Serving with Crossroads Community Church
Blog post written by Jenni Ramsey, Director, His Hands His Feet
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority on Heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
Last summer one of our Crean Lutheran High School students, Justin Takiguchi, approached me while serving in El Salvador to talk about the possibility of bringing a team from his church back to El Salvador. It’s been over a year since that conversation and I’m in awe of what God has done since that time. The Lord raised up twenty volunteers from Crossroads, over half of whom are teenagers! I had the honor of meeting with the Crossroads team many times over this past year for trainings and have been incredibly blessed by what God has done in their midst as they have fundraised, prayed and prepared their hearts to serve.
The team had a connecting flight in Houston, so I was able to meet them in the airport along with two other team members from my home church in North Dallas. We landed in El Salvador late on Saturday evening, filled with much excitement and anticipation.
We rose early on Sunday morning and began the day by worshipping at Iglesia Cristiana Monte Calvario, where team members shared a testimony and performed a beautiful hula worship dance. I was honored to give a message entitled “Jesus is Enough,” where I shared the powerful ways in which He has sustained me throughout many challenges that I faced in 2019. Our team was deeply moved by the hospitality, joy and exuberance that they experienced while worshipping alongside our Salvadorian brothers and sisters.
The energy in the church was undeniable as church members sang their hearts out to the Lord with tambourines, dancing and joyful shouts of praise. We received many warm embraces as we departed. While our time there was brief, our hearts were united by the fellowship that we shared with one another. There may have been some language and cultural barriers, but the Lord clearly bound hearts together through the unity that can be found only Christ.
The Crossroads team raised extra funds in order to take the kids from the Sus Hijos transition homes on a zip line excursion. Sus Hijos is the main ministry partner of His Hands His Feet and their vision is to serve children living in orphanages in El Salvador with the hope of the Gospel. Sus Hijos operates two homes for young men and women transitioning out of orphanages. Most of these kids work full time in a restaurant called the States Diner, which was started by Sus Hijos to provide job training and life skills. The diner is closed on Sundays, so this is the only day off for the kids. The team headed to the zip line location, located in the lush mountains of Sonsonate, El Salvador, immediately following church. It was an unforgettable afternoon of bonding with the Sus Hijos staff members and transition kids while zip lining over hundreds of breathtaking coffee plants.
This year Sus Hijos collected over 700 Christmas gifts for children that they serve throughout the country. The team was overjoyed to deliver some of these gifts to a Catholic community center on Sunday evening, where we danced, provided snacks for the kids and some of the team members even dressed as Santa, his reindeer and elves. We shared the powerful Christmas story with the kids and my heart was filled with joy as I watched the children blow kisses in the air, in thanks to Jesus. I’m so thankful that the Lord put this trip on the heart of a teenager, who was open to His calling. Leading short-term missions teams is incredibly fulfilling for me and there’s no place else that I’d rather be as we prepare to celebrate the New Year.
