I didn’t know what to expect when I said yes to this trip to El Salvador with World Vision.

It wasn’t a mission trip or a servant event.

We weren’t going to give medical aid or deliver school supplies or build houses. 
We were going to meet children, families and community leaders.
We were going to visit homes, schools, and churches.
We were going to see and learn. 
We were going to listen and give hugs.
We were going to find stories.

And we found them.

El Salvador is full of good stories.

Heartbreaking and hopeful and redemptive and honest stories.
Stories that would make you want to give the shirt off your back and the money in your pockets.
Stories that would leave you wondering how and why.
Stories that would lead you take an honest look in the mirror.
Stories that would move you to tears.

Like the family we met one morning.

We drove down a bumpy, dirt road. Some stretches were flooded, others overgrown. Every direction you looked you would see a stray dog or cow or goat or chicken roaming wild and free. When we arrived we were invited into their home with smiles and friendly nods. We stood on a dirt floor beneath a tin ceiling. There wasn’t a chair to sit in or a coffee table to gather around. We stood together, shoulder to shoulder, as they told us about their lives. The hardship. The disasters. The grief. Their electricity was knocked out the day before we arrived by a big storm. They had recently lost 100 chickens in a flood. They had no toilet or food to eat. The parents were doing their best for their three children, but the obstacles seemed unending and impossible. But they were hopeful and certain God had not forgotten them. We cried as they told us about the hope they have. Every morning they woke up ready for a miracle and every night they prayed, thanking God for what He had given them, and asking Him to change their story for the better.

We found stories that would bring a smile to your face.

Like the students we played soccer with. The rain drizzled, turning the dirt school yard into a mud field. Isaac, Mateo, and Lenny schooled me and I have never enjoyed losing so much in my life. By the end I was covered in sweat and mud and joy. I was able to wash off the sweat and mud, but the joy remains. We gave them fistbumps and hugs and high fives, but they gave us a much needed reminder: hope is contagious.

We found stories that would remind you change is possible.

Like, the community who had recently been given a pump for clean water. They spoke about it as if it was more precious than gold, because it is. No longer were they walking miles each day to get water, but now it was readily available. This one change brought new life into the community, creating a ripple effect of joy.

Stories that would leave you believing hope is real.

Like Sandra. We stood outside of a church and I asked her how World Vision has changed her.
She took a step back and became quiet. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she smiled. She didn’t need to say anything. She held up her finger, telling me she needed a minute before she said what she needed to say: “World Vision has brought peace and transformation. They gave us a new life.”

That’s when I began to cry.

Good stories change you and I have been changed.

I’ve been changed by the hope and faith and joy of those who are fighting to make through today and into tomorrow.
I’ve been changed by those who are ready for help and are struggling with the heaviness of dire circumstances. 
I’ve been changed by those who long for their own toilet and fresh water supply.
I’ve been changed by those who pray for God to draw close and have mercy.

I’ve been changed.

You cannot unsee what you’ve seen and what we saw were children, parents, families, and communities waiting to be seen.

We saw them.

And now, with their invitation, we get to help.

Not as their savior, but as their neighbor.

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.