week 3 in Zaragoza

I was able to find a wonderful lady named Maria to wash my clothes every week. English classes were going strong and it was such a pleasure to help then with the pronouncing. My little house gets pretty hot by 11am, now I know why people hang outside. I clearly brought the wrong shoes to wear due to all the dirt and the rocks. It nice to go to church service on Saturday nights, the worship music is wonderful. I am praying for the spirit to fall in a wave of freedom of worship. The Pastors are such sweet men. The head Pastor Borja speaks English and Pastor Frank also the principal of the school speaks no English but we are able to communicate most of the time. My pila in the house, were you store water for toilet flushing and baths had a leak, so I had no water. I told Pastor Frank and he immediately got me two barrels and pumped water into them for me. Great people. No DSL yet. Allot of the past weeks I have gone every few days to Liana's moms house just 10 to 15 min. away to take a shower. I think I have mastered washing dishes in cold water---even when grease is involved.

week 2 in Zaragoza, El Salvador

My second night in the house alone, I heard a few thumbs on the roof and some weird movements. The next morning in my poor Spanish I spoke to the Pastor who as the Principal of the School too and he said it was gato's. That is cat in Spanish and yes it was cats on the roof at night, could be why there a no problems with rats!
I began to go to the Peniel church school to help Giovini, the English teacher with the pronunciation of English words. The older kids 15 - 17 years old really were hungry to learn and were so excited. The children were not so structured as our schools, they were chatting among themselves, moving around and rather noisy most of the times. When I explained to them how our schools ran they were so surprised and said we would not like that!
I was able to go to the younger kids later in the week and they just were so excited I had come, they were yelling and we had to bring them back to order.
I began using the cyber cafe 3 houses down to my home because dsl was not ordered yet from my home. The keyboards were older, some keys in the wrong place and the shift key for capitalizing was to hard to press. They were 5 computers in the room and in the next room a video game going most of the time for the kids. The girl who owned the cafe was Sylvia, who spoke English well and really turned out to be a dear friend---God's plan all along. I found out she had been hurt a few years back and had just started returning to church again. Beautiful young lady of 22 years. Through Sylvia I met her cousin Wilbur-who's English was very good and her Aunt who owned the small store across from my house and many others. My neighbors children were coming to color in my house quite often and teaching me Spanish. One little girl Gabriel and her brother Manuel were frequent visitors to my home. Gabbi ate with me on 2 occasions.
Other than being extremely hot, life was good and really starting to enjoy the food. I was given a Jeep Cherokee to drive and it even had air condition.

Zaragoza, El Salvador, first week 2/2 - 2/8

The first week I was in Zaragoza there was a small team with me, it consisted of Liana Colgate, Lauren Colgate, Dolly Drysdale (from my church-NorthGate). We worked very hard because when we arrive to the house it was all painted but off white and seemed really dreary and live less.
The very next day Liana and Erick Moran went and chose new and vibrant colors of paint and off we went to painting. Dolly did all the trim in the house a Terra cot ta color and it just set everything off. All was well.
We went and got to pick out furniture and appliances for the new little home. Most all was delivered Saturday and everyone spent the night in the house, the neighbors sent in their children barring gifts, it was really humbling.

The Old is gone/The New Coming

Most of my stuff in my house has been removed and my parents are keeping it for me.Praise God! God keeps telling me to go and the founder of iCOR keeps hearing from God go but my home still has not rented. If for some reason I don't rent it by 2/1/09, I will go down with the team on 2/2/09 and return with the team on 2/8/09 until the house does rent. It is interesting living in a 1/2 empty house and Daisey (dog) doesn't know what to think! I have several gatherings of friends this weekend as send offs and my church (NorthGate) will pray over me also. In His timing it will all take place!

Approaching Quickly

I have scheduled a flight to leave for El Salvador on 2/2/09. but in order for me to leave God has to send a renter for my house--please lift that up in prayer. I am boxing up dishes etc. and my parents are willing to store all my stuff! It will be a challenge but God will help them. I appreciate them offering. They have room in their attic for alot of stuff., it is just the few heavy pieces that I have that concerns me. What little stuff I have left, I sold some and gave away some so its manageable. I left my permanent job with the family I was with for 3+ years. It was tuff leaving Matthew 3 1/2 and Andrew 10 months old ,Julie and Jon (parents) but I know it was God's timing. I have to rely on God now to provide the income I need until I leave, sound just like our God hugh! I have time now to pray more and prepare so that is very full filling.. More to come as the journey is about to start!

Getting Close

We are renting a home in Zaragoza, a very small home with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen and den---my guess about 1100 sq. feet or smaller. We need workers to go down in February 2, 2009 when I am expected to move. There is no hot water right now or any closets or screens on the windows. We will need to do some kind of water heating and shelves on the wall for closets. I am praying for a team of people to go with us when I move down to El Salvador in February. My key factor in all this is of course God's timing but my house has to rent in order for me to leave----please be praying. It looks like I will have a cell phone throught the pastor connection and most likely a car through them as well. The picking of the two children out of 50 will definately have to be a God thing. I am getting very excited as God makes my final plans to leave Atlanta, Georgia. I do have a phone through MagicJack(computer) which is 678-740-7984, if you would like to call me.

New Ground/Moving Date

We (iCOR) has decided not to take the land the pastors had offered us in El Salvador, due to them not owning it outright. Lily has rented a small pilot home in the same community of Zaragoza, I will start with 2 children. Since we are coming under the covering of this church I will be able to have the children with me all the time. All necessary paperwork was completed and the donor pledges came in far higher than we expected. Our previous property in Sonsonate that we were looking at for the community---has been found out to not be what we need and the cost to get the land were we need it to be to cultivate it is to costly. We gave since found land twice as big for the same price with horses and cows included. That property has two natural rivers and a waterfall on the property with an awsome Godly view of his wonders and fertile soil for crop planting. God is putting all the pieces together, keep praying. January 26th or Feb. 2nd are the projected move dates for me. It is so exciting to see God working.....