On Writing

Studying at the Institute for G.O.D. Int'l, and working with this organization, I am given many opportunities to continue the development of particular skills that I have and enjoy. One of them is writing.

I have always loved to write. In college I briefly explored the pursuit of journalism as a career. Post college, my first job was writing for Demand Studios, writing articles that are probably still somewhere to be found on eHow and LiveStrong.com. In the last year, I have edited 2 books that are independently published.

But some of the most meaningful words that I have had the opportunity to pen, and read, come from our website, at www.godinternational.org. The stories that I write are connected to people that I know, and I do my best to write them with an ear to the voice of the LORD, and the things I have learned from His word. Each article is a new opportunity to practice the kind of writing I hope I will someday be able to publish, and teach, in El Salvador.

I've attached my most recent article here. Articles are regularly posted on our website, and I can't say that I've ever read one that bored me, or wasn't well done. We pursue excellence in our publication as we do in all things, because we recognize our competency reflects back on the Lord. Have a look, and if you like it, return to it for regular updates on the wonderful work we are doing, here and abroad!

Simon Dailey Article

El Salvador: The Final Recap

Dear Friends,

Though I have been woefully remiss in posting a blog since my last update, I hope the presence of photos in this post will remedy at least some of that. The last five weeks since my most recent post have been busy, to say the least. In the fifth week of my trip, the Summer Interns arrived. These students were committed to a seven week internship in which they studied the Bible and served in various locations stateside and abroad. By the time they came to us, they had been serving for 3 weeks already facilitating a youth camp for low income youth in Nashville. They had traveled for a week straight, driving down through Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador to finally arrive in Suchitoto. They were tired, but they were ready to serve.

I myself was originally supposed to be an intern, and became one when they arrived. It was at that point that I realized the difference between the experience that I had this summer and the one that I would have had if I had merely gone on the Summer Internship track. Though being an intern for the latter half of my trip was an incredible experience, I was really grateful to have had that extra time to build relationships, learn language, and become familiar with another culture that I hope to someday adapt to more permanently (more on that to come later!). I found myself protective, even, of the small community of Sitio Nuevo. Though I still have much to learn about culture, I was especially worried that we might offend with our lack of cultural understanding. One of the things that I had to learn was to be mindful of what it means to partake in God's culture, which supersedes other cultural norms. Though we are to be culturally sensitive, we must be careful not to sacrifice our adherence to Biblical values in favor of pleasing people.

After leaving El Salvador, we drove for five days through Guatemala and Mexico. We arrived stateside in Texas and drove directly to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we would spend a week facilitating a SLAM (Students Living A Mission) week. It would be a time for us to process our own experience, though still being pushed and challenged in continuing to serve.

Words can't express how grateful I am for this summer. As I return to a new semester and many demands on my attention and time, I continue to reflect on the people I met and the experiences I had in El Salvador. I have joined the Latin America team at my school, and plan, to the best of my ability, to work in that region long-term. The LORD has begun something in my heart for this place and these people, and the experiences I had this summer only served to advance that.

Lisbeth, the 4-year-old daughter of Carmen, one of the best friends I made this summer

Jose, nicknamed Fefo; Carmen's son.

Stephanie on the left, Carmen middle, baby Nadia and myself.

David, my friend Ruby's son. I stayed with him, his mother, and his brother Lazaro for over a week at the end of the summer.

Written by my cohort Lavinia...

Week #3 has been quite busy for the team.  Our days have been full of construction, tasking, preparing, and adventures. We started off the week by taking a ‘Family Fun Day’ to debrief from SLAM on Tuesday. We decided to go to Morazan since we knew there was a Guerilla War Museum and Pops (our affectionate nickname for Mike J) thought they had some sort of hot springs near there. So we piled 6 deep in the car and set off for the 3ish hour trip. Alas there were no hot springs but we did find waterfalls and a river to swim in (video to be posted shortly) and got to play a 3v3 game of soccer at an altitude of 4,000 ft. Ben got 3 goals (we all cheered) and Jerry almost fell off a rock twice. (we all screamed) On our way back a huge hole in the road busted two of our tires and cracked one of the rims so for the next two hours we waited on the side of the road as a man that was walking by called his network of friends to get us some tires. We ended up staying at the only hotel in Goteras and got home at about 1:30pm on Wednesday.

