Category: Blog

Just in time for Christmas shopping, we are excited to announce that ENLACE is a featured charity at an innovative new site called Give Prints. More than a dozen talented photographers contribute to the site’s gallery of artistic photos which can be ordered as prints or on T-shirts. Give Prints donates 50% of each item purcheased to any charity featured on the site.

“The heart of Give Prints is to help people send love to others through the purchasing of prints. It was born out of a photographer’s desire to help fellow photographers publicize their work while helping worthy organizations that are already reaching out to people all over the world.”

-Cristina Robeck

Owner / Founder GivePrints.com

In October, 2011 Pastor Miguel Angel Durán became the President and Representative of his denomination in El Salvador. The Asamblea de Iglesias Cristianas (Assembly of Christian Churches) was founded in New York in 1939 as a evangelical missionary movement led by Hispanics to work with Hispanics. They are present in 26 countries around the world, and have 62 churches in El Salvador alone.

“I feel privileged…to have the opportunity to be an example for my companions and be some sort of inspiration for them. I have been given the opportunity to climb–not because I deserve it–but because of his mercy and grace…[This new role] obligates me to seek God more.”

His promotion comes as no surprise to us at ENLACE. Pastor Miguel has worked with us since the very beginning and played a fundamental role in strengthening our methodology. He has also used his experiences as a testimony to inspire and help train other churches in the region of San Martin through his work with Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion International, ENLACE’s Pastoral Council, and the ENLACE El Salvador Board of Directors.

Many of our partners and friends have had the opportunity to know and listen to Pastor Miguel, and we have been witnesses of his hard work in the church and community. Above all, we have recognized his humility, patience, and spirit of service and love for his neighbor.

During the inauguration ceremony that announced and celebrated Pastor Miguel’s new role, fellow pastor Santos made clear how much Pastor Miguel had impacted him and how he will have great influence in the Church in El Salvador in the future. 

[Miguel Duran] is my friend, and I have seen him as someone from whom I learn a lot through his attitude of love for his neighbor. When they told me that he was going to be our representative, it gave me a lot of joy…We think that in the future of the Assemblies of Christian Churches we’re going to have many churches working in the integral mission. With our experiences, we are going to help them embody the integral vision.”

Santos Carpio, Pastor of Tabernaculo Biblico Salem, El Espino

ENLACE has been working with El Buen Samaritano Church since 1994. Together with the local health committee, the church directed many health projects when health care was not accessible for everyone. Pastor Miguel inspired his leaders to become active agents of change in their community and worked on improving roads, building homes, projects with the public school, and health and cleanup campaigns. One of the greatest challenges has been building a water system that will benefit more than 10,000 local residents. Pastor Miguel and the area’s churches continue to provide a strong witness of God’s love in these and other projects.

“The work that has been done with the church, the community, and the accompaniment of ENLACE has given them the tools to take on this new challenge…It’s a huge challenge that provides benefits and opportunities. If Pastor Miguel is guide by the Lord and His timing, they are going to be used as a blessing not only for his church and community but for many people in El Salvador. Pastors Santos Carpio and Felix Amaya are only a sneak peek at what can happen.”

Gerson Ramirez, ENLACE Church Coach for the region of San Martin.

We are proud and thankful to God for the ways he has used our ENLACE team to provide support and open opportunities which strengthen the integral mission and vision of His church. If you want to learn more about Pastor Miguel, read about his journey of perseverance here (http://www.enlaceonline.org/blog/2010/10/19/we-are-gods-answer-one-pastors-journey-of-perseverance.html). We invite you to help dozens of pastors like Pastor Miguel to continue this transformational work!

Melissa was 18 years old when she had the opportunity to live in El Salvador for six months as a short-term missionary. Working with an orphanage called Amilat, she collaborated in the coordination of mission teams and care for children, as well as completing other administrative tasks. This time profoundly changed her heart and impacted her life, revealing the face of poverty in El Salvador that she had not known.

Her experiences brought her back to El Salvador for two other short trips that deepened her passion for the country and its people. After spending much time seeking God’s guidance through prayer, she felt the call to seek opportunities to return and serve.

In April of this year, Willow Creek Community Church hosted a Celebration of Hope event in which members of the congregation, like Melissa, were given the opportunity to better understand how to pray, give, and get involved with the ministries they support around the world. When Melissa heard about the transformation her church was supporting in El Salvador through ENLACE, she felt confirmation to return.

