I'm going to El Salvador!

Ummm wow it feels like a long time coming for me to make this post, however it is so surreal. IM GOING TO EL SALVADOR!!

If you know me, then you know that being a missionary has been a dream since I was in sixth grade. After watching Christmas with the Kranks (a hilarious Christmas movie, that I highly recommend), the daughter in the movie, Blair, goes into the Peace Corps. There was no hesitation in my heart, I knew I was meant to do the same.

Of course, since that moment, the dream has adjusted slightly and with coming stronger into my faith, an organization that held Christian values was important. I talked with multiple missionaries after I graduated high school and they strongly suggest that I go to college. In their words, "it doesn't matter what you major in, just make sure you love it."

Thus began my college career and before school had even begun, I changed majors from Mass Communication Journalism to Commercial Photography. The new found passion for taking photos slowly started to pull me away from my actual goal. However, after moving out to Colorado my first summer, I worked alongside a lot of internationals. As I heard their stories and fell in love with their cultures, I was easily reminded that mission work was what I needed to pour into. That year I changed majors once more to Interdisciplinary Studies: Photography, Philosophy, Global Studies, and Cultural Anthropology. I had no idea how I stumbled into such a thing, nor did I fully have the answers when people would ask what kind of job I could--but like the calling to mission work, I knew deep down this was exactly what I should be studying.

Fast forward three years as I prepared to graduate and I fell into the routine of getting a 9 to 5 job and a salary. Every application rejection only enforced that a stereotypical job would never be where I was supposed to be. The thought of doing actual volunteer work brought both absolute panic, but also a great deal of peace. Brethern Volunteer Service offered what seemed like my dream opportunity--working at Centro arte para la paz in Suchitoto, El Salvador.

Now, as I sit watching the fragile snow bluster around, I'm eager to feel the hot, bright sun of my future home. I will be working with Sister Peggy, a Catholic nun who started the center as a way to build community and peace after the civil war. The center provides art, music, english, and karate classes to youth in the surrounding communities. While I'm there, I will promote the center through photography and video projects while also visiting the neighboring schools to play games with kids.

Spanish is the primary language and I will be taking classes while down there to become more fluent. I hope to continue making posts on here to keep everyone at home in the states better updated along my journey! Please keep me in your prayers as I'm sure the transition will be a tough one.

much love,

claire

#volunteerwork

#Suchitoto

#ElSalvador

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