Hola everyone,

Well, today was actually a kind of boring day. I had nothing to do, because they haven't really figured out what they want me to do yet from a nursing perspective, so I just kind of loafed today and hung out with the kids. Bobby went to OASIS this morning (the place where we do the feeding program) and poured a new walkway entrance into the building. The current entrance was a piece of a cement block that you would step on as you hopped over draining sewage. YUCK! The new walkway entrance is a concrete slab that will still allow the sewage to drain down the street (as it usually does here in El Salvador) but will give us a more stable entrance into the "building." I use that term loosely because it is just a few pieces of metal and some plastic put together (there is a tile floor, however). I have put a few pictures on the website today of the birthday celebration we had for the kids last Friday. Bobby baked cupcakes for the birthday kids with lots and lots of icing. The little boys were sooooo excited to be eating these cupcakes, but they just couldn't figure out how to go about it with all of that icing. They eventually decided to just lick it for a really long time, and they ended up with icing all over their faces, and in their hair, and on their clothes. LOL! Oh well, it was lots of fun watching them have fun. We hope and pray that everyone at home is doing well. We miss you all bunches.

Lots of love,

Britney

Hello all,

I know that it has been a while since I have updated the blog, and I am sorry. We have been busy lately with getting settled into our roles here at the home. Our main roles are to be working with the teens here. They are a great group of teenagers, but they have a lot of problems. There has been many evenings that I just wonder why in the world God called us here to work with these youth. I was expecting difficulty in the mission field to come from the weather, sickness, or bad living conditions. I did not expect it to come from the teenagers. But, Bobby and I know without a doubt that we were called here for a reason, so we will just continue to seek Him and His guidance. I am putting a few pictures on my posting today of some of the teens. Bobby, Robin, and I took some of them out last Friday to Pizza Hut for their birthday. They were so excited and they ate a lot of pizza! It's funny, I thought that being in the mission field would bring me so close to God, like I would be on a constant spiritual high, but I have been kind of down in a way. I know that it is because Satan does not want us here. I am also feeling kind of confused about what we are supposed to do after our year here is over. One of the teen girls asked me yesterday about leaving. She said "so what are you going to do after a year, just leave?" Tough question...it made me feel like crap. It was kind of like, "why should I love you and invest myself in you when you are just going to up and leave me in 11 months?" I can understand what she was thinking. These kids have been abandoned by everyone in their lives, everyone always leaves, how are we really any different? We watched a movie on Saturday, and that same question was asked by one of the characters. The answer was, that everyone who comes into your life, no matter for how little time, shapes and molds you into the person that you are...good or bad. Can I make a lifelong impact on her life in less than a year and then leave? I am trusting in God's plan.

Lots of love,

Britney

week 2

Hola everyone,

Well this week has been very busy so far. We went to the beach on Monday. It was so beautiful! The teams that come to serve here each get a free day and this last team chose to go to the beach on their free day, so we got to join them. We had such a great time. Bobby discovered many little sandollars in the ocean and was quite excited. We have started our spanish lessons this week. Bobby studies Spanish from 8am until 11am Mon., Wed., and Fri., and I study from 12:30 to 3:30 Mon., Wed., and Fri. Our tutor's name is Carmen, and she is the nicest and kindest lady. We know that we will learn a lot from her. Bobby and I have been working hard this week on some various projects as well. I have put some pictures of Bobby's toolshed on the site today for you all to see. There is also a photo of one of the older boys helping Bobby make new seats for the teeter totters at the playground.

Today we received 2 new kids here at the orphanage. I have their pictures here on this posting also. It is the one of the two little dirty kids setting on the bench. The little boy has his arm around his sister (although she doesn't look like a little girl because her hair is so short). Their father died and their mother abandon them so they were living on the street. When they came one of the directors told them that they were going to get some new clothes and some new shoes (the clothes they were wearing had holes all in them, and they weren't wearing any shoes), and the little girl looked up at her and said, "Yo no tengo zapatos" (I don't have any shoes). It was so sad. It took all I could to keep from crying. The little girl ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Despite all that they have been through, they are so happy.

Well, I must go for now. I have spanish to study!
Hasta luego,
Britney

Day 4 and 5

Hello all,

Well, for the past 2 days Bobby and I have been very busy painting. School is starting on Monday (the school year runs from January to November here), so all of the school staff have been preparing for next week. We painted the principal and secretary's offices, as well as one of the classrooms. The team that has been here working this week helped us to paint also.

Saturdays are fun days here at HIS. One of the local businesses came today and had a big party for all of the kids. They had a clown, a pinata, and snacks, cake, and juice as well as presents for each of the kids. It was so much fun to watch the kids smacking that pinata in the middle of the playground. Normally the kids all watch movies on Saturday nights, but tonight they all went to the playground after dinner and played games. It was good to hang out with everyone here and to get the chance to know the kids better.

