Drowning in Rain…& Avocados!

Non-stop rain & avocados, visiting orphans, & other adventures…

Hola, amigos 😃

I’m happy to say we’re at the end of the storm. But WHAT a storm!

On June 15 it started to rain…and it was a bit like that episode of Winnie the Pooh where it just kept raining…and raining…and flooding…and raining some more! We had record amounts of rain for a whole week. And it only let up for 2-3 hours at a time a few times.

This wasn’t just pitter-pat rain either. It was torrential! We were sitting in the livingroom watching Little House on the Prairie—yes, that show they made back when TV shows were wholesome! And suddenly, it was so loud on our metal roof, we could barely hear the show with the volume set at 100! …normally we have it around 35.

There was literally a small river running down each side of our street—and down the middle too! This photo was taken near our house…

We are thankful for our sturdy homes, but most of us had some leaks in our roofs. Ours was a slow drip, and didn’t cause us much grief, because we’d just had a repair guy come in and (almost) fix it. Some had it MUCH worse than others. A friend sent photos of her bedroom, the floor covered with about an inch of water. She was thankful that they have a dryer, because she had a continuous load of towels and blankets needing to be dried.

Some other friends (Two People in Paradise on YouTube) had NINE leaks in their roof! They barely managed to function without putting an indoor shelter over their computers. That was one of the few dry places in their home. Some Salvadorans to the east had to evacuate their homes, as there was about a foot of water in many of them. Tragically, there were even some lives lost here in El Salvador during that week, including a family who had a wall collapse on them. 😢

During the 7-day storm, the cats refused to spend the nights or the days outside, so we had our 5 furry friends indoors with us for the whole week. And believe me….by day 4, we were ALL ready for some sunshine again!

In other news…

It’s still avocado season, our tree is loaded, and we’re ALMOST tired of them…but not quite! Tom decided to use an extra extension on the fruit picker and he also bought a 12-foot ladder, so he can reach up to get lots more. We put 3 in each smoothie, make guacamole for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—I’m not even exaggerating! And we’re still freezing some, and giving lots away to friends. It’s incredible! 

A friend of mine who was here for the last several months invited us to go with her to an orphanage nearby back in February. The girls and I joined her family twice, and enjoyed our visits. Some of the teenage girls there are eager to learn English, so my friend and I wrote words on papers and explained words like “I” “you” “us” and “them” and also taught them colour names in English. Then we spent awhile chatting with them about life. I was deemed the “translator,” even though my Spanish is pretty basic at best. The girls would help me when I made mistakes or didn’t know a word.

Many of them have had some awful things in their lives, as you can imagine. I could see it in some of their eyes. And I’m sure in some cases, we don’t have any idea just how hard their lives have been!

**Note: all photos of Salvadoran kids are borrowed (from online), to protect the privacy of the kids we visit.

The other day as I was thinking about those orphan kids, and how we could help, I opened up my YouVersion Bible app and was surprised to see that this was the verse of the day…

The last time we went, I met an attentive young mom and her cute baby. The baby is several months old, but if you ask me, the mom herself is still a “baby”—considering that I was twice her age when I had my first baby! I asked her about the baby’s dad, and was sad to learn he’s in jail, as he was involved with the gangs. I held her sweet, smiling baby girl awhile, and asked if she needed anything for her.

“Diapers, formula, baby cereal, a stroller, a baby carrier, little clothes (ropita)…clothes for myself…”

So, basically everything!

I also asked the orphanage director what she thought this mom and baby needed. Better to not show up with everything, unless she agreed to it. She thought that a stroller, clothes, and baby cereal would be very helpful. Sandra (not her real name) has been running this orphanage for years, and they have NEVER relied on government support, she told us. They trust God to provide, and they rely solely on donations. I also asked what the 48 kids (more girls than boys) need.

“Ropa…” she stated. “They need jeans, shirts, shorts, dresses, shoes…”

I don’t know about you, but for me it’s hard to comprehend needing clothes. Whenever I “need” any particular item, I just go out and buy it (most often at a thrift store). For most of my life, I’ve had an over-abundance of ropa in my closet!

Because we had rain for 7 days straight, the girls and I did some sorting. I encouraged my girls to think of items they could give to those children who don’t have much clothes. And I was pleasantly surprised at some of the things they chose to part with. Their closets and drawers were now organized, clothes neatly folded, and having less items proved beneficial to not overstuffing those spaces.

We came up with 3 large bags of clothes and shoes to donate. It seems we don’t have any kind of lack in that area! I also had a few friends reach out to me, knowing I’d been there, and they were happy to give bags of clothing and items for the kids.

On Tuesday, I went to a big thrift store with my friend and our girls, in search of some deals. Sure enough, many items were 50-70% off, and I managed to find some amazing bargains—jeans for $1-$4, T-shirts and shorts for $2. It was fun, shopping for those kids in need, and buying cute baby girl clothes too, for the first time in several years. 💗

God has always had a huge heart for orphans and those suffering with loss. I’m so thankful we have this opportunity to help local kids and to get to know them. It’s been one of my deepest desires since I was in my teens, to help orphans. Now I’m going to be able to do it on a regular basis. A few of us plan to visit there every other week, teaching the kids English, painting with them, and playing games like soccer and basketball.

Last weekend we decided to take the girls out for a fun afternoon. We’d heard about a place called Volcatenango, a theme park with lots of fun things to do. So, we drove part way up Volcan Boquerón, the volcano next to San Sanvador, and spent several hours at this magical place, with windmills, miniature castles, and even a spa, all built onto the side of a volcano.

There were lots of characters and posters from Shrek, like “Beware of the Ogre” and a few references and live characters from Disney movies too. We met Robin Hood and Snow White, and saw lots of animals—rabbits, ducks, sheep, donkeys, exotic birds, peacocks, and more. Then we all went for a ride on the huge hanging swings that go around and around, higher…and higher…and faster, till they make you swing so far out that if you’d fall down, you don’t want to imagine what could happen—but at least we were all buckled into our swings!

We ate some tasty burgers for dinner, and then took the girls over to the peddle go-carts. That was fun—peddling as fast as they could, racing each other around the track over and over, laughing and screaming. It was just what we all needed after our long week going stir-crazy during the long storm!

This country with its extreme seasons of dry and wet, its amazing lush jungles and forests, its beautiful beaches and majestic volcanoes, its abundant tropical fruit, its friendly people, and its orphans…is feeling more like home with every avocado we eat, every person we meet, and every pieced-together conversation we have with a local 💙

Thanks for reading, friends! 😃

¡Gracias por leer, amigos!

Until next time…

Hasta lluego…

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️