This is one of the municipal policemen under the direct control of the mayor of La Palma. They have been very helpful to us, and they appear to be genuinely interesting in helping us and protecting us. In turn, we help them with items for their families.

The foods that we can eat on our trips are limited for our own protection. We get a lot of chicken and beef and mixed vegetables and rice and tortillas. It is a great treat when Marcy and others cook spaghetti. That is a highlight of the trip.

This girl has to wait outside the bank while her mother does business inside. She hangs on to the rooster, which is either just traded for or on it's way to market.

This young man, Julio, is the son of the lady who managed the restaurant while we were in La Palma in September. He spent several hours playing with this 2-wheel dolly. He would load it one way, haul it a short distance, unload it, reload it, and on and on and on. His mother worked about 13 hours each day, and he entertained himself all that time without getting into trouble. He was very well behaved.

Two boys sit in front of a store. Who knows what they are waiting for or thinking?

Morris is an expert at building what is needed. When space is limited, he is the 'go to' guy. Here he admires a computer desk built just the right size for the small space available. Morris will be part of the December team, and we look forward to seeing photos of his latest accomplishments.

This large family came to visit us in September. Two of the children are crippled and cannot walk. They hoped we could help them get wheel chairs for the two. We could not help them at the time, but we have their contact information and have 3 children's wheelchairs to ship to La Palma in January for February delivery.

This horse and rider appear to be work oriented. There is no comfort or pleasure accessory in sight - just functional.

They don't come any cuter than this!!

Melva helped the lady lighten her load, and came away with some great tasting fresh bananas.

This lady came by the hotel with fruit for sale. She has several pounds on her head and maintains balance effortlessly.

It would be interesting to know what these men are discussing.

NO ONE could turn down the invitation to hold this little gal!

Needed: A good working VCR player/recorder for the La Palma Bible Institute. Do you have an extra?

There are homeless people in La Palma, too. This person just covered up and slept in front of a store. His/her belongings are still there.

A couple weeks ago we discussed Pollo Campero, a fried chicken franchise that is very popular in El Salvador and now moving rapidly into the US. They have delivery service. In San Salvador there are hundreds of these motorcycles delivering this fantastic tasting food.

Having finished his shopping, this gentleman waits for the bus to take him home.

Two boys pass away the afternoon in their doorway.

These two girls, both beautiful in their own way, posed for Lori to capture their images.

Lori does a great job of taking candid photos, finding people acting normally in their environment. Here she captured an elderly man crossing the street. He seems unaware that a police vehicle is heading toward him escorting a military contingent through town. The lean stature, firm jaw, and other characteristics make you wonder what stories he could tell if we could just sit and talk.

The highways in La Palma are shared by pedestrians, buses, moto-taxis, diesel trucks, cars, and cowboys. This man rides a relatively nice horse along one of the main roads.

Would you care to speculate on the topic these men are discussing? Is it politics, farming, the economy, family? This was a gathering at the park in preparation for the independence day celebration.

Chris tried to imitate a chicken in front of the Pollo Campero mobile store. The local young man watching him did not seem to be impressed. We all enjoyed the flavor of the chicken they served.

Security is prevalent throughout the country of El Salvador. Gas stations and auto dealers and most larger businesses deal with a lot of cash. Here you see the Pollo (Chicken) Campero mobile store being guarded even before it opens for the day.


I had mentioned this chicken franchise in an earlier blog. Here is some more information on it:


