"It's probably culture shock."

Okay, so this is a phrase that expats here say jokingly a lot, but culture shock is a very real thing. As we get closer and closer to the end of our summer here, it's something I've been thinking about a lot.
Have I had culture shock here? Will I have culture shock when I go home? Is it possible to have both?

Culture is a strange concept. It is the combination of a peoples' social norms, religion and morals, language, cuisine, and arts. And, most strangely, you might not necessarily know your own culture until you experience another one.

One piece of cultural difference between the States and El Salvador is easily noticeable right off the bat: the language. All the signs are in Spanish. The menus are in Spanish. They tell you your total in Spanish at the checkout. When you want to ask someone's name, or where the bathroom is, or how to do something, you ask in Spanish--and then you have to understand their Spanish response back. Honestly, it's something English-speakers in the States joke about regularly ("No habla ingles!" [which is not correct], "no problemo" [also not correct]) but that gets difficult to live in if you're not fluent. Sometimes you just want to order your meal at a restaurant and actually know what you're getting, you know?

The other major difference that may be subtle until you meet enough people is the social behaviors of Latin Americans/Salvadorans. Here are a couple simple examples:

You know how we say "bon appetit" to wish someone a good meal? We don't always say that--we almost say it as a joke, or before a meal we're going to REALLY enjoy. It's also not even our own language, and the French connotation makes it sound fancy. Here, the same phrase in Spanish is "buen provecho," and they say it all the time. Someone even told us that it's expected that as you walk past a table of people eating, even if they are total strangers, you are to wish them "buen provecho." That takes some getting used to!

Another example is gifts. Imagine this: I have a package of M&Ms. We are hanging out, and I say, "Hey, want some M&Ms?" (because I'm polite, not because I like having fewer M&Ms.) What do you say? Most often, and depending on our relationship, you'll say, "Oh, no thank you", "Are you sure?", or a hesitant, "Sure" (because you want M&Ms but don't want to be rude and take all of mine.) Then I give you like, what, 2-4 pieces? Not here. These are the most generous people...or we're just really greedy. The same situation here would go more like, "Do you want some M&Ms?" "Yeah, thanks!" And then you get a handful of M&Ms. Saying, "No thank you" could actually be considered rude in many contexts. The little things make the biggest difference when it comes to culture.

In the last few days, we've been simultaneously realizing a little bit of culture shock/homesickness while also recognizing that going home will be a huge adjustment and knowing we'll miss a lot of things about being here. It's strange to be feeling both.

Would you pray for us as we transition home and for our travels to be safe and obstacle-free? Thank you! We love you all so much.

Matt and Brittany

"Oh, El Salvador."

Today, I wanted to do something a little different. Instead of talking about what we've been doing, I wanted to take a minute to talk about what it's like living here!

In some ways, El Salvador isn't SO different from the States. In a lot of other ways.....

Well, the climate is different. It's always warm, and there are really only two seasons. Right now we're in wet season, which means exactly what you'd think. It doesn't rain 24/7 though, just at least once a day, and it makes for some really beautiful scenery.

It also means different food! Banana, coconut, papaya, mango, avocado, nance, citrus, and almond trees are all easily accessible just at our camp, and elsewhere there are lots of other plants that we definitely don't have in Missouri too!

Warm climate also means really big bugs, though :(

Speaking of food, our groceries are a little different here.

These are our eggs. Yes, in the pantry. Apparently, if you don't wash eggs--as most North American grocers do--they're perfectly well-preserved at room temperature.

We couldn't find bananas at the grocery store, so we bought them off a street vendor. A whole bunch for $1! And so cutely small! 

Even though our whole milk is 3% at home, I'd never actually seen it on a label before!

This is a traditional dessert called tres leches. I just wanted to show it to you because it's delicious.

And this is our water. All the North Americans have these because the water contains different flora and really messes with our guts...plus, we live on a volcanic lake, which as you might imagine has some additional sketchy chemicals in it.

Then there are just the random fun tidbits. There are a lot of things about our culture that we totally take for granted until we see something different.

