abigailassociation.org

Hello, Everyone!!  

I trust all is well with you and your families.  As we are charging through this new year, things are moving at a very rapid, but wonderful pace here in El Salvador!!!  Once again, I find myself trying to be even more organized than usual and keep up!!!  Let me bring you up to date on a few things.

Our Crisis Center continues to be a blessings to many.  We now have a pediatrician and general doctor every Tuesday and Thursday.  The gynecologist moved her day to Wednesday, so we are greatly able to expand our medical care.  There are people coming and going all the time through the doors of the Center and they are blessed and we are blessed to serve them.  They receive free medicines, counseling, and prayer!!!  It is a healing place in so many ways!!!  As for the dental chair, we did have a team come in January and they were able to give free dental treatments, even though we still lack one piece of something to make it all work properly.  (A wonderful dentist here in El Sal donated the chair and is taking care of setting it up.  But sometimes, parts are very difficult to get.  We are blessing him for even trying, knowing that it WILL happen soon!!!!)  But the team was able to bless many and there were smiles all around.  It greatly boosted my anticipation of what a blessing the dental portion of our Center will be when it is fully operational.  And at the Center, we of course, still offer the 4 Bible studies every week, and our little store helps us bless others and raise funds for us to purchase medicines.  (Pray for our little store.  We are in desperate need of clothing/toy donations!!!)  

Our HIV+ Kids Connection breakfast is also expanding.  We now are able to offer a free hot breakfast every day of the week, except Thursday!!!  God is so faithful to continue to bless this ministry.  But, we are always looking for ways to extend His hand even more.  I recently learned that when a child is in the hospital here in El Sal, a parent or family member is required to stay with them at all times.  So the families are very often poor and have nothing to begin with, and if they happen to be working, they have to stop working to stay in the hospital.  I met one mother whose child is waiting for a kidney transplant.  She has been in the hospital for 2 YEARS!!!!  This mother has been there every day, also for 2 years!!!!  She is a single mom, cannot work, so therefore has no income...and in turn, eats very little.  This all just about broke my heart the day I was in the Children's Hospital Bloom.  It is such a sad place anyway....so I had to take action.  We picked the kidney floor of the hospital and now every mother on that floor is receiving a free hot breakfast every day except Thursday.  You should have seen their eyes the first time we went with the food.  They were crying and thanking us.  I had no words.  To know that these people were so thankful for something as simple as a small plate of food...I almost could not look them in the eye.  I hugged each one of them, we prayed with them and then let them eat.  So here is another way the we are His hand extended to those who are hurting and are in need.  

We are working even more in Cabanas.  Our plan is to build a church/multi-funtional building in that area this year.  We are having trouble obtaining land but are working on it constantly.  Here is a bit of history...when the war ended in the early 90's, the government put people up in this area where there is nothing and gave them land.  But they did not give land to individuals.  They gave it to councils that govern each village.  So to purchase land, it has to go through the council.  BUT the government is NOW in the process of releasing the land to individuals and they will be able to buy and sell as normal.  SO please PRAY that it happens soon.  We know there are several who are interested in selling their land.  So we just have to be patient, wait, and pray.  I know it WILL happen!!!!  

In the meantime, we are continuing our outreach in Cuidad Victoria, Cabanas.  Next month, we will begin our new program where we will take food twice a month to the elderly.  The elderly there are really forgotten.  They are sooooo poor, so thin, so without help.  Many do not have family members and there are no government programs to help feed them.  They have no source of income.  Most cannot read or write.  So what can they do.  They eat an average of every 3 days!!! Even less than the rest of the population!!!  So will be taking a free, hot, healthy lunch to about 40 elderly people, twice a month.  (I hope to expand this program in the future. but it is a 2 hour drive there and then 2 hours back....so to go more than twice a month would be a task.  Pray for volunteers!!!!!)  

We also want to help put in manual water pumps in a village called La Uvilla.  I was there on a medical outreach and found their source of water.  It is water for drinking, cooking, washing...everything.  AND it is also the area where the cows, chickens, and other critters do their things:  drink, walk, other natural things they do outdoors.  SO there is not a clean water source for about 750 families.  That means about 4000-5000 people.  So we hope to dig either one or two well this year and put in manual pumps for people to come and have fresh drinking water.  