Melissa Mefford, now 24 years old, has a degree in psychology and has lived in Chicago for the past four years. She arrived in El Salvador in late October and will serve as a missionary volunteer with ENLACE for the next year. She firmly believes that Christians are not only called to share the message of salvation but also to care for the oppressed and fight against injustices, serving as a voice for the voiceless in communities and throughout the world.

According to Melissa, “God uses me as a vehicle to bring his kingdom to the earth. I can’t do this on my own. My power is not strong enough. My brain is not intelligent enough. My heart is not big enough. The only way for me to make an impact is to allow God to do the work.”

Welcome to ENLACE, Melissa!

Click here to follow her personal blog.

From October 9 to October 20 El Salvador was hit with steady and torrential rains that totaled more than four feet in many areas. At least 33 people were killed in landslides and more than 35,000 forced to leave their homes.

One of ENLACE’s trucks loaded with supplies on October 20While our primary role as an organization is not in the area of disaster relief, ENLACE is supporting the efforts of our local church partners; many of whom are providing food, water and temporary shelter for displaced and affected families. We will continue to offer supplies as needed throughout the country while also working with local churches and communities as they create plans for rebuilding and protecting communities from future natural disasters.

In a conversation with Pastor Miguel Duran on October 19, he reported that mitigation efforts implemented in recent years (projects like cement drainage culverts and retaining walls made of old tires) effectively saved numerous homes and kept roads open.

Damaged tomato plantHowever, small scale farmers have not fared as well. Some reports state that 40-60% of this season’s harvest has been lost, presenting an incalculable challenge for subsistence farmers who rely on these crops to feed their families. ENLACE will continue to support locally managed home garden initiatives throughout the country to help offset the loss of traditional crops experienced by so many.

Click here to provide immediate support as well as lasting change for families affected by the storms in El Salvador.

Relief materials delivered in La Bendición

Shelter in La Reforma, Ciudad ArceLandslide in Ciudad ArceRelief materials delivered in La Reforma

According to national news organizations, the death toll from rains and mudslides across Central America rose Sunday to at least 80 dead. El Salvador, as one of the top ten most vulnerable countries in the world, has experienced the highest number of fatalities. Thirty-two people have died since the intense rain from a tropical depression began saturating El Salvador’s landscape about seven days ago. The death toll is expected to rise.

Landslide in Ciudad Arce. Photo: El Diario de Hoy

In El Salvador, the protestant church has grown rapidly over the last several years, and with new churches, the number of pastors has also grown. Although the majority of these pastors depend on the offerings of their congregations without being active agents in the country’s labor market, there is a small number of pastors who make the difficult decision to seek additional employment. For these pastors, supplementary income can facilitate their ability to become agents of transformation as they may be better able to provide a home for their family and even help support their own church.
Carlos is a native to Panchimalco, and he is proud to have indigenous roots in the area. His relaxed nature and huge smile are contagious.

Carlos Cruz is both talented and a visionary. A year ago he became the pastor of his local church. Before that he had studied to be a mechanic at the Industrial Technical Institute (ITI) and continues his work with a local co-op of microbuses. Additionally, to supplement his family’s income, he and his wife also raise pigs, chickens, and hens in a small pen behind their house.

A few months ago, Carlos recognized the need to improve his pig pen to create better living conditions for his family and prevent problems with his neighbor, but he did not have the cash. After applying for a small loan from CREDATEC (the organization that handles all of ENLACE’s microfinancing projects), he received invaluable training from Financial Coach Israel Melendez. Through the coaching, Carlos was able make and execute plans for a new and improved pig farm. He used the financing he receive to invest in paving the pen, making a wall of bricks, and building a septic tank in which animal waste would drain.

The farm currently has two adult pigs, two piglets, and a sow that will soon birth seven to eight piglets. Each pig can result in a two-fold profit. Like other CREDATEC entrepreneurs, Carlos looks for ways to maximize his resources. For Carlos, this means collecting leftover market produce and corn from the local tortilla-maker to feed his pigs, reducing his costs. Creativity and hard work can make the difference between failure and success.

“[Pig farming] is a difficult job that many people don’t want to do because it requires a lot of effort. So…here there is high demand for pork, but no competition for breeding pigs.”

Carlos and his wife began rasing pigs when their son was born. They are successfully raising and selling pigs.

