El Salvador
Youth evangelism
Training young leaders in El Salvador to share the gospel with at-risk peers
Education & Training
Our Response
In one of the most violent countries in the world, your partnership has equipped 21 local church partners in El Salvador to launch the Gospel Project—training young people to share the life-transforming love of Jesus and disciple their peers through relationship-building and outreach events. These 21 communities were chosen because of the high prevalence of gang violence, poverty, suicide, crime and homicide among local youth.
In March 2022, Compassion staff and church leaders carefully selected a group of 25 young women and men who demonstrated servant leadership, commitment, responsibility and motivation to pursue discipleship and evangelism activities. Discipleship and leadership specialists organized the youth into small groups, designed training materials and began regular training sessions with the goal of equipping these youth to take the good news of Jesus to their churches, communities and spheres of influence.
As shared in the last interim report, severe tropical storms and dangerous gang activity put a temporary pause on in-person leadership workshops. These major challenges prolonged the proposed timeline, but we are thrilled to share that the students are once again learning how to communicate God’s love and truth with wisdom, courage and passion.
Since November 2022, selected students in eastern and central El Salvador have been participating in discipleship and evangelism workshops; the trainings will soon launch in the western region. So far, the 25 trained young men and women have each replicated the program with another 20 new youth—already increasing the potential reach to 500 youth through the evangelism program.
Creating discipleship materials has been a big part of the initiative, with discipleship and leadership specialists collaborating with a youth specialist to write, design and print engaging quality materials for up-and-coming leaders. We have learned that incorporating discipleship and leadership specialists is a key component in strengthening this work and ensuring the learning materials and workshops are the best they can be. The resulting Gospel Project evangelism training method is empowering young people to follow Christ wholeheartedly while strengthening their leadership skills so they can positively influence the next generation of El Salvador. They are also developing their God-given talents and strengthening their abilities to communicate God’s Word.
Activities
Evangelism workshops: Leadership and discipleship specialists hosted evangelism training workshops in eastern El Salvador, focusing on the importance of the gospel and how to share it through the Gospel Project methodology.
Evangelism: Young people put their training into action as they prepared engaging posters to present the gospel to their peers through six evangelistic events.
Replicating workshops: Youth from the downtown area are developing a replica of the same Gospel Project workshop they participated in to share with mothers and other youth from their local Compassion centres.
Compassion Olympics: Compassion staff and students helped host evangelistic activities at the 2022 Compassion Olympics.
Evaluation meeting: Youth shared what they learned, as well as the challenges and achievements they experienced as they put their training into action among their peers.
Your Gift Provides...
Your gift is equipping young people in El Salvador to participate in the Gospel Project:
• Training for 25 young leaders from 21 Compassion centres in El Salvador, including:
o Evangelism and discipleship
o Training materials
o Food and transportation
o Personal protective equipment
• Design and production of training materials for 21 Compassion centres
• Gospel Project workshops and classes across the 21 centres
• Development of outreach events for 1,000 youth, such as retreats and concerts
ReportA message from a pastor
As a church we feel very privileged that our young people can participate in such a beautiful initiative where they can share their experiences and the Word of the Lord to reach more youth for Christ. They tell me how happy they feel to be part of this group where they strengthen their gifts and talents to share and bless others.
God is touching the lives of these young people—and if we give them the opportunity, they will develop holistically with a humble heart and love for others. I remember there were times when they didn’t feel capable, but we talked to them so they could see things from another perspective and know how important they are to God and the wonderful purpose He has for them. I have seen how they grow spiritually when they dedicate themselves to studying the books and topics that are shared with them in the trainings.
It benefits our church in a very special way, because now we have young people training to become leaders in our church. Currently, they are participating in youth groups, special activities such as camps, where they are responsible for sharing important issues and starting discipleship programs with other young people. This is highly valuable because sharing from one young person to another allows them to generate greater trust between them.
Throughout the process we have motivated the young people, supported them and prayed for their development as leaders of influence. This intervention has motivated us to trust the youth more, giving them responsibilities so they will stay active in the church and away from negative influences.
Thank you very much for this important support, where our project is taken into account. There are young people with great abilities and sometimes they are not considered—but through this intervention, they have realized the gifts that God has given them. It fills us with great joy that they can develop and share the good news of the gospel with others and fulfill the great commission from among His youth. Thank you, beloved donors, for your great support of our church and beneficiaries.
ReportA message from those your gift helped
Before participating in this opportunity, I had never shared the Word of God with other young people in such a concise and appropriate way. I’d had conversations with them about Jesus, but not in such an intentional way.
Now I have learned so many things and am very motivated to continue learning and helping other youth to know Jesus. I have learned that it is not only a responsibility to share the gospel but it is also a need for others to know the Lord. I am a young Christian who had never felt so much love and passion to share the Word of the Lord with others. God has given me the opportunity and the tools to do it.
I am no longer just a spectator; I am a protagonist, and I am developing my gifts and abilities to help others. I am a highly motivated young lady, willing to do many things that I could not even imagine before. Now I feel more committed and grateful for what God is doing through us. He has a plan—and He is fulfilling it.
It is a blessing, with my mother and sister, to be ambassadors of God. I am sure that God will help us to reach more young people so they can dedicate their lives to the Lord and make good decisions for their future. Now I feel like a young mentor for other youth in my church and community.
I have learned that if God has a call for you, even if you feel that you do not have all the skills or knowledge, He will provide the opportunities and tools to train you. God wants you to share His love with others. You must do it not only out of obedience, but out of love for everyone around you. It is God who gives the wisdom to do it.
Thank you for giving us these opportunities. It’s so powerful to know that talking about Jesus is not just about standing up in front of others and telling them that Jesus loves them, but it’s about establishing trust, conversing as friends and talking about Jesus.
We can all learn from each other, and through these spaces we are establishing healthy friendships as we learn from Jesus. Thank you for all investing in us and making us feel important. We hope that God blesses you even more.
ReportThank you for your generosity
“There is a new generation rising to become youth leaders who will take the Word of God to other people!” says Saul, director of Compassion centre ES0972. And how the gospel is needed in a country where there is a fierce battle raging for the souls of young men and women—where the toxic cycles of poverty, violence and abuse torment them with despair and fear!
Thanks to your incredible support, the Gospel Project is equipping passionate young people across El Salvador with leadership, evangelism and discipleship skills so they can share the good news of Christ with 1,000 peers. Transformed by the life-changing gospel, these young men and women are becoming powerful agents of change in their families, schools, communities and nation. When their peers are wracked with fear and shame from gang culture, drug trafficking or abuse, these vibrant youth will be ready to respond with the hope that Christ alone can offer.
“I am happy for what this intervention brings our young people: an opportunity to develop and be a blessing to others by sharing the Word of God,” says director Saul. “We have many willing young people who have demonstrated great wisdom, intelligence, a desire to learn and leadership abilities throughout the training.”
Twenty-two-year-old Algeria is brimming with good things to say about her life-changing experience: “Before the Gospel Project, I had never really thought about how to tell others about Jesus. I was very impressed by how they are teaching us to share the gospel in such a dynamic way. We have all learned a lot, and I am motivated to pass it on to others. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to develop as young people.”
Thank you for encouraging local church leaders like Saul as they invest in the next generation of youth. Thank you for empowering Algeria and other young leaders with the confidence and training so they are prepared to give an answer for the hope that they hold. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully among this small but mighty group of youth as they rescue their peers from darkness and reach their nation with the light of Christ.