Homeless But Not Hopeless

Blog written by Zach Pierce (Senior at Northwood High School, Irvine)

Last night we went out to feed some of the homeless people that were wandering the streets of El Salvador. None of us knew what to expect but we knew that this night was going to have an impact on our lives. We were right.  Here’s how the night went: to start out, we formed the most efficient sandwich making assembly line in the history of El Salvador mission trips, with each person having their own task that that they were in charge of. On any other day, I would consider making 100 to 200 sandwiches as a rather tedious task, but it ended up being a great time together. By the time we packed the last bag, about thirty minutes had passed. The meals consisted of a bologna sandwich, chips, cookies, a juice box, a handsome supply of napkins, and an apple.

At about 9:30, we hit the streets. About twelve members of the team, along with two translators, crammed into the back of the truck. It was a tight squeeze. Before we took off, the translators informed us on what specifically our job was on this little trip. They explained to us that we are here only to give and the only time we mention God will be after we give them when we say “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you). Personally, I knew there were a lot of homeless people on the streets but I really didn’t know exactly how many to expect. We didn’t have to drive far to find our first person. We yelled “comida” (food) and he sprinted right over. I was expecting the whole night to have similar encounters throughout the night and I was actually starting to wonder if we would even give out the food. Then we stopped by some more populated homeless areas and we even saw people running from hundreds of feet away just for a meal. We fed everyone regardless of his or her situation. They could be young, old, a drug addict, an alcoholic, or handicapped. Everyone was equal in the eyes of God and therefore everyone got to eat.

There was one moment that touched the team and me more than the others. We drove past one of the business districts and saw three homeless people sleeping in front of a row of stores. It rained sporadically throughout the night so they were just trying to get some sleep in a dry space. As we got closer, it was apparent that one of the people was not a middle-aged man or woman similar to most of the people we had seen. He was a young boy who looked about 12 or 13. When our translator woke him up, he seemed disoriented and really out of it. He looked nothing like the smiling kids we had played with early that day at the orphanage. He looked broken. Apparently, Kurt knew this boy. He had been in and out of homes because he would always run away. He would brag to his friends about how great life outside the homes was. It didn’t seem like this was a life to brag about. Personally, I began to think about what this kid does during the day and what motivates him to get up in the morning. It was a depressing image to say the least. 

People in the meeting afterwards described what they saw as hopeless and I agreed. I am sure it was a great blessing to most of those people, but it was just one meal. The most important thing I hope the homeless realize through the meals is that there is hope because God loves everyone. I hope that the people understand that we are giving them food in the name of the Lord and that even though their situation seems inescapable, the Lord has a plan for them. It might be easy for these people to hate God and therefore it was admirable and somewhat comforting that a lot of them said “God bless you” with such passion when they received the food. Those were the type of people that inspired hope in the community. It was an eye opening experience for everyone and I am very thankful I got to be a part of it. 

Slam Dunk for the Lord

Blog post written by Amanda Deal

Today was our first official day in El Salvador. We began the day with breakfast and our first team meeting.  Jenni encouraged us with the parable of “The Sheep and the Goats” from the book of Matthew. Although we are here blessing the people of El Salvador, we are ultimately serving Christ by helping His people.  

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me".

Afterwards, we loaded the van for church. Upon arrival, we were greeted with beautiful smiles and welcoming words from the people of “Iglesia Monte Calvario.” Although this was my third time visiting, the church's passion and hunger for Jesus still encouraged and challenged me. We joined the church in worship and prayer over the needs of their country. Jenni had the opportunity to provide a visual demonstration of the world’s religious demographics. She encouraged the church and our team to respond to God’s call to pray, love, and share the gospel to those who do not yet know Jesus. After church, we had an opportunity to respond to God’s call.

We enjoyed a meal at the infamous Pollo Campero and then headed to the boys’ orphanage. This was my first time visiting the center and I was eager to spend time with the young group of boys who lived there. After a quick tour around the orphanage, we were quickly enthralled in an intense game of "futbol": the Gringos vs. the El Salvadorians. I loved watching the boys in their natural element. You could tell how much they loved the game, and, even more, how much they loved spending time with our team. Lucky for me, there was a basketball court right next to the soccer field. For those of you who don’t know, I am a basketball player. We were able to purchase two basketballs to give to the boys since they did not have any. As I began to introduce one of my favorite games, God decided to bring us all inside for something greater.
 

