The 2017 El Salvador team is heading to the community of Getsemani this week as part of Myers Park Presbyterian’s renewed partnership with Habitat for Humanity El Salvador. Follow along all week here on the blog!
Things looked great… until we got to the Charlotte airport on Saturday morning! Flight delayed by 1 hour….then by 2 hours! With an already tight connection in Miami, team leaders Laura and Kendall worked the phones with our travel agent and with American Airlines. In the end, the airlines could get us halfway there….to Miami, but we’d have to catch the second plane to San Salvador on Sunday at 1 pm.
R . Derek, was scheduled to preach at a church on Sunday in San Salvador. Yikes! American Airlines had a plan and one open seat! So he boarded a plane, routed to Belize, and was more likely going to be able to make that sermon obligation.
Meanwhile back in Miami, the team enjoyed a great bonding dinner at a quaint restaurant in the Wynwood district of Miami, very close to our hotel. We wrapped up the evening with a team meeting in the hotel lobby. Rumors were confirmed: Yup, were doing another foundation build this week. Lots of digging lies ahead but spirits are high and we’re can’t wait to land in El Salvador today!
Update: Touchdown! (?)
The square outside Casa De Mamapan
Sunday morning and were still in Miami! Everyone was also bummed to be missing Derek’s sermon in San Salvador and feelings were a hair tense knowing we were on a packed flight with 0 seat assignments confirmed! Before departing our Miami hotel, Kendall led us in a devotional where we breathe deeply and each say one word of prayer … Health, patience, resilience … a good one is trust. Trust that Laura and Kendall have us covered at the airport, trust that Derek made his trip apart from us, trust that our journey is really in God’s hands, not ours.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Later at the airport, all but five from our group got confirmed seats. Two-thirds of us finally made it to El Salvador by the afternoon and were greeted by Derek and our guides, Jaime and Emilio. We look forward to seeing the five stragglers, aka the Miami Five, from our team on Monday and what lies ahead.
El Salvador and its people remain beautiful as we last recalled. As we wrapped up the evening from the Casa de Mama Pan hotel, Derek led us from scripture once again:
“Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:1-2
So, to sleep we went last night, hopeful for the week ahead.