"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