keithandmel

Mariela Lima – Faithful Worker at CICS

Hello everyone and welcome back to CICS! Time continues to pass quickly, in another 2 weeks this years school term will be half-way complete. In the last few months, we have enjoyed a week of vacation for Holy Week, been blessed with some visitors from the states (friends of Ranita’s) and have overcome sickness amongContinue reading “Mariela Lima – Faithful Worker at CICS”

February and March Fly By

CICS has added a new family member for 2022. Joel Neftaly Villalobos Varela is a former student who had dropped out and declined to come to school last year. However, after working at a car wash for a year, he has had a change of heart and requested to come back to school. He isContinue reading “February and March Fly By”

Back in El Salvador

2-1/2 months back in the states, Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations, multiple company banquets and a trip to CO for a New Years celebration and then we were saying our goodbyes and boarding the plane that would take us back to El Salvador for another year. El Salvador in January is glorious, an endless successionContinue reading “Back in El Salvador”

School Life

Welcome back to CICS, where school is back to normal once again. After a year of having so many disruptions, what a blessing to just be able to do “normal things” like have students at school during the school year. Our week starts with me heading out at 5 AM on Monday morning to pickContinue reading “School Life”

Yes.

Hello readers, I hope you enjoy the following story. It is not regarding our lives here in El Salvador but it was my next life-altering moment after being born again in “Redeemed” The graveyard was deathly still. The only sound was the thump-thump-thump of my heart and my shallow, nervous breathing. I wanted to speakContinue reading “Yes.”

Escape from Silence

How many sounds do you hear in a day? Slamming doors, ringing telephone, cries from an unhappy baby. The cheerful chatter of your children. Questions from an employee or instructions from a boss. Tender words from someone who loves you. Music that lifts your spirits on a dreary day. Their world is silent. They doContinue reading “Escape from Silence”

Redeemed

Hello readers, this is not an update of life in El Salvador. Instead, it is my testimony, written for a creative writing class that I took several years ago. I trust it can be of value. I am driving when my friend texts me – You need to listen to Toby Mac’s new song, “LoveContinue reading “Redeemed”

Settling In

Learning a new language is hard. For all those people who say, “English is one of the hardest languages and Spanish is an easy language to learn” – I would like to present the following evidence. IR – to go – this is one of the more common verbs in Spanish, I will break itContinue reading “Settling In”

Welcome to El Salvador

Bitter cold, snow and ice to balmy breezes, bright blue skies and glorious sunshine. The hum of saws and the rat-a-tat-tat of pallets being built to the squawking of chickens and the constant cacophony of bird sounds. Pancakes, hamburgers and pizza to pupusas, tortillas and beans. So many differences from our home in WV toContinue reading “Welcome to El Salvador”