I got these wooden wall hanging key holders from El Salvador. After I got home, I found that they are probably cheaply made….using decals. So I probably paid too much for them. These type of wall hanging decorations are plentiful among the souvenir stands and its hard not to buy them in the rush of trying to find cool souvenirs.
Meanwhile I’m trying to write up an article about the El Salvador trip for the Mt. Juliet News (local newspaper). I sent out an email to everyone asking for experiences and stories about the trip. I’ve only gotten one back saying the best part about the trip were the 22 baptisms….which is all well and good, however I’m not sure it would play well in a secular newspaper. Emphasizing the religious aspects of the trip rather than the medical aid part might mean the difference in being buried deep in the religious section rather than being put on the front or 2nd page. I’m going to emphasize the medical mission part of the trip….how many people saw a doctor….how many prescriptions were written….how many teeth were pulled….etc. Joe User doesn’t really care how many people were converted…unless he himself is a Christian himself.
This may be the one and only time I go to Latin America. Its difficult work. I know there are souls to minister to….but who is really to say which is more important….a soul here in the US or a soul in El Salvador? The truth is both souls are just as important….with different degrees of accessibility and openness toward the Gospel. A potential convert in the US might be easier to get to….more difficult to convert….whereas a soul in El Salvador is difficult to get to…and easier to convert. What will probably happen is that I’ll have a greater deal of sympathy toward the Latin American mission effort….to through more support their way….yet at the same time not really having the desire to go back myself.
Yet as far as conversions go, I am left scratching my head thinking can a person really be converted after a one hour Bible study? Yet it happened time and time again in El Salvador. I’m not questioning these people’s sincerity. I’m asking “How?” and “Why?”