(The following has been taken from a July letter received from Bro. Jim & Sis. Jean Hunter in El Salvador.)
A new missionary team plans to take up residence in Sonsonate, El Salvador with the objective of establishing a second ecclesia in that country.
Lord willing, August 28, 1993, Bro. Kevin Hunter of San Salvador will marry Sis. Rebekah Abel of Shelburne, ONT. Sis. Rebekah has been a member of the San Salvador meeting for nearly a year while working under the Spanish Truth Corps program. She had been to the country twice before studying Spanish and helping with postal work so she is already like part of the family. Kevin and Rebekah plan to spend a year and a half continuing the project of establishing an ecclesia in Sonsonate before going back to Canada.
Sonsonate
This is a small city about 40 miles west of San Salvador. Preaching work has been going well there but establishing a meeting takes organization, time, patience and energy. Bro. Rene Castillo, the only member living in the area, is very capable, enthusiastic and responsible, but he is only 20 and has been baptized for less than a year. He runs a CYC and gives a weekly Bible class.
Sunday afternoon lectures are handled by brethren from the San Salvador Ecclesia. There is a fairly steady attendance of 6 to 10 interested friends, several of whom are on the road to baptism. Sunday School is held during the lecture and there are 8 children who come regularly.
One Saturday in June, Bro. Rene organized a Saturday afternoon fraternal with Bible games, hymns, etc., that was attended by over 30 people.
Ahuachapan
Several lectures have been given in this town about one-and-a-half hours from San Salvador. There were about 10 visitors to each one and Bro. Kevin Hunter gave a weekly Bible class there until going to Canada for the summer.
There are a number of good contacts in the area but there isn’t enough manpower available right now to do much follow-up. God willing, classes will continue in the fall with possibly an occasional special lecture.
San Miguel
We also hope to start monthly lectures in San Miguel, a 3-hour drive east of San Salvador. There are many serious Bible students in that part of the country, but preaching there is complicated by the distance involved.
Your prayers are needed for the work in the different parts of El Salvador. The brethren and sisters find it very encouraging to see so many people who know Christadelphian teaching and who already feel they are part of the Christadelphian effort in El Salvador. God has certainly blessed the spreading of His word in this country.
San Salvador
During June, About 800 invitations were sent to contacts in the San Salvador area advertising 14 special lectures on the general theme of “Israel: Witness to the Living God.”
The lectures cover the promises to Abraham and David, the law, the difference between the God of Israel and the gods of the nations, the fulfillment of prophecy in Israel’s history, the coming of the Messiah, the return, a slide lecture on the land itself, the future kingdom and a final lecture on the relationship between Israel and ourselves.
At the time of writing, three talks had been held with the number of visitors increasing each time from 16 to 20 to 24. One man commented that he had attended Bible talks in many churches and had always been disappointed that they never mentioned the Old Testament. He was pleased to find a group that gave serious attention to God’s promises.
Recent overseas visits have come from S is. Rachel Crawford of Victoria, BC; S is. Karen Hestermann of Vancouver, BC and S is. Carolyn Morris of Birmingham, UK. Sis. Rachel stayed for six months under the Spanish Truth Corps program while the other two sisters were down on their own for a month or more. Sis. Carolyn has been to El Salvador several times and is quite fluent in Spanish.
General conditions
There have been very heavy rains this year, which makes everyone happy. The additional hydro power has made electricity rationing unnecessary this year. It seems that crops will be good and with the economy looking up and the peace process working well, the general feeling in the country is positive.
Thankfully, there has not been even one outbreak of political violence since the signing of the peace treaty. While neither side has always done exactly what they agreed to do, they have always managed to argue it out without resorting to violence. Common crime has become a major problem; but it is hoped that once the civilian police force is set up, that, too, will come under control.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One