El Salvador

Tonight I am going to talk about my Missions Trip to El Salvador and how it affected me and what I learned that can help us here at Calvary Sunrise.

So I went on this trip that was organized by Works of Power a group I joined few years ago. This is a non-profit Christian group that focuses on Missions both local and around the world. They have gone to Puerto Rico following the hurricane a few years ago to Guatemala, Nicaragua, India, Nepal, Mexico, Honduras and others. Mainly we go to support local fellowships with resources and food and clothing, teaching, prayer, and spiritual support.

So on this trip we went down to ES to support a local ministry that was in the middle of a revival, a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the gang members, MS13 and 18th St. in the prisions of ES.

The story somewhat like that of Chuck & Kay Smith in the 60’s getting a vision for the hippies and God using them to reach a whole generation of drugged out young people. Chuck was alone in in his outreach to the hippies as most of the church had no desire to reach to them.

The ministry to the gang members in ES is very similar. Pastor Nelson Moz was introduced to ex gang members who had been saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit and they needed a church and support as they got out. Like Chuck Pastor Moz was shunned and got little to no support from other ministries. But now this little work of God has become known to the whole world.

So now I am going to show you a video done by the Guardian in the UK. After that we will discuss what happen on my trip and then what we can apply to Calvary Sunrise.

Video 12 minutes

Some of the people in the video are now my brothers and friends.

We left Wed 10/9 to LAX and departed at 1:30 am on 10/10 on Avianca Airlines.

Pictures begin

We landed in ES at 7 am with very little sleep and got right to work.

But first customs, visa $12, and then loaded up the vans and onto City of San Salvador for lunch.

Pupusa’s are the the popular food their. Somethings are different than what we know as Mexican style food.

After that we went to the Eben Ezer Church to meet the whole team. We met the ex gang members in the ministry. They have been getting harassed by the police and that first day the police were doing a raid on the church.

We met the ex gang members in the ministry. They have ee

We met the ex gang members in the ministry. They have ee

After a few hours we went back to the hotel to rest before the evening activities of going out into the community to share the gospel.

It began to pour rain and I rode in the back of a stake bed with twenty ex gand guys holding a plastic tarp and trying to keep my balance.

We walked into the community, passing at least 5 small church fellowships in service, and stopped at a small city square wher the guys set up a speaker and stools, right in the middle of the street and had church. We prayed for people sang and enjoyed a few messages.

we loaded up again in the truck, wet but invigorated, and returned to the church.

We had dinner at a local restaurant and I had an “insalda” a fruit drink with some tacos.

Friday we went to the church and again the police were there with machine guns and the police commissioner to meet with the ministry and our team.

Following that they made us lunch from their bakery and then we had long session where each team member spoke as the Lord moved them. I spoke through a translator with a teaching on - on Davids moving the Ark on a cart and the death of Uzza. It was received really well as they do not get biblical teaching, Verse by Verse, as is our method.

We returned to church for what was to be a 4 hour prayer vigil. The plan changed to a church service with praise and song and 5 or 6 of us delivering another message. I spoke on God making the Bitter waters of Mara to sweet by adding a tree, symbolic of the Cross. Following the messages we prayed for people for healing and filling of the Holy Spirit. The Service ended up being over 5 hours long ending after midnight. Heres the thing, nobody left, the place was packed.

Saturday, we had a pastors conference for the local pastors and the women had women's conference at a another location.

later that day we went out into the poorest area to minister to the people. It was eye opening to say the least.

We have no concept of real poverty.

No toilet

Incest

Spiritual Darkness

Sunday we were up early to break up the team to minister at various churches in the area.

I went to the Iglesia Profetica Evangelista Peniel. I was in one of the most violent areas.

3 of us shared. I spoke from - the axe head that floated.

The fed us afterwards and was introduced to “caldo with chicken feet”.

Following that we ministered at a drug recovery home for another Sunday Service.

We regrouped at the Ebinezer Church said our goodbyes and went to the airport to come home. Tired but full of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I did have some strong take a ways that the Lord impressed on me.

First, I heard Chuck say many years ago to “stay under the spout where the blessings come out.” So we must ask ourselves where is God blessing? Where do we see His Holy Spirit being poured out in Power?

Second, is God moving here? Are we satisfied with what is happening here? That’s not to say that nothing is happening but we do have a lot of empty chairs. Prayer meeting are mostly unattended. People are not getting saved.

I think Gods word gives us some clues if we will listen..

Go to: Parable of the Wedding Feast

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

We need to go out to were the people are hungry. for the most part our families and neighbors are not. The people like us are not.

Notice who is..

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Here the story is told from Matthews perspective.

Verses 9, 10 give the key- we must go out.The word bad in the Greek is interesting it is ponēros. meaning

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

full of labours, annoyances, hardships

pressed and harassed by labours

bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble

bad, of a bad nature or condition

in a physical sense: diseased or blind

in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

Our issue is that we don’t like to hang out with those kind of people, but that is precisely who we must go to.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

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So let us go the fountain of living waters and get under the spout where the blessing come out and be blessed and used by God watching Him do the miraculous things He has promised to do.