As it started to rain, we ran into the boys’ dorm area. I had the opportunity to share my testimony. I began talking about my first love: basketball. I explained to the boys that basketball provided an outlet for me through difficult times of trial in my life. I shared stories about my basketball experiences, the teams I played with, and all the incredible opportunities I had through my 16 years of playing. I then went on to share my experience with my ultimate love and the best team I’ve ever been on (playing for God).  I told the boys about my relationship with Christ. I explained that although basketball has filled my life with joy, the joy I receive from God’s promises, grace, and love surpasses any basket I’ve ever made or any game I’ve ever won. I was followed by “the Doctor” (Thomas), “the Gangster” (Stephanie), and “the Pastor” (David). Each of us were able to tell our stories and reveal different aspects of our Father God. Many of the boys were led to raise their hands and commit their lives to Jesus. We were able to pray over them and sing praise to our Lord in both Spanish and English.

Although I enjoyed playing basketball with the boys, I am forever blessed by the opportunity I had to share Jesus with them. Today was a slam dunk for the Lord.  

*Note - we are unable to post close photos of the boys from this center.

 Please pray for these precious boys and for long term solutions, 

healing for their families and their ongoing walks with the Lord. 

Safe and Sound

We are here!  Our team had an uneventful day of travel and arrived into San Salvador around 9 pm.

After a yummy pizza dinner, we had an orientation of the mission house and reviewed the week's schedule.  We have an amazing week planned... here's a brief synopsis:

Sunday - Church, visit a boys' orphanage, feed the homeless in the evening
Monday - Begin construction on the concrete home (near the border of Guatemala)
Tuesday - Visit 3 special needs homes, feed the homeless in the evening
Wednesday - Take the kids from the government center to a water park
Thursday - Complete construction & dedicate home
Friday - Beach day, pupusa dinner & re-entry training
Saturday- Return home

Our Bags are Packed!

Last night our team met to sort and pack all of our donations.  We'll gather bright and early at LAX this Saturday to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!  Our team (of nineteen volunteers) is bringing twenty bags filled with stuffed animals, toys, clothes, bathing suits, medications and more.

We recently learned more information about the family that we'll be building a home for next week.  This amazing family has four boys (ages 2, 4, 10 and 12).  One of their precious sons has recently been battling leukemia and it has drawn their family together. We are so honored to build a home for their family and look forward to getting to know them in the coming week.

Great news!!!  Our team is now fully funded.  Thank you for your support, prayers and donations!  This week we will be building a concrete home, preparing meals and feeding the homeless community twice, taking seventy-eight children from a government orphanage to a water park and providing medical care to three other special needs homes.  It's going to be an unforgettable week!  Thank you for being on this journey with us!

Ramsey Adoption Story in Local Paper

Post written by Jenni Ramsey, Outreach Director for All Blessings Intl.

In June of 2007 we felt God leading our family towards international adoption.  We had no idea where the journey would take us or how our lives would be impacted.  We searched for Hailey for six years in three different countries (El Salvador, Taiwan and S. Korea), and her adoption was recently finalized on June 26, 2013.  We believe the Lord led us to El Salvador so that our eyes would be opened to the desperate needs of His children.  Although we experienced a failed adoption in El Salvador, we will continue to lead teams to this beautiful country as long as the Lord leads us.  We are honored to work alongside amazing partners in both El Salvador and Guatemala and love leading orphan outreach trips. 

