“…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
On this Father’s Day, we celebrate José Molina, the pastor of Misión Cristiana Evangélica Fe y Gracia in San José, La Labor, El Salvador. We highlight not only his fatherly advice but also his amazing contribution toward community transformation as a pastor and respected community leader.
José Santos Molina has been married to Yenni Gloribel Argueta de Molina for 25 years. Together they have raised 5 sons and 1 daughter as well as taken in and nurtured other foster children, who are considered part of the family. They have been in pastoral ministry since they were married.
Historically, the hamlet of San José, La Labor was known for being a difficult community to organize. In addition to this, there were few educational and economic opportunities. However, with Pastor Molina’s leadership and with the support of the church and the local community development association, seven local hamlets have been organized to implement several infrastructure and health projects that will improve quality of life in the community. They have constructed eco-stoves, constructed roads, built a playground and perimeter wall around the high school, led a clean-up and fumigation campaign, and provided education and technical support for raising chickens, cultivating tilapia, and producing viable home gardens.
The contribution of the Fe y Gracia Church to its community since 2010 is immensely significant. Over thirteen years, the church’s collaboration with leaders and members of the La Labor community has profoundly transformed the area, assisting hundreds of individuals in overcoming extreme poverty. Since 1998, Pastors José and Yenni Molina have demonstrated strong and effective leadership, deeply caring for and serving their church and community. Their dynamic leadership approach has significantly expanded their church and fostered a culture of loving service, with more than 80 percent of the congregation actively participating in community outreach efforts.
Reminiscent of the disciples and the Apostle Paul, José works an additional job to help provide for his family. Although they have had many challenges, he has taught his children to work in the bakery with him, to serve together and to trust that God will provide. “…We have even been able to share with others the blessings we have received.”
José is a committed pastor and father. He has learned to separate, balance, and organize his time between family and ministry so that he can be present and effective in both avenues of his life.
José has dedicated time to guide and develop his children in different areas of life so that they will grow to be responsible, godly men and women. He has also made a concerted effort to talk with his children every day during dinner and to make plans to spend time with one another once a week doing something fun. Being raised to serve others, Pastor José trusts that his children will continue to live out the gospel as they grow and mature.
“Give your children space so they can develop their skills and learn to solve problems….When they can fend for themselves, they will be able to help people.”
Pastor José Molina is a committed father, pastor and community leader who not only loves and supports his immediate family but helps people with the greatest need within his community. We are grateful for Pastor Molina’s leadership and service.
Israel Antonio Ayala: From the Streets to Christian Service
Israel Ayala was a shy, fearful little boy. His mother raised him for five years, then sent him to live with his grandmother. By the age of twelve, Israel had dropped out of school. By thirteen, he was on the streets more than he was at home. He says low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority drove him to the streets in search of a sense of respect and value he may have received from a father had his dad not abandoned him.
Life on the streets was not safe. Gangs plagued El Salvador in those days. Israel lived in a world where things as simple as the way he dressed, or his hairstyle made him a target of violence. He tells stories of narrowly escaping being murdered by gangs and other senseless violence.
Israel’s neighborhood church represented another world, and he wanted nothing to do with it. He rejected invitations to attend until he gave it a try one day just so Christians would stop bothering him to go. He says God spoke to him that day, though he turned down the invitation to accept Christ. He returned the next day without an invitation, still in the oversized shirt, loose pants, and weird haircut he sported to tell the world he didn’t care.
Someone preached and invited Israel to the altar, but he refused. Then a second preacher did the same. The pattern repeated until there was just one old man left to preach. The old man invoked an altar call, and Israel felt a strange force compelling him to respond. He grabbed onto the church bench to resist, but found himself standing up and shouting with the voice of a strong man, “I want to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior” as he walked forward, crying and feeling broken.
That day, Israel says his shyness, fear, and low self-esteem fell away. He stopped using the foul language he associated with street life and became overwhelmed by a deep desire to know God, learn from his Word, and serve others. He grew within this church for seven years, then left it for another that was being coached by ENLACE. Israel joined his new church’s Service Committee where he learned about the Integral Mission of the church and the importance of community service.
