I’m in the Comfort Inn in San Salvador. These Spanish keyboards are awful. The characters aren’t where they are in the English keyboard.
Everything is going fine. A few people got sick while on the trip, but otherwise all is well. We are planning on visiting some ruins today, as soon as the bus gets here. My hotel room isn’t ready, so I’m killing time at the keyboard.
I hope you can see this entry. Send a comment if you can, because I am unable to see this on this computer I’m using.
I’m glad I came on this trip, although I’ll probably be a one timer simply because it is just so tiring and inconveinent. Germs are everywhere. We have to wash our hand constantly.
We did have about 21 baptisms which is cool. The Honduran preachers were all really gung-ho about spreading the Gospel. The El Salvadorian natives were all very friendly and would always smile when we said “Buenos Dias” to them. I’ve taken plenty of pictures, which I’ll post here when I get back.
Hope all is well.

I am tired of feeling dirty all the time. Give someone a hug and feel dirty all day. This country is full of dirt and dust.
I was asked 3 times by the locals for a bandana – Something I have never worn in El Salvador nor anywhere else. These people are persistent. I hate to turn them down because I’m sure they have nothing. But it is annoying after a while.
This morning I went out door knocking with Ever and someone else. The first house the family seemed receptive at first, but we later found they were Pentecostal. The older lady started chanting and pointing at me as if to put a curse on me. Then she knelt down and prayed and chanted. We left.
The 2nd house produced results. After an hour of studying the older lady (who seemed preoccupied the whole time) decided to be baptized.
We had to bring a truck to pick her up and drive her to the baptistery since she was old and in bad health.
These Latin American preachers definitely know what they’re talking about as far as the Bible is concerned. They don’t cut corners. They know their scripture. I had little idea what they were talking about during the Bible study, but they must have said it forceful enough to get the point across.
Phil, Jessila, Robert, Jason and Canaan and I went out door knocking in the marketplace today. We also had time to shop around. I tried getting a soccer jersey. The lady wanted $40. I tried to offer her $20, but she wouldn’t take it.
Tonight we had alot of people for worship tonight. I think another CoC in the area brought a bus. I guess everyone wanted to say goodbye to us. Tomorrow we leave at 7Am. Probably wake up at 5:30.
I’m tired of writing. More to come later.

I hung around the compound today. There were plenty of people who had not been door knocking, so I gave them the opportunity to do so.
I’ve made friends with some of the preachers kids – Manuel – 9, Diego – 6, and Amanda – 4. All very good kids. I did borrow Terry’s Spanish book to practice my poor pronunciation of Spanish on them.
I helped Jacob, Jeremy and Phil water the crowd. Basically we go outside of the gate with a 5 gallon water tank and 4 cups and give water to the people. We resue the cups multiple times while we’re out there.
We had hotdogs for lunch and spaghetti for supper. Food has been good. You’d be surprised what you can make – especially when you have 2 EL Salvadorian women helping you.
Speaking of help, we found help with Herson – who was able to speak English having lived in LA for 9 years. He helped tremendously with the gate – letting people in and out.
The gate is sorta hard to describe. Its a big metal door with a closeable window. All around people are lined up with very little room – pushing to get in the doors. Greg has been working the gate – only letting a certain amount in at a time. But he got sick today and was out of commission. The school principal has given out numbers to people wishing to get medical attention. So we take them when their number is up.
We make special exceptions for bad cases. For example someone came in with a bullet in his cheek. Obviously it had been there for a long time since the skin grew over it. So he is coming back tomorrow to get it removed.
I can’t wait until we get to the hotel on Thursday night. We are going sightseeing on Thursday instead of Friday as previously planned because of Good Friday holiday. Everyone goes to the beach on that holiday.
I gave Oscar Kevin’s Creative Graphics hat. Oscar started off as a cute kid, but I have mixed feelings about him. Perhaps he is just using us to get what he wants. Maybe poorer people are greedy because they have less. I don’t know. Oscar’s family bugged Phil for a bear that another child got after Bible class. Oscar got a puzzle, but apparently wasn’t satisfied with it. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers. And I mean that literally.
I’m tire of writing. More will come later on.

