My head is still swimming over the reality of our new life. The sights and smells and responsibilities are all different.

Yesterday, our traveling went off without a hitch. TACA didn't give us any trouble stateside or in El Salvador. Immigration and Customs let us through with minimal problem. At the immigration desk, we got our first taste of trying to communicate and make ourselves understood. In the end, a fellow passenger translated for us. Come to find out, she is also here as a volunteer for two years. We exchanged contact info, and she has already emailed us. Finding Jenny and Joel was no problem. As soon as we exited the airport, they whisked us off to the suv, and we pulled out into our new country.

There is a similarity between all third world countries I've visited, a general lack of planning when it comes to buildings, a general dustiness over everything. El Salvador is no exception. As you drive down the main roads, you see many pick-ups and backless trucks with people sitting in the rear, some sleeping, some standing. Randomly, along the side of the road are groups of people waiting for buses. I don't know how they know where to wait. The Reyes' took us out to eat at a "fast food" restaurant on the way home. Here in El Salvador, pupusas are the national dish. Well, I guess there is one street where they supposedly originated. There are many pupuserias, lining the roadway. We stopped at one. They had a bucket out front to wash your hands in. Then we ordered and waited for them to fry up the stuffed corn or rice tortillas with queso (cheese) and frijoles. Delicious. We also stopped along the way to buy some green coconuts. These are large and green and young. When you cut them open, they are full of coconut water, very good when chilled. The meat is not hard like the ones you buy in the states, but jello-like.

After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the gate of the Adventist high school compound. Joel introduced us to the guard, and we pulled though. On campus is a high school, church, elementary school and dormitories. At this point, I was a little confused. I wasn't sure if this was our destination or not. Then, we pulled up to a fancier looking gate and honked for the guard to let us in. He was in uniform with a rifle over his shoulder (all part of the adventure of our new life).

The Children's Village is beautiful, a definite contrast to the first campus we drove through. There are seven children's homes, a few staff homes, an administration office, a bakery and a gym/church. Our apartment is more than adequate. We have a nice size kitchen/living room, with stove, microwave and fridge. We have a bathroom with a regular toilet and a bedroom with ample closet space. In some ways, I feel guilty, not very missionaryish. But our trials will come elsewhere, I'm sure, especially when it comes to learning the language. It's difficult to imagine that one day in the not-too-distant future we will be fluent.

Today, we spent many hours with Jenny and Joel, trying to get a sense of this project and our part to play in it. As it stands now, Adam's first job description is Head of Grounds. He will be spending some time helping with maintenance too. Being that it's dry season here, there is not much need for mowing. My job is to assist the Children's Services Director. For awhile that means, helping out at the distribution center, where house parents come to get supplies like food and clothes. Come September my job with be to teach the Reyes' children. That actually excites me. They are great kids!

Our food situation here is much more diverse than we expected. Not only do they have a "Walmart" in San Salvador, with most of the items we are used to purchasing in the states (we won't be going there often.), but they also go weekly to the market. All we have to do is fill out an order form on Mondays, and they will bring it for pick up at the distribution center on Tuesdays. We can get a lot of seasonal produce this way. In addition to that, we have access to the farm produce as well. Currently, they are growing lots of green peppers, a few tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers. Anyway, we won't be starving.

Well, I'll end my verbosity by saying this: continue to pray for us. We need it. Our first big hurdle is knowing what to do. Although we have jobs, they are not well-defined...which means we will be learning to be proactive. Adam's job means a lot of language learning as his partners do not speak any English. The lady I will be working for speaks some.

Alright, I'm really finished now! We love you all and miss every one of you.

We hope to get some pictures up soon. . .

Crissy