Like what having extra letters in the alphabet does to parking garage signage! (This is an Ñ, pronounced "ny" as opposed to just "n")

El Salvador, fortunately for us, uses US currency. FYI, this is where all of the US's unwanted gold dollars are being used. I don't think I've ever seen a $1 bill here.

I guess they don't technically have the FBI, so.......movie piracy is a totally normal thing. You can buy DVDs for $1 on the street, right next to the bananas.

Okay, but what about religion? Isn't that the whole reason we're here?
As with anything, the religious culture of an entire people is complex. But the short of it is that El Salvador maintains strong roots in Catholicism (their main man is Archbishop Oscar Romero, a Salvadoran Catholic priest who ended up a martyr) and is therefore very open to spiritual topics, a stark contrast from the increasingly-rational North American culture. Protestantism, specifically Pentecostalism, is very much on the rise. But the coolest thing to me is that God uses this spiritually-open culture to move in big ways. Here's a classic example:

Yesterday, I went to a birthday party for the daughter of a King's Castle worker at her secular school. We brought 3 students from the Castle's School of Missions, who dressed as clowns and danced to Christian songs and prayed over the birthday girl. My friend Jorge is pictured here preaching the gospel to all those 4-year-olds as they eat their cupcakes...and the teachers didn't do a darn thing to stop any of this, even participated themselves! This is what happens at all the school programs Castle does--something that would NEVER fly in the States. Can you imagine? It's SO COOL!

Of course, this is all just a tiny glimpse of life in El Salvador. It doesn't take into account the influence of the language, the politics, the social norms, the fashion, the economics. But to experience all of that, I guess you'll just have to come down here yourself! Consider this an invitation :)

God bless you! (Dios te bendiga!)
💕Matthew and Brittany

"I have a proposition for you..."

Those words from King's Castle leader Don Triplett were what started our side-adventure to Nicaragua almost two weeks ago.

And when I say adventure, I do mean adventure! Nicaragua was a stretch for us in ways that even being here in El Salvador for two whole months couldn't be. We are thankful for that, but we also found ourselves saying "I'm glad to be home" when we got back across the Salvadoran border (and yes, home being a foreign country is a crazy concept!)

Firstly, the trip TO Nicaragua was a stretch of faith. All the other passengers said it was never so difficult, but to make a long story short, a 13-hour bus trip turned into a 4-hour wait for a lost bus plus a 16-hour drive, complete with a power outage at one of the customs offices. I'm so thankful God put English-speaking natives on that bus with us to translate what we couldn't!

Nicaragua sure is a beautiful country though.

Then, when we arrived at the King's Castle there, we found out we would actually not be staying at the camp but traveling with our teams to different Nicaraguan "states." We had no idea we would be separated for most of the week! Again, I am so thankful for people God placed with us. Our teams were welcoming and were great workers, so while we missed each other, we were not alone. God grew our comfort zones and our faith through that experience.

I mean, look at this!

Finally, while we were out with our teams, we stayed in "actual" Nicaragua, not the North-Americanized camp! We slept in buildings where there are no glass windows--to let air in, but that also let lots of bugs in. We had cold showers and authentic meals cooked over a fire. Our t-shirts were hand-washed and air-dried. None of this is uncommon in El Salvador, but we had been totally spoiled by our beautiful apartment here! There were also fewer English-speaking Nicaraguans off camp, which meant that at least in Brittany's case her Spanish improved a lot! We are so thankful for the authentic Central-American experience and the new perspective we gained. ...But it was still a stretch of comfort. :)

The best stew I've ever har, hands down...cooked via fire.

The typical rural Central American street.

The typical rural Central-American home (this is the special missionary house in the backyard, facing the pastor's home)

Now...that's all great, but comfort-zone-stretching still sounds kind of negative. I don't want it to sound like we didn't enjoy ourselves at all while we were doing all that growing! So here are some of our favorite parts of our trip:

(Brittany)

As I think back on Nicaragua, I think of all the amazing people I got to interact with. When we first got there, we were both in new territory and didn't know how anything worked or where anything was or who anyone was. From the moment we arrived at the bus station and at the camp, we were bombarded with hugs and help from other staff there, and I felt comfortable so quickly. My team from North Texas, as I said, was full of fun-loving and prayer-relying people and I loved getting to know them. And then there were the Nicaraguans themselves. My new goal is to make a "buddy" at every program, so that I know for sure at least one child was intensely and personally loved on that day. It's not hard! Oftentimes, they find me!

