El Salvador... We Are Finally Here!

We have arrived!

     It has been almost a month since we arrived here in El Salvador. A missionary from Castillo Del Rey, Anne Prentiss, picked us up at the airport, and the first 2 weeks, we stayed at Don and Terri Triplett's apartment at the campgrounds for 2 weeks to help us have time to look for our home.  Don Triplett is the founder of Castillo Del Rey. They were in Ecuador during the first few weeks that we arrived here, and we are so thankful that they allowed us to stay at their place until we could find a home.

Castillo Del Rey, Coatapeque, El Salvador

     Thankfully, we have been able to find a nice home in the city of Colon which is a 30-40 minute drive away from the camp of Castillo Del Rey. With much thought and prayer, we decided to move in. In addition, we also purchased a reliable second hand car to help us get around the city safely. Most importantly, we also found a good bilingual school, known as  Liceo Castilla, which is about 5 minutes away from home. We are slowly settling in and making sure that the girls are transitioning well in their new environment. They seem to be loving their new school and making new friends each day. Once we have established a good routine for the kids, we can spend more time doing ministry work.

First meal at our new home with our friend Jessica

Shiloh at her new school in Liceo Castilla

     We have cleaned and organized the clinic little by little to see what items are still needed in order to perform basic cleaning, oral surgery, and restorative procedures. We have started to make toothbrush kits for the patients and Dr. Phil has started to give fluoride treatments to some of the children.

Setting up the Dental Clinic at Castillo Del Rey

     There is still a lot of work to be done, but for the first few months, we want to make sure that we are stable and that the kids are thriving in their studies. Homework has been a challenge since there is a lot of catching up to do since we started the girls in the middle of the school year, but we know that with perseverance, we will be able to get them up to speed.

     So far, we have been adjusting to the hot weather, daily water shutdowns, and occasional flooding in the house from leaking roofs, but with God's help, we will be able to maneuver our way through these little obstacles. We are so thankful that we are in a safe neighborhood, and that we have found a wonderful school that our kids will learn so much from, and so thankful for the leaders and missionary team from Castillo Del Rey for being available to help us when we need them.

      Most of you are probably wondering about the safety issue living here in El Salvador. It is true that there are many areas that may not be safe for us to drive around in, but the missionaries here have advised us well of which areas to avoid. So far, we have not felt threatened or unsafe. On the contrary, we have found that the people that we have encountered have been so warm and friendly..or as they say in Spanish “muy amable!"

       We will continue to keep you posted on our journey, and thank you for following us on this mission to bring the gospel to the lost, and to give free dental care to those who are in need.

Blessings,

Phil, Mia, Selah,and Shiloh
Gendreau