We're grateful to The OC Register for sharing our adoption story.  Here is the link for the article:

"Adoption Journey Brings Couple a World of Love"

Photos taken by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register

Johnson: Adoption journey brings couple a world of love By BILL JOHNSON / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Life rarely is what you expect it to be. There simply are too many disappointments, unexpected hiccups, zigs when you are set on a zag. For Jenni and Mike Ramsey of Santa Ana, wanting to adopt a little girl was a rather personal, borderline-selfish desire. After all, they had two young boys already. A girl, well, just would be nice, they admit now. It goes back to 2007. Mike's sister had just adopted an orphan in China and it was such a nice thing. Why shouldn't they, the Ramseys asked themselves, do the same? They are, it should be noted here, a deeply religious couple. Mike in those days had worked with orphans in both Bosnia and El Salvador, even helping a family from their Irvine church turn property they own in El Salvador into a functioning orphanage. Yes, they would adopt. "We thought, we have the room to expand our family, so why not?" Jenni recalled. They picked an agency in El Salvador. They raised the $15,000 they figured it would take to make the adoption a reality. They would need every penny of it. There was a vast amount of paperwork to wade through - including an IQ test that would run them $2,000, simply to get qualified by El Salvadoran and U.S. authorities and to be matched with a suitable child. For one year they waited. About 11/2years later, the adoption agency arranged a trip for waiting parents to come to El Salvador. Jenni Ramsey was made a leader of four other people. "It was a life-changing event," she said. "It was heartbreaking to see the conditions at the different orphanages. It was awful. And I realized there that adoption is not culturally accepted there. We got there, and people thought we were crazy for wanting to do it. That's when I figured out our adoption wasn't going to happen." Indeed, the couple soon learned their papers had been shoved to the side in deep limbo, from which they would never emerge. The agency and its adoption program would soon follow, forever shut down. "The most significant thing that happened was we met a woman from a different agency, and she wanted to help us," Jenni Ramsey remembered. "She had a small adoption program, but knew the issues and the country. More importantly, she understood the desperate need to take care of orphans there." The Ramseys went home, but something inside them had been altered. "I'd left part of my heart in El Salvador," Jenni Ramsey said. Three years passed. It finally dawned on the couple that an adoption there would never happen. In 2010, the woman with the small adoption agency helped them to try again, this time in Korea. Yet what they had seen those years ago was too much to ignore, too desperate not to do something. Mike became missions pastor at the Village Church of Irvine where they attend. Jenni became missions director. They would focus on orphans who, according to UNICEF's latest figures, now total 143 million worldwide. In that time they have led teams of volunteers to El Salvador and to Guatemala, delivering basic necessities and medical care to orphanages in both countries. Next month, Jenni will make, with 20 volunteers from Orange County, her seventh trip to El Salvador. In November, she will make her third trip to Guatemala. Three years ago, they started the SoCal Orphan Care Network, an orphan crisis organization of more than 100 adoptive and foster families, attorneys and adoption professionals with a passion for caring for orphans. "That," Mike Ramsey said, "is really the heart of our story. It's about helping the least among us." They, at the same time, did their homework on Korea. It was, they soon learned, everything that El Salvador wasn't. Children actually were being adopted there. They would try again. The process, though, would cost about $35,000. They sent out letters to hundreds of friends. They started a blog, ran raffles for items over the Internet. People responded. Two families who had gone through the same El Salvador nightmare donated half of what they needed. They applied for 15 grants. They received four. Donations poured in. They qualified almost immediately to adopt in Korea. There was a barrage of visits from social workers and others, plus home inspections. The process started two years ago when Mike, a television commercial producer, was 43. Once he turned 45, he would be deemed too old to adopt. "At one point we gave up," Jenni said. "Korea slowed down. I think they wanted to do all adoptions internally." On June 12, 2012, Mike's 44th birthday, the couple received a call. There was a little girl for them. Yet the Koreans wanted the process expedited. "It was music to our ears," Jenni said.  Three months later, they traveled to Seoul to pick up their daughter.  Haesook Hwang was 15 months old. They would name her Hailey, a name they said sounded similar, and to honor her birth mother. Hailey Jane, who is 2 now, came to me with her arms raised when I walked in the door. I picked her up, she tugged at my face and smiled sweetly. Come Monday, a judge will officially change her name, and the young girl will become an American. Mike and Jenni will dress her in her traditional Korean dress for the occasion. When it is official, they will remove it to reveal a red, white and blue dress. The couple and their family and friends will then return home and celebrate.