Later in the week Sara and I got to accompany a women’s NGO (Casa de la Mujer) on a trip to a community called El Pito and participated in a seminar on ‘Self-Esteem’ for women who work in the milpas (corn fields). They all talked about the fact that they had never heard the word before nor knew what it meant. During one of the activities Sara had to dance around the circle of women and I followed dancing together with a sweet old woman named Señora Zoila. They all expressed a desire to learn since no one had ever taught them and desired to no longer be embarrassed of who they were. At the end of the meeting they had to sign in their name and many of them had to have ink put on their thumbs to sign since they did not know how to read or write . We finished off the day by small talking corn and being invited to come have some of their atol (a hot corn drink). 

Yesterday while the four guys worked at the property (they have been working so hard!) Sara and I played a soccer game with the Suchitoto team. Boy was that an adventure. Mirna, a short and happy woman who works at Casa de la mujer, invited us to play with them when we went to El Pito. Two 45 min halves with no subs, playing with some hard core women….we are so sore. 

Today Jerry left us. El Patron (Our nickname for Marco) moped for a bit missing his hammock-buddy. Sara, Ben, and I had some time to drink coffee send US emails and talk about our time in El Sal so far. We then had some pupusas for dinner while Pops and El Patron told us stories about meeting and courting Betsy and Jaimee.

We are looking to next week with hope in the LORD. We will be facilitating some educational time for the children of Sitio since classes are canceled all week. We will also continue organizing logistics for the fast approaching Summer Interns and UnNamed Servant. 

Enjoy a video clip of some of our funnier moments from the last 3 weeks... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCBEOiPy_Wc&feature=g-upl

Commence: SLAM El Salvador

 Friends,

I think possibly the most exciting part of my week so far has been traipsing the countryside yesterday vaccinating cows. Yes, you read that right. Yesterday I spent four hours in the morning walking several miles to different communities to vaccinate cows.

I came by the opportunity when Lavy and I went to a local organization called Casa de Mujeres. It was our desire to start volunteering with them regularly while we are here. They didn't have a schedule set up, but mentioned that in thirty minutes someone was leaving to go and do vaccinations for a cow program they have set up in surrounding communities. In Suchitoto especially, there is a movement to protect women from violence and bring them to financial independence. The cow program consists of about 40 cows that are sold to women. Once the cows reproduce, they can sell the calves for the same price they paid for their own cow, thus paying off their purchase and still having a cow to produce milk for their families. Our mission was to vaccinate the calves. We only made it to two, but by golly what a trip it was. I almost stuck one of them, but it was a little antsy and I chickened out at the last minute.

When we got back, we went to Sitio Nuevo and worked on the foundation for the new house we are building. I shoveled cement for a little while and talked with Yancey and Carlos, two neighborhood kids. Today begins SLAM El Salvador. SLAM stands for Students Living a Mission. We will be facilitating a mission trip experience with a youth group from North Carolina. These times can be testing for all involved, but we are determined to show these youth the love of Jesus, and an opportunity to grow in this new and challenging environment.

I will update with pictures and video after the SLAM kids leave. Until then, que le vaya bien (may it go well with you)!! 

Llegamos! (We are here!)

Well, we made it! I have been in El Salvador three full days now. Though I can't quite say it feels just like home, I am enjoying the experience so far immensely. There is a lot to take in, and it can be quite overwhelming, but so far I've been allowed the time to settle in and adjust without feeling pressured to jump right in to the work. Still, there is plenty of work to be done! We are currently preparing for the SLAM team that is coming next week - we will be facilitating a week-long mission trip for 24 youth from North Carolina.

Here are some pictures from the journey coming here and the first few days here!

Lavy and I got jerseys from a local shop to watch the El Salvador v. Mexico game!

In the airport...

Our mini-team, myself, Ben and Lavy

Ben and Lavy in front of the lake at Suchitoto

Benjamin

Watching the game just off the town square

El Sal lost but the experience, despite jet lag, muy bueno. :)

Four Days and a Wake-Up!

Well... I'm almost there guys. This coming Monday, I'll be getting on a plane with my friends Lavy and Ben and flying to El Salvador. Whew!