Look at that face!

(Matt)

Being in Nicaragua for a week was a wonderful and needed experience. It showed me some of the non-romantic side of mission work, like being in a completely new place with people you have only met four hours ago feeling completely alone; but that was all worth it when I got to know our team and staff that we worked with. In Nicaragua, they have pastors from the different cities come in to work with the teams, and each one of these pastors has a heart of gold for people, and specifically children. Both pastors we each worked with had young families, and it was awesome to see husband, wife, and child involved in the work of showing people the love of Jesus. I was challenged and honored to see their top priority of telling people about Jesus.

From both of us, thank you for praying for us especially hard during our adventurous week. We are back in El Salvador again, already working with a team from Florida, and though we are back to "normal" we still need your love and support. We are grateful for you!

All our love,

The Copelands

"What are you going to be doing?"

We get asked that question a lot. Before we got here, friends and family from home asked. Now that we're here, well, we still get asked by our fellow missionaries and the teams that come in. "What are you going to be doing?"

What it means is, "What tasks will you be working on to help the ministry of King's Castle?" It also means, "What is going to take up two months of your time?" It also often means, "Where is the money that I supported you with going to be used?" All of which are totally fair questions!

But here I will give you the answer that we have given everyone else: "We are here to help with whatever the missionaries here need."

I know it's not a very satisfying answer, but it's the truth. Missionary work means doing whatever a person or a ministry needs in order to bring people closer to the love of Jesus.

Sometimes, that means filling in as an intern (team leader) while the official interns are still training. That's what I (Brittany) did this past week. I had a wonderful time serving and serving with an all-women's team that came down from New Jersey to host a women's conference for ladies from local churches. I did everything from help pick them up at the airport to run around translating their questions to praying with the guests who had various needs in their lives. It was a wonderful week where I met new friends and saw God work in beautiful ways!

Worshiping at the women's conference. All the songs were in Spanish!

A 10-year-old girl on our team praying with an elderly Salvadoran woman. It was so precious and inspiring!

Matt measuring out rebar.

Meanwhile, the team from our church, C2, came down and Matt began working with their construction team. They have been working hard building a new church that is associated with King's Castle!

Building a wall, block by block!

Most of the places we go are an hour to two hours away from the compound where we live. That means a lot of bus time. Usually that means rest...

The construction team after a hard day's work 😄

...but sometimes it can mean some spontaneous sight-seeing!

On top of some Mayan ruins! Where I'm standing is apparently the place they performed human sacrifices... 😧

Every Sunday, we attend church with everyone that works at or is on a mission trip to King's Castle at their church that they call the "Dream Center." It's a tent church, but it's unlike any tent you're probably thinking of!

It's HUGE!!

So, to answer your question, I guess you could say we are doing a lot of things. When the C2 team leaves, we aren't sure what tasks we'll be doing next, but all of it is for the glory of God and to expand His Kingdom in various ways. God is doing so much in El Salvador, and we just get to be a part of the amazing things that are already going on. Thank you for supporting us in so many ways so that we can be here!

All our love,

Matt and Brittany

"I couldn't do what you're doing."

Well...we're here! After an early morning, two planes, a couple hours on a bus and a stop for Pollo Campero (sort of like KFC, but with a waitress), we arrived at the Castillo del Rey (King's Castle) compound on Lake Coatepeque. The interns that work with the missions teams just arrived today, so we have taken the last 24 hours to just settle into our beautiful home and rest while we can.

The view from our front door as we look to the left. Yes, those are mountains.

The view as we look to the right...you can see Lake Coatepeque, which is at the bottom of the hill we walk each day.

