Post #17 and Day 3 of my 11 day country series, that must mean... you guessed it, we've made it to... EL SALVADOR!!! Thanks for tuning in and I hope you enjoy finding out all about where my squad and I will be doing life and ministry for the month of December! Have a blessed Monday my friends, and be sure to check out my blog posts all about Belize and Honduras from the past two days if you've yet to do so!
GEOGRAPHY & POPULATION:
El Salvador is a country found in Central America with a population of 6.345 Million people.
LANGUAGE:
Spanish is the official language of El Salvador and it is spoken by virtually all inhabitants. Some indigenous peoples speak their native tongues, such as Nawat and Maya. Q'eqchi' is spoken by immigrants of Guatemalan and Belizean indigenous peoples living in El Salvador.
RELIGION:
Roman Catholic- 47%, Protestant- 33%, "No Religion/Unreached"- 17%, "Other" (Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Latter Day Saints, and indigenous religions)- 3%
LIFE EXPECTANCY:
Male- 69.0, Female- 78.1, Total Life Expectancy- 73.7
FOOD:
The cuisine of El Salvador is unique in the way that it has accepted unmistakeable influences from the Spanish and Native American cuisines as well as the domestic Lenca, Maya, and Papil traditions. Some staples of Salvadoran cuisine include Pupusas, Sopa de Pata, Panes Rellenos, Yuca Frita, and Plátanos con Crema y Frijoles.
FUN FACTS:
*El Salvador is known as "The Land of the Volcanoes" because of the more than 20 volcanoes in the territory, 2 of which are currently still active.
*The U.S. dollar is the currency used in El Salvador.
*Salvadoran women often pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder, rather than shake hands.
*El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and smaller than the state of Massachusetts.
PRAYER POINTS:
*PRAY for Christians to maintain a spiritual fervor, cultivating a passion for reaching the lost and discipling others who have become believers as well.
*PRAY for healing and reconciliation for those affected by the tragic wounds of the devastating civil war that took place in El Salvador.
*PRAY for effective methods for reaching troubled youth and children, many of whom have turned to gangs and violence in the hopes of finding love and acceptance by anyone at all.
*PRAY for the urban population within El Salvador which is steadily on the rise. El Salvador has gone from being a predominantly agrarian, rural society to one in which over 60% now reside in cities. This flow to the cities generates new challenges regarding infrastructure, crime, and poverty.
*PRAY for the large population of youth who have already become involved with the powerful maras (gangs). These gangs have attracted up to 70% of young men, majority of whom have been orphaned at a young age by their absent fathers. The church finds that reaching the 14-30 age bracket is particularly difficult and an ongoing challenge.
-Meagan
