A Week Later: Thankful Reflections on El Salvador
Last night I taught the Alpha message, "How Does God Guide Us?" It's a great reminder that God uses "five c-s's" (commanding scripture, common sense, compelling spirit, counsel of saints and circumstantial signs), and that God is always drawing us into relationship with him as shepherd and sheep (he knows us, wants us to listen, and wants to lead us). He's as interested in what we become (followers) as he is what we do. Which helped me process why I went to El Salvador ten days ago with twenty pastors* from San Diego, L.A., Santa Barbara and Hawaii, and staff from Compassion International just before Thanksgiving and right in the middle of our capital campaign to build a new children's ministry center, chapel and improved parking. We visited three projects which address child poverty from infants to college students. We had lunches in two homes of salvadoreanos whose lives are being changed because their children are being loved. We visite