ENLACE

This past June, a serving team from Willow Creek South Barrington came alongside the Los Riyitos community in El Salvador to help construct eco-stoves. Ciudad de Sion Church, in collaboration with the local Community Development Association, Water Board, and community leaders, identified the need to improve cooking methods and advance community health education for 25 families who have been identified as those most vulnerable to respiratory illnesses due to traditional stove smoke inhalation.

Marta runs a modest tortilla business in La Isla, El Salvador. Her business is the source of income for her family, however, excessive smoke inhalation from traditional cooking methods caused distress and health problems. But after the Lluvias Postreras church and the community leaders identified Marta as needing an improved cookstove (eco-stove), she not only reduced her firewood consumption, boosting her profits, but also significantly decreased her smoke inhalation, improving her health.

In rural regions of El Salvador, road infrastructure plays a crucial role in facilitating economic growth and enhancing the quality of life. Many rural areas struggle with poorly maintained or non-existent roads, which significantly hampers access to markets, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Well-maintained roads in rural El Salvador are integral to ensuring that children and educators can reach schools safely and reliably. In areas with poor road conditions, students may face hazardous commutes that discourage regular attendance and can lead to increased dropout rates. Willow Creek South Barrington

Welcome to the team from Crossway Christian Church! 💕They will be building eco stoves with the community in Piedras Azules, El Salvador. 🇸🇻 👏💗

If you’ve ever witnessed your impact on a serving trip, you’ll LOVE being part of ENLACE’s JUNTOS Sustainer Community.
enlace.link/juntos

🇸🇻 Families from the Agroecological Farms program in the Matala community this year. Broccoli, lettuce, eggplant and tomato 🍅....YES PLEASE! 😋
Salvador

Can we have 2 minutes of your time? If you haven’t watched ENLACE’s new video introducing Juntos, you won’t be disappointed!
enlace.link/juntos

Construction is just one of the ways ENLACE helps build a better future in rural El Salvador. Interested in learning more? Read our blog for a quick peek into the joint effort of building a much needed perimeter wall for the local school.
https://ow.ly/XCCZ50Su9Ic

Ever wonder why monthly givers are so essential to ENLACE’s strategy? Watch the 2 minute video to find out! We work better when we work together, or as we say in Spanish, juntos! enlace.link/juntos

On this Father’s Day, we celebrate José Molina, the pastor of Misión Cristiana Evangélica Fe y Gracia in El Salvador. Read our latest blog (2-3 minute read) as we highlight not only his fatherly advice but also his amazing contribution toward community transformation as a pastor and respected community leader.

A Father’s Day Spotlight: Pastor José Molina’s Leadership and Legacy - Enlace.link Joshua 24:15 “…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”     On this Father’s Day, we celebrate José Molina, the pastor of Misión Cristiana Evangélica Fe y Gracia in San José, La Labor, El Salvador. We highlight not only his fatherly advice but also his amazing contribution ...

Ron and Noe (director of operations for ENLACE El Salvador) had the honor of attending the global leadership summit of HOPE International last week. Over 350 people who work for or partner with Hope from around the world were together for five days.

Today we celebrate Tina, an ENLACE advocate! In February, Tina McMahon went on an ENLACE Short Term Serving Trip to El Salvador with Willow Creek South Barrington. Her team supported the community’s work building Eco Stoves that save trees, time, money, and reduce wood smoke that contributes to deadly respiratory infections.

At the Allstate office where Tina works, they have a tradition called Blue Jean Thursday. Employees who contribute to a charity get to wear blue jeans. Tina nominated ENLACE as this week’s charity, and set up her fundraising page. Her goal was $500, which her team exceeded, raising nearly $1200, enough to sponsor Eco Stoves for FOUR families! 👏 🙌 🎉
Check it out! https://give.enlace.link/fundraiser/5550893

Thank you, Tina! And thank you to all who contributed to her fundraiser and are still contributing! 🧡

If you’d like to create your own ENLACE fundraising page, it only takes a couple minutes!
https://give.enlace.link/campaign/fundraise/c483034

30 years ago, Dorita prayed with Ron and Michelle Bueno daily, leading to ENLACE’s founding. Dorita was just diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called scleroderma. We’re trying to raise $50,000 for urgent treatment to extend and improve her life. Can you help? 🥰 ❤️‍🩹 https://give.enlace.link/campaign/dorita/c579897

Interested in finding out more about a short-term trip with ENLACE? Visit our website: enlace.link and click on RESOURCES on the footer. Check out the free downloadable eBook, Long-Term Impact on a Short-Term Trip, to get inspired! 🤗
https://www.enlace.link/resources/

Read our latest blog post about ENLACE’s newest Church Coach, Israel, who faced a long and difficult road to becoming a valued member of ENLACE El Salvador, and Evelin, who has been working for ENLACE for almost 12 years and whose work as a church coach flowed naturally from her upbringing. (3 minute read.) https://ow.ly/komf50RzQNZ

HAPPY EARTH DAY! "The Agroecological Program has produced a positive and long-lasting change in the community. The home gardens are flourishing, providing fresh, nutritious, and safe food. We are taking care of the land more respectfully and sustainably, providing for a healthier future for everyone."
-María Luisa Ramos de García. STAY TUNED FOR MORE ABOUT THIS AMAZING ENLACE PROGRAM! 🤗

Approximately 50% of rural families in El Salvador do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities and more than 25% of the rural population lacks access to potable water. Read our latest blog to learn about what ENLACE is doing to address this serious health problem. And don't forget to be thankful for your indoor plumbing! 🤗
https://ow.ly/EqPP50R9FUY

"Go tell the world about me
I was dead but now I live..."

-Lyrics by Cain "The Commission"

Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie experienced the brutality of their captors in a concentration camp in World War ll. In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie recounts an incredibly humiliating memory of Friday medical inspections where they were ordered to walk the cold corridors naked and were forbidden to even wrap themselves in their own arms as they filed past the guards.

"But it was one of these mornings while we were waiting, shivering in the corridor, that yet another page in the Bible leapt into life for me. He hung naked on the cross...The paintings, the carved crucifixes showed at least a scrap of cloth. But this, I suddenly knew, was the respect and reverence of the artist. But oh--at the time itself, on that other Friday morning--there had been no reverence. No more than I saw in the faces around us now.
‘Betsie, they took His clothes too.'
‘Ahead of me I heard a little gasp. 'Oh, Corrie. And I never thanked Him…’’

-The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom