Planning the Week's Activities
This morning we were hosted at a Christian Retreat Center to meet with the water project leaders as well as members of The Good Samaritan Church who will be serving with us throughout the week. We broke into groups based on activity and spent time planning and getting to know one another. There was a spirit of cooperation and excitement for the work to be done with many opportunities taking shape. The retreat center had an amazingly beautiful view across a valley to a distant lake, backed by a volcano. On site was a fun filled pool area as well as a mini petting zoo complete with Jeff Costa's long lost miniature brother! This monkey really liked Jeff.
Interesting Tra
nsportation
There are many ways to get around in El Salvador but one of the most popular is to ride in the back of a pick up truck. Several of our kids were "fortuna
te" enough to get to ride all day in the bed of a pick up and this experience was said to be the highlight of the trip so far. The kids interacted with the locals giving friendly waves and shouts of "Hola!". One local family redefined our understanding of carpooling by going 4 up on a motorcycle. Another family we saw kept it old school with a pair of "equally yoked" oxen to pull their wagon. But nothing was as odd as the compact pick up truck with a single 
passenger in the bed, a horse. To be sure, there is always something new to see here on the roads of El Salvador.
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At the end of the day we attended the Good Samaritan Sunday Service. It was fantastic to see the passion for Jesus Christ that is displayed here. They really make the best of the resources they have and even though most of the team didn't understand what was being said, we were moved nonetheless. Patrick was the guest speaker tonight and in typical Crossing style he displayed a authentic openness and vulnerability in his message. Sometimes it's the simple things that make the biggest impact. Earlier in the day while the water project tours were happening a number of team members stayed behind and helped with the children's ministry activities at the church. As part of this ministry about 80-90 children are fed lunch every Sunday. Our team had the opportunity to serve the food as well as play with the kids teaching them the game Red Rover.
This morning we were hosted at a Christian Retreat Center to meet with the water project leaders as well as members of The Good Samaritan Church who will be serving with us throughout the week. We broke into groups based on activity and spent time planning and getting to know one another. There was a spirit of cooperation and excitement for the work to be done with many opportunities taking shape. The retreat center had an amazingly beautiful view across a valley to a distant lake, backed by a volcano. On site was a fun filled pool area as well as a mini petting zoo complete with Jeff Costa's long lost miniature brother! This monkey really liked Jeff.
Interesting Tra
nsportationThere are many ways to get around in El Salvador but one of the most popular is to ride in the back of a pick up truck. Several of our kids were "fortuna
te" enough to get to ride all day in the bed of a pick up and this experience was said to be the highlight of the trip so far. The kids interacted with the locals giving friendly waves and shouts of "Hola!". One local family redefined our understanding of carpooling by going 4 up on a motorcycle. Another family we saw kept it old school with a pair of "equally yoked" oxen to pull their wagon. But nothing was as odd as the compact pick up truck with a single 
passenger in the bed, a horse. To be sure, there is always something new to see here on the roads of El Salvador.Water Project Tour
After breakfast a large group of us were escorted around the area to tour the water projec
t. Many Crossing members were excited to see the progress made since their previous trips. The men of the water committee are very proud of this project and were happy to show it off. The wells that have been installed go down over 100 meters where they connect with an aquifer capable of putting out 300+ gallons per minute for over 20 years. They estimate one well will deliver enough water for 12,000 people for 20-25 years.
t. Many Crossing members were excited to see the progress made since their previous trips. The men of the water committee are very proud of this project and were happy to show it off. The wells that have been installed go down over 100 meters where they connect with an aquifer capable of putting out 300+ gallons per minute for over 20 years. They estimate one well will deliver enough water for 12,000 people for 20-25 years. Church Service
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At the end of the day we attended the Good Samaritan Sunday Service. It was fantastic to see the passion for Jesus Christ that is displayed here. They really make the best of the resources they have and even though most of the team didn't understand what was being said, we were moved nonetheless. Patrick was the guest speaker tonight and in typical Crossing style he displayed a authentic openness and vulnerability in his message. Sometimes it's the simple things that make the biggest impact. Earlier in the day while the water project tours were happening a number of team members stayed behind and helped with the children's ministry activities at the church. As part of this ministry about 80-90 children are fed lunch every Sunday. Our team had the opportunity to serve the food as well as play with the kids teaching them the game Red Rover.