We are also doing work at Exodo Orphanage.  A generous person has committed a monthly amount to the orphanage to help them with much needed repairs.  We are administrating those funds and will be install new doors, bathroom fixtures, much needed window screens, and other things.  I will do as much of the work as I can myself to save on the cost.  Good thing I love power tools and know how to use them!!!  Well...most of them...  :-)  

Another piece of GREAT and AWESOME news is that we will have the blessing of having Hand Of Hope here this fall.  It is a medical outreach that is an extension of Joyce Meyer's ministry.  We will be able to give free medical care to literally thousands!!!!  And we know they will receive more than just free medical care.  They will receive something to last them through eternity!!!  I have been praying for this to happen here in El Sal for over 2 years.  Now is the time!!!!!

So as you can see, Abigail is EXPLODING!!!!   Lives are being changed every day for all eternity by the work that is happening through Abigail.  Doors are continuing to open and are continue to walk through them, knowing HE is leading the way.  I thank all of you for your support and prayers.  This is definitely a TEAM effort!!!!!  Please continue to pray for us.  That opens more doors than anything else.  Pray for me to have wisdom in decisions as we continue to grow and expand.  Just because something is a good thing, does not always mean it is a God thing.  I want to follow His steps!!!!  I love each of you and again am so thankful for all you are doing for us and WITH us!!!!!  Blessings upon blessings for each of you!!!

Merry Christmas to Everyone.

As the time of celebrating our Lord's birth nears, it is also a time to give thanks for the many blessings we have had this past year.  This has been an incredible year for Abigail Association here in El Salvador.  At the Crisis Center, we have been able to grow our services and the number of Bible studies each week.  We will soon be offering free dental exams in addition to our free medical exams, free medicines, and free counseling.  We were also able to give micro-loans to single mothers to help them start their own business and be self-supporting.

This year, we were also able to start a little Abigail Crisis Center in Cuidad Victoria, Cabanas.  This is a rural town with few services.  So the used clothing we take is a huge blessings to them.  We have also been able to supply them with goods for vocational classes.  Many of the ladies there cannot read or write.  So they are able to take classes to learn sewing or crocheting and then are able to sell what they make.  It blesses us and blesses them!  We plan to expand our services there as well in the coming year.

This year, Abigail began planning a project for 2012 in another area of Cabanas called Santa Marta.  This is also a very poor rural area where many do not have electric or water.  There are an estimated 7500+ people living in that area.  Our project will be to construct and maintain a multi-purpose building.  This building will be used as a church on Sunday and then, through the week, as a medical clinic and as a classroom for vocational classes.  We will be able to take medical teams, clothing, food and so much more there for the people who have nothing.  They are living about 75 years behind the rest of El Salvador.  You will be hearing more about this project in the coming year!!!

With the HIV+ Kids Connection breakfast, we have fed over 3200 hot breakfasts this year to children who travel from all over Central America to receive their treatment for AIDS.  When I look at that number, I am in awe!!!!!  We have had mothers and grandmothers in tears when they see the breakfast that is provided for them, free of charge.  For so many, it is their only meal of the day.  I am beyond words when they tell us Thank You.  It seems like so little to us but for them, it is a tremendous blessing.  They are also anticipating Santa's arrival next Monday, the 12 of Dec.  This is always a great day!!!!

We have been privileged to work with Exodo Foundation, an orphanage for 50 children.  It is always an honor to serve them food, gifts, and other surprises.  Their eyes light up when visitors pull on the property.   Most of the children have suffered abuse by the hands of a family member.  So lots of love and hugs are given whenever we go there.  We have plans to do more projects with them in the coming year, including painting every house and doing minor repairs that are so desperately needed.

Abigial Association was able to reach out to the community several times this year.  We provided over 2000 meals to women and children in these events.  They were fed both physically and spiritually.  We have one more event this year in Soyapango with about 1000 signed up to attend.  This event will be held on Sat, 10 December.

There are so many things that Abigail Association does that will never appear on the website or Facebook.  Almost on a daily basis, we are helping someone in some way or are working on a project to offer help.  There are so many desperate needs here.  So many without healthy food and water and many in need of clothing.  I want to say Thank You to everyone who has extend their hand to us this year.  We cannot be His hand extended without you.  Your prayers, love, clothing donations, food donations, and monetary donations are absolutely priceless to us.  YOU are helping us touch the lives of many.  YOU are connected to the work here.  YOU are giving food, love, and clothing.  Thank you.  May God bless each one of you during this holiday season.  May you enjoy this special time with your family and friends. But also please remember to pray for those who have so little and for those of us here on the field, trying to make a difference.  We say Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

Hello, Everyone!!!