Israel in the community of Cantón Piedras Azules, El Salvador, helping to install a new improved cooking stove. In El Salvador, the primary source of fuel for cooking in rural areas is wood which has devastating effects on health, family income, and the environment. Ecostoves reduce acute respiratory illnesses by 60%, increase family incomes by 25%, and reduce the use of wood for cooking by 66%. Ecostoves are just one of the many kinds of health initiatives your financial gifts make possible.
At the age of 27, Israel enrolled at the Bethel Bible Institute to study theology. At 30, he picked up on the public school education he’d left behind at 12. At 31, he graduated with both his ninth-grade diploma and a teaching degree from the Bible Institute. At 33, he finally graduated high school. At 35, he started studying at the Assemblies of God Christian University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in theology with a focus on Missiology at 37. His degree opened the door to a teaching job at the Olive Interdenominational Institute where he has been a theology instructor ever since.
At 39, Israel began to study Community Development at the Assemblies of God Christian University, praying for a way to serve those in need. That was when he learned of a Church Coach position at ENLACE.
Israel is now 10 months into his Church Coach job at ENLACE, serving the marginalized in the model of Jesus. Better still, the job allows him to provide for his family with confidence and self-esteem that he hopes to pass on to his children.
Evelin Jeannette Marroquín de Galán: Almost a Dozen Years Church Coaching!
While some, like ENLACE’s newest Church Coach, Israel Ayala, face a long and difficult road to their vocation, there are others for whom the work flows naturally from their upbringing and their lives, like Evelin Marroquín de Galán.
Evelin first came to know Christ as a little girl in Sunday school. She got married, and when her son was born she felt a responsibility to educate him with Christian principles and values. Today she is blessed with a husband and two children who all serve God in different ways.
Evelin has served as a Bible school teacher, women’s leader, in leadership school, and in promoting church missions. She studied Theology at the Christian University of the Assemblies of God and studied Local Development at the Pan-American University, all preparing her to work with churches and communities.
One day, the Dean of Theology at the Assemblies of God Christian University told her about ENLACE, insisting this was a fit for her to serve God. Today, she serves as a Church Coach for six different churches. For Evelyn, church is about more than just what happens on Sunday. She says a house of God should always have its doors open because they become doors to heaven.
Jesus Christ, Evelyn says, was outwardly focused, close to people regardless of their social status, concerned with their economic and social, as well as spiritual, development. That, she says, is why she has always felt a spiritual connection with ENLACE.
Evelin in the small rural community of Cantón Ramirez, El Salvador, facilitating a school recreation improvement project with a short-term serving team from the U.S.
We are grateful for people like Israel and Evelin, who work tirelessly to improve relationships between the local church and the community. They bring the gospel of Jesus through their actions and live out the meaning of loving your neighbor. Please pray for their safety as they travel to remote locations.
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world in March of every year. This year, we celebrate and recognize ENLACE Church Coaches who work tirelessly to invest in women every day. Women who are valued, supported, and trained play an especially important role in community leadership. Whereas men often work away from home, women leaders are more likely to care for children and represent their needs in community development plans.
ENLACE’s Church and Community Program makes a meaningful impact through leadership, vocational, and technical training, and offers social, physical, and emotional support to women in each country that ENLACE serves. Here, we share four unique portraits of women of all ages from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
Reina’s a remarkable young woman from El Salvador who’s grown up seeing her parents make a big difference in their church and community. She took those lessons to heart, diving into everything from teaching kids at church to singing in the worship band and even getting her hands dirty with major community projects such as building gutters, improving roads and school infrastructure and participating in leadership training in community development initiatives like chicken farms through ENLACE’s Church and Community Program.
Due to her incredible love and commitment, others in her community recently elected her as a community leader. She now serves on the Community Development Association for the village of Chantusnene. People aren’t just impressed by what she can do; they’re inspired by who she is—her endless joy, her grit in facing challenges head-on, and her heart for helping out where it’s needed most.
Growing up, Maria Jose saw firsthand the limited opportunities for girls to engage in sports, not to mention the safety concerns that come with it. That all changed when local church and community leaders introduced a soccer academy as part of a violence prevention initiative, welcoming over 80 kids and creating a safe space for everyone. This academy is more than just playing soccer; it’s about building character, teaching life values, and pushing for gender equality. Maria and the other participants got more than just soccer training; they were inspired by talks and supported with the right gear, thanks to the contributions of the Comunidad Cristiana Maná church, where a majority of the members are women and young people who have a strong desire to serve their community. For Maria, the program was a game-changer. It taught her that her gender doesn’t define her limits—in sports or life. Today, Maria’s not just better at soccer; she’s made many new friends and has grown closer to her family, all while breaking stereotypes and paving the way for other girls in Guatemala.
