El Sal Day 1

Our first full day in El Salvador started bright and early with breakfast at 6:30am, followed by a short orientation before we headed to the gym for several hours of training. When we woke up we were thankful to at least have running water to bathe in, something we didn't have the night before and wouldn't have for most of the trip. The King's Castle camp is right on a lake, set within gorgeous, lush mountains and not too far from an active volcano. We spent several hours of the first day learning the songs, dances, and dramas that we would use to minister for the remainder of the week. King's Castle has a wide variety of ministries as they strive to respond to a diverse range of the physical and spiritual needs in El Salvador and Nicaragua. However, their principal method of ministry has always been through the avenues of drama and what they call "spectacle evangelism".

This means that when teams like ours invade the streets of El Salvador, they quickly get people's attention and draw a crowd by creating a spectacle -- clowning, games, music, dramas, dancing, yo-yo tricks, parades, puppet shows, illustrated sermons, you name it! I can't see this method working too well in the States, but it is absolutely perfect for this culture. As crowds gather, the curious spectators soon become drawn in to the core message of every King's Castle program: "Jesus saves and is coming soon."

The motto of King's Castle's method has always been (in Spanish), "utilizando todo los medios que estan a nuestro alcance", which means:

"...to utilize every method that is within our reach to preach the Gospel."

After sweating profusely for several hours, we were more than ready for a swim in the lake. Pictured below is the King's Castle dock and trapeze swing. SUPER FUN. Our team enjoyed a couple hours of free time before heading to dinner and then to the prayer tower for an evening of intercession and spiritual preparation for our week of ministry.

The dock.

One side of the beautiful view.

Hannah, Olivia, Brittany, Tiffany, and Sarah enjoying a refreshing swim.

Josh and Cannon getting ready to pull a dangerous stunt.

El Salvador Mission Trip

August 8-16 marked a significant "first" for the FOS community as 15 students and leaders ventured out on the first ever FOS foreign mission trip. At 4am on Saturday, August 8, while most of you were still in dreamy-dream land, we were groggily rubbing the sleep out of our eyes as we loaded the ECC bus and headed to Seattle to catch our 7am flight. As tired as we were, there was no mistaking the excitement and expectancy in each of our hearts for what we were about to encounter. After months of planning, prayer, and fundraising -- it was finally here!

After a long day of traveling we arrived in at the San Salvador airport at 5:30pm. It gets dark in El Salvador by 6:30pm, so by the time we retrieved our bags, made it through customs, immigration, and stepped outside, it already felt much later than it really was. Nonetheless, setting foot on El Salvador soil (or should I say "pavement") for the first time is not something any of us will soon forget. The sky was a deep, dark, royal blue. The tropical trees were a beautiful, rich, emerald green. The air was thick with humidity and littered with the sounds and silhouettes of lively birds.

There waiting for us were a group of five nationals (the El Salvadorian Master's Commission students who would work with our group all week), one lively American intern (Caleb), and the dream machine pictured to the right-- the Castillo Del Rey bus. We were really blessed to meet up with another mission team from Washington who arrived in El Salvador the day before us. These ten students and leaders from all over Washington were a perfect match for our FOS team. We bonded instantly and had a blast ministering with them all week.

After a very bumpy and rainy 3 hr bus ride we arrived at the Kings Castle camp. By this time it was quite late and we were all thoroughly exhausted so we headed straight to bed. We needed to get our rest because the next day would start bright and early with breakfast at 6:30am, followed by orientation and a whole lot of training.

More to come very soon!!