DALLAS (May 12, 2008) – Pollo Campero, the world's largest Latin chicken restaurant chain, has opened a restaurant in the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rowlett, Texas, its first ever in a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
“Pollo Campero’s unique offering of grilled and famous fried chicken creates a wonderful opportunity for Wal-Mart customers to experience the great taste and excitement of the world’s largest Latin chicken restaurant chain,” said John Murphy, Wal-Mart Regional Vice President, North/Northeast Texas. “We were attracted to Pollo Campero because of its unique, broad appeal to all our customers, providing a perfect complement to the Wal-Mart shopping experience. I’m impressed with the advance technology behind their food preparation and the highly trained team that will serve our customers -- great concept… great food!”
The new Pollo Campero restaurant is located inside the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 2501 Lakeview Parkway in Rowlett, Texas. Pollo Campero's goal is to open 20 more restaurants inside Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. by the end of 2009. The restaurant is a corporate store owned by Campero USA Corp., the U.S. division of Pollo Campero. A grand opening celebration for the new restaurant will be held May 15.
“Pollo Campero’s presence in the store demonstrates Wal-Mart’s sensitivity to its customers and underscores their commitment to enhance Latin American customers' experiences while bringing diversity to others,” said Robert Denegri, president and chief operations officer of Campero USA. Corp., which is headquartered in Dallas. "Pollo Campero’s 35 years of quality customer service and its more recent and aggressive expansion plans in the U.S. will help grow our relationship with Wal-Mart.”
Founded in 1971 by the Gutiérrez family in Guatemala, Pollo Campero opened its first U.S. restaurant in 2002 to record-breaking sales. Since then, the company has opened 40 locations in the United States from California to New York and Florida. Having recently established headquarters in Dallas, Campero USA Corp. has launched an aggressive expansion plan.

ABOUT POLLO CAMPERO Pollo Campero, the world’s largest Latin chicken restaurant chain, and the only one to offer both grilled and bone-in fried chicken, is expanding aggressively in the United States by continuing to serve the best Latin chicken in the world. The company’s mission is to win the heart and palate of its customers with flavorful, authentic food, an exceptional experience and uncompromising quality. With 290 stores worldwide and 40 so far in the United States, Pollo Campero is actively seeking new franchisee partners.

Our September team was privileged to travel to one of El Salvador's beaches on the Pacific ocean. We had traveled to a new church open house in El Rosario and took advantage of the proximity to the ocean to go there with little Andrea as our guest.
This beach was deserted--vacant--no one was there. We only had a few minutes to enjoy the beauty and get our feet wet. We had barely reached the water when we were approached by vendors with jewelry and souvenirs to sell. We did not see where they came from--but they knew that we had some in our group who were intent on helping the local economy. It was a good match of buyers and sellers.

This photo has a lot of significance. The tree is huge! It represents durability and strength and maturity. Jim, on the left, is a wonderful man from Houston, Texas. He is a great translator, preacher, teacher, and mentor for younger people and newer Christians. On the right is Carlos. He is a young man who wants to be a preacher of the Gospel. Carlos is learning English. He is one of the first students in the La Palma Bible Institute and is now taking the course on "Heaven". Carlos knows the tasks ahead of him. Learn the Bible and how to communicate the message of the Bible to others. Please pray that God will continue to bless Jim and Carlos.

My apology for the late posting. My only excuse is that I forgot it this morning!

God bless you, Ralph

Two ladies cross the street in La Palma carrying their loads on their heads. This is a skill that girls learn at an early age. Many do not need to use their hands to balance the basket.

Tomorrow is the biggest election of the quadrennial period! I am sure we are all praying that God will help decide the outcome and that HE will be praised in the results.

Here are the best predictions that can be made as of now-regardless of the vote totals:


1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him. And God approves this message!

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE.

God bless you,
Ralph

Rather than show any photos today, I would like to make you aware of some specific needs for the La Palma mission.

1. For La Palma Christian School we need about 10 headsets to allow the students to listen to computer programs. These would replace speakers on a computer. Microphones are not needed- only earphones. These can be bought for about $10-15 new.

2. Claudia, the girl in the wheelchair that we have shown several times, needs an exercise bicycle for her therapy. It needs to be a good sturdy one to build her leg strength. We have one borrowed from a local benevolent organization, but she needs her own.

3. We had some electric wheelchairs donated to give to people there who cannot propel one by the use of their hands. These needed repairs and new batteries. Even with significant discounts for this benevolent use, the batteries for these units cost $280. Please consider helping buy new batteries.

God bless you,
Ralph

Jim, Lori, and Melva enjoy a Bible study with 2 young ladies. This became a common scene as the September trip neared the end.