Yo regreso! (I'm back!)

[kimana517]

Yep, I'm back. It was an exhausting and wonderful trip, and very different from last year (though last year was also exhausting and wonderful). I intend to write a real trip report later, but for now, here's a taste.

Our first morning in El Salvador.

Things I miss when I'm in El Salvador:
- air conditioning
- my family
- pizza
- air conditioning
- speaking the same language as 99% of the people around me
- normal cars (in E. S. we pile into the backs of pickup trucks. It's actually pretty fun, but takes some getting used to.)
- seeing healthy, loved dogs (it was so good to see Mandy yesterday - shiny coat, loved, no patches of fur missing, and you can't see her ribs)
- french fries
- air conditioning
- food variety - i.e., not rice, beans, rice, potatoes, rice, chicken, and rice
- my soft, padded bed
- air conditioning
- chocolate
- tank tops
- sleeping/cuddling with Isaac (they don't have enough rooms for married couples to sleep together)
- sleeping in
- my LJ friends
- air conditioning

Things I miss when I'm home:
- fresh fruit at every meal
- being with friends all the time
- sweet El Salvadoran people
- adorable kids everywhere
- gorgeous scenery (Y'all know I love Florida, but E.S. is pretty much perfect in the scenery department -- it has gorgeous mountains, but also beautiful white sand beaches with palm trees, and it's warm enough to enjoy them both year-round!)
- being immersed in ministry most of each day
- not forgetting my devos, 'cause we do them as a group each morning.
- plantain chips
- cooked plantains for breakfast - yum!
- brightening someone's day just by saying hi and smiling at them (and not having them think you're weird for doing so when you don't know them)
- rain pounding on a tin roof, putting me to sleep
- a visible reminder of why Isaac and I are going to adopt all our kids
- spending 90% of my waking hours with Isaac

Things that both have in common:
- both are democratic countries with a socialist/communist likely to be elected this year. Most of America will likely survive intact despite a socialist president, but it will wreak total havoc in a country like El Salvador.
- fire ants (I got 8 bites, 4 of them spread between two toes. Apparently Repel does not repel fire ants.)
- a great church to be a part of
- the people need a Savior. Here, material things and other beliefs get in the way, and there the pre-Reformation-like Catholic church has a cult vice grip on people, keeping them living in fear. That country desperately needs a Martin Luther to open its eyes.
- they feel like home to me.