Today’s excitement was the marketplace. Gary Richards, Canaan, JM, Luis, Gissela, and I knocked on doors on the half mile walk to the marketplace. This was downtown Usulutan. Everything from soccer balls to live crabs were sold there. I wanted to buy a soccer uniform, but was persuaded to wait. The marketplace was similar to China, except the local paid less attention to us. It was as if they expected us or that we were an everyday occurrence.
We almost went into an air conditioned grocery store, but decided to head back. We met a lady from California. On the way back we met a couple of peace corp volunteers who had stayed 2 years in El Salvador.
Let’s talk about Oscar. Oscar is this 8 year old kid who seems to hand around all of us “young guys.” He started off as Phil’s shadow. But later on as Canaan and I waited outisde the gates, he started giving us bear hugs. A very clingy kid. Still I wonder what kind of future Oscar has. Such a cute kid – probably 10 years down the road, he’ll be a father himself with his own family. Stuck in the same place as before. Have we made a difference in Oscar’s life? I hope so. May he is very interested in Sunday school VBS that he’ll come to church services. But somehow I think it might just be the grengos around that keep him excited.
Phil has been leading evening singing. The past 2 nights it has bee pretty loud. You could hear it pretty clearly from where we are staying.
Some kid – about 10 years old – cut his hand and came to our clinic after closing time. We sedated him and gave him 12 stitches. Maybe he was playing with his machete.
There is some debate tonight about going back early. We’ve given out alot of medicine and are almost running out. We have enough left for 300 patients. There is talk about going to the hotel Wednesday night instead of Thursday night. It would mean an extra night in the hotel. I don’t care either way.
Well, I’ve run out of things to write. I really need to get out the video camera tomorrow.

Today I went with David Shannon and Cesar, a Honduran preacher to conduct 2 Bible studies. The first one was with 2 teenaged girls. Cesar conducted them. Even without knowing Spanish I know that he was a good preacher. Very knowledgeable in the scriptures – could rattle them off very quickly.
The first house had a refrigerator in it. I really wanted to ask if it would be okay to chill my water bottle during the study. It would have been cold by the end of the study. We really should rent a refrigerator. Pay someone a $100 for their refrigerator and have cold drinks throughout the week.
The second one was with an older woman who was baptized yesterday. We conducted it in the front door area of the house. As we were leaving David pointed out a small boy playing a gameboy inside the house. So I guess things aren’t alot different here.
We met Jeremy – a 38 year old father with 4 kids…one named Jeffrey. He knew a little English since he lived in LA for a couple of years 10 years ago.
It rained at services tonight. First it started sprinkling. But then it went to a downpour later on after we did the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper was slightly different. The “wine” was in packets. Remove the lid and you’re good to go. It was the Fruit of the Vine in a to go cup.
Speaking of To Go, my shower philosophy is like Chili’s slogan – “Get in. Get Out. Get on with your life.” Quite different from John Thomas. He stayed in the shower for 30 minutes.
They’ve setup a special set of showers right outside of our sleeping area. Got some shower heads and pipes at a hardware store. Cold showers aren’t that bad in this heat. You kinda look forward to it.
Phil, Robert, JM, Rachel, Canaan, Jason, and I and a translator went out to knock doors to invite people to services tonight. We met up with a man who was a member of the church of Christ and helped us knock doors. Our group was a bit big when David and Cesar met up with us. Someone asked “How would you feel if 20 Mexicans showed up at your door?”
In the kids class tonight Jeremy, Jacob, Ronnie, and Dennis dressed up like Noah and family. Rachel and Terry were the mockers. Terry did a hilarious laughter.
Dania is a sweet lady. She is 32 and is really good with English. She lived in St. Louis for a while, but is back living in Honduras.
Phil has a shadow. Oscar is a young kid who seems to follow him around like a puppy dog.
That’s pretty much what happened today. Expect more tomorrow.

