It’s all God.

Wow, these past two days have been full of activities, projects, testimonies, and the work of God. It has been so neat to see God moving in El Salvador, and seeing each team member serve and share Jesus in incredible ways.

 

Yesterday was a very busy day, as we first started out going into a local community, supported by past Sports Outreach Ministry trips. The community has grown quite a bit since SOI first began helping the community, and this year they finally have access to water 24/7. We had the opportunity to visit with families there, see crops, personally hand letters to a few families and children in the community that are sponsored by SOI, and pray with the precious children there. It was an eye-opening and humbling experience, as the living conditions there are nothing in comparison to our air conditioned bedrooms and washing machines at home. That being said, it was awesome to see the love of God working in that community, as it is a true testimony of God’s love for every person.

In the afternoon, we had a blast training with the swim team at the National Aquatic Center, and playing tennis there, as well. We were able to break into stroke groups and work on technique while also coaching and joining in on relays. While the Messiah Swimming ladies were definitely looking forward to swimming there, it was an awesome experience to have other AROMA team members and Messiah athletes step out of their comfort zone and join us in the pool.

 

After swim practice, we met with the team and shared a couple of life stories, followed by sharing the Gospel. It was so incredibly obvious that God was in the room that night. It is not often that you see 10 year old boys shedding tears while listening to older swimmers talk about their lives. God moved mountains that night, and several swimmers, as well as one of the coaches, accepted Christ. It was a truly amazing moment, filled with complete joy, healed wounds, and the purest love of Jesus speaking to an awesome group of swimmers.

 

Today was also super great, as our day was packed with various service projects, sports camps, and lots of punchy-tired laughter. In the morning, our team split up into 3 groups. One group went back to the community we visited yesterday to help make jewelry that the women there can sell to support their families. The second group traveled to a different community that SOI is beginning to reach out to. While there they performed a Sawyer Water Filter demo and gave out around 60-70 filters to the families in the community. The third group led a soccer camp for kids in the area. We all came together in the afternoon for another sports camp, where we taught tennis and lacrosse, followed by an impromptu soccer game with the El Salvador SOI staff. It was a very packed, totally fun-filled day of sharing the joy of Jesus with those around us.

While our bodies are exhausted, our hearts are continuously renewed which makes us excited to keep going. The realization that our strength comes only from God has been a clear revelation this week. We have been able to keep serving with a happy heart and a smile on our face, regardless of how weak our physical bodies feel.

God continues to do amazing things, here in El Salvador, and we pray we will continue to be used as His vessels in the coming days!