SILPA HERNANDEZ TURCIOS, LEADER, IGLESIA EL BUEN SAMARITANO, LAS DELICIAS
I think the church should collaborate with the community because we’ve been called to serve. In the same way that we want good things for ourselves, we should think about our neighbors–to see what can be done for their needs.
PASTOR SANTOS ESTANISLAO CARPIO, IGLESIA TABERNACULO BIBLICO, SAN JOSE EL ESPINO
In general, we in the evangelical church have attended to the spiritual needs of people–everything that involves a person’s spiritual problems. But there are few of us who attend to physical needs likefood, housing, and clothing. I believe that we, as the church, should enter into a new stage where we work to attend to the needs of people in accordance with the resources we have because God’s covenant with us is integrated. God wants us to be well spiritually and to be well physically. The mission of the church is to satisfy all the needs of people, to look for ways that bring us closer to completing the work that God delegated to the church. Jesus didn’t preach the word of God to empty stomachs; he was willing to feed the hungry.
Many of our friends and partners are frequently interested in current events in El Salvador. One such person who has an eye on the events in El Salvador is a Wisconsin resident named Tim, of Tim’s El Salvador blog. On January 8 Tim posted his annual top-ten list of the previous year’s news stories in El Salvador. So, for a quick run-down of the news in El Salvador in 2008, check out Tim’s blog by clicking here.
NURIA DE REYES, CHURCH COACH, ENLACE
We ourselves really can not change the community or even less the church. Change comes only through God touching the heart of the church for its community. In the churches where I am working the people are now realizing what the work of the church is all about. Before [the community] was not much interested in the local church. They might say, “There they go to church again. There they go to meet again.” But now the community is seeing something new. The church is serving them and not just speaking the gospel with words, but living it out. This is the most beautiful thing I have seen through work I have done.
Pastor Miguel Angel Duran, Iglesia El Buen Samaritano, Las Delicias
God told Abraham in Chapter 12 of Genesis “I am going to bless you…and you will be a blessing.” God didn’t say,”Look Abraham, I am going to bless you so that you will be a great and rich man.” No, God said “I am going to bless you so that you function as a blessing to others.” The one thing we have learned in our church is that it is through giving that we receive. We can’t look at what little we have and think we have nothing to offer. We must follow the call of God no matter what. God is in charge of multiplying everything.
Founder and Executive Director of ENLACE, Ron Bueno,recently had the privilege of interviewing one of ENLACE’s long-term supporters and friend, Bill Manwarren. Bill Manwarren is a lay, mission’s leader of his church in Santa Ana, CA. He created a partnership group comprised of church and community friends who have funded multiple initiatives throughout El Salvador for the last 12 years. It was a great opportunity to reflect together on the impact of the partnership group on ENLACE, their lives and the church. Below is a sampling of some of the questionsRon asked him and his answers.
How did you decide to get involved with ENLACE?
My friend, Hal Adams, and I started a post-retirement business. We decided together that we would tithe on total sales. God blessed us and so we started looking for opportunities to make a difference. Through a mutual friend, we heard of ENLACE. After praying about it, we decided to fund the first capital for the credit program.
How did you organize a partnership group?
Hal and I wanted to expose other people to ENLACE. We decided to host a booth at a local pastors’ conference. We needed more people to help us design and host the booth so we asked several other people from church to help us. After the booth, we started meeting twice a year to give ENLACE updates and present new initiatives. The group loved hearing about the projects and how it was going. They loved seeing where their money was going and the impact it had. But the real key was the mission trips. When the group really saw the need first hand they would respond. The team members would also go back and tell their friends. The group grew to include over 60 people.
How did you keep the partnership group going for so long?
You have to organize a team, present projects and then get out the way and let God do the work. The key was to get other people involved. I focused on getting the group together and following up on the donations. I spent a lot of time personally inviting people to come. Hal, along with our friend, Esther Pearlman, another deeply committed member of the team, focused on reporting on the projects and presenting new needs. It was critical to get people out to hear the need and God would do the rest. We also visited El Salvador every two years to keep people engaged and excited about what they had funded but also to expose new people to ENLACE and the needs in El Salvador. The trips were really important. The team members will never forget them! They saw first hand how people live and saw how their lives had changed physically, emotionally and spiritually. The trips really helped them focus on what this was all about: being God’s hand to serve those in great need.
