Ruta 3:16

Our church is called Ruta 3:16, and it is a church consisting of all young people (plus our pastor Wally, another gringo, who is young at heart!). Our goal is to reach out to the youth of El Salvador, especially those who don't feel welcome at traditional church because of the way they dress, the music they listen to, etc. We meet in an old bar, and out of the 40 or so of us that meet weekly, we already have 4 worship bands, all different genres. Elvis and I play in one of them. God has really put a passion for music in the hearts of the young people at our church. Our message is that God is good and He loves you, trying to break the lies that many young people here believe that God is mad at them.


So, our pastor Wally has started another church, also Ruta 3:16, but in a little community outside of town. He met several of the current members when he was doing medical clinincs for people that lived in a lava field...literally acres and acres of blackened lava rocks from a volcano that erupted about a century ago. We're talking about no grass, not even dirt, no water, electricity, just black rocks all around you. They have now moved into a nearby community called Nehemias, and Wally helped them start a church. Just looking from the outside, Ruta 3:16 looks completely different in the city and in Nehemias, but really the same heart is still there. The church in Nehemias is about 95% women and children, result of their husbands moving to the states to search for income, divorce, or not being married in the first place. Wally has helped them get into a partnership with a university in the states which is going to market and sell hammocks that the women from Nehemias make to that they can have some income.




Today, Elvis and I went to Nehemias with Wally to help lead worship for them, and Elvis preached. Last time, he was asked to preach about 15 minutes before the service, but this time they gave him a couple of hours heads-up. That's one of his gifts that I admire so much- being able to preach on such short notice! You can tell it just bubbles up from his heart. Now I could prepare for a month, and run out of things to say in 5 minutes! It's neat how God has gifted us in different ways.



















Sunday school at Nehemias



Wally has asked us to come once a month with him to Nehemias to lead worship, pray with the women, and for Elvis to preach each time also, so we'll will keep you up to date on what's happening there!