Salvadorians celebrate November 2nd as "The Day of the Dead" - similar to our Halloween, but much darker spiritually.  With this in mind, we spent the morning at a local park passing out Gospel tracts and using balloon animals and face painting to start conversations with children and their parents.

Salomon Street Witnessing

Kathy Sharing the Gospel

Salomon had one of the lengthiest conversations, talking to two men for 30 minutes about the importance of Bible study.

Here in El Salvador, a lot of people get hung up over denominational differences and by calling themselves "Christians" but following false teaching.  Salomon worked to explain how you have to read the Bible to know the truth and how the truth will set you free.

After the park outreach, we visited the charity hospital and prayed with people like Ana.  A bus hit her and dragged her down the road 7 months ago, and she lost one whole arm plus pieces of the other and of her torso.  When we met her, Ana lay almost naked in a bed with a water bottled propped on her chest, crying.  Her mother is constantly telling her that this happened as a punishment from the Lord.  We were able to explain that Jesus loves her and wants to give her life and hope, not judgment.

This morning, we toured one of the state-run orphanages and then had an opportunity to spend time doing crafts with a few of the girls there.  Some of the girls' stories are heart breaking...

Salomon and I (Hanna) made Gospel bead bracelets and necklaces with three girls (ages 15,15 and 16).  One of the girls had lived with a boyfriend for a year and a half and then come to the orphanage because he abused her and she had nowhere else to go.  She soon hopes to reunite with her mother.

Another girl made some bad life choices (she describes herself as a "wild child") and got in trouble with the law.  They sent her to the orphanage for two months to give her a chance to change.  Recently, she accepted Christ and has repented of her crazy lifestyle.  In December, she will return to her family, and she plans to become involved in church.

The third girl's story really broke my heart.  Her parents divorced, and she had been living with her father.  He abused her, and her mother attempted to regain custody of her.  When the girl's father found out, he hired someone to kill her mother.  The attempt failed, but the mother suffered serious injuries to one arm and leg.  Right now, the dad is in jail, the mother is in the hospital, and this girl is at the orphanage hoping for things to get better...

After spending time with these girls, we met back up with Casey and Oscar, who had painted sun catchers with a larger group of kids.  We then went to the special needs section of the orphanage and helped to feed the children lunch.  Many of these kids are wheelchair bound and very under-stimulated.  A physical therapist comes twice a week, but these kids really need constant attention and no one is there to help.

The Kneppers are praying about making this orphanage a regularly scheduled spot on their monthly ministry schedule.  Pray that they will build lasting relationships with the girls at the orphanage and be able to train them up in the ways of the Lord-the only true way to change their life circumstances.

Sorry there are no pictures allowed at the orphanage, but here are some from our arrival at the Kneppers tonight:

It's the end of day two, and we have so much to share...

After two pleasant and uneventful flights, we arrived in San Salvador last night and were greeted by our host, David Knepper.

We managed to catch a few hours of sleep before we awoke early this morning and enjoyed a Salvadorian breakfast.  Next, we attended the largest Calvary Chapel outside the US. The worship service and communion were true blessings.

Afterwards, David took us on a tour of the city which included dinning at Pollo Campero, visiting the local soccer outreach, riding thru the street market, and visiting the city's largest mall.  We have lots more details to share, but for now we're exhausted and heading to bed.

Please continue to pray for us.  We are really excited to serve at CIPI orphanage tomorrow morning!

Earlier this year, the Missions Team at Calvary Chapel of Clermont began asking the Lord to provide an opportunity for our church to reconnect with foreign missions.  We want to serve the Lord, not only in our own community, but also in other nations.

 Recently, doors opened for us to send a small team to El Salvador this fall with the purpose of establishing a lasting connection with Calvary Chapel missionaries there and planning for future involvement.  October 29th to November 6th, Salomon Vasquez, Casey Harrison and Hanna Miecznikowski will travel to El Salvador to serve with Calvary Chapel missionaries there and to learn more about ministry needs in Central America. 

They will visit a large church in San Salvador and volunteer at a nearby orphanage.  Then they will travel to Santa Ana to help the Knepper family with their brand new church plant-Calvary Chapel Divine Grace.  The Kneppers focus on ministry to women and children and to the local homeless population.  Finally, the team will attend a Calvary Chapel missions conference to meet missionaries from all over Central America and ask them how they see the Lord at work in the region.

 Calvary Chapel of Clermont strongly desires to gain an understanding of the spiritual needs in Central America and to develop a long-term partnership with a missionary family there so that we can send back at least three more mission teams during the next two years.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED??  YOU CAN...

• PRAY - We meet for prayer every Wednesday night at 8pm at Calvary Chapel of Clermont, and we'd love your prayers anytime from anywhere.  You can even leave a prayer as a response to this post!
• GIVE - We need to raise $3,072 for our team's expenses.  Checks payable toCalvary Chapel Clermont with "El Salvador" in the memo line can be left in the offering box or mailed to CCC Missions, c/o Hanna Miecznikowski, PO Box 653, Clermont, GA 30527.
• GO - We hope to return to Central America three times in the next two years.  If you'd like to join us, please email your name, contact info and skills toccclermont@bellsouth.net.  We'll be in touch to help you get connected!
• SHOP - Join us at 5934 Cleveland Highway, Clermont, GA from 8am-1pm on October 1st for a church-wide yard sale.  All proceeds help our trip!

About Missions B.O.P.

Monday, we spent the day working at two churches-building them up so that they can better serve their communities.

Tuesday, we spent the day at a hundred-year-old hospita-tearing it down so that others can transform it into a Christian youth center for the town of Colver.

It's beeen interesting to see how the Lord can use our service to pave the way for the ministry of others.  It feels really good to do physical work that will have spiritual fruit!!