Some of you may be visiting our website for the very first time.  Thank You!!!!  For those of you who have come to see about a need that was put forth, let me give you more information.

 
There is a an area here called Cabanas,  It is a very poor part of the country and many of the people  who live there were placed there after the civil war in the early 90's.  Many are handicapped and cannot work but still try to survive.  Abigail has made a commitment to work more in this area, even to build a church/ medical/ teaching center in the spring of 2012. 

I recently was told of a family there...mom, dad, and 7 kids...who have nothing!!!  In fact I have photos as evidence that they have been cooking and eating rats to live!!!  This news was almost more than I could imagine!!!  I am currently taking monetary donations to get them food and clothing ASAP!!!  Afterwards, we can see what needs to be done to change their lives on a permanent basis.  We may need to provide some sort of vocational training to help provide an income.  Remember, there is no government asistance here!!!  So if we do not help them change their lives, they go back to eating rats.  I believe in teaching people how to fish...not just giving them a fish.  If you would like to help be part of the blessing to this family, please make your donation on line.  I give you my word that every dollar donated will go to reaching this family!!!! 

If you wish to read more about the work of Abigail here in El Sal, please read my previous entries.  I plan to update all the happenings of Abigail very soon.  You will want to check back because it is all wonderful news.  God Bless each one of you for helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of so many people here in El Sal.  We are making eternal changes every day!!!!

Hello, Everyone and Happy 4th of July as well.  I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and takes time to remember the reason we are blessed with this holiday.

There are so many wonderful things I would like to share with you.  Please take a few minutes to look at some of the photos I have posted in the "Photo Albums" section of this website.  That will help you to see better what is happening here.  I would like to post photos from the breakfast for the HIV+ kids, but it is illegal to post them on the web.  But trust me, they are ADORABLE kids!!!!

We have been able to feed approximately 1800 at the kids' breakfast since the first of the year.  That is an incredible amount of beans and rice!!!  Someone asked me about the menu.  It usually consists of beans and rice, scrambled eggs, hot bread, cereal with milk, fresh apples, a cookie (to go) and juice or hot chocolate.  Now that sounds good!!!  And we are able to feed people for about $1.00 per person and that includes all the disposables!!!  And of course, there is always a little gift bag for each child that contains cookies and candy.  Not much, really, but the bag does make their little eyes light up!!!

I am so excited to share this next piece of good news with you!  One of the many things I have wanted to do for a long time is to be able to offer women the chance to start a business of their own and make an honest living!  Many of the women here have neither the training nor the opportunity to be self-sufficient.  So after screening several ladies and much prayer, we were able to give our first micro-loan of $250!!!  The lady is currently in her little business, making and selling lunch and dinner and also making a small profit.  She is paying us back in monthly installments and is so very thankful for the opportunity the Lord has given her to better her life and the lives of her children.  She is a single mom and just needed a little boost.  I am encouraging her to do what we have done once she is clear of our loan:  to make a commitment to help another lady, just as she has been helped.  This is a cycle that I would like to see repeated many times over in this country.  If we can make it happen with one...who knows where it can go.  And I hope to be able to offer more of these micro-loans to ladies in the future. 

Another fascinating event I was able to be a part of was a medical clinic in an extremely poor village in Cabanas, an area almost to the border of Honduras.  We traveled down roads where I really needed a 4 X 4, to reach the little village.  It is an extremely poor village with no running water and very few homes with electricity.  None of the people I assisted that day could read.  It was a very humbling place.  Here, with 3 medical teams, we were able to attend to over 250 people.  We had dental teams, general teams, surgeons, gynecologists, and counselors.  My job was to assist one of the surgeons and one of the gynecologists, as needed.  I saw things I will never forget!!!  But more importantly, I will never forget the "Gracias" and hugs that were given after a young pregnant mother was given her first exam (and her baby was due in 3 months).  Or the look on a teenager girl's face after being relieved from the pain of a horrible infection that was surgically removed and the pressure gone.  It was an incredible experience for me and one I hope to repeat in the near future!!!  There is such a need for this type of clinic in any area of El Salvador!!!  I went to watch and learn as well as help so I can organize such an event at the Center or at a location near the Center.

