As many of you know, El Salvador is a violent country, in fact, per capita it is the most violent country in the world. The statistics can really scare a person, but we don't dwell on them because this is the place that God has called us to work. Most of the violence is a result of rival gangs who juggle for more territory and punish outsiders who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We live in a safe part of the city and in a very safe apartment building. We have a 24-hour security guard/doorman who checks ID of everyone who enters the parking lot. In addition, there is a second on-site employee who takes care of maintenance and cleaning. Juan and Gerardo alternate 24-hour shifts with Tulio and Jose so the building is always staffed. Gerardo is about 25 and is Tulio's son-in-law. On Monday, Gerardo was not working so he was at home in a small city outside of San Salvador. We don't know all of the details, but evidently he and his wife were walking to their house when he realized he needed to go back to one of the little shops. He told her to go on home, and he returned to town. When he didn't come back home after 30 minutes, his wife tried to call him, but got no answer. He hasn't been seen since Monday, and they believe, based upon gang activity in that town, that he was probably killed. They don't know if his body will be found.
Please pray for his wife (I don't know her name), his parents and his in-laws. If the guards don't work they don't get paid, so Tulio was at work on Friday. Unfortunately, situations like this are repeated daily in this country; please pray for El Salvador--Jesus is the only solution to the problem as only He can change hearts, heal hurts and bring about true peace.
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