"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4)
As 2023 closes, we at Envision El Salvador can look back joyfully at all the Lord did this year. The Apostle Paul reminds us to always rejoice in the Lord. We finished this year of ministry strong and look forward to what God has in store for 2024.
La Fuente:
Both of our La Fuente programs wrapped up earlier this month, celebrating their last days with delicious food and rich fellowship. LF San Salvador and LF Apopa will resume in February for the 2024 LF year. We hope that most students at both sites will register, allowing us to continue developing and strengthening our relationships with the students we serve. As a staff, it has been a blessing to witness God's work in the lives of these youth we spent a full year working with. For many, coming to La Fuente is the highlight of their day. Looking back at 2023, we rejoice in the Lord for sustaining these programs despite the bumps and hiccups along the way.
La Fuente FC:
The LFFC ministry is our sole active ministry. Coaches Stanley Larreinaga and Sam Andersen continue to run practices, build relationships, and lead the boys in Apopa. During the holiday break, Stanley and Sam are grateful for the extra time spent with the team. The team is currently competing in the City of Apopa's open youth tournament with the clear goal of winning. Last Sunday, the team's star defender, Danny, who has been attending church for a couple of months, accepted the Lord as his Savior.
The Guest House Project:
Construction on our soon-to-be intern/guest house is progressing. Recent milestones include laid tiling on the first floor and installed pipes for plumbing on the second floor. We still need $100,000 USD to complete it and ask for your prayerful consideration in financially supporting this project.
Scholarship Program
"We are happy because one of our students, Fabiola Mendez, graduated high school in December. Her GPA was excellent, earning her a scholarship to a private university (LA UCA) with 75% of the costs covered. She spent one year with our LF program and the following two years in our scholarship program. We are very pleased to have walked alongside her on this journey and wish Fabiola many blessings in the future." (Pastor Saul, Director of La Fuente San Salvador)
Intern and Residency Programs
Interns: A few weeks ago our intern Nick Meyer returned home after completing his 11-month internship. Nick creatively used his passions for youth, art, and music to create meaningful relationships with our students.
Resident: Sam Andersen is now 11 months into his 2-year commitment with us. Currently, he is taking the necessary steps to launch as an International Worker with the CMA after his time as a resident. Sam spends the majority of his time working with and developing the La Fuente FC program in Apopa. Sam uses his passion for soccer to best connect with the youth in El Salvador. We are expecting to have four interns serve with us during the summer of 2024.
We are expecting to have 4 interns serve with us during the summer of 2024.
Escalante Family:
Tony and Claudia will be returning to the US with their family on December 30th. This was a difficult decision for them to make, but ultimately the smartest, as they still didn't have the legal documents needed to live in El Salvador.
Prayer Requests:
2024 registration process of LF San Salvador and Apopa.
Development of the LFFC program.
Fabiola as she begins to study at La UCA.
Funds for the guest house.
Legal permission for the Escalante family to return to El Salvador.
Opportunities for us to expand our transportation services business.
Intern Nick Meyer as he has now returned to Pennsylvania.
Sam as he discerns the next steps with the CMA as an IW.