In November 2009, Joni Eareckson Tada visited El Salvador with her ministry to partner with ENLACE and other local organizations. 20 families participated in a family retreat; 8 pastors received training, 10 custom wheelchairs were distributed, and the local universities met to explore providing courses to equip leaders to reach the disabled.

Churches that ENLACE works with responded to help 150 families affected by the rains of Hurricane Ida

First hand pictures of damage in various communities ENLACE works with

The community of Las Declicias and surrounding areas were hit hard by the recent rains caused by Hurricane Ida. Here is some of the damage.

El Salvador experienced disastrous rains causing damage in three main areas of the country.

ENLACE began working in the Cerro Cacahuatique region in 2000 with the Cornerstone Church in Abelines. Since that time, this small church has made amazing progress. In addition to many other initiatives, they formed an active health committee, are managing a health clinic, installed hundreds of latrines, built pedestrian bridges, and implemented a clean water project serving thousands of people. Over the past two years, more than 10 churches in the region have also expressed interest in working with ENLACE, desiring to get involved in community transformation. We recently took a few days to ask some members of these new churches what their experience has been like.

The Crossing Church came down this week to help build a protective wall around a pump station, (rebombeo #1) and serve the community in a number of ways including dentist services, women's Bible studies, and free haircuts.

The mission team from Briargate Church in Colorado Springs visited the community of Comecayo, where they helped paint a school and in the evenings facilitated an Alpha training seminar at Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen (New Jerusalem Church), a local church and ENLACE partner. Alpha is a community outreach and education program that equips the church to engage new-comers and to serve new-believers. One Hundred church leaders from Comecayo and the surrounding area attended the evening seminars. Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen (New Jerusalem Church) is a beautiful, newly constructed and growing 1000 member church. The church, mobilized by Pastor Rafael and an impressive body of church leaders, is emerging as a powerful agent of change, whose heart for service has become a unifying and healing force in the community.

The mission team from Sea Coast Grace church in California visited the community of San Antonio, where they helped build a water tank, delivered food to families in need, and distributed 600 hats to school children and community members.

The mission team from the First Assemblies of God Church in Orange Country, California visited the community of San Jose El Naranjo (SJEN), where they helped build a sidewalk and a road. These were preliminary and mandated projects that will make way for the construction of a new government-funded steel bridge. The government’s decision to invest $80,000 dollars (the cost of the new bridge) to improve infrastructure in SJEN has resulted from local development initiatives and has been viewed as a major victory by church and community leaders. The new bridge will benefit 3000 community members.

In June the Children’s Health International Medicine Project of Seattle, CHIMPS, arrived for its annual medical trip to Abelines, a remote, rural village in El Salvador’s northeastern mountains. Since 2003, groups of doctors, pediatricians and medical students from Washington have collaborated with ENLACE to support its ongoing efforts in this region.

In 2008, multiple churches in the Abelines region combined forces to create a housing committee and managed an initiative that benefitted 22 families so far. By June, 2009 they will construct an additional 11 homes and hope to continue the project.

Over 100 community volunteers showed up for the first day of work on the trenches where the piping will be layed from the wells of Project Milagro

ENLACE staff enjoyed a saturday afternoon "pupusiada" hosted by the las delicias church and community leaders. the two winners (israel and evelyn) both ate 15 pupusas!