This last week has been a whirlwind. Between working a lot, putting in my final fundraising efforts, wrapping up responsibilities here and planning for responsibilities I will take on in El Salvador... well let's just say, yesterday I sat down to relax for a moment and didn't get up for four hours. I was really wiped! I calculated it and realized that I had worked for 13 days in a row. Some of those were part time days, but all the same... it's time to slow down a little. Today is my first full day off - and even then, it will have to be a very productive sort of restful ;).

Having to slow down this week due to sickness reminded me of what a blessing it is that I have people around me who help. Though asking for help might be one of the hardest things to do, it's humbling and moving when people respond. I've been really blessed by the responses of my friends in supporting me on this trip. Had people not committed to supporting me - some of them totally out of the blue - I would still be trying to come up with the $900 that I have raised so far in support. Stressful?! I think so. Though I've not totally reached the full amount, I am much closer, and really thankful. It's also cool to see people getting excited for me. I know I couldn't be more excited, but it seems like too much to ask that others also anticipate my experience and be invested in it.  Fun anecdote: The other night at Olive Garden I served a family from El Salvador. In between delivering their smoked mozzarella fonduta and Italian margaritas, we chatted for a long time about the work that I am doing, and they ended up donating about 30 Spanish Bibles and devotionals to our trip! The boxes came today!

Aside from trip preparations, my time has been full... on Sunday evenings I play my cello with a worship band at a service called "The Well". This has been fun - I had no idea when I picked it up that apparently the cello is everyone's favorite instrument?? I spend most of my free evenings with my cousins Seth and Kristina and their three small [adorable] kids... it is always low key. Me and my friends Tina, Liz, Nick and Beka have become regulars there; we lay on the floor and chat or watch a movie until the late hours. It's summertime chilling at its best.

I've also been instrumental in planning a summer kids camp for low-income youth called "Camp Skillz". As my trip approaches I am passing off my responsibilities to others - they get to see the fruit of all our hard work! But I think the camp will be a wonderful time for the kids and for those who get to plan and participate in it.

Sister Beka is working full-time at Camp Widgiwagon (YMCA camp) as a director. She comes home on weekends with tales of her friends "Peanut", "Gizmo", "Twigs" and more... she herself is "Keys" (like piano keys). In honor of her camp name I was dubbed "Lit" for literature, since I apparently sound like a walking book.  :)

Because I think blogs without pictures are boring... here are some photos of recent happenings in my life! I was the captain of a dance team a few months ago. We worked with a choreographer to prepare, practice, and perform a pretty sweet hip-hop piece. The full video of our dance is on my facebook somewhere... if enough clamor for it, I'll post it on here. For now, enjoy...

Keepin' it low, low, low...

Who said Sara Davis can't look tough? Ok, tough-ish. :)

       

Our music of choice? Kirk Franklin and... Busta Rhymes!

Photo Fun!

This weekend and last, I went on two adventures... first to Burgess Falls and then to Cummins Falls. They were glorious hikes, but what made it most fun was the friends I went with. See Sister Beka below me, and bestie Christina Fowler to my left. Lavy is on the far right - she and I are going to El Sal together. Sarah Mascaro is on the far left. These are girls I've lived and studied with in the last year and a half, and learned to love... so much.

Friends

Lavy and I

This is my friend Lavy and myself. We will be going to El Salvador together this summer. Lavy was born and raised in El Salvador, then came to the U.S. and lived in Georgia for a time. Now she is on the Latin America team and planning to move back to El Salvador to do missions there full time. She's my age and a cheery, energetic addition to the team. I'm excited to spend time with her this summer.

Last summer, the Latin America team built a house on the land that they purchased for our ministry in El Salvador. This is it! A lot of my friends laid these bricks by hand :) . I'm excited to see it for the first time in person!

Though the kinds of memories I've been making here differ greatly I'm sure from the ones I will make in El Salvador, I'm grateful for both opportunities. It's funny to look back on my blog posts from India and reminisce on those early times that were so full of questions, doubts and fears... though I had my moments of faith! I approach this trip with much more confidence, both in myself and in those I go with. I think I believe far more than I initially did in that quote I posted by Ghandi... "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."

In joining with the organization and community that I now study, live, and travel abroad with, I have found that body of determined spirits. Together, with prayer and much belief, we plan to do great things for the LORD in El Salvador this summer and in times to come.