Before ENLACE’s Church and Community Program introduced vocational workshops to her community in Nicaragua, Ana was a woman of limited resources. She had no hope of a decent living wage because of her lack of education and training. Ever since she was a teenager, Ana worked in other people’s homes washing, ironing and doing other chores. There were times when Ana had insufficient food and could not afford hygiene products. Her children did not always attend school because they lacked basic food for lunches and supplies. But thanks to ENLACE’s church accompaniment model, the church can be the entity that brings hope to women through tools that contribute to their personal growth and drive women like Ana to dream of a transformed community. Women can be trained to create businesses and become entrepreneurs.
Ana was trained in a beauty vocational workshop and now specializes in manicures and pedicures. This new skill generates more income for her and her family. She bought new clothes for her children and encourages them to participate in school and play with other kids. Today, Ana is part of the local church and supports other women who want to learn a trade in vocational workshops like she did. “I had always been taught that I was born to be poor and forgotten, and that I would die in the same condition.” But Ana’s heart and mind have changed. She now has a new vision for herself and her children.
In Nepal, women like Ranjita confront daunting challenges. Born into families of low caste, they face societal disdain and struggle with self-acceptance. This cycle of poverty and rejection makes education and securing a living wage nearly impossible, further isolating them from their communities.
Ranjita’s story, however, takes a turn toward hope and empowerment. With the support of the local church and the ENLACE Church and Community Program, she transitioned from a life of marginalization to one of leadership and impact. She became a teacher and joined the staff of a school founded by the local church that serves the most marginalized children in Durgabhawani. Ranjita not only educates her students but also instills in families the value of learning and the understanding that they are loved and accepted by God.
Beyond teaching, Ranjita received training in proposal writing and running development projects. She has embraced this role in community advocacy, raising awareness on critical issues like human trafficking and child marriage. Through the church’s emotional, spiritual, and technical support, she has found her voice and purpose. Ranjita feels empowered to make a difference and is motivated and equipped to serve her community. The church has helped her see her worth, and she now sees that she has an essential role in helping her community’s poorest to live with dignity and hope.
Ranjita’s journey from exclusion to empowerment exemplifies the profound impact that a church can have when walking with its community and looking for ways to serve. Liberty Church and others working with ENLACE Nepal, are nurturing hope in some of the world’s hardest places.
We hope you will join us as we invest in women like Reina, Maria, Ana and Ranjita to feel valued, loved and supported, nurtured and trained, and empowered to create positive change in their own lives and in the lives of others.
If you remember typing on a typewriter in college, then you might remember searching for jobs in the newspaper or on a physical job board. If I had come across this posting, I might have thought twice before applying.
Fabiola Ramírez de Rivera has been working for ENLACE for more than 10 years and is currently the Head of the Church and Community Program in El Salvador, but before that, she was an ENLACE Church Coach.
When Fabiola first started working for ENLACE she said it was a dream for her. But not in the sense of what we think when we think of a dream job with a good salary, great benefits, and vacation days. Fabiola says the dream is to work in an organization that helps the church transform its communities. “I know that the church can preach the gospel, but [we can] BE the gospel.”
ENLACE CHURCHES
For more than 30 years, ENLACE has had the privilege of walking WITH churches as THEY walk WITH their communities to bring about profound change. Whether the local church is nestled in mountainous areas, a farming region, or along the coast, the poverty experienced by the local population is extreme. Generally, families living in poor rural areas lack adequate living conditions, school and community infrastructure, good jobs, or viable economic opportunities. And that’s where the ENLACE Church Coach comes in.
ENLACE CHURCH COACHES
ENLACE Church Coaches provide on-site coaching and consulting to church leaders on how to organize one’s church to serve effectively, how to build relationships with community leaders, associations, and organizations, and how to identify and develop sustainable collaborative initiatives and projects that alleviate poverty in their neighborhoods. ENLACE Church Coaches work tirelessly on a daily basis, coaching and offering technical support, and are committed to walking alongside the church for seven to 10 years.
“I used to do everything by myself, and my ministry to the community was simply visiting the elderly and helping children. My church coach helped motivate our entire church and showed us how to work together to make a significant impact.”
