Ever since I was a teenager, it had been my vision to work in a Hispanic country. This desire was compounded after taking four years of Spanish in high school and learning some of the language and culture. My teacher, Daniel Lapp, had been a missionary at an orphanage here at this location, before CICS ever came into being. Hearing about all his stories piqued my interest. Last summer I was also able to come visit CICS for a few days, during an El Salvador trip with Daniel. I had never felt a “yes” or “no” from God about serving here, but the way seemed clear, and I decided to try it. God would let me know if He had other ideas, right? The best way to have an adventure is to “jump off” and see what happens!

And the adventure part sure has been forthcoming! Although it helped that I knew some Spanish and a little ASL before I came, I still have a lot of learning to do. But, the teaching part is the most challenging for me, being a first-time teacher and all. I had substituted before for my teacher friends, but that’s just a very small piece of being an actual teacher. I’ve often had to ask questions from all the veterans around here, but hey I’m learning! (I hope) And I don’t care how much experience you have, seeing a child have a “light-bulb moment” makes the hours of repetition and head-pounding worth it. Hopefully someday I can even change a child’s life for Christ. Wouldn’t that be awesome!

Culture-wise, things haven’t been too drastic and I’ve found it pretty easy to handle. I love the food! A meal won’t seem like a meal at home without a tortilla and an avocado to eat. I find the slow paced life probably the hardest to get accustomed to. Previously living in fast-paced Lancaster County probably doesn’t help matters much in that regard. 🙂 Cold showers are also something to get used to, but after a while you won’t want anything else due to the heat.

As I said before I still have MANY things to learn, and I haven’t been living here without any problems, but it am confident that God will help be me, and I can always go to him when I am feeling discouraged. As the Bible says in Jeremiah 29, God has a plan for me. All I need to do is trust and go along for the ride! I would appreciate it very much if you would pray for me as I attempt to do that. God bless you!

Samuel Stoltzfus