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This week, we are pleased to share a wonderful message of\nhope amidst the pandemic, as told by our friends in the ADRA Connections\nprogram. ADRA Connections (CNX for short) offers short-term volunteer\nexperiences to groups of young adults and adults, with opportunities to visit\nand work at ADRA projects all around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can understand, those opportunities have been shut\ndown during this global health crisis. Though ADRA\u2019s work continues in the\nfield, we are currently unable to offer volunteer trips to our many eager\nvolunteers\u2014some of whom had to cancel travel just days in advance of a big trip\nto El Salvador. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That trip to El Salvador was set to take place during spring\nbreak in March, a time many of our college-aged volunteers were looking for a\nbreak from academia and a chance to connect with their global community.\nUnfortunately, that was also the time COVID-19 began to shake the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, we canceled the trip. Many volunteers, however, continue\nto ask about how the El Salvadorians are faring during this crisis. Though they\ncannot be there in person to help improve the lives of those in need, they\nstill send their thoughts and prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Wamack, the ADRA Connections manager, shares the\nsuccesses happening today in El Salvador, and the many blessings still to be\nfound during this time of great loss and confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In early 2019, ADRA Connections Coordinator Cassie Hales\nled a CNX group from Rocky Mount SDA church into the Dry Corridor of El\nSalvador to build greenhouses. They tilled the ground, installed\nirrigations systems, built the greenhouse structure, and planted baby\nplants. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In late 2019, I led a CNX group from La Sierra Academy\ninto the same region of El Salvador to build chicken coops. We leveled\nthe ground, built the walls and the roof, put up the chicken wire, and gifted\neach family with 100 egg-laying hens, complete with feeders, feed and\neverything else they could need.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, we had big plans to host 5 groups\nsimultaneously in Spring Break of 2020 to continue working with these\ncommunities. As you can understand, we had to cancel. I was devastated by\nthis cancellation, but obviously it was the right decision. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today I had a Zoom call with our team in El Salvador and\nthey shared with me a story that touched my heart. Just for context, the\ngreenhouses take months to actually produce crops, and the baby chicks have to\ngrow for a few months before they are ready to lay eggs. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you believe it if I told you that the very day that\nthe Salvadorian government shut down all businesses and declared a\nshelter-in-place order was the exact same day the greenhouses were in\npeak production and the hens began to produce eggs?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am nearly in tears just thinking about this. We\ninstalled the greenhouses at exactly the right time. We built the chicken coops\nat exactly the right time. God led us to choose these projects and\ncommunities, preparing them for what only He saw coming.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Those typically vulnerable communities in El Salvador are\nnow running their own micro-businesses and are able to consume green beans and\nvegetables mixed with eggs, a level of nutrition for the entire family that\nwould be otherwise unachievable. On top of that, they are able to sell\nthe remainder in local markets for far less than the exorbitant prices that\nthis economic shift has caused, helping the entire community. Not only that,\nthey are able to hire workers to sell on their behalf, further extending the\nimpact of our project. The ripples go further than even we can see.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t want to go on and on, but I am so happy right\nnow, I had to share. Because of our work blessed by the Lord, many\nfamilies are supporting themselves and protecting themselves during this\ndifficult time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adam and Cassie are both devastated to see these life-changing\nvolunteer experiences comes to a temporary end, but they are already planning\nfor the future when we can once again travel and connect with our global\ncommunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n