By Quiet Waters

Embracing the Full, Hard and Good Life, While Pausing Often by Quiet Waters

Search Results for: El Salvador

A Different Kind of Gang, Sponsorship Saturday

By

Sponsorship Saturday

different kind of gang

A Different Kind of Gang

In October I wrote a little about what I learned while in El Salvador in the autumn.  Some of the most hard hitting stories were told during our visit to the Child Survival Program in Santa Ana, El Salvador.  Gang violence is very common, and effects all aspects of life for those living in the areas of extreme poverty.  Consider how hard gang life and violence hits young women, and young women who find themselves as mothers.  We heard many hard stories.  And we heard many stories of people rescued from a life with the gangs by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Maybe the memories of those conversations are what made the following video about a different kind of gang mean so much to me.Continue Reading

Family Mission Trip… Without Leaving Home!

By

Take a Family Mission Trip…  Without Leaving Home… through Compassion International’s Child Sponsorship Program!  For several years my dear Beloved Builder earnestly prayed to God, to make us missionaries right where we are.  Since then a fire has been lit in each of us to minister to children and families locally and through the Compassion Sponsorship opportunity.

#thatisbrave, Compassion Internatioinal

It was common, when our children were younger, for us to check out books from the library, search Google Earth, and prepare foods to learn about and connect with our sponsored children’s countries.  We would write letters, draw pictures and pray, and we still do.  And as this family ministry has grown, just as our children have grown and matured, it has changed.  Our kids now have ownership of their own ministries as missionaries at home.

Continue Reading

Reading in 2015, and Reading Goals for 2016

By

Reading is one of my life long favorite activities.  Even so, I often find myself, in this season, busy and not making the time for sitting down with a book.  That said, one of the ways I have sought to redeem all the time I spend driving is with audio books.  It has taken me some time to get a good rhythm and mindset for audio book reading.  I am a crazy note taker, line highlighter, and corner folder but that is not something one can do while driving!  There was a struggle for a while I tried to think of a way to take notes but safety won over and I’ve let that go.  Instead I now choose books for enjoyment and remind myself to trust that nuggets of truth and creativity will settle in my mind and continue my growth and understanding in life without the notes.

Overall I read 23 books in 2015.  My favorites were Dear Mr Knightly, Around the World in 80 Days, Wherever the River Runs, When Invisible Children Sing and Fringe Hours.Continue Reading

One Word 2016 GROW

By

The blog has been very quiet this month, there are times when too much is happening to find the quiet inside to write.  There have been hard and tragic happenings, hard conflict and losses, and joyful delight sharing life with those closest to me.  When very hard collides with good, a whole new hard is found, and in this season I found that my words were limited to my real life world.

Christmas 2014

I’ve been hearing from many people, even one of my teen daughters about New Years goals and one word for 2016.  This is the first time in quite a few years that I haven’t found myself in full goal setting, word choosing mode.  But that is how December’s end found me, quiet without many words or even one word.  And surprisingly, it has been a peaceful restful place to be, to not have the small stack of goal settings planning papers beckoning me.Continue Reading

Compassion Program Workshops

By

El Salvador September 2015

September 12-17, 2015 my daughter, Janet, and I had the exciting opportunity to travel to El Salvador with 28 other women through Compassion International. We went to celebrate with a new child development center, visit other more established centers and, meet our OWN sponsored children.

Over the past couple of years I have occasionally read about “workshops” in the letters our sponsored children write to us.  I haven’t understood what the kids were talking about, and haven’t received many answers to questions from my letters.  Well, I know what the workshops are now!  While touring child development centers and the Child Survival Program facility, I was able to learn a great deal about the workshops and entrepreneurial opportunities that are being made available to the beneficiaries of the Compassion programs.

Continue Reading

Child Survival Program ES-C17

By

El Salvador September 2015

Child Survival Program ES-C17 at San Antonio, Santa Ana

We visited the Child Survival Program on Monday, September 14.   Again, we received a warm welcome by the women and babies, some daddies and the staff of Amiguitos del Rey (King’s Little Friends) Student Center.Continue Reading

Need Ink?