Last night, as we recapped on our emotions thus far, Matt voiced that he was surprised by the amenities we've been offered. I mean, when most people think of a mission trip to a "poor country", they think huts and dirt, not supermarkets and air conditioning. Our past trips here have not included those benefits, but it's not because those aren't available here, just that they aren't available for everyone. El Salvador has paved highways and dirt roads, fast food restaurants and children who rely on feeding programs, those who vacation on Lake Coatepeque and those who are born here and never leave. But regardless of how "developed" or "undeveloped" it is, El Salvador's people need Jesus. Many Salvadorans are lost, as much as someone in the US or someone in Somalia might be. We are here to serve the vision of our leaders, not to improve or "Americanize*" anything.

(* "America" is a term only Americans use so exclusively. Many Central and South Americans I know are like, "Um, are we not American too?" Touché...)

The other day as we were preparing to leave, a friend of ours was over and said, "I'm going to be honest with you. I've been on some mission trips, but I could never do what you guys are doing, going for that long." At the time, I (Brittany) brushed it off. It wasn't really something we just up and decided to do; it was something we felt God put on our hearts. It wasn't really that big of a deal, right?

Until it was. Until we were saying goodbye to our dog and totally cried. Until I was choosing about 10 outfits to wear for the rest of summer (yes, high-maintenance, I am aware.) Until yesterday morning, getting ready at 3am, when it felt like a very big deal.

I was leaving my comfort zone. And no matter how far away you go and how long you are away from your comfort zone, it always feels like a big, huge deal. It's hard. Honestly, my thoughts most of the day yesterday were, "Now I don't know if I can do this." And that voice of doubt is probably going to be one we fight in some form here every day.

So pray with us, friends, as we settle into this beautiful place that is our home for two months, that we would continue to grow out of our previous comfort zones and have peace and strength in the meantime. Pray for the spiritual battle over our hearts and minds; pray against the lies that are already telling us, "You can't do this. You have no purpose here." Pray for our teams and all the Salvadorans we'll meet, that they would hear and know God. Pray for anything else you feel you ought to! And thank you!

With love,

Matt and Brittany

"Why couldn't two weeks be enough?"

Today is Tuesday, which means that in one week we will be heading to St. Louis and resting a bit before catching an early Wednesday morning flight bound for El Salvador! The countdown has been going for a little while, but it's really starting to feel real to both of us now.

Yesterday, I (Brittany) called my grandma to remind her that we are going to be leaving in a week, and she said, "Nooooo! Why couldn't two weeks away be enough? Two months is a long time." Now, my grandmother is one of the godliest people I know, so I know she was (mostly) joking. But I think that's a question worth answering for any other inquiring minds.

Here's a little history. Back in 2013, I went to King's Castle in El Salvador for the first time with my campus ministry, Chi Alpha. I had been on several mission trips by then, but the people of El Salvador had somehow done this funny thing to my heart that was different than what I'd experienced in other places, and for the first time ever, I cried as our plane took off toward the US. I was most worried about never going back and never seeing those people again.

Well, God knows what He's doing, it turns out. Fast forward to 2015, and the freshly-dating Matthew and I were on our way to King's Castle again, this time with our church, C2. Last year when we went, we were just weeks away from being married. And that's when this whole long-term-adventure thing started.

God started tugging on our hearts, sort-of unbeknownst to each other, during the 10 days we were there. I say "sort-of unbeknownst" because I think we both saw God was doing things in the other's heart, but we didn't speak any of it out loud, just in case it was more emotion speaking than Holy Spirit. But in the weeks after we were married, those tugs rebounded, and one night we both looked at each other and said, "I think we need to talk about El Salvador." And that was that.

Our reasons for going are many. We both have jobs that allow us, in one way or another, to be away for a couple of months. We both wanted to be stretched further than a two-week trip can do for us anymore. But most importantly, we are simply doing what God has asked us to do. I for one am certain that El Salvador will change us more than we change it, but I know God also has some incredible plans and surprises up His sleeve that we are just on the edge of discovering. And THAT is why we are so excited for this different, scary, risky, fun endeavor we are about to embark on.

And that's why we're inviting you on this adventure with us--to follow along, to pray for us, to financially support us, and to send us off and welcome us home with lots of love. :)