– Pastora Marta Vaquerano Palabra de Poder Church, Anemona, San Martin
After being trained to listen to their neighbors, take surveys, and engage with organizations already present in their community, the church breaks out of its shell and becomes a powerhouse of transformation! And every year, as the projects become more technical and require stronger leadership skills and collaboration with the community, ENLACE coaches walk with the church as they develop and strengthen its relationships with water boards, health committees, public schools, and mayor’s offices as well as with the community associations of nearby hamlets.
ENLACE COMMUNITIES
“I have received so many hugs from people who are suffering but are still giving and being generous to their communities. I have received more than what I have given.”
When she first started working as a Church Coach, Fabiola said that she learned many things from a woman she was training. Rosita was one of the leaders of the community and a member of one of the first churches that ENLACE started to work with. Rosita was a single mom with two children but was still very involved in her church. Fabiola was impressed that she had a clean house, knowing that Rosita didn’t have access to clean running water.
At that time, Fabiola was still in school and was trying to complete her homework while staying at Rosita’s house. Rosita said that Fabiola could have the light on to do her homework. Rosita and her family only had one light in the house, but she was willing to give her the light.
Fabiola recalls that Rosita made it seem so easy. Simple tasks like doing the laundry can seem so “hard” when you have children, but for women like Rosita they are hard. They have to walk to the river carrying the dirty clothes of the entire family, wash them in the river, and then come back carrying the heavy wet clothes to hang outside their home. Fabiola admires these women who come to the ENLACE meetings even after they have already done so many time-consuming tasks in their homes.
“These women are doing a lot with less, but they are always faithful.”
Fabiola remembers early on when she was working with a remote community where they were planning on building latrines. They had to walk for 4 hours around the mountainous terrain to visit all of the people who would receive a latrine. She remembers staying with one of the leaders in the community who was a seamstress. The woman was sewing school uniforms, and on one particular night, there was a lot of work, so Fabiola offered to help sew. In this moment and so many since then, Fabiola recalled her mother’s words, “The more you learn things, the more you can help people.”
A serving team from the U.S. comes to help build and bring the additional funds needed to build these composting latrines for this community in rural El Salvador.
Another moment early in her journey as a church coach, with her mother’s lesson in mind, Fabiola started a class to teach English to a group of children in the community. “I don’t know much, but I can teach a little bit,” she thought. Eleven years later, one of the boys in that class has a bachelor’s degree in English. When recalling this story, Fabiola laughed and said, “Now he knows more than me!”
Fabiola’s admiration for the people living in the communities ENLACE serves has not waned. Recently, in the middle of a housing initiative, the local mayor’s office did not come through with the funding that they had promised. Two 70-year-old women were so set on finishing this project that they spoke boldly, “We’re going to build these houses, no matter what!”
To Fabiola, these lovely, fragile women are shining examples of what happens when we are committed to loving people. While they could be relaxing in their old age, instead, they are moving mountains to serve their community. Fabiola said she wants to be like them when she grows up!
“Sometimes, as women, we feel we are not seen or heard, but I am so grateful that I work with men who know the value of women in leadership.”
Fabiola is now in charge of all the ENLACE church coaches in El Salvador. Ron Bueno, ENLACE’s executive director, described her as “all terrain.” When asked what Fabiola means to ENLACE, Ron replied, “She was a great coach and now is a great leader. Fabiola is deeply committed to seeing the local church flourish and wants to see ENLACE be a healthy and encouraging place to work.”
When asked what she loves most about working on the ENLACE team, she said, “What I like most is talking to people, listening to their stories, [and seeing] the faith they have in a better future. I love seeing lives transformed and relationships restored when the church takes on the challenge of loving its community the way Jesus does.”
Fabiola is also a professor in the Community Development department at the Christian University of the Assemblies of God and serves in her local church as a teacher of adults. Fabiola and her husband Wilmer have two beautiful children, Nicolás and Ezequiel. She likes plants, drinking coffee, and spending time with her extended family.
Other ENLACE colleagues echoed Ron’s words. They described Fabiola as a servant leader who cares deeply about people, a dedicated mother and friend. She is reflective and funny, and cares about justice. Fabiola demonstrates the love of Christ and ENLACE is grateful and blessed for her leadership and friendship. If you’d like to give to support projects and people like Fabiola, click here.
