Countdown to El Salvador: Student Preparations

By Arissa VandeBurgt, Program Intern

The new year is coming up quickly, and with the new year comes our now annual trip to El Salvador! This trip offers the students the opportunity to continue learning about the importance of place, home and land in a new context, worked out faithfully by people and organizations they haven’t yet encountered. 

The students will be joining a local organization called Las Semillas de Nueva Creación (Seeds of a New Creation) as they introduce us to their work in different parts of El Salvador. Las Semillas is an organization with a wide reach, working in big cities and small towns. They support initiatives in the areas of creation care, sustainable agriculture, church ministry, art, education, and more – they even support a ministry with a focus on breakdancing! Las Semillas connects with local churches to learn about the needs of specific communities and then works to supply long term sustainable ways to equip and resource them. Act Five students will have the opportunity to learn from various leaders, pastors, and young adults connected to this organization. They will see the ways in which these people are faithfully living in their places and serving their communities. 

Learning the Language

Spanish is echoing around our old home here on Blake Street as the students get into gear for their big trip. Duolingo learning is out in full force as students and RLs alike learn the basic words that will carry them through greetings and introductions in El Salvador.

Two weeks ago one of our students, Daniel, who is from Colombia, hosted an evening called “A La Mesa” (At the Table). This night included a homemade Colombian dinner, Spanish speaking competitions and ended with the watching of Encanto. For this, Daniel taught several of us how to make arepas using corn meal to bake flatbreads which we stuffed with corn, avocado, chicken, spiced pork, plantain and more. Droolworthy, right? These dinners will continue for the next few months as a way for students to practice conversational Spanish phrases over food that feels unfamiliar to them. 

In later weeks the students will sit down with our Resonate partners to go through a Cross Cultural Differences orientation session. They will also have a session to discuss the purpose of learning trips like this – the impact these trips have on the people who go, and the encouragement they are to the people whom they meet and the organizations they support. 

Support Our Students

A trip like this, as you can imagine, needs a lot of financial support! So for you, long-time readers and one-time perusers alike, we ask for your support in both finances, and in prayer.

Please pray for the work that Las Semillas is doing on the ground in El Salvador and the lives they are changing in their ministry. Pray for our students to learn the importance of being rooted in this community. And then pray for them as they leave, that they may continue to pay attention to the ways that God is working. Pray that they would be enthusiastic and gracious in their participation with the communities in El Salvador.

If you would like to participate in these partnerships in ways other than prayer, you can help the students by spreading the story of this trip! You can re–share their instagram posts, or you can donate here. The students are working very hard to raise a total of $22,800 to cover travel and accommodation, and trip costs. This in turn supports the work of Resonate Global Mission and Las Semillas.

Anything that you can give in this way is valued deeply by all of us. We’re thankful for all of your support!

Visit actfive.ca/elsalvador2025 to donate.