El Salvador November 2019 Day 4

I wouldn’t have expected the Salvadoran hot springs to bring any team bonding, but I think it’s safe to say that the project’s staff and our Woodmen team grew closer through the mud.

Our translators did an amazing job interpreting the two languages, so we could hear a little bit about the project’s members and vice versa. Karin followed the introductions with a small devotion about every person being God’s individual masterpiece. Along with the new or renewed appreciation for ourselves, we were given the opportunity to apply the same concept of appreciating others as individual masterpieces. Sometimes paintings have mud and damage, which can seem to diminish their worth, but with work from the Master, the painting’s value is still so precious. Every person, every individual masterpiece, is thoughtfully and intentionally made; the masterpiece of the church, where the individual pieces mesh together with intention, is equally as beautiful and thoughtfully made.

The project workers seemed to appreciate this devotion and the encouragement brought from Karin and our team, and we followed the devotion with a big group lunch and spa time! The sauna, mud, sauna, rinse experience was said to bring many physical benefits to everyone, but, regardless of the supposed benefits, it worked as an amazing bonding time. The experience was enjoyed, despite the language barrier, and everyone was able to coat themselves in mud, dance, laugh, and sweat with joy.

After the laughter of the spa and hopping between various hot spring temperatures, we were able to engage in the second group prayer of the day, where we could circle around the project members and pray for their teamwork and ability to change the kids’ lives. We hugged them all goodbye, exchanged sweet words via our translators, and wished them well. Now, we prepare to visit two more centers in our following days.

- Hannah Burgo

- Hannah Burgo