6-14-08

8pm
San Salvador, El Salvador

Today was our first real day of ministry. We left the base a little bit after breakfast on a Castillo Del Rey bus. We went and picked up a group of kids called “guardians of the vision”. They’re from ages eight to about twelve. They are amazing, anointed, and powerful. We went and did our first three programs. Honestly, we seriously need to practice our dances and dramas, but God still moved.
I think the most touching part of the day for me was honestly on the bus. I read scripture, prayed, and sang out. I felt free. The leaders came by with oils and anointed our hands. I started singing “ready now” as I continued to read scripture. God gave me two verses. One is Psalm 145. The main parts read:

“His greatness is unsearchable,
One generation shall praise your name to another
And I will declare your greatness
And I shall sing of your righteousness
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion
The Lord upholds all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed downs
The eyes of all look expectantly to
And you give them their food in due season
The Lord is near to all who call upon him
To all who call upon him in truth”

That’s not even all of it, but those are the verses that touched me. The other scripture is Isaiah 53, verses three to eight, which reads:

“He is despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrow and acquainted with grief
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him,
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He was bourne of our grief
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by god and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement of peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray
We have turned, everyone, to his own ways
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted
Yet He opened not His mouth
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter
And as a sheep before it’s shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment
And who will declare his generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of my people,
He was stricken.”

The scripture really touched me and broke my heart. We need to get back to the heart of the gospel. It’s so simple, but so amazing.
After our programs we came to where I am now. It’s a place called the Casona. It’s like a resting place for Castillo Del Rey and Master’s students…. I think. We ate and actually had free time. We had some totally awesome fellowship. Tomorrow is a mellow day. We’re doing one program here at the Casona for the Guardians and then we’re going to Liz’s house for a free night before we go to Honduras. I get to call home there. I’m excited. This is the first Father’s Day that I’ll actually be able to wish my dad a happy Father’s Day now that we’re in touch.