We had 3 baptisms today. One was around lunchtime. The other 2 were tonight. All women. So that was a big uplift.
So the clinic opened today. Imagine a big line of El Salvadorians in hot weather. Later in the afternoon we managed to get a couple of canopies over them to keep the sun off of them. Phil and Gary were there to offer aqua to the crowd. The water was still warm but they took it anyways.
The clinic has multiple stations.
Registration where some local ladies decide if they are of needing it financially (i.e. we don’t want people who are rich to be getting free medical care).
Next they have nurses to check their blood pressure. Next PD checks for lice. Then they get to see a doctor to consult with them about their ailments. The most common ailment is digestive worms. Each child gets a free dose of worm medicine. Afterwards they get their pills and health aids (toothbrush, comb, toothpaste, shampoo, soap). Then they are able to see a dentist for extractions only. You should have heard some of the kids crying over fear of getting their teeth pulls. I kept kidding Donna Crisp that she was making them cry. The last stations is head scrubs. Carolyn Eakes did a good job working all day at that station. Carolyn is still a licensed beautician although she doesn’t practice (just uses it to get wholesale shampoo)
Canaan from San Antonio is cool. He’s got a good heart and mind toward evangelism. He says his Biblical name is a good tool to start Bible conversations with people.
David Shannon went with Cesar (Honduran preacher) to do Bible studies. Initially he conducted the study with Cesar translating. However Cesar was such a good evangelist, he took off on the study on his own. While they were studying a chicken ran through the house. Apparently this is common. The homeowner and Cesar didn’t pay any attention to the chicken. Pretty soon a rooster came into the house. David thought he was going to crow.
Tonight�s service was interesting. Phil led us in traditional songs. Then Cesar led us in Spanish songs. Some were the Spanish versions of our English songs. Some like “There’s Not a Friend like the lowly Jesus,” “Blessed Assurance,” “We Praise Thee O God.”
Then the service broke up. The kids went to the childrens’ class. Phil and a translator took the teens while the Spanish preachers taught the adults. The children’s class was filled. Phil had had about 20 or so kids in his class.
A couple of teenagers came along expecting to play soccer. When we tried to get them to go to class, they said they were not allowed to. We later found out they were Mormon. Jacob tells me that kids can get disowned if they attend a church service.
We are coping with the inconveniences. No good drinking water from the facet. Washing our hands constantly. We do have access to cold colas from a stand on campus. 40 cents. 25 cents for water.
Food has been good. Raviolli for lunch. Mac and cheese for supper. Better than what I expected.
So its a good day. I still don’t know what I’m a hard core Latin American missions person – one that comes year after year no matter what. Its a good trip, but there is alot of preparation involved. You know its good I have this extra time at night to write such a long entry. I didn’t do this when I was in China.

I guess I should be excited but somehow I’m not yet. Traveling internationally lost its coolness with China. El Salvador is a very cruel place. Desolate after 6 months of the dry season.
It is hard to fit in. I still don’t know everyone�s’ names. Maybe its my fault for not being more friendly. Still it is a little intimidating to have old friends greet each other and still be standing there awkwardly.
Customs was a breeze. No problems. We did have some “gypsy women” ask for our money while we waited for our bus. The way they held out their crooked hands as if they had begged all their lives. Their wrists were afixiated that way.
We do have water & electricity. The school is relatively clean. About as clean as Short Mountain at the end of a camp. Trash is still more abundant. I wish third world countries would learn to use a trash can. Maybe that’s what we’re teaching this week.
I still haven’t been able to take alot of pictures. I’ve taken about 10 digital pictures. I guess I’ve been too tired of too busy to get motivated. I have a whole week to get some great shots….for people to bug me for doubles later on. Its my job so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining.
We’ve been warned and warned about the water. Close your eyes and mouth when you take a shower. El Salvador water might as well be deadly acid or something. I am coping with the situation in stride. We do have purified water for consumption.
The heat? Its like Florida in July. But not as bad as I expected. There is a slight breeze around and the shade is pretty reasonable. I can tolerate the heat better than most.
So we counted pills and labeled medicine tonight. I had Vienna Sausage and Cheetos for supper. Still not sure if Buddy’s request to make me gain weight on this trip will come true. At the rate its going now, it won’t happen.
We had a devo tonight. Jack introduced our team to the native preachers. Some of them speak English, so I hope to get to know them later on.
So not much else happened today. The fun will start tomorrow when the clinic opens.

