A Picture Is Worth...

My favorite part of being in El Salvador is getting to spend time with the kids. They have so much energy, so much excitement about them. What becomes apparent is that language doesn´t have to be a barrier. So many people who come with us to El Salvador speak no Spanish or took Spanish in high school, which for some travelers (not naming any names) was a long time ago.

But, on this trip to El Salvador, we have two volunteers, Brittany and Julie, who speak Spanish. It´s been a real blessing to have them with us and has helped communication immensely. Because they speak Spanish so well, Brittany and Julie are helping the children with their homework and working with the children who are unable to go to school.

However, even without a command of the language, it´s easy to realize that children all over the world have some similarities. They like to play, color, a just generally have fun. Brittany brought some coloring books, and they were a huge hit.

Here´s Brittany. In this picture, she´s making use of her conversational skills, or maybe she´s just eating something. Whichever the case, it looks like a good time.



But then the coloring begins. They love it!



You must realize that these are little kids with (as mentioned previously) tons of energy. Look how intent they are on coloring.



It´s a little surprising that coloring books can capture the attention of kids who love to run and play soccer all day, but the kids absolutely love to draw and color.

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But what´s most surprising is that, when they´re finished coloring their pictures, the children give them away. They give their drawings to us. Each time I´ve seen them do this, I know that it´s coming. I know to expect to receive their gifts even before they give them. But part of me is always a little surprised, a little overwhlemed that children who have so little would give me the things they make. And maybe it´s that unexpected gift of love that keeps all of us coming back.

Brittany will be here for the entire summer. She´ll be doing a lot of work with the children and helping with translation. Please pray for her while she´s here. We give thanks to have her with us, helping us all.