The Crisis Center continues to amaze me.  We now have started a 3rd weekly Bible study!!!  It is not held at the Center but at a different location.  In the first meeting of this new study, we had 150 in attendance!!!  I was overwhelmed but thrilled at the same time!!!!  I am now working on adding a 4th weekly study in still another area........There is a huge request for more of these studies in this hurting and often avoided area and I want to meet every one of those requests if at all possible!!! 

We are still praying in the dental equipment and I know it will happen in the right time!!!  I have no worries about that.  Just continue to pray this in with me!!!

Abigail has a lot of plans for the future to help women in many areas of the country.  It seems like our territory keeps expanding, which I love!!!  That gives us more lives to touch for Him!!!  Every day, eternal decisions are being made!!!  But this cannot be done alone.  I need you to be here with me, reaching into the hearts and lives of those who are hurting.  You would not believe how far a little can go when it comes to feeding or clothing someone.  Would you like to help???  Do you want to join our Team???  Here is some information on how you can make that happen! 

Several people have inquired about supporting the work here in El Salvador, but they do not wish to use this website and PayPal.  If you would like to write a check, you can do so by making it payable to Abigail Association and then mailing it to 1525 Heritage Landing, St. Charles, MO 63303.  Remember, ALL donations are tax deductible. 

If you are a Bank of America customer and would like to make us a part of your monthly Bill Pay program, we can provide you with that information as well. 

If you would like to still make your contribution on line via PayPal, you may continue to do so on this website

You will be happy that you joined our Team!!!     

Happy June to Everyone!

How time is flying this year.  Association Abigail has been busier than ever before this year!!!  I want to share with you just a few of the highlights from our Crisis Center, the HIV+ breakfast, and the area of Cabanas.

The Crisis Center continues to be a place of support for many women.  The doctor is busy every week with patients and even ocassionally seeing men!!!  We schedule them at the end of the day when all the ladies have left so there is no risk of contact.  But what a blessing for us to even be reaching the men of the community!!! 

Another blessing from the Center is that we are adding a third Bible study every week!!!  It will not be held at the Crisis Center, but in an area near-by.  It is another area where much help is needed and the people there heard about the studies we provide every week and asked if we could give a study in their area.  The answer was a very quick and excited YES!!!  So we are expanding outside the wall of the Center even more!!!

We are still waiting for the dentist to have his new chair out of Customs here in El Salvador so we can have his old one.  But we already have a dentist who is ready to volunteer twice a month with free exams........what a blessing. 

The breakfast for the HIV+ kids is always a blessing!  We have set a new record for the number fed.....71 in one Monday morning.  But He was faithful.  Everyone was fed, but there was not a bean left in the pot!!!  The children and mothers are so thankful to have this free meal, as for many, it is their only meal of the day.  I love Mondays so much and am always blessed beyond measure to be able to be His hand extended to this group of people.  And with us also being able to provide a meal on Wednesday just doubles my blessing.  The pain we see in the eyes of the ones who are hurting is tremendous.  If giving them a little food will help relieve that pain, even for a moment, it is worth any cost. 

In the rural area of Cabanas, in a town called Cuidad Victoria (Victory City) we have started a little Abigail there with the hope of expanding it into a small Crisis Center in the future.  Right now, we have started a very tiny store and are building relationships in the area.  Once or two times a month, we take donations of clothing and toys and then they are sold for a very low price such as 25¢  That money is then put into use in the area of Cabanas for teaching materials or so forth for the ladies. We are equipping one of the ladies there with teacing materials to be able to minister to the women in Cabanas who are hurting.  Most of the ladies there cannot read or write, so all the teachings have to be verbal. 

But I recently was made aware of another very small, remote village called Santa Marta, also located in the area of Cabanas.  (Cabanas would be like the name of a county in the States)  Santa Marta has an interesting but sad history.  After the civil war here in the 80's, many of the poor people were given land and tools to work the land, such as a machete and a shovel.  Not much, really, but something.  But there were those who had been injured or disabled during the war and these men could not work.  So they were placed in this little village called Santa Marta.  And they have been living there, raising their families and trying to make a living any way they can.  Basically, the government left them there to survive on their own.  They have no running water and very few have electric.  The road getting there is very bad.  One almost needs a 4 x 4 to get there!!!  But they are asking for help.  People seldom go there to help these people one, because of the location, and two, because people are often afraid to reach out to handicapped individuals.  They are asking for both physical and spiritual help.  So we are committing to help in any way possible, even building a church if possible!  My dream is to be able to take medical teams there to give exams to the men women and children.  The children are receiving little if any education and the women work long hard hours and earn very little.  So there is work to do!!!

