El Salvador is a little known country, but it has big necessities. This little country has six million inhabitants and it`s located in Central America bordering Guatemala and Honduras. Because of the gang violence, El Salvador became one of the most dangerous country in the world. It has one of the largest homicide rates, there are almost 116 homicides for each 100 thousand inhabitants. Children are suffering and and being recruited by the gangs spread in the neighborhoods of the main cities of the country. The El Salvador children need to know the live hope that we have in Christ Jesus, this is the main reason we are present here with PEPE!
Gladys Ortiz, our PEPE coordinator in El Salvador, said: “We have to be grateful to God for the PEPE that we have in Zacatecoluca region, in El Salvador. PEPE is working in one of the most marginalized neighborhoods of the area. Because of their poor situation a lot of children arrive badly dressed, sick and with low self-esteem feelings. During the time that these children are studying in PEPE we see a great transformation that happened with the children, their families and even their neighborhood. We work with each child individually bringing self – esteem through the Word of God. We involved the parents in the activities of the church and the community and today they are our loyal supporters. Even with all their necessities, they help with their children snack. We got uniforms for the children that proudly paraded in first place for the population in the homeland day.
Carina is one child of the PEPE in El Salvador, she lives with her grandma because her mother is arrested and her father is out of the country for a long time. When she got sick her friends and teacher missed her because she has joy and a beautiful smile. During the time that she was sick, she couldn’t go to church’s school (PEPE), so she asked to her grandma to bring her teacher to pray for her. With the constants prayer visits that our missionary did Carina’s grandma started to go to church and today they participate to the service together, every Sunday. When Carina joins to her friends of PEPE and Sunday school, her grandma get happy with a big smile in her face.
We are hope to the children in El Salvador! Together we can continue supporting our units of PEPE for other children to know Jesus and begin to have hope of a better present and future!
