God’s Extra Plans for Young Adult Mission Trip to El Salvador

24 minutes ago

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From July 30 to August 11, 32 young adults from the Southern New England Conference (SNEC) led by Teddy Williamson, SNEC Young Adults & Youth Sabbath School Ministries director, and his crew of young adult coordinators, served four churches in the West El Salvador Conference by leading out in four simultaneous Vacation Bible Schools and four simultaneous evangelistic series presented by Williamson, SNEC Pastor Fredo Ignace, YA area coordinator Kevin Almonte, and Louis Guzman. As a result of this outreach to children and their families, 18 people were baptized.

The young adults also collaborated with a local medical mission team and in one day helped serve more than 130 people with blood pressure and blood glucose screenings and gave away more than 300 reading glasses and 200 care packages, all while singing worship songs in the background. “Our entire time there was filled with worship!” reported Marcy Monteiro, one of the trip organizers.

During the day, the young adults helped lay new flooring for one church’s children’s department and helped paint the exterior of another church. They gave away 200 book bags with school supplies to bless students for the upcoming school year and 54 grocery baskets and clothing to needy families. They also purchased a new keyboard for one of the churches.

This is surely enough mission service to satisfy the most committed, generous missionary heart. But the young adults found more people in need. A mother of a family of eight who lived in one small room with only two beds had just died. The eldest daughter, who had children of her own, now cared for her younger siblings, too. The young adults pooled their money and bought this family groceries, linens, and a new refrigerator. By the grace of God, three members of this family were baptized at the end of the evangelistic series.

Needs come in many shapes and sizes. One of the Adventist churches was hesitant to host the SNEC young adult missionaries because they didn’t have a bathroom at their church, only an outdoor latrine with a makeshift plastic covering. Once again, the young adults pooled their resources and purchased everything necessary to construct a bathroom—a men’s and women’s side with a shared sink—including a septic system. Workers began construction while the young adults were still there and finished not long after they returned to the United States (see before and after photos below). Now this church can proudly invite the community and groups from abroad to worship with them without a second thought.

These extra, unplanned mission activities went beyond meeting the people’s physical needs. Eva Montrond, YA music coordinator, made friends with 8-year-old Matias through a VBS program and eventually went to visit his family at their home. The family had not been attending church, but after Montrond’s visit, the entire family came to church the next week.

The SNEC mission team expresses gratitude to the West El Salvador Conference president, Leonel Arteaga, who met them at the airport when they arrived, faithfully supported every part of this mission trip, and visited all four evangelistic series.

“God’s hands were definitely in this trip!” said Williamson, as he and his team rejoiced over all the ways God used them to bless the El Salvadoran people.

Before and after: church's latrine (top left) replaced with men's and women's restrooms including a septic system (right and bottom).