Team Visits from Seattle

We were really blessed when two teams visited us to support the work we are doing in November 2012 and early March of this year.  Valentin and Nick, Yuri's brothers, came in last year, and Igor and Ben came several weeks ago.

From Left: Valentin, Leo (who's in Masters Commission
here in El Salvador), and Nick joined us to visit 6
annexes, sharing the Good News.  

Fun and games for children.  There are no language
bariers for having FUN with children!

The children loved the Piñatas filled with candy and toys.

Photo with children after program in Potrerillos.  

Our team also assisted with the feeding programs at the
churches.  Nutritious food is a big need for families
working in the field.  

Lyuda and Yuri were selected by the Potrerillos school,
where we taught English and PE, to speak and
give out rewards and accomplishments to the
graduating class. 

Yuri encouraging the work of the church leaders at
Candelaria. 

We visited many houses to encourage people to
seek the Lord.  Mario, here, is paralyzed waste down
after being shot for no reason while walking
out of a pharmacy.  

Care packages were delivered to families in need.  

Valentin sharing the Good News at one of the churches. 

Typical way people carry things.  

The second team's goal was to build a ramp for Mario (pictured above) so he can get down the slope at his house and be able to get to church and visit family and friends.  Mario had given his life to the Lord after the terrible shooting incident.  He said that only God gave him the purpose, peace, and comfort he needed during the hardest times of his life.  

Before picture: Mario's little tin house is on the left side.
As the pictures shows, there's about two feet drop from
his house to the rocky dirt and then up again to the pavement.
The earthquake that rocked El Salvador in 2001 has left people
without good housing since then.  When we arrived, we found
holes in the roof where water would run down during
the rainy season.  

Together with the local help, we were able to build a ramp.

Pouring the slab for the ramp.  

Project complete! Now, Mario can safely ride down the ramp to be able to get around. It was a satisfying project.  The team from Seattle also helped replace the leaking roof and build a small ramp for Mario to get on the main rope. What a pleasure to sweat through and work hard for someone who cannot pay back, but doing this, you know it's for the Glory of God! "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42

In-between building the ramp, we had activities with
children and youth.

Igor teaching guitar in Potrerillos.  

Preparing for the kids program.

Ben decorating...

Pastor Julio creating balloon designs.  

Each child received a bag of candy at the end of the program.

Ben helping with making tortillas for the feeding program.
The guys really liked pupusas, a national dish, and
promised they will make them when they get back home.  

The team participating in one of the church programs.  

First Year Anniversary





365 days married!! : )  We were able to print our wedding photos and
get a beautiful flower basket to celebrate.





Boy, time flies fast!! This blog update is way past due; we have been really busy since our last update.

First, and the most important thing is we celebrated our FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY in October! We are grateful God has given us the opportunity to spend the first part of our marriage on the missions field. Our relationship has strengthened and our priorities oriented together to serve the Lord. Most of the stuff we do, we do it together; if we are teaching English at the school, Lyuda teaches one class, and Yuri teaches the other right next door.  When we work with a team or local pastor, visit houses, conduct programs, climb mountains, etc., we are blessed to do it together.  God has surely brought us together!



Chocolate strawberry cake summed-up
our celebration!

 

Lyuda helping Matty carry corn to the mill in the mountains in order
to make tortillas for lunch. 



About an hour hike to "upper" Potrerillos to work with children. 
Lyuda conducting a class in the middle of a dirt road.

 

Ripe coffee beans ready for harvest.

 

Harvested coffee being loaded for the processing plant. 
The people in these montains have to work really
hard to pick this seasonal black gold. They work from sunrise to
sunset (about 12 hours) to earn about $5 per day.  Practically,
the coffee pickers get $1 per picked bag of coffee beans (seen above)
while working on steep slopes and in the tropical heat.

 

When the locals saw us hiking up the mountain to the children, they called us to
give us several handfulls of jocotes to enjoy on the hike!
Jocotes are a season fruit found in El Salvador, but the best-tasting and largest
size are found in the mountains.  You may ask what they taste like... 
All we can say is... well, they taste like jocotes--you'll have to come visit
to find out for yourself.  The taste and texture is unique and cannot be
compared to any other fruit we have ever tasted. 

Life in El Salvador

After one of the program at a school this summer.  

 A warm greeting from El Salvador!!  We miss all of you!  We wanted to begin blogging for the first time so we can give you short updates of what is going in the tropics.  We are doing well working with Kings Castle Ministry--currently, we are conducting English, Photography, PE, and Guitar "workshops" and classes through which we share the Good News at churches and a school.  We are working side-by-side with local people who are also teaching cosmetology, equipping women with an excellent tool to use in these poor communities.  By building relationships, we are opening doors to the lives of many broken families and communities.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers for the Lord to give us wisdom to be effective ministers of His Truth.

Lyuda teaching at a workshop in Candelaria.  In the background is the cosmetology workshop.  

Lyuda cooked some great Borshch and homemade cheese with raisins Vareniki for the locals to try Ukrainian dishes.  They loved it!!  Many came to ask Lyuda for the recipe.  

Helping at the Castillo Del Rey clinic which provides free healthcare to hundreds of poor families.   

Playing with a baby pelibuey (a type of sheep).  The little one followed us wherever we went.  

Milking a pelibuey because the mama doesn't want to feed the baby above.  

This is Lito, our monster friend.  

Anona is a prized tropical fruit we enjoyed eating. If refrigerated, it tastes like ice-cream.  

Photo with friends at Potrerios.