Hunger Talks

Post written by Megan Hanson

Last night we fed the homeless, but this wasn't any type of homeless feeding I was used to. We first made a huge assembly line in order to prepare the meals. There was a rush to make sandwiches, grab apples, juice boxes, chips and lastly, my job, to open the bags (grocery store type bags) quickly and put all the food in the bag. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see how much work goes into making meals. I have a new appreciation for my mom, who used to made multiple lunches at midnight for my siblings and me in elementary school. Thank you Mom!

Next, we rode through the town in the back of the bed of the truck ready to pass out food. There were bars in the bed of the truck for us to sit on, but don't think that because we were in the bed of the truck that Kurt (our driver) drove slower. He drove as if there was nothing in the bed of his truck :) In order to stop and pass out food, our translators would bang on the truck to let Kurt know he needed to stop. It was crazy because we would stop to feed one man and then all of a sudden tons of people coming from under the freeway, trees, trash cans would storm the truck to get food. It was heartbreaking to see little boys coming up to the truck who looked 8 or 10 years old. It was also heartbreaking when we stopped to give a lady food and before she could come to the truck, she had to put on clothes. I can't imagine how hard her life must be and what she is going through.

The whole ride I was praying that God would multiple the food. Whether if it was our bag that somehow had extra meals or if it was for those people personally, that the food ended up lasting them longer then just that night. I realized how ungrateful I truly am. Amanda and I were talking about how we "need" to eat something every 2 hours.  However, seeing these people starving almost made me sick. Back at the house I have Cheetos, chocolate chips, Nutri-grain bars etc. just in case I need a snack. I can't even think how far my backpack would go for one of these people living on the streets.

All in all, it was a successful trip because it gave me a new perspective on what hunger looks like and it was a great exercise in trusting God to provide food. Also, it helped me to trust God while we were being stormed by hungry people, praying that He would keep us safe and protected. I will never forget this unbelievable homeless feeding.

And just one more quick story! As a young girl I never wore or wanted anything to do with nail polish. This past year there was a girl named Jordyn on my basketball team who always had nail polish and always wanted to paint my nails. At first it was a struggle, but eventually we were doing each others' nails almost everyday. I never thought this would come in handy, but today I painted about 10 girls' finger nails and toe nails. If it weren't for this past year, I would not have been able to do the girls' nails.  I was taken back at how God can prepare you for things in random situations.

14 Wedding Vows

Post written by Jenni Ramsey

Tonight we were blessed to participate in a group wedding celebration for 14 couples at Calvary Chapel, San Salvador.  Many of these couples have lived together for decades.  Some have children and grandchildren, and a few of these adorable kids held the trains of their dresses.  These couples have never been able to afford the costs of a wedding, or have never understood the importance of marriage.  It was so precious to see women in their 50's and 60's dressed in beautifully flowing wedding gowns.  I was blessed to be one of the greeters at the door and hugged and congratulated each bride.  It was overwhelming to play such a special role in their big event.  Many of these couples requested photos with me and our team, knowing that we were missionaries from the United States.

Before the ceremony, we were invited to speak on the Calvary Chapel radio program ("Radio VEA").  I did an impromptu interview in Spanish and it got my heartbeat going (speaking "live" on the air in Spanish)!  I was honored to speak about our week of ministry, the vision for the quinceanera, the homeless feeding ministry and also shared a bit of my personal calling to El Salvador.  Tonight was an unforgettable evening and our hearts are filled with much anticipation as we prepare for the quinceanera tomorrow.

Buenas noches de El Salvador!

"Lady X"

Written by Stephanie Keenan

Introducing Lady X (name protected). This girl is the reason for our big party tomorrow. Last year she told me her story and it changed my life. When I was in El Salvador last summer, I heard many girls share their traumatic life stories. I noticed a common theme in the fact that none of the girls were given quinceaneras, and this deeply grieved them. When "Lady X" shared her story in July, 2011, we decided to return this year to do the quinceanera. I have been conflicted all year in wanting "Lady X" to be here for the party, yet also hoping that she would have transitioned to a better place. Yesterday when we were trying on dresses, she asked if I remembered her. It didn't immediately come to me, but a few minutes later I was talking to our translator, Jenny, and realized that "Lady X" was "the one." When I asked Jenny if this was the girl who inspired the quinceanera, her face lit up and she said "Yes!"

