Hello Centreville Friends!
Greetings from El Salvador!
Oh…The Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need: the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me! AMEN!
I learned this song as a young camper at Camp Don Lee in Arapahoe, North Carolina and still sing it regularly as a praise to the Lord for all the ways that He provides for me and my family. God has been very good to me and my family since my last update. He provides for us in so many ways each day. I especially love experiencing the warmth of Jesus' love through the students at the Methodist School.
I pray this update finds you well and with a long list of praises for God’s provisions in your life. I’m so thankful for the ways I see Him at work here in Ahuachapan, El Salvador and all around the world through the connections within the body of the church family.
So here are a few of the things that have been happening around here;
On May 10 of this year Colegio Metodista re-opened its doors to students. We continue to follow pretty strict protocols due to the pandemic of Covid-19. Sadly, many of our students lost family and neighbors due to Covid-19. Being back in the school community is vital to their spiritual and emotional healing from such a traumatic period of extremely strict stay at home orders. The smile of a classmate and the loving encouragement from a teacher means more now than ever before. There are some students who have family members including their parents who are currently fighting the virus. Please pray that they experience a full recovery.
To provide sufficient space for students, there is no longer one classroom designated as the English room. English classes are now mobile taking place in each of the individual classrooms. Many of the grades meet in two separate groups two days a week and some students have chosen to remain at home studying virtually. This of course doubles the workload for teachers but offers so many great opportunities for more individualized instruction. Fridays are a day of virtual classes and teacher development.
The vaccine is now available in El Salvador to all people 30 years of age and older. Thankfully, my husband, Brian and I have both been vaccinated. Brian was able to North Carolina in May for his vaccine, while I received mine here in Ahuachapan at the local health department. Most teachers and school staff have also been vaccinated as well as most of the church pastors.
In June I began visiting the 12 Methodist Churches in El Salvador to meet with leaders of Sunday School Ministries. We are making plans to get back to the Sunday School Ministry. It is a joy to hear from the teachers about how God has provided for them and the children during the pandemic and to hear their call and desire to continue the ministry. I will continue visiting churches through the month of July. Adela Samayoa is accompanying me on these visits. Adela is the Church Conference Administrator and is a great resource. I am so thankful for her support and guidance. Together we are seeking the discernment of the Holy Spirit to provide very clear direction for how to move forward in supporting the Sunday School ministries of each of the 12 local churches.
On a personal note, on July 7 I will be celebrating one year after open heart surgery for a minimally invasive mitral valve repair. I am so thankful for how God provided this surgery for me. It was completely His timing and will that I was in North Carolina a year ago to receive the diagnosis and surgery. Thanks to your generous support to Global Ministries, I have excellent insurance coverage and spent very little out of pocket for that surgery. Health Insurance is one of the benefits that your support provides to United Methodist Missionaries around the world. I’m also proud to share with you that I now have a cardiologist in San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital about two hours away from our home in Ahuachapan. Dr. Winter-Lopez is a great doctor and speaks English which is a wonderful bonus!!!
Thank you so much for your continued support. If you want to know more, or want to see a few photos, please send me a message and I will be happy to continue the conversation.
I am thankful for your prayers for me, my family, students, and the churches here in El Salvador. If there is a specific way that I and the church here can hold you in our prayers, please let me know.
¡Bendiciones!
Ellyn Dubberly