We love you and miss you all.

Lots of love,
Britney

Day 3

Hello all,
Well, today was our actual first day of work. I have started the enormous task of working on all these projects I have been assigned, and Bobby put in a door today. It was funny to see him try and communicate with the other men when he needed certain tools and materials. He did learn how to say "chisel" and "wood" today, so he is coming along well - LOL! At lunch time we went with the kids to do the OASIS feeding program. OASIS is the name of the outreach feeding program here at HIS. The older kids go out 3 times a week to a close village and round up the local kids, sing songs with them, teach them a Bible story, and then serve them lunch. It was fun to see all of the little kids in there listening to the Bible story and then eagerly waiting on lunch. It is also good for the older kids here at the orphanage. It helps to teach them that even though they have it rough, there is always someone else out there who has it worse than you. It also teaches them the importance of serving. The lunch they served them was noodles and bread. By the time all of the little kids were done eating there were tons of sloppy noodles on the floor! The local dogs were hanging out at the door...so I guess it is a feeding program for them too! Ha, ha.

This afternoon we participated in a craft with the mission team that is currently down here serving. Every afternoon they have a craft with the kids, and this afternoon's craft was for the teenagers. They taught them how to make hemp necklaces. Bobby even participated in the craft and made a pink and purple necklace, I am so proud of him! I just hope he doesn't actually wear it!

Robin, the missionary we took to the hospital yesterday, returned back today. She has received a clean bill of health, but she does have a follow up appointment on Tuesday with the cardiologist, so if you all could continue to keep her in your prayers that would be great. Thanks to everyone for everything...we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. We also want to say a special hello to our senior high youth, we love you and miss you all mucho!

Lots of love,

Britney

Day 2

Hello all,
Well today was our first official full day here at HIS. I must admit that it was a very long day. After breakfast this morning we had devotions. Everyone here at HIS, the kids, staff, missionaries, has devotions twice a day. Bobby and I had devotions with the other men (I was the only girl) in the toolshed. I know it sounds like a funny place, but I suppose that is where the men feel the most comfortable, and I don't think God cares, so that is where they meet. All of the kids have their devotions together in the morning on the playground. The men sang several worship songs together and then had a short lesson (Romans 8:28-36). Bobby and I then went and did some things with a missions team who is currently serving down here for one week. They are a group of 9 ladies from Denver, CO. I think that it will be really cool to work with the various teams that come in. There is also a team coming in next week from the US Naval base. There is a US naval base here in El Salvador, and they visited the orphanage and donated some items as Christmas time. Well, these men want to come back next week and do some construction work. I think that is really awesome and I can't wait to meet them.

Bobby and I also met with the Benner's this afternoon. Don and Rosanne Benner are the founders of HIS. They went over all of the do's and don't of serving as a missionary down here, and they went over our work projects. Our main focus for the next few months will be language training. They want us to take language courses 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. I am not much looking forward to this, but I know that it is essential. Bobby is really not looking forward to it, but he is being a good sport about it. Bobby will mostly be working with the hired men here at the grounds doing various construction and carpentry projects. I am supposed to be training all the childcare workers basic first aid. I have also been assigned the enormous task of teaching the kids and their house mothers the importance of good hygeine - LOL!! Sounds crazy, I know, but I guess there is real problem with them not seeing the importance of daily baths, washing your hands before you eat and after the restroom, brushing you teeth, washing your hair, etc. Oh, and speaking of washing your hair, all of the kids (or at least most of them) have head lice and I have also been assigned the task of delousing them. How do you delouse 76 kids from age 1 to 18? Especially when they handwash all of their linens and clothes? I am going to have to buy a lot of RID! Right now the house mothers think that the solution to head lice is to actually hand pick the full grown lice out of the kids heads when they seem them crawling around. Great - the kids aren't monkeys to be groomed. I have my hands full (or should I say head?). I feel itchy already!! And, Bobby and I also have the joint task of coordinating and working with all the teams that arrive, and also taking over the OASIS program, which is a feeding program that they do. I will write more about that later.

Then, this evening, just as we were setting down, we got a knock on our door from Robin, a fellow missionary serving down here. She was having chest pain and heart palpitations, so we took her to the hospital. This hospital was unlike any other I had ever seen before because it was a private hospital. It was clean, neat, modern, and very expensive. Robin was the only patient in the ER. The guy who drove us to the hospital said that the reason it was empty is because no one goes to the private hospitals because most people cannot afford them. So, most people go the public hospital. They examined Robin, and although everything came back okay so far, they decided to keep her in the hospital overnight. So, if you all could pray for her, that would be great. Well, I must go for now. It is way late and I have another early morning breakfast of fried plantains scheduled. Miss you all bunches.

Lots of love,
Britney