Last Day of February

Paying your rent early because you're going out of town--Good. Paying your rent on the last day of the month--Not so good.  Taking a number at the bank and realizing there are more than 60 people ahead of you--Bad.  Waiting for an hour at the bank to deposit the money in our landlord's account--only in El Salvador.

Tomorrow morning early we fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, for another evangelistic campaign.  We haven't been there since last March!  We will be spending one night with our former host family and then joining the groups from the states on Saturday.  

Guess I will be baking on Friday afternoon and/or Saturday morning because the family has requested Snickerdoodles and an apple pie.  

Night Under the Stars

Saturday night's event was wonderful in every way.  The tables looked awesome with their centerpieces that spelled LOVE.  Menus, name tags attached to felt hearts and boxes filled with candy were at each place setting.  The view was also amazing.

There were 26 couples at the dinner sitting at 8 different tables.  More than 50% of the couples had never been to the church, but, instead were invited to attend by a couple from the church.  The food was delicious (as you can see from the pictures.)  Stephen played the piano for over an hour while we visited at the tables and had dinner.  He had time to eat when Pastor Nelson shared a brief message about the type of love that it takes to have a successful marriage and finished by sharing the gospel.  The evening ended with some friendly games at the table and then competition between the tables.  All of the couples were invited to the upcoming couples retreat.  The good news is that one of the couple was at church Sunday morning and both made professions of faith.

Beautiful Day in Guatemala City

You hardly ever have to worry about the weather here in Guatemala (well, maybe during the rainy season when the skies drop buckets of rain), and today is no exception--sunny and 73 degrees.

The drive yesterday was uneventful except for the really bad drivers--especially a semi that was going too fast downhill on a curve and took up a good part of our lane--and an abundance of speed bump in every little town.  The borders were wide open with no lines so we scooted through with little delay.  The city traffic was normal, not excessive; we made it to the Rivas home around 2:30.

This morning after a delicious breakfast of strawberry crepes, we are all working or relaxing in various ways.  Nelson is reviewing his sermon, Stephen is practicing piano, Rosemarie and Dani are running a last minute errand, Camila is doing math homework, not sure about the other 2 girls and I just finished the PowerPoint file that has the music set for tonight's romantic evening.  The event is called "Noche Bajo Las Estrellas" (Night Under the Stars) and it is an evening just for couples from Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, Guatemala City.  We had a laugh earlier today that it should really be named "Night Under the Ceiling" since we will be inside.  The dinner is at The Grill, a restaurant high on the side of a mountain that overlooking the lights of Guatemala City.  I've attached two pictures of the view from the restaurant.  Tomorrow I will try to post pictures of the event!

Almost dark but you can still see Volcan de Agua in the background.

Downtown Guatemala City is brightly lit.  The city of 5 million+ is in the valley below the restaurant.

Guate--here we come

We are planning to leave in the next half hour . . . . so this will be short.  Today we are driving to Guatemala. It's only our second time to go by ourselves and, like last time, we are a bit anxious about staying on the right path.  It's so different from traveling in the states where (even though we complain) there are directional signs everywhere.

Stephen has been invited to play the piano at the couples banquet (Night Under the Stars) at Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva Guatemala.  We're excited to have the opportunity to share this special evening with our friends.  We will be staying at Pastor Nelson and Rosemarie's home.  We really love this family of 6--they are so welcoming and there will be a lot of laughing!

That's it for now . . . . got to get everything in the suitcase and get out of here.  Please take a minute to pray for us when you read this!

Wrap up of Judgment House

‎"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.  Judgment House at our church in San Salvador finished last night.

During the past 5 days we have had the privilege of proclaiming the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to the nearly 3,000 people who visited Judgment House.  Praise the Lord for the great things He is doing here in El Salvador--there were 301 professions of faith and 156 others renewed their commitment to Christ. Next weekend we will open Judgment House in Lourdes!  Please continue to pray.

We cared for hundreds of kids over the course of the 5 nights--coloring, eating cookies, playing games, making crafts, quieting crying babies/toddlers and more.  Today we are tired, but happy to have been a part of this kingdom work and so thankful that there was no school at New Life Christian School today.

La Mejor Amistad de Todas

The Best Friendship of All was the theme for today's women's ministry breakfast.  Praise the Lord over 100 women attended!

The morning started with a sharing game at our table. Each of rolled a die and answered the corresponding question.  Questions included:  What was your most embarrassing moment?  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?  If you were going to print a T-shirt, what saying would you put on it?  Who is your favorite Bible character and why?  Anyway, you get the idea and can imagine that there was tons of laughter.

After a typical Salvadoran breakfast, we were privileged to watch a parody of the court room drama, "Case Closed."  Each of the three cases featured two ex-friends with one of them feeling that that she had been  wronged by the other.  It was definitely a hilarious take on friendship with the judge quoting a Bible verse and telling the friends to "hug and forgive."


