El Salvodor

In Feb. of 2006 Dean I and the kids went to El Salvador with MCC's Build a village program. We had dreams of going for a lot of years and it seemed to just not happen for a bunch of reason's. Now looking back we weren't ready mentally or spiritually. So then in Sept. of 05 we heard of a few people who had been talking about going and bringing their kids. Wow that was right up our alley. So we jumped at the idea and said "us too!!!". I don't know if they even wanted us but we wanted them and didn't ask permission. Opps! So the plan was being formed and the meetings started and it was so exciting. Then El Salvador suffered another hurricane and an earthquake. Well it was to unsafe for the planned trip so it was cancelled. But Dean and I did not think for a minute that we would not be going. We called up Ray (the organizer and friend) and asked him when the next trip was going. He didn't know. So I told him that we were still wanting to go and that we would be ready whenever they were going. But he had no idea. The days came and went, Dean and I kept fundraising for the "trip". I think people thought we were nuts to be getting ready for a trip that wasn't even planned yet but we knew that we would be going. It felt like it was our destiny. Which sounds weird but that's how it felt. One day in Dec. I walked into Ray's business and asked him if he had any plans yet for El Salvador and he said YES. Well I said great when are we going. He laughed and said that there was a group that was forming but it was just made up of adults and he didn't know if we could go with our kids. He wondered if we would want to go without them. I said no, we wanted to take them with. So he said that he would get back to me but first he needed to ask the others if that would be o.k. with them and also check with MCC because they had never had kids so young on a trip like this. So a few days later I got an E-mail from Ray and it said that it looked like we might be able to go YES!!! I was so pumped. I could not talk of anything else. It was so cool to now know that this was not just a dream but reality. As long as they didn't get another hurricane, But hurricane season was over and this looked like it would happen.
So on Feb. 14th we left for the long journey to central America. We ended up staying for just over 2 weeks. Oh ya, and Dean's mom also decided to get the courage after finding out that the bugs would not be to bad, to come with. We had a great experience and the kids loved it. We started to plan the next trip on our way home I think. That's when we knew we had to do this again and we could see ourselves making this a life style.
That is when we decided Costa Rica(6 months, a year, sell our house a go , 2 months???) Wow what to do? We don't know. We are waiting to find out what to do. We are being patient and listening to where God directs us to go. Being obedient and becoming disciples that's the plan. So who knows where it will lead us. So far the possibilities sound like fun.
The following picture (if I can make it work) is of us in El Salvador. It is a picture of us looking out onto the ocean. It brings back some cool memories but also has some bigger meaning to it I think.