With all these things and more, I have been busier than ever before and loving every minute of it.  But please realize, YOU are here with me, feeding those children, helping the women at the Center, and reaching out to the very poor in Cabanas.  Every prayer you pray and every dime you donate is making a difference in the life of some individual.  Many people here cannot comprehend that someone from another country wants to help give them medicine or give their child food and clothing.  But they are so grateful and so am I for your help.  May God bless you and may He continue to touch your heart to be a part of what He is doing here. 

Greetings from El Salvador!

Wonderful things continue to happen here and I am always excited to share them with you.  If this is your first time visiting our website, please check out the other pages for more information about who we are and what we do.  But please know that none of this happens without YOU! 

We continue to expand and reach women through the Crisis Center.  Our two weekly Bible studies are still extremely popular and well attended.  We are expanding our counseling services and adding an extra day.  We hope to be offering free dental exams in April.  There is a dentist here who is donating to us his used equipment when his new equipment arrives, hopefully by the end of March.  We will also soon be offering free cooking classes.  We will be hosting in our garden area approximately 20 women for 4-week classes, meeting once a week.  But a few of the tables need some repair work and that is scheduled for March 19.  After that, we will be ready to go with the classes. 

We are so blessed to be able to now give breakfast to over 150 people every week at the hospital.  These breakfast are for children and their families who are HIV+  We had to halt the breakfast for about 3 weeks due to some political issues within the hospital.  But those have now been resolved and Abigail is  moving forward with a breakfast 3 days a week. 

Abigail also has a Team coming the end of this month.  They will be going to the area of the country called Cabanas and doing an outreach there.  It is a very poor, very rural part of the country.  It is almost like a different world. We will be providing both physical and spiritual to about 250 people that day.

The Team will aslo be doing a couple of construction projects for Exodo orphanage.  THANK YOU to everyone who adopted a child at the orphanage.  Each one will now receive a new set of clothes and new tennis shoes.  What a blessing.  We are also going to provide them with their first ever hot-dog roast.  That will be exciting for all of us!!!!!  I understand that several people had asked about adopting a child on a monthly basis.  If you would like more information about this wonderful opportunity, please visit http://www.placesofhope.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=80  Here you will find a profile of each child in the orphanage and how to make your tax-deductible donation. 

I want to also say Thank You to everyone who helped make our coffee sales at TRWC a success!!!  Those funds will be put to immediate use at the Crisis Center and in the kids breakfast.  We are constantly buying medicines for the ladies, and of course, feeding anyone who needs it.  So thank you all for being such a wonderful part of what Abigail is doing here in El Salvador.

We have many opportunities here to be His hands extended.  So I thank you for extending your hand, heart, and prayers to us here as we continue to do what He has called us to do. 

Blessings and all my Love,

Janis

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, football, and of course food.  I will be cooking a turkey here and will have as many of the traditional trimmings as I can find. 

Many of you received an email regarding our now being a 501-c3 in the States.  That is a huge blessing to us and we are so happy to be able to offer a convenient way for you to be a part of the work here.  I am so thankful for everything that has happened with Abigail this past year and all the lives we have been able to touch.  I know we are making a difference!!! 

I have been asked to give two different presentations at the US Embassy here in El Salvador.  They will be on November 30 and Dec 1.  This will be a great opportunity for us to share about our work here and to allow the Americans living here an opportunity to volunteer or to be a part in some way. 

We are also planning an extra special breakfst for the children with Aids on Dec 20 at the Hopsital Bloom.  We will have extra gifts, cookies, music, and I am frantically hunting for a Santa suit.  I want to make it an extra special day for them.  Many of them will not have a tree or lights in their homes. Most of them do not even have electricity or running water!  So this is going to be a great day!!!  I will not be able to post photos since it is illegal to do that here with people who have Aids, but I can send a few in an email. 

Everything with the Crisis Center is wonderful.  Not a day goes by that the life of a woman is not touched in some way.  I am amazed at the work I get to do here and I thank God every day that I am here.  And I thank you for making it possible for me to be here.  May God bless each of you and may you have a wonderful Thanskgiving holiday.  Remember to always be thankful for all things and take nothing for granted. 

Hugs to Everyone,

Janis

Hello From El Salvador!!!