I pray that my short devotional, "Friendship Requires Action," challenged the ladies.  If we want to be friends and have friends, we can't sit passively by.  We must take action to encourage, challenge, enjoy and develop our friends.

Thanks for all of you who prayed for me over this past week and this morning.  Enjoy a few pictures of the event!

My table--the only two gringas were sitting together!

Beautiful women of Vida Nueva

A full room!

 

"Case Closed," complete with judge, security,
a plaintiff and a defendant!

 Presenting with Patty, my translator.

 Such a privilege to work with
these women!

Women's Ministry Breakfast

I will be an early morning tomorrow . . . Ena is picking me up at 6:45 a.m.  We want to be sure we have time to get everything set up (computer, projector, sound system, screen) before the breakfast starts at 8:00.  Please pray that the I will share exactly what the Lord wants and that if there are any women who do not know Jesus as their personal savior, that they will make a decision tomorrow.

My Handy Valentine

Stephen Parris, you are my Valentine hero. Our tankless hot water heater broke and we have been dealing with cold showers for the past 5 days. Needless to say, I am not a fan.  We called our landlord on Monday, but still have not heard back from him.  

So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and as of this minute, I have a new, perfectly installed tankless hot water heater! Hurrah for hot showers and a handyman (part electrician/part plumber) husband.

Judgment House--Borrowed Words

Today, I "borrow words" from Pastor's Julio's blog.  Since we are in child care we don't really see what is going on outside of our room, his perspective offers the insight we need.  Thanks to him for his words and apologies to him for my English translation of his original blog post.  You can find his excellent blog of all things Vida Nueva at: JContreras.com.

Just now officially ended what is "the ultimate test" of Judgment House ... actually 17 groups circulated throughout this night.  It was a night designed to help reconcile times, refine details, identify errors and fix everything for the rest of the week, and the following weekend.  It was the final practice before several thousand visitors enjoy a quality experience where the gospel is presented as clearly as it should be. It's exciting.

This was also the "night for believers" ... members of Vida Nueva (and other churches) who for various reasons do not bring a guest for the rest of the week had the opportunity tonight to witness and enjoy the work. Still ... there was salvation among us today ... about 30 people made professions of faith in Jesus for the first time and some more decided to get "back on track" to consider life, death, eternity ... in short, was very good excellent!

The rest of the week will be even better ... tonight we had the traditional long line, but tomorrow night entrance is with tickets only which allows us to better control admission. 

Hmmm ... this Judgement House is a blessing. I'll tell you as the week goes.

Final Dress Rehearsal

The Judgment House final dress rehearsal is tonight . . . people from the church are invited to come and watch tonight so it will be a long night.  In the past, I have worked in "child care" with Paula--although the nursery was only for kids who were too young to watch the scene about hell.  The kids would come and go rapidly--most were there for only 10-15 minutes while their parents were in the scene and then they would rejoin their parents to go to "Heaven."  By the time they sat down and ate their snack, it was nearly time to go.

This year, the pastors have requested that parents not bring children under 12 to Judgment House.  The story this year is especially intense (home invasion/kidnapping/murder) so the pastors are concerned that the entire drama will be too much for young kids.  We don't know what to expect--either there will be almost no children at all or people will still bring their children with them.  If the later is the case, we will watch them for the length of the performance (an hour+ in most cases.)  We've stocked up on snacks, Bible coloring pages, Spanish Veggie Tale videos and some simple crafts.  I'll let you know tomorrow if we have to move to Plan B.

Thanks for praying for Judgment House!

A Special Need

There are two sisters in our church at Lourdes and they both have cystic fibrosis.  Please read the story and commit to praying for them.  If you can help financially with the purchase of their medicine, contact me by email at:  parrisinelsalvador@gmail.com or go directly to the website: www.gofundme.com/maferandvaleriavizcarra to donate.

The tireless struggle Mafer 12 and Valeria 4, with cystic fibrosis.

The daily life in the Vizcarra family from El Salvador has not been easy. Mafer and Valeria's parents have had to join forces in order to prolong their lives. The girls have Cystic Fibrosis, a condition without cure that primarily affects the lungs and to a lesser extent the intestine, pancreas and liver.

On average, people who have cystic fibrosis live into their mid-to-late 30s in the US but in El Salvador those years are reduced more than a 50% due the lack of medication in the hospitals and the high cost of the medication.

Maria Fernanda (Mafer) loves to sing and wants to be an artist when she grows up.  Valeria loves to play and think about further study and learn more. The girls glances seem active and healthy, but since birth have not have a normal life.  They love going to school but their condition does not allow them to attend, as they miss too many days or weeks due their condition. Both sisters are finishing their education through "Homeschooling", a program that allows parents be the teachers of their children from their home.

They are unable to play like other kids due the poor condition of their lungs.  Their Mom had to quit her job to devote herself to her daughters. Dad is the only economic pillar of the family.