Last year "Lady X" broke my heart with her story. This year she broke my heart when I realized that we didn't have a dress large enough to fit her beautiful figure.  I could see the sadness in her eyes when she told me that none of the dresses fit her.  In an instant, we decided to buy her a new dress.  To our surprise, the director allowed us to take "Lady X" and another young woman was also more shapely on a "shopping excursion" to pick their dresses.

I will never forget the look of pride and joy on "Lady X's" face when she walked out of the dressing room with "the perfect dress."  During our drive to the dress store, these precious girls told us that they had NEVER been shopping before.  Ever.  No one had ever taken either of these girls to a clothing store to choose their own clothes.  We were reminded today that we take so many things for granted.  Our team was blessed to collect 140 dresses for the quinceanera celebration.  We realized today that it wasn't an oversite that these girls did not find dresses among the 140.  It was God's perfect plan, allowing us the privilege of shopping with these girls for the first time.  They were glowing and their smiles never left their faces.   I can't wait to see them in their flowing gowns tomorrow!

Say "Yes to the Dress!"

Post written by Amanda Langdon

We couldn't have asked for a better first day. I loved the church we visited this morning! It was lively and expressive and we received very warm welcomes from everyone. We were blessed to worship the same God in English and Spanish, which was neat. Many of our team members shared testimonies with the church and Jenni gave an "impromptu" sermon. Some of us got to serve in the children's classroom, where we found the kids so happy and well behaved. What a morning!

Our main focus today, however, was to get the girls at the orphanage fitted for the quinceanera, which is being held on    Tuesday. It is Sunday now.  We arrived at the government orphanage, which was great to see, yet also filled us with sadness. Our missionary leader, Kurt Ackerman, took us on a tour, where we saw and held darling babies, visited teen moms and their babies, and played with a few of the special needs kids. All the children here are so precious and not one bit forgotten by God. 

We found the perfect spot in the courtyard and spread out all 140 plus prom-style dresses for the girls. We broke the girls into four different groups and you could feel the excitement in the air. We started out by sitting each group down and with our loving translators, told them what their "surprise quinceanera" day will be all about. While we are the "messengers" who carried the dresses and accessories, the quinceanera is truly a gift from God We reminded them that they are special no matter what their past has been. They are each a princess to God and he loves each of them. They then got to go 

over to the tables and "shop" for dresses.

These were dresses like they have never seen before. It was amazing to me to see how perfectly the dresses fit each girl. If they did need alterations, there were some amazing women ready to make them fit by Tuesday. It is difficult to put into words the way in which we saw God's hand all over this time. It went so smoothly and 40 girls found their perfect dresses with the help and excitement of our team. Each dress seemed to be made for each one. They came out of the "make shift dressing rooms" just like one of my teenage girls would, wanting to model for the group and hear the "oohs" and "ahhs" 
from their friends. They felt so good about themselves and they were glowing! We even saw some tears of joy from the girls, and received lots of hugs of thankfulness.

We left the orphanage praising God for a smooth and unforgettable day. We were thrilled that the girls would have something positive to talk about until we come back tomorrow to do nails and waxing. On Tuesday afternoon we will do

their hair and makeup before they get dressed for the big event. We are now preparing meals to deliver to the homeless. We  feel so blessed to be here and to part of God's powerful work in El Salvador!

We are here!!!

Post written by Jenni Ramsey

Our team arrived into El Salvador at 10 pm tonight after a fairly uneventful day of travel.  We had one delay in Houston on our second flight.  As our plane was preparing for departure, an extremely inebriated passenger threw up in his seat and caused the plane to return to the gate.  The passenger was escorted off the plane and taken to jail.  The situation caused a one hour delay and reminded us that there are hurting and lost people everywhere.  We pray that this man will come to know the love of His Heavenly Father, who longs to fill the emptiness in his heart.

