June 2017 Update

Marsha and I have come to El Salvador and will be spending the next three months here.  We are planning on overseeing the building process, check on completed homes, interview prospective recipient families and visit with all those families to whom we have already provided homes.  One of the areas Marsha has been spending countless hours on is developing a flyer for each donor who has provided funds to build an entire home.  Her goal is to provide feedback to the donors once their home has been completed.  This will be in the form of a flyer which will contain pictures of the completed home, along with a picture of the receiving family and a brief story about that family.  Coordinating all of this information is difficult.  When a home is finished it might be several weeks or longer before one of our team members can be taken to the site of the home to take the pictures needed, talk with the family, then translate this all into English.  There is only one driver and often times it is very difficult to reach these areas. Sometimes the rains prevent us from going all together.  We must also coordinate our efforts with Father John's schedule, as he holds a celebration to bless the home and hand the keys over to the family. 

With two crews working, we are completing one new home every fifteen to eighteen days. Peoples lives are being changed. As of June 23rd, 2017 we have completed forty-five homes.

Yesterday we traveled with Miguel our Project Foreman, Rembe our driver, Caesar our interpreter. Marsha and I and met with the next three families that will be receiving new homes.  The rains have been steady, everyday in fact and getting to this area by truck is a challenge, then hiking the final half a mile or so in mud and rain, over streams has its own hazards.  Meeting the people makes it all worthwhile.  Seeing first hand what your contributions have and will continue to do is amazing. 

We are so grateful for having the time to spend here, living with the people, worshiping with them, sharing conversations about their struggles, and their blessings has confirmed to us that what we are doing is making a tremendous difference in the lives of our El Salvadoran friends.

There is so much more we would like to share, we will continue to stay in touch.  We just completed an article that will be sent out very soon.  It is titled, "A Day in the Life of Father John Ostrowski."  Marsha is working on an article entitled, "The Martha's of Saint Peter the Apostle in Teptepeque."  Our desire is to better inform everyone about the wonderful people and things that are going on here in El Salvador.

Thank you for your continued support and look for Operation Rescue Inc. at this years fest.  Stop by and say hello to Justin and Ellen as well as some of our other volunteers. Please help us spread the good news.

David W. Gantz, President