You won’t believe how expensive the medicine is. They need about $5000 per month to provide the medication for the 2 girls.  When they have money the hospitals run out of medication very often which does not help to maintain a continues treatment.   $5000!! Can you imagine that in a country where the minimal salary per month is $224.00. God has been faithful in providing through donation and people that get to know the girls and have compassion for them.

Valeria's conditions right now is not good at all she has an injury to the lungs which  progresses very fast.  The doctor told her mom that she may soon become dependent on oxygen.  They aren’t giving their parents much hope. Mafer is living with a bacteria called pseudomonas that can complicate her health.  Praise the Lord, so far, it has not done so.

Right now they need a drug called Pulmozyme.  The good news is that they have it in El Salvador; the bad news is that is very expensive for them. Would you help them? I am trying to raise $1000.00 for them. That will help them a lot, little by little.

PLEASE HELP MAFER AND VALERIA TO HAVE THE CHILDHOOD THEY DESERVE

Here is a web site you find more information about Cystic Fibrosis http://children.webmd.com/tc/cystic-fibrosis-topic-overview

Here is a link to an article in a Salvadorian newspaper about Valeria and Maria Fernanda (in Spanish)

http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/77036/2013/01/27/Un-sueno-incansable-para-Mafer-y-Valeria-ante-la-fibrosis-quisticales.

Judgment House

I think I mentioned our church is having Judgment House again this year.  I know that I included it in the list of things to pray for in our February newsletter.  We aren't having school next week because the logistics team will be setting everything up.  Since the church doesn't have any unused rooms, our classrooms are used for the Judgment House scenes.  Last year, in addition to the school rooms, there were three scenes set up in the parking lot--cafeteria scene, birthday party scene and funeral scene.  I don't know the details of the story this year, but they will likely use every available space again.

Stephen will be working with Jeff (not sure what area) and I will be working with Paula in the nursery.  Everyone involved will be out very late (usually well after midnight) so please pray for health, stamina and safety.  We're among the lucky ones who don't have to go to work the next morning.

Please pray for the unsaved and unchurched people who have been and are being invited to come.  We want this to be a powerful tool to reach people for the kingdom.

Here's the graphic for this year's presentation . . . . The Rescue!

Before and After

Left side--Lourdes "open air" sanctuary last year before the construction started.  Both pictures are taken from the same corner.

Dedication of New Sanctuary in Lourdes

What an amazing day at Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, Lourdes.  God has blessed this church abundantly over the past year and today we were privileged to join in the celebration as the church dedicated the new sanctuary.   There were 379 adults, 28 first time visitors and 5 people saved in the service today.

The team from Gospel Baptist Church in Ohio was recognized--members of this church provided a major portion of the money that was used to construct/renovate the new building.  In addition, they have been here in El Salvador this week laboring along side the other workers.  They've painted, moved rocks, stained doors, shoveled dirt, picked up trash and much more.  Jeff and Paula were also recognized for their work on the project.  Jeff was responsible for overseeing all of the architectural plans and construction, as well as the interior design and furniture.

If you've worshipped at Lourdes in the past, you will not recognize the church property.  However, if you come visit again, you will recognize the warmth of the people, their love of the Lord and the presence of God in this place.

A few pictures of the day!

 A full house in the new sanctuary.

 Pastor Julio welcoming the congregation.

Singing, "How Great Is our God"

 Thanking Jeff and Paula for their leadership and work.

 Recognizing the team from Gospel Baptist Church

Prayer of thanksgiving to God for his blessings 

Phone Number Change

Since we got to El Salvador we've been using Vonage for our Internet phone service.  With an Internet phone, we get a local (816) number and are able to make and receive calls from the US at no charge.  While we have been very happy with our Vonage account, our missionary friends, the Blackstocks, told us about the service they use which is called Ooma.  The difference between Vonage and Ooma is that there is NO monthly charge to use Ooma.  The only cost is to buy the Ooma device which is about $100.  (Vonage also requires the purchase of their proprietary equipment.)

Our Vonage bill was close to $40 per month or about $500 per year.  So, with Ooma, taking into account the cost of the device, we will save close to $400 this year.  For 2014, we will save the full $500 yearly cost.    Although there was an option to port our old number over (cost $40 and took 2-3 weeks,) we decided, in the interest of total cost savings, that changing our number was the best way to go.

Now, for the sales pitch--obviously, if you've already disconnected your home phone, this will not be of help.  But, if you still have a home phone number and would like to keep it, you might check out Ooma.com.  You can find out if your number can be ported over.  If it can, you can be on your way to nearly $0 cost per month for home phone service.  In the interest of full disclosure, we still have to pay the monthly taxes (ours will be less than $3.)

Anyway, if you are reading this blog and would like to have our new phone number, please let me know.  I don't plan to publish it on the blog, but would be happy to email it to you.