What a Wonderful World

Two of my favorite songs…

“Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you”

“I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world”

If you haven’t figured it out, I’m in a rather romantic sort of mood. Not romantic as in I’ve found a gorgeous woman here in El Salvador, though there are many. I have found a love for the people here. We have been able to spend more and more time with kids in the neighborhood and orphanage throughout the past week. We had a wonderful group of mostly Juniors from KOR private school in College Station, along with some couples as chaperones. Mostly first time SHIP trippers with a few who had been before. They were great workers who interacted well with everyone. No real squabbles is pretty impressive for a group of peers in a new place that is physically and emotionally draining.

We had the largest attendance ever, by 30, at our outreach of 100 people from the community.  This involved our team leading worship, sharing some testimonies, a short sermon, and some sweaty chicken. Not sure exactly what sweaty chicken is or why it’s called that but it tasted good. SHIP has become a major life/hope giving location here in El Salvador. If you didn’t know, it took about 7 years for SHIP to be able to build their main building. Though it was very hard, the Horton’s look back on this time as a blessing because it allowed them to build relationships in the community. It is an honor for me to be here at this time where SHIP is so established. Part of our project over the next few weeks is to get the second building in a livable state. This means doing the finishing touches on the apartment windows, doors, and bathrooms for the 8 or so apartments. We will also finish the SHIP shop retail store to move it to that same building, as it is outgrowing the big room in the main building. So when I say I’m getting to see projects come together, I’m not kidding. We also will finish the house I was able to work on during my spring break trip. This will be for a mom with two wonderful high school or college age daughters who have all been living in one of the rooms of the main building. So much of this place is coming together. God has been working through everyone that has come and through those supporting us. Though we are here to build houses and provide material needs, we desire for the people here to know God. A few days ago, a young man, David, who has been a hired hand and helped work on many of the projects accepted Christ as Lord of his life. Whoop for that! God is making Himself known!

It has been a frustration of mine not being able to interact and share everything that is going on. I could type until my fingers fell off and still not be close to saying everything. There is simply not enough time to go through life alongside every person. However, there will be time in heaven for us to catch up. I truly hope and pray to see you there! Whatever your beliefs may be, the bible is clear that Jesus is the way, truth, and life and no one gets to Heaven unless they accept Jesus as Lord of their life. What does that mean? To put it simply, admit and understand you are broken and in need of a savior. Understand and believe that Jesus has paid your penalty for sin against a holy and perfect God. Accept this gift of being reunited with God and tell people about it. It is entwined in all the bible stories how God wants us to know Him. If you are new to the Bible and want to learn more, I would recommend starting in the book of John. And feel free to message me on Facebook if you have any questions or thoughts. I may not be able to help clear up everything but I will do my best or point you to someone who can.

As always, I would ask for prayer for safety, health, energy, and boldness to follow God’s will. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Ryan Green

 Preparing shelfs and racks for the new SHIP shop

 Some sheet rock the group

 The girl's castle with one diligent worker

 Me and Juan Carlos with the kids from KOR

Juan Carlos reading during a break for the men's bible study

 Beach dogs wanting to inhabit our castle

 The serpent guarding the guy's castle

 The guy's castle

 Seth hard at work

Seth defending the fort 

Hola from El Salvador!!

We have arrived and the adventures have begun! The adventures were delayed by a couple hours due to a malfunction with the airplane leading to a change in planes after everyone had boarded and was ready to go. This affected the most important start of our trip: pupusas for lunch! We still got 'em but it was a much longer wait than any of us wanted. But in all seriousness, our trip has had no major obstacles. Pupusas were delayed, so what? My bag didn't make the flight, so what? (My bag made it earlier today) I feel like it was a warm welcome to our practice on flexibility. Flexibility will be our new middle and last names. We have been repeatedly assured that God wants us to be here in El Salvador through countless reminders. It's going to be alright, no reason to worry. Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

After lunch at the pupuseria, we made it to the SHIP facility to get settled in and see some familiar  faces. Smiles everywhere! We took some of the girls with us to go shopping for our food for the next few days. They had a blast! It's hard to convey everything that is going on because there is so much of it. Our goals for the past two days have been to get settled in and prepare for the group coming on Saturday. We have been and will continue to make sure all the rooms have enough beds, bedding, and all the bathrooms have working toilets and showers. We will also be hanging soap dispensers above all the sinks, and soap/shampoo/conditioner dispensers in all the showers. We have been constantly busy and productive, but it's been the good kind. Low stress levels have remained constant. No reason to worry. Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

Now for a couple of fun things. I got to chase a vicious gecko, and i mean vicious, out of the two girls' room. They asked me if I was scared of them but I said no they didn't bother me. It brought back memories of chasing them growing up. I didn't catch him, well not all of him...I caught his tail and he ran off. It's natural for their tails to come of when they get grabbed so don't worry or call peta. He's perfectly fine but still missing, although we all agreed that he'd be too traumatized to stay in that room anymore. The second fun thing I did today was go shopping. Well, that's not totally true but it led to a fun thing, driving. The roads are chaotic and fast paced from my Texas point of view. Nevertheless, it is possible to drive here. I got to drive us back from the shopping center where we bought some beds and mattresses. Talk about an adventure! I had three guys telling me where to turn in order to get home but I was the one doing the turning. It was fun in its own way. And if this story made you worry, don't. We believe that God has led us to be here and will protect us. We still use our brains, but we rest in God's security. Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere. 

God is doing amazing work and is changing lives. I can hardly wait to see what else will come our way. There are opportunities to engage and encourage people constantly. I can speak for the group in asking for prayer for seeing and acting on those opportunities. We have come here to make the name of Jesus known and help people form and strengthen their relationships with God. The construction, safety, money, resources, etc. we bring are important but not our end goal. We want people to know God how we know Him. It is weaved  into every Bible story how God acts according to His plan and that His name will be known. We believe that He is using us to do just that, and that plays a major role in our motivation to keep moving forward every day. 

I hope all is well with you! Hasta luego y Dios lo bendiga!

Ryan Green