Our final day of mission work started with breakfast at the Mission House. We headed out at 8:00 a.m. with a long drive to our first stop. We arrived at a girl's detention center in Santa Ana. All of the girls are teens who have been in some sort of trouble. We started with a Bible study led in Spanish by Ernesto and Juan. We followed with crafts, dancing, games, balloon animals, and a snack. The girls were all very kind and appreciative of the time we spent together.
We then headed to a restaurant called La Antorcha for some giant tortas. They were large sandwiches filled with beans, meat, cheese, lettuce and different toppings. These were so huge that only 1 or 2 of us even finished our sandwiches.
Our afternoon was spent at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a large Catholic orphanage. The boys and girls ranged in age from 5-18. We had more games, crafts, dancing, snacks, snow-cones, and lots of fun.
We then headed to the van, where we all loaded up. Every seat was filled with our team and Sus Hijos volunteers. It was a long 2-hour drive to drive a little over 48 miles—lots of traffic and rain!
We arrived back at the mission house, where we enjoyed many different types of pupusas. We had the typical cheese, bean and cheese, and revueltas. We also had mushroom, zucchini, garlic, and even Hawaiian pupusas! We also enjoyed yummy ice cream cake. We certainly had our share of great food during our time in El Salvador.
One surprising discovery today was Ernesto’s impressive yo-yo and balloon animal skills!
Note: To protect the children, we were not allowed to take photos at any of the orphanages or detention centers. Although we don’t have pictures to remember these moments, the children touched our hearts deeply, leaving us with cherished memories of our time together.
Yours in Christ,
Melissa Fuentes, El Salvador Missioner
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