As we exited the airport in El Salvador, we were welcomed by a torrential downpour.  Our driver, Jose, told us that the rain represents blessings in El Salvador and we were grateful for the blessing!  Upon arriving at the mission house, we enjoyed a pizza dinner, had a tour of the guest home, found our bunk bed areas and started to organize the 140+ quinceanera dresses from our duffel bags.

Tomorrow we will be attending Kurt Ackermann's Spanish-speaking church, and helping in their Sunday school classes. I was honored to preach at this church in May and challenged the congregation to get involved with the quinceanera at that time.  I am excited to return to the church tomorrow and share the updates of how the Lord has provided so many resources for the quinceanera.  One of our team members, Amanda Deal, will be sharing her testimony in the service.  Many of the church members will be helping with the quinceanera, so we're looking forward to being together with them tomorrow.

In the afternoon we will be visiting the teen girls at the government orphanage and telling them about the quinceanera.  We can't wait to see the expressions on their faces as they learn the news.   We will be bringing all of the dresses with us and hope to fit every girl with a dress of their dreams by the time we leave. Each girl should have 2 or 3 dresses to choose from, and the extra dresses will remain here for future quinceaneras or ministry events.

Tomorrow evening we will be preparing meals and serving the homeless community.  It will be a full day of ministry and we're so blessed to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this beautiful country.  Thank you for your prayers!!!  Stay tuned for more.....

Fundraising, Packing and Preparing...

Our team of 19 is ready for departure!  We will be serving in El Salvador from July 7-14, and are so grateful for all of the prayers and support that we have received!  It has been an unforgettable month of raising funds, collecting donations and preparing for our incredible week of ministry.

Our team has been overwhelmed by the many ways in which God has provided for our needs over the past few months!  One of our families was struggling with fundraising and needed just under $2100 to cover their remaining costs.  This family had 24 hours to collect the funds and to their amazement, they received exactly $2100 in donations from co-workers just hours before the funds were due! 

Our team has hosted 3 babysitting fundraisers at our church, 1 bake sale, 2 garage sales and a few lemonade stands! We have raised all of our trip expenses and even have extra funds for donations and gifts!

We are honored to be serving at two significant events for the beautiful people of El Salvador. On Monday, July 9, we will be serving at a "group wedding" at Calvary Chapel, San Salvador.  Thirty-three couples will be officially "married," many whom have lived together for years and even have children and grandchildren. In El Salvador, weddings and marriage costs are expensive and couples are often unable to afford the costs to marry.  We are thrilled to celebrate this wonderful occasion with these dear families and are bringing Spanish Bibles as gifts (embossed with each couples' name).

On Tuesday, July 10, we will be hosting a quinceanera (a traditional Latin celebration for girls on their fifteenth birthdays) for 48 young women.  These women are under the protective custody of the state due to abandonment or abuse.  Most of these girls never received a quinceanera.  Needless to say, this will be one of the most memorable events of their lives!  We have collected over 120 dresses and are also bringing shoes, jewelry, tiaras, hairpieces, makeup and gifts to bless each young woman.   The quinceanera will include dinner, live music and a special message from some of our team members.  Most of these girls have experienced extreme trauma and abuse in their young lives.  Please pray that they will understand their value and beauty as we celebrate their lives together.  Pray that they will understand the deep love of their Heavenly Father as we communicate the hope of the Gospel and the truth that can set them free. 

Last Sunday our team was commissioned at The Village Church of Irvine.  We are so thankful to be part of a church that is passionately involved in God's work around the world.  Please pray for our safety, our health and team unity as we serve together in a third world country.  We will be posting photos and updates daily from El Salvador.    - Jenni for the team

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Jenni (the Orphan Outreach Director for All Blessings) and Mike Ramsey, who accepted a referral of a little girl from Korea last week!  Visit their adoption blog for photos and stories!

www.ramseyfam.com

Jenni will continue to oversee our orphan outreach trips after completing their adoption, but will not travel overseas with our 2013 teams.  All Blessings is allowing Jenni as much time as possible to adjust and attach with their new daughter.  Our future trips will be lead by All Blessings staff members and/or previous team members.