Every month when we sit down to share these stories, we’re reminded that none of them happen alone. Behind every classroom win, every outreach night, and every answered prayer is a community of people like you who care deeply about this work.
Thank you for walking with us. This month brought some especially joyful news.
FIRST: We are celebrating a huge win for Joel…and for El Salvador.
Remember when we told you about our student competing in the international spelling bee? Well, it turns out that our very own Joel Hilario Mendez went to Panama to bring back second place!
Joel competed against students from nine other Central and South American countries, spelling and defining words that would make most of us break into a nervous sweat.
This is a huge accomplishment for Joel, for our school, and honestly, for El Salvador.
Not long ago, El Salvador was more often in the news for stories of gang violence and instability. Now, one of its students is being recognized internationally for academic excellence. That is something worth celebrating.
We’ve included a link below to an Instagram video featuring Joel so you can celebrate with us.
Click here to meet our amazing speller!
NEXT: We got a special visit from Panama.
This month we were blessed to welcome a group of pastors from Panama—friends of our missionaries, the Escudero family, and members of their home church.
They came ready to serve in every way possible. During their visit, they preached, prayed with families, helped with children’s church, and joined in home visits throughout the community.
They even learned a little about making Salvadoran tortillas, which we consider an important ministry skill.
Their presence was such an encouragement to our neighborhood, and we were especially thankful they got to see firsthand where Edwin Escudero and Yeni Escudero are faithfully serving.
You can see some of their ministry highlights in the video below:
This year, we’ve been holding onto Hebrews 10:23,
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Each month, we’ve reflected on how we’ve seen that truth play out, and this month, we saw God’s faithfulness in a beautiful way.
We’ve watched people step up to continue the work in El Salvador, even when we aren’t physically there.
One clear example is our Monday night services. There was a time when those gatherings only happened when our team was in town. Now, they happen every single week.
That may seem simple, but it’s significant.
It means leadership is growing. Faith is taking root. Ministry is becoming something sustained by the local body, not dependent on visitors.
That is God’s faithfulness on display.
Ways you can pray this month:
- Pray for the ten young women preparing for their quinceañera celebration in June. They’ve begun a Bible study led by Yeni Escudero. Pray they would know how precious they are to all of us—and to God.
- Pray for the people joining our summer mission trips. We have four teams coming, along with high school students through the International Missions ETEAM program. We have many returning team members and many first-timers. Pray God prepares each heart.
- Pray that the number of men in our community would continue to grow and that they would become strong spiritual leaders in their homes and neighborhoods.
- Pray that our teens would continue maturing in Christ and flourishing as they serve in leadership roles during Monday night services.
We’re so thankful that you’re part of the Bright Hill family. Every story we share is one you’ve helped make possible through your prayers, generosity, and encouragement.
If this update encouraged you, feel free to share it with a friend. We love seeing more people become part of what God is doing on this hill.
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