Comecayo/Briargate July 2009

The Mission team from Briargate Church in Colorado Springs helped paint a school in Comecayo. The school was identified as in need by Pastor Rafael of Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen (New Jerusalem Church), a growing local church and Enlace partner

Donna, Briargate mission team member, on her second trip to El Salvador

Lexi (bottom left), Rashae (middle) and Joanne, Briargate mission team members

A look into the classroom

Sheets are tied up this way in all the classroom windows

Barbed wire runs along the roof of the school

At Pastor Rafael’s house, which is next door to the school

A wall of the school before it was painted

A wall of the school after it was painted

Rashae making a difference

Pastor Rafael and his son, Rafael, work together to help paint the school

Paz is Pastor Rafael’s sister and a local church leader. She oversaw work at the school during the day and participated in Alpha trainings in the evenings

Jose (left) and Marcus, Briargate mission team members. Jose led the Alpha trainings at the church in the evenings. Marcus led the worship services, singing and playing music alongside the church youth group

Rafael, the Pastor’s son, helped out at the work site

The Pastor and his wife

The Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen (New Jerusalem Church) in Comecayo. This newly constructed, 1000 member church, is leading significant development initiatives in the community

Member of the local church band. A group of young and very talented musicians

Marcus leading worship, at Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen, in service preceding Alpha training

Shane and his new friends at church

The Briargate team doing a skit to illustrate how an Alpha group should be run. The Briargate team trained and equipped 100 church leaders from several churches in the area surrounding Comecayo to employ the Alpha program

A skit to illustrate how an Alpha group should not be run. Alpha is a community outreach and education program for churches wishing to engage new-comers and serve new-believers.

Shane dunks a bag of chips

This is the first sign of a recycling program that I have seen in El Salvador

Shane and Rhonda, who is on her sixth mission trip to El Salvador

Painting the school made an incredible impact on its overall appearance, still the conditions are poor and every inch of the school is in disrepair. The school is also 400 students beyond its capacity. The local church, led by Pastor Rafael, is working hard as an agent of change in this community. Their initiatives have already brought improvements and a great deal of hope

Jose, Alpha training leader, member of the Briargate team and a missionary in Barcelona

Shane and Marcus doing the dangerous work

Students help paint, satisfying their school’s community service requirement

Eating lunch at the school, which was closed due to threat of H1N1 (swine flu) in the area. Otherwise there would have been 1200 kids on the property.

Donna, Rashae, Joanne and Lexi (left to right), members of Briargate Mission team