What impact has being part of the partnership group made on your life?
It has changed my life. Visiting and walking alongside poor families with great need has created empathy and compassion in my own life. I learned how important it was to commit to people over a long period of time to really assist them to do it themselves and not just give them a quick hand-out. I also became convinced of the importance of the church as being the primary agent of change. I must be honest, there were many times when I thought that I was too busy and that did not have the time to continue, but God would always remind me, “I can make sure that you have even more time if you want.” Being involved has made me more missions oriented and compassionate.
What impact has it had on the members of the partnership group?
The biggest impact has been to expose people to missions. Many people were not missions minded when we started. They saw outreach as an obligation. But through the group, they have really seen and gotten involved in missions. It all comes down to the fact that they saw the need and after responding to God’s call to give and serve people’s lives changed. We have seen how God has used us to provide a house for a poor widow, provide food through agricultural programs, provide electricity and housing to other communities. Because our group has been able to partner with ENLACE for so long, we have been able to see the long-term change in so many of the communities that we have served. Missions has become so much a part of our lives. Esther even became a full-time missionary to South Africa.
What impact can a partnership group have on your church?
The group could have a large impact on your church. We have been able to get more people involved in missions. The group members feel like ENLACE is their ministry. They feel like they are the representatives of ENLACE to their church. We have also been able to reach out to our neighbors and friends through the group. I have presented a housing project to a neighbor, who has now become a great friend, and he was able to contribute significantly to the initiative. A partnership group can really get people excited and active about presenting needs and mobilizing resources to meet them. It can change your church.
After spending a year volunteering with ENLACE in El Salvador, Ali Hunt felt called to return to the U.S. and pursue a vocation in medicine. Recently Ali shared with us the process God took her through from trusting Him as she volunteered in El Salvador to following His call to study medicine. It is a beautiful story of how God can work in the life of a person who is available to His call. Read more of Ali’s story.
But before we tell that story, we need to shout and hoop and holler. There is electricity in Abelines! Real power lines and switches and no need for car batteries or generators. Honest to goodness electricity in Abelines! Praise God and hot diggity!
OK, now let’s think about electricity. In the US, electricity is assumed. So much so, that most of us never think of the real value of electricity. Sure light bulbs, TV and computers are great, but electricity is so much more than that.
Electricity has been a significant goal of the Abelines region for the last seven years . In rural El Salvador electricity means medicines can be refrigerated—so more people can have access to better healthcare. It also means that some families can purchase and store things such as dairy products and meats —meaning potential for better nutrition. An electric stove could replace the open fires women cook on that contribute to pulmonary problems and deforestation in the area. And of course, light offers a little more time in the day to do homework, wrap up chores, etc. Electricity is more than a means to evening entertainment—it can greatly improve health and quality of life .
It has been a long road, and the members of the community have worked hard to be able to flip a switch and see light flow into a room. Traveling along that road together, each visitor and each time ENLACE staff has been able to offer support, the folks in Abelines believed a little more strongly that they had the resources they needed to find solutions to the needs of the community. Like a drop in a bucket, each prayer, shovel full of dirt, and community meeting contributed to the wellspring of transformation in Abelines. We have seen this transformation in the health committee as it created greater awareness of health issues and better access to healthcare at the clinic. We have also seen transformed relationships as they served one another.
Pastor Victorio recently commented on their motivations over the years, “Well, first of all the key is found in the love of God, you must be covered with the love of God and then you can feel…the need of others. You must feel the love of God—that God is in you and you are in Him. This is how we got more involved and begin to help more in our community. This is one of the factors that motivates us. Also ENLACE collaborates with us, through training we find the words of encouragement to keep going.” And when people continue together amazing things can happen—like better health, better access to food, better access to education and even electricity along a dirt road in El Salvador.
The illuminated light bulb here marks a great success for this community, and we ask you to join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s continued presence and blessing in the communities of Abelines. And thanks to everyone that has contributed a drop of love in this process of community transformation.
Read Reina’s quote to hear a little more about Abelines from a member of the health committee. Or to see some recent photos of Abelines, visit photo albums for teams from Church at Briargate and South Hills Corona.