I have a wonderful report to give from our Outreach Event that took place the 30th of Oct.  WOW!!!  We had over 800 women, children, and men in attendance!!  Many lives were touched that day by the awesome teachings of Sally Hulsey, Vickey Davis, and Ricardo Hernendez.  We had many receive the Lord, many connected with Abigial for the first time, and we were able to plug several into the Bible studies we have at Abigial every week.  We were also able to plug several into a local church.  What a blessing!!!  There is a Christian church that is located just two blocks from Abigial.  I met with the pastor before our event to see if we could use his facilities for the event.  (Abigial just cannot handle 800 people effectively.  I wanted to get the children activities off the street)  He opened his church to us and blessed us to use it anytime we want!!!  Praise the Lord for that.  I am working on future events and teachings now that we have access to a larger facility. 

In addition to feeding the people spiritually, we also were able to feed them physically.  Everyone received a sandwich, chips, drink, and cookies, along with a gift bags containing personal items and candies.  THANK YOU to EVERYONE who prayed for this event or who made a contribution.  Your seed is in good soil and we reaped a harvest that day!!!

One specific prayer that we prayed was for the healing of a little girl, 10 years old, who has cancer in many parts of her body.  Her name is Elizabeth.  If you think to pray for her, I would appreciate it.  The health care here is such that she has no other hope than the Lord.  And we know Him and what HE can do!!!

But the Lord continues to open doors that simply amaze me.  I have been asked to speak at the American Embassy here in El Salvador on the 30th of November.  Please keep that day in your prayers.  November 25th is International No-Violence Against Women day.  But because it is Thanksgiving, they could not have a speaker that day.  I will be speaking about the violence against women here in El Salvador and then go into Abigail and what we are trying to do to help women. So this will be an opportunity for the American community here to see what is trying to be done to help women and also for them to get involved and support another American working here.  I am so thankful for this open door!!!  HE is amazing!!!!

The Crisis Center is continuing to function in a wonderful way, touching many lives.  At one of the Bible studies last week, we had a young man, Juan Carlos, who had walked away from drugs, alcohol, and other things and had been attending the study every week.  Last week, he asked for prayer as he was feeling the tug to return to those things.  When we prayed for him, the tears just began to roll down his face as he truly knew the Lord was his only source of help.  What a precious moment to be able to pour into the life of this young man who is trying very hard to make a permanent change in his life. 

Please continue to keep this ministry in your prayers.  Every day, He is doing something and I am just trying to keep up!!!  Plans are already being made for several ministry events in March and I have a list of people just wanting to come and be a part of what is happening here, even if for a few days.  So your prayer covering is priceless to me!!!!!  May He bless you for your continued faithfulness to the work He is doing here!!!

Blessings and love,

Janis

Hello to Everyone!!!

I am back in El Salvador and have hit the ground running.  It was so good to see many of you during my time in the States and I apologize to those of you whom I did not get to see.  It was not because I did not want to, it was a matter of having too much planned for so little time.  Next time I promise to get to the West side of Missouri!!!!  But overall it was a wonderful time.  Thank you to everyone who fed me, gave me a bed and pillow, a vehicle, hugs, donations, love.....all good stuff that I so appreciate!

I was blessed to bring back with me 52 full Bibles,  22 New Testaments, (all is Spanish) 49 pairs of brand new baby shoes, new ladies socks, notebooks, pencils, jewelry...and I know I am forgetting things.  But I was also given favor at the airport here in El Sal when I was called aside to have my luggage screened.  The man saw all the Bibles, thanked me for the work I was doing here, and sent me on my way.  No questions about anything else.  I offered him a Bible, but he could not take it because of regulations.   But THANK YOU to everyone who blessed me with so much stuff and the means to get it here!

I am so glad to report that now Abigial Association is a non-for-profit organization in the States.  This is one of the things I was working hard to complete while I was there.  Thank you to ALL the people who helped make this happen!  What that does is allows us more ways to receive donations for support here in El Sal.  There will soon be an opportunity to make a monetary donation directly via the webpage and each donation will be tax exempt for you!!  We will also be able to receive donations of non-monetary items, such as cars or other items of value, and you can receive a tax donations letter for those as well.  Several people had expressed interest in making their donation via the internet and soon that will be possible.  So I will have upcoming information about all that good stuff.  It is your donations AND prayers that allow us to do what we do here.

