Saturday, January 15, 2011

There are parties, dances, and celebrations all over our little town as many people here celebrate the patron saint of San Julian. We aren’t too sure about what it all means, but it seems like for the most part, it might be just another excuse to drink and party. Alcohol is consumed in large quantities here, and there are always drunk men passed out on the sidewalk here and there. In the midst of all the festivities,just yesterday, a young man from San Julian, well-known about town, was shot and killed, along with two other men. The three men were working on a bus that runs from San Julian to San Salvador. One, a driver, the other two were his helpers. At a stop on the highway, three armed gang members got on the bus, and robbed everyone, then killed the three men. We happened to drive by the site of this tragedy not long after it happened on our way into San Salvador yesterday. There were news media, police, and many people milling around the area, and at the time, we didn’t know what had happened. Not until we arrived home later in the evening, and Janeth and Hiram told us. In fact, the young man, Carlos Bondilla, was a friend of theirs, as well as a friend of Jaime’s. Apparently, this young man had walked away from the Lord and many people had tried to encourage him to come back to Jesus. Jaime tells me that he would see him in the streets, and he would plead with him to come to Jesus. Carlos would always say, “maybe tomorrow.” Janeth said that just Wednesday, one day before he was killed, she was talking to him and asking him to give his life to Jesus. But, he said, “not today.” What a tragedy! And San Julian goes on partying….how it must grieve the heart of God. El Salvador, El Salvador, how I longed to gather you under my wings, like a mother hen gathers her chicks, but you would not come…



Please pray for El Salvador, for San Julian…for the lives of these men who are consumed by alcohol…the people who are so far from the Lord in their hearts, who turn their backs on their creator…and in one moment, after the flash of a gun, they stand before Him. Pray God gives us wisdom, love and courage to reach out to these lost souls.