Really not much has happened worth talking about. We arrived at the airport at 4:35AM with the rest of the group (who had ridden over on the church van). Everyone was already in line. We got our group picture for the big screen and the bulletin. I kept walking in front of Kay Buchanan’s camera. I was half awake and forgot to look to see if she was taking a picture. They announced on the flight from Nashville to Atlanta that our group was on board going to El Salvador.
In Atlanta we had about 30 minutes to rest and catch our breath. During the train ride over to the international gate, David Shannon, Jeremy, and Jacob tried to surf by not holding on to anything. They were somewhat successful.
Right now I’m on the flight to El Salvador. Plenty of Spanish speaking people aboard.
My dad has to be the most out of style person on this trip. High waters pants. Making dumb jokes with the lady next to him.
In order for Dennis Buchanan to play cards with the Crisps, I switched seats with him. I’m beside Terry Burton who doesn’t talk my ear off (thankfully).
So I’m wondering how this trip will be. Am I obligated to wear my rose colored glasses while in Usulutan, even though those glasses might be hard to find? Do I dare speak negatively about the trip? Do you want the good, the bad, and the ugly?
Buddy’s goal is to make sure I gain weight while in El Salvador. Its fine with me. Maybe I’m hoping for a trip to Pizza Hut or something.
Anyways our flight is over halfway over. Next stop is El Salvador where the Dave Matthews song “Don’t drink the water” is not just an overplayed pop son. Its a way of life.
This is Jeff signing off.

Ugh. I’m having to get up at 3:30AM tomorrow. I’m dreading that. They say if you do not get a good night’s sleep beforehand you may not ever catch up for the duration of the trip. Everyone snores. Paper thin walls. The heat. Although it appears that it might get down to 60something degrees at night. And I’m bringing some earplugs.
Phil shaved his head. Mr. Clean. Kojak. Whatever you want to call it. Strange indeed. He says its for the El Salvadorian heat. I too got a haircut today. It’s not that short. I’ve found that if I get it too short, it looks really bad.
I have mixed feelings about the trip. These feelings are likely to change once I return. I’ll probably be glad I went.
Then again, as I said before, I don’t want this to turn into an annual trip. There is way too much preparation that is required to do this year after year. So, I’m going to try not to get too close to those involved with this trip, for fear of being compelled to do this year after year. It sounds harsh, but I’m trying to be realistic.
Realistically right now, I’m dreading it. I don’t like the extra preparations involved. I like the idea of helping those most needing, but I feel like I could easily do it elsewhere without the extra brouhaha of a mission trip.
I found out some more information about these Columbia Central High School shirts that we are wearing while we are down there. They are from a Maury County School and are from the class of 2001. I kinda wish I could save one of them to wear at Maury County’s Camp in the summer. Just to blend in. Not likely to happen.
As far as updating this page while I’m down there, I doubt that it will happen. So stop holding your breath. Our group leader will have his laptop with him, but I doubt that there are internet connections down there….without a long distance call.
I am going to be keeping a written log of stuff that happens each day I’m down there. I’ll post it here when I get back.

Have you heard Plan B? We’re having some bureaucratic problems getting our doctors into El Salvador. Apparently El Salvadorian govt doesn’t want the skilled hands of American doctors. So there is a Plan B. Plan B involves driving 3 hours from San Salvador to Honduras to practice medicine there. We have better relations with the Honduran government. The mission group has only been working in El Salvador since 2001, Honduras since 1988.
I’m not so sure about Honduras. I’m prepared for El Salvador….for electricity and sleeping indoors inside of classrooms. I’m not prepared for whatever Honduras holds. Conditions could be much worse.
I guess I’ll find out where our final destination is when we get to the airport Friday morning at 4:30AM.