Although Carlos lives a simple life with his mother, wife, and three children, his hard work and access to microloans and business support ensures that his family has everything they need. And while it is rather common for adults to seek more than two jobs to make a living in El Salvador, Carlos is unique in the way he combines working for himself and his family with caring for his community.



Your donation of $100 will be leant nearly 30 times in the next 15 years totaling more than $1500 of credit for ambitious entrepreneurs like Carlos!

Douglas Carrillo is a resident of El Ranchador. He and his family always held onto the hope of building an adobe or metal house in the land they have been paying off for the last five years. Despite working in a brick factory, he never imagined the possibility of having a home made of cement block. However, the members of Arca de Dios Church in El Ranchador and Willow Creek Crystal Lake united to help Douglas believe in a dream that, until a few days ago, was impossible.

 When Noé Canales was just a teenager he already had a strong passion to serve Christ. He devoted much of his time as a volunteer with the Royal Rangers, a Christian wilderness program for boys. After High School he took on many odd jobs while he began to study theology. Three years into his studies, Noé was hired by World Vision as a Christian Commitment Coordinator, and began a career in Christian community development. Through this experience, Noé saw a glimpse of what rural churches can accomplish when they work with their communities. When the World Vision program concluded, Noé encountered ENLACE and joined its staff in June 2011.  

Being involved with ENLACE has provided Noé a way to continue his passion to serve Christ. He says, “I’m excited to be part of this process…[I love] walking with the pastors…walking down the streets of their communities, meeting with them, talking about the challenges in their communities and coming up with solutions…[I love] discussing how God helps [to] bring development and change.”

Over the last three years, Noé helped to foment an amazing growth in the number of churches in the region of San Jose El Naranjo, going from two to nine! These churches now form a regional network that meets on an ongoing basis to share experiences and coordinate efforts. This region’s cohesiveness was displayed in an amazing way during a thanksgiving service late in 2013. More than 500 community members from all over the region and the mayor celebrated the year’s successes with representatives of all nine churches and ENLACE. Noé’s hard work and vision has made these successes possible.

Noé and his wife, Mirna Quiñonez, have one five-year-old son, Ricardo Ernesto.

Construction work in Santa María has been a growth opportunity for the Church, for ENLACE, and for the community leaders, reflecting a dynamic, unifying process. Gerson Ramirez, Church Coach

For years, the Santa María neighborhood located in the region of San Martin lamented the terrible condition of its main street. During the rainy season, torrents of water endangered their lives of both young children and older residents. Addtionally, the lack of proper drainage created standing water that resulted in mosquito infestation and putrid odors. Even so, years passed and the road continued to deteroriate. Solving the problem seemd too expensive and difficult for a poor community like Santa María.

In 2010, however, Principe de Paz members decided to take a leap of faith and change their community. After receiving training and coaching from ENLACE, the church led an effort that leveraged the participation of community residents, the support of the mayor’s office and two international mission teams.

In the second stage the road was completed with gravel and paving. The church hosted students from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and members of New Life Church in Exeter (both in California). These missions teams gave Pastor Santiago and his leaders more than just greatly needed materials and labor; it empowered them and gave them more confidence that led to closer relationships with their neighbors.

“Our work is more than building a road; It is really building a community. For us that means having a long-term relationship with ENLACE in El Salvador, where we can work as a family and even as a church to make the biggest impact possible for a single community or a single region”. Cristina Robeck, Advisory board ENLACE USA, Vanguard University Team leader.

By the end of the first stage, the church had overseen the construction of 500 meters of storm gutters. The process, however, according to Pastor Santiago, wasn’t alwasys easy. “I remeber the day that we had our first meeting with community representatives, and I told them that it was necessary to work together…to construct the road…We had problems [and] got discouraged. Some wanted to quit during the first stage. I told them , ‘I won’t quit the project… (but) I can’t do this alone. If you work along with me we can do great things.”  

In the second stage, the road was completed with gravel and paving. The church hosted students from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and members of New Life Church in Exeter (both in California). These mission teams gave Pastor Santiago and his leaders more than just greatly needed materials and labor; it empowered them and gave them more confidence that led to closer relationships with their neighbors.
According to Pastor Santiago, “…this project represents a great triumph…[the church] now [has] become closer to the people in the community. And people are not shy anymore to come to church…I like how they now see us.”

Click here to see the Picture Gallery