Fill in the blank

As we posted almost a month ago (read it here:http://parrisinelsalvador.blogspot.com/2018/03/news-from-el-salvador_8.html), we are retiring from the mission field and returning to the US in July. We know the transition will not be easy, so please pray for us as we navigate the new waters we will see. Right now we are dealing with and I quote, "This is the final _______ here in Central America." We filled that blank several times already, i.e. campaign in Honduras, campaign in Nicaragua, Easter Sunday. It will be filled a million little ways over the next three+ months.

Nevertheless, we stand on God's promises and faithfulness as we seek to glorify Him during this time of great change.

Welcome 2018

Somewhere in the middle of 2017 I felt like I "ran out of words" and decided to stop blogging.  Now that 2018 is here, I think it may be time to return to the blog. I want to try to make it less about what we are doing in the ministry and more of what we are becoming in the ministry.  I don't know what it's going to look like or how long this phase will last, but I hope I enjoy the process.

The last three months of 2017 were especially difficult, with a variety of trials/ challenges/frustrating events and more.  I've not made it a habit to share the hard things, but I'm thinking that perhaps my failure to acknowledge that things do not always go perfectly, might be unwise.  I've never wanted to look like I'm complaining or dwell on negative things, but hardships/trails are one of God's most powerful teaching tools.    

The difficult season started with a series of problems with things, i.e. broken refrigerator, broken truck, flat tire, broken van window and more.  It's so easy to complain and feel "put upon" when things happen, especially when this type of problem comes with a price tag. We tried to keep a positive attitude, knowing that "things" can be replaced, however, in the middle of those issues, we came a series of family health problems:

• My niece, LIz, fully rejected her transplanted kidney and went back on dialysis. She had complications and ended up in the hospital for a week in October.  
• My brother, Ron, had a mild heart attack while working out of town
• Stephen's mom had several falls and her overall health continued to decline

Things have stabilized for my niece, although she will need surgery in January to repair a problem with her diaphragm.  Praise the Lord, my brother has very little, if any, damage to his heart and did not need any stints or by-pass.

Stephen's mom went to the hospital earlier in December and after a three-day stay was moved to a skilled nursing facility.  Her 30-day stay ends on January 5 and his dad is planning to take her home, against the advice of her doctors and the counsel of her children.  Our New Year's Eve party was a family conference call (3 brothers together, 2 other siblings on the phone) to determine what course of action needs to be taken in the situation.  At the end of the evening, we decided not to fight them, but rather allow them to return home and provide support through in-home care--at least in the short-term.

There are no easy answers as we move through this phase of life.  Thankfully, my dad, who celebrated his 92 birthday in October, is still in good health and is able to live alone. He is beginning to consider a move to a maintenance-free apartment, so we may be handing a move for him in the near future.

Although we have more than 12 mission trips per year, they are not equally spaced out through the year.  In fact, there are months when there are no scheduled mission trips, for example mid-January through February, April and September. During 2018, we've decided, as the schedule allows, to spend more time in the states to be of help to our parents and support our siblings.   

We are flying to Bogota, Colombia on Friday for the first campaign of 2018, but will be returning to Kansas City instead of El Salvador.  Our plan is to return to San Salvador on March 1 when the 2018 campaign season really gets going--three campaigns in a row during the month.

We know that God has a plan and that he is always faithful, but we covet your prayers for Stephen's parents and siblings as we all navigate this difficult time. In addition, please pray for us as we balance family and ministry--it's hard to be away from our regular ministry obligations with Vida Nueva.

 

Platinum to Nicaragua

Last time we had a campaign in Managua (December), we took the King Quality "Platinum" bus.  It's not as expensive as an airplane ticket, but lot's better than taking the yellow church bus.  It was our first trip to Nicaragua using a commercial bus line and, although a 12+ hour trip is always long, it was comfortable (food, air conditioning, movies, wifi.)  The only issue we had in December is that the bus departs El Salvador at 1:00 p.m. and arrives at 12:30 a.m., which is decidedly inconvenient when it comes to someone picking us up at the bus station and causes us to pay for a taxi instead.  The return trip departs at 3:00 a.m. from Managua which means another taxi ride.

So, after checking the price of plane tickets ($450 for a 40 minute flight), we decided that King Quality was the way to go.  Because the week before Easter, called Semana Santa (Holy Week) is traditionally a week of vacation, we bought our tickets more than a week ago.  The bus left on time, about 1:00 p.m., but traffic was heavy and it took longer than normal to reach the El Salvador border.  We spent more than two hours at the border--first having our passports reviewed by immigration agents (normal) and then having two police "interview" each bus passenger asking the purpose of their trip and various other questions.  One young girl's paperwork was found incomplete so she was escorted off the bus and was not allowed to leave the country.  At this point we were about two hours behind the normal schedule.  Heavy rain hit when we crossed into Honduras, which makes for slow progress on the bad roads.  We reached the Nicaragua border at 10:00 p.m. and we all had to retrieve our suitcases from below the bus, open them and have them inspected.  We left the border at 11:00 p.m. and the bus arrived at the station about 2:00 a.m.  Forty-five minutes later after a high-speed-chase type of taxi ride, we arrived at the hotel.  

Even though the trip was long and several of the conveniences we counted on (movies, wi-fi) weren't working, we still had it much easier than the Salvadorans.  Their trip in the yellow bus took almost 18 hours with 7+ hours spent in the various borders.

Tonight was the first campaign of the week.  There was a large crowd and many professions of faith.  It was a good reminder for us to keep our eyes on the things that matter and not on ourselves and our comfort!  We are thankful that God is faithful when we "go and share."  As always, pray for the work here in Managua this week!  

I Love Change

Actually, I do like change, but Stephen not so much!  We are in the middle of moving from the townhome where we've lived since we got to El Salvador to an apartment much closer to the church.  Even though we don't have very much stuff, moving is still a hassle, right?

The issue in moving right now is that we have a very limited amount of time.  We made the decision to move last Friday (11/7), gave written notice to our landlord and on Saturday dropped off the deposit with our new landlord.  The movers are coming on Tuesday, November 25, which doesn't sound too bad until you realize we are leaving for Guatemala on Thursday, November 13, and won't return until Sunday, November 23.  Yes, you heard right--we are going to be gone 11 days between now and moving day!

So that's what the front end looks like.  The after-we-move time frame isn't any better.  Everything should be in the new apartment by Tuesday, November 25, and after three nights in the new place we're heading to Nicaragua.  I'm pretty sure we won't be unpacking very much!

We get back from Nicaragua on Saturday, December 6, and fly to the states on Monday, December 8.  There will be plenty of boxes awaiting our return on January 2.  

Here's a few pictures of our progress so far.  I'll post more about the actual decision and how faithful God has been throughout this stressful process.  We are confident that this is the right time and right place for us.