I'm writing this for your prayers and partly to share the complexities of El Salvador. In our church there is a dear brother that attends faithfully. He can be found ushering people in on Sundays, praying early on Saturday mornings, or serving his community in a variety of ways. He lives about a mile from the church in a community that is largely controled by gangs, yet he is very involved with his neighbors. Yet, Juan struggles like so many I meet here in El Salvador to find real work. He has a chronic back problem, and is unable to work a job that requires much manual labor, which for men is really the only type of work available in El Salvador. So, for work, he walks a few miles a day looking through trash to find anything he can sell for recycling.

When I first found out that this was his work, I was stunned. Juan has a very clean appearance and demeanor. I couldn't understand how this was the only work he could find. Yet, the longer we fellowship in our church the more people we meet who just cannot find consistent work here in El Salvador. I have since found out that Juan is not the only one in our congregation with this type of work. Yet, you won't find them complaining. Only praying a faithful prayer, asking for God's provision, for a new job, but with a trust that God will provide.

Juan is now helping lead an initiative from our church reaching kids in his community (photo above). I am helping with some training, and our first meeting in Thursday night. Please pray that God can use our church to bring healing to this part of San Salvador, and that God can use us to help men like Juan find opportunities to find the jobs they so greatly desire.