And it was a very good hole, over 10 feet deep!
When the First Assembly Fort Wayne team of young adults were planning their trip to San Jose El Naranjo, a small hamlet north of San Salvador , the ir goals were simple. Team leader Laurie Atz shared, “We wanted to be open to whatever God wanted to do ; t o build relationships with people and show God ’ s love.” And indeed the team showed up in El Salvador ready to help however they could. They were even able to keep smiles on their faces when the ENLACE staff announced that they would be helping dig the hole for a pit latrine. (We know it doesn’t sound great, but pit latrines do a lot to increase overall sanitation and health in a community. Statistically, along with clean water and preventive education, pit latrines can help reduce the infant mortality rate by 50%.)
The Fort Wayne team accepted the project and attacked the hard, sunburnt earth with spirit, energy and even joy. Throughout the week the team was able to maintain an amazing attitude . T hey even had energy afterward to play with local kids and ended the week with a special presentation for the kids about God’s love. Their presentation included a hip hop dance routine, about a zillion balloon animals and two piñatas. Team member, Bethany Till, shared where her joy came from, “God is so big and awesome and everything He leads us to do He walks with us and gives us strength and courage to do—whether it ‘ s digging a hole, sharing a word or singing a song. He is right beside us, encouraging us and stretching us and teaching us to use the gifts He has given us!”
At ENLACE, we are always touched by how much God can do when people show up with truly humble hearts fil l ed with God’s love. In everything this team did they glowed with the joy of Christ. We know their time blessed and encouraged the people of San Jose El Naranjo—and that hole will be a daily reminder of a group of happy gringos that came and dug in Jesus’ name.
To view a video about other ongoing projects in the same community, see this video on a vocational training workshop in San Jose El Naranjo.
To learn more about how your church can get involved in community transformation in El Salvador, click on missions or contact Peter DeSoto at pdesoto@enlaceonline.org or 1 (888) 675-2314.