All year long we have learned together about El Salvador, Nepal, community transformation, and impact.  Here are the top five most read blogs of 2017.  If you missed them the first round, now is your chance to equip yourself and share with a friend.  

32 families will have life saving latrines along with health education and technical assistance for building and maintaining their composting latrines. Over the last few weeks you have jumped on board the potty train.  You have done your doodie! You paired your potty.   

We are celebrating 12 families, individuals, churches, and schools who stepped up as Doodie Directors to raise funds for a latrine. Many others of you gave directly to the campaign.  Thank you!

This two minute video gives you a quick overview of the process and benefit of latrines in communities in El Salvador. 

Although we have wrapped up the Pair Your Potty campaign and won't keep pushing right now, churches in El Salvador continue to identify families in need of latrines as they work toward healthy communities.  There are literally thousands of pottys still to be paired. You can support them by starting your own Pair Your Potty campaign at any point.  It's a fun way to get kids, groups, teams, and families engaged in making an impact globally.  All the resources you need to start your campaign are at www.pairyourpotty.org

Thank you for giving a crap!

One of the joys of a long term partnership with a community is seeing the children there grow. 

When ENLACE first partnered with Piedra Angular Church in Abelines in 2001, Leidy Paz, Pastor Victorio's youngest daughter, was a toddler.  In some ways she came to represent the children of that community and we often photographed her with her soulful gaze and beautiful eyes.

This is a guest blog post by Don Day from Broadway Christian Church in Columbia, MO

My first trip to El Salvador was in May 2011 on an exploratory trip to see the work of ENLACE.  I really didn’t want to go, but God, in the form of a fellow parishoner said “you need to go because you are the chair of the mission committee.”

As you think about 2017, what are you looking forward to?

Is this the year to step out and sign up for a short term serving trip?

If joining a team to serve in a different country or context is something you are thinking about, here are a few things to consider:

On November 17, three hundred pastors and leaders converged from around El Salvador at a retreat center on Lake Coatepeque. ENLACE’s annual Pastors and Leaders Retreat is an anticipated event each year. For three days our partners who give to their families, churches, and communities all year round get to connect with each other, be refreshed by God’s Spirit and beauty, and enjoy being served rather than serving.