Last day...for now

So today is my last full day in El Salvador before I head back to Ohio. It's been an incredible time here, as I knew it would be, and definitely went by way to fast (always does). I will admit, I'm very sad to be leaving, but I feel in my heart that I will be back again.

I'd like to share a quick story with you all about something that God did about a week ago. I was sitting on a bus with a few others as we were headed to the zoo. Down here in El Salvador public transportation is very common and often times people jump on the bus to sell a variety of items such as food or candy. As usual, a man got on the bus and was selling individually wrapped pieces of candy from a bag. I usually don't pay much attention to these people since I never buy anything from them and they are so frequent to come on the bus. But, for some reason I took a deep look at this man selling candy and that's when God totally intervened and opened my eyes. Just one look at this man's face and I felt like I had experienced and gone through all the sadness and difficult situations in his life. It's extremely hard to explain but I feel that God allowed me to feel this man's pain and sadness. We gave the man a handful of change and as soon as he went past us I couldn't help but cry for this man. Never have I felt so much compassion for a person without even saying a word to him or knowing who he was. This is just one of the MANY people here in El Salvador who resort to spending their entire day jumping from bus to bus or walking up and down the streets, hoping that someone will buy what they have in order to eat or provide for a family.

I'm grateful that God allowed me to experience this so that I can truly have compassion and love for people who live a life that can be very difficult. I pray for people all over the world who are literally trying to make it to the next day. I pray that our eyes may be opened to all that we have, be grateful for it, but also be moved to make a difference in the lives of others.

Please also pray for my transition back tomorrow as I leave El Salvador and re-enter life in the States. I'm happy to return to the many people I love back at home, but down here is just as much home to me and also filled with people I love...so I just ask for God's grace and love to cover me through this process. I thank you all for being on this journey with me, but I know that the journey does not end here...in fact, it's just the beginning of what God has planned.

With much love,
Lauren