of myself. I let my pride and selfishness take over my actions and lived life the way I saw fit. This proved to only provide more hurt in my life as I developed depressive tendencies and lashed out against my family and friends. I just remember always being angry and upset and seeing my life as being worthless. I actively rebelled just to be rebellious and a headache to my family. It was disastrous, I wasn't getting anything of value from being my own person and "taking control" of my life. The Lord saw all of this and still had compassion on me. It's something I still can't even fathom today.

 One night as I was screaming in my room, yelling profanities in the air, telling God that I didn't want Him, the Lord spoke to my heart. It was a supernatural peace that overtook me and the Lord was telling me that everything I was looking for was in Him. I was convicted of my own selfishness and the Lord softened my heart to see where my pride was getting in the way of a relationship with Him. All the while I was going to a great high school that really stressed the importance of being in Word and finding your solid base in that and building up from there. I started with the Gospel as a source of wisdom.

 "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13 ESV)

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

 The fact that the Lord offered salvation by nothing more than His grace to us, was something I almost couldn't fathom. But I still believed and cherished the fact. It has been a growing process but from that day I dedicated myself to striving for Him and living for His kingdom. The peace and joy i have experienced in my life because of what the Lord has done for me is something I have never experienced anywhere else.

 Fast forward a few years and I found myself being led by the Lord once more. Even when I was younger the Lord has His hand on my life and I felt led to go on missions. Whenever I would hear about missions out of the country I would immediately be interested in hearing and learning more, but the thought was rather frightening. So when I heard that my youth group was putting together a team to go in the summer for 10 days, the Lord laid in heavily on my heart. I decided to listen to the desire and leave it up to the Lord. I applied and was accepted and then the road to Central America began. Our group was pretty large team and we worked hard to raise the funds and we were all able to go.

This trip changed me in so many ways. It was my first time out of country, my first time in a third world country, my first time on a missions trip, and my first time in a place where no one spoke my language. We visited the orphanage, we had a beach baptism, we went house to house, visiting the local church family, we even preached in front of the Catholic church there that has an enormous control over the country, and is our main adversary. I came away from the trip changed and it carried into my everyday life. I changed my major and goal in life, and I would even say that going on the trip encouraged me to join my old youth group as staff and it's a decision I praise the Lord for everyday.

 Fast forward to the next summer and there was little to no doubt in my mind the Lord was calling me back. This mission was slightly different and slightly longer, two weeks instead of two days and localized mainly in Honduras instead of El Salvador. The mission was to help build a house for our sister in need, Dominga. Her husband had been recently martyred and left her with four children and was expecting another on the way. She lived in a barely stable hut that was only one room and had little room fr another child to live in it with them. So, with the mission set we worked hard to raise funds and made our way over to Central America. This trip was different, but so great. I grew a deep compassion and love for my brothers and sisters over in Central America and a love for missions. The passion and desire they have, despite not having as much earthly possessions as most, is so great. I was encouraged and refreshed after I went home, and I knew I had left a part of my heart with them.

I will go into more detail about past trips with testimonials from others, but as a brief over view, the Lord has given me a desire and passion for Central America. I love the people there and the Lord has called me to serve them, and I find great joy in doing so. 

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27 ESV)

This verse has been chosen as our target verse because it's been a sort of mantra for teams past to remind us what we're fighting for.

I ask and pray that you all keep updated with us as we share our stories and the stories of loved ones over seas.

Love Always,
Christina

Hello Dear Friend

I'm so excited to be starting this new adventure, with a new blog! This blog will serve many purposes including updates, fundraisers and to simply be a base of information about missions over in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and wherever else God may lead!

The idea of starting a missions blog had been rolling around in my mind for a while, but there was never a definite time where I said "Yes, now I will make it!". But, now as I look towards this summer, I see an opportunity and a reason to start a blog. The Lord has opened up the door for me to be able to go to Central America for a whole month! I can't even describe to you the excitement and joy I am feeling! My desire ever since my first summer over there has been to serve more regularly with my family over in Central America, and the Lord is giving me that opportunity!

But I'm not going alone! The Lord has blessed me with being able to go on this missions trip with several friends. Some have gone with me to Central America before, some haven't, and I'm excited to share a whole new experience with everyone!

And so, this blog was born! As a way for all of us to reach out to others about whats going on and things we have planned! We'll also have internet every once in a while so I will try and update this when I can while up there.

I'm excited to share this experience with everyone who will listen and join me.
I'm excited for you to meet my other family.

Love Always,
Christina