We have so many wonderful things planned for Abigail with the Crisis Center.  On October 30th, we will be having a Community Outreach Event.  I am thrilled to say that we have 461 children, 265 women, and 35 men, signed up for the event.  The event was originally slated for only women and children, but we had several men who expressed interest and opened it to them as well.  I am very excited about that!!!!  On that day, the children will be divided into groups and will pass through different "stations," where they will have face painting, games, piñatas, and, of course, a station with a Bible lesson.  The ladies will have a ministry time with Sally Hulsey and Vickey Davis, both wonderful women of God who are going to be such a blessing to the ladies.  There will time for small group prayer and ministry as well.  Thank you in advance to the ladies of my church here who are helping with this event and ministry time.  The men will be receiving Bible teaching from Pastor Ricardo, my assistant pastor here in El Sal, and there will also be a time for prayer.  Our goal is to give them as much spiritual food as we possibly can.  PLEASE keep this day in your prayers.   We are definitely going into the enemy's camp and taking back what has been stolen from so many. 

In addition to feeding everyone spiritually, we will also be feeding them physically.  So in one day, we will feed over 850 people, including volunteers.  That is not a small task, but is one I am very excited about  doing.  We have fed 700 in one day in the past, so I guess HE is stretching us!  And every man, woman, and child will receive a gift bag containing personal items and candies.  I absolutely love these Outreach Events.  It gives us the opportunity to reach many for Him all at once!!!  So again, I ask for your prayers as we prepare for that day. 

I truly want to thank everyone for all you do for Abigail.  I know beyond a doubt that we could not do what we do without YOU!  I have been here full-time for two years and have loved every minute of it!  I cannot imagine ever doing anything else.  Thank you for your prayers that have blessed me, healed me, and kept me safe during these past two years.  There are a few times where I know it was only the prayers that got me though stuff...or I can say out of stuff.  So please keep them coming.  I anticipate giving a glowing report in the first part of November for what He is going to do on the 30th!  I know it will be more than I can even imagine.....it always is....

God bless each of you!!!!

Janis

Hello to Everyone!!!

I cannot believe it is the end of July.  Where has the time gone?  I am sure everyone else is asking the same question.  When so much is happening, it is hard to keep up!!!

 Here in El Sal, we are in the middle of the rainy season.  We have had so much rain, the mountains and rivers are full!!!  Fortunately, it usually only rains at night, so the days are good, but so many have lost homes and lives because of the rains.  Please continue to keep this country in your prayers. 

 With Abigail, everything is working beautifully.  The Center continues to be a source of help to many.    The doctor sees patients every week and the counselor is helping people every week as well.   I am still trying to figure out about the dentist and in the meantime, we also are arranging for a pediatrician to come and see children.  Our weekly Bible study always has between 30 and 40 in attendance.  I was able to purchase a little notebook and pencil for each one who attends.  They love them and bring them each week and are taking notes!!!  I love that!!!  They come with their prayer requests and are anticipating things in their lives from the Lord.  They are learning that prayer works!!! 

 We still are making plans to start another study with another group every Thursday.  This will start 12 August.  They too will receive notebooks and pencils.  And each group receives coffee and sweet bread every week.  It is a blessing for us to be able to serve them in this small way.

 Our paperwork for the Association has been rewritten and resubmitted to the government.  We are being told it should only take 2-3 months.  The gentleman who is helping us is well respected with the new government because of his many years of service on the Supreme Court of El Salvador.  The Lord always knows who to put in our paths!!!!!

 Another blessing for Abigail is a connection with On A String and A Prayer.  If you do not know about this ministry, please check it out at http://onastringandaprayer.blogspot.com/    This is organized by two very special young ladies who decided to do something for the Lord with their time on summer vacation.  (They are connected to Twin Rivers through Marcia and Tom Adams so some of you may know them)  What they are doing is making bracelets, praying over each one, then selling them for $2 or $3 dollars and the proceeds go to Abigail.  Now we are very humbled to be receiving this blessing.  But for me, I want the Lord to bless them in such an awesome way so that they know whenever they do something for HIM, He cannot help but bless it!!  They are giving of their time, treasure, and talent for the Kingdom of God.  So if you are able, please support the efforts of these wonderful girls.  If nothing else, please drop them a note on their blog to let them know how proud you are of them for helping others.  

Thank you to Everyone who is a part of what HE is doing here in El Sal.  Whether you pray, send, go, or support, you are a very important part.  We are reaching lives daily for the Kingdom and it takes a team to reach a nation!!!  May God continue to bless you!