Shalom Family Medical Center

Harvesting in Spanish (HIS) was founded in 1977 in the country of El Salvador by Don and Rose Ann Benner. Don left his executive position at an international corporation. The Benners sold their home, furniture, and vehicles and moved their two children to Costa Rica for a year of language school before being invited to El Salvador to begin a literature ministry – distributing Bibles, Christian books, and Sunday School materials during the time of crisis in the country in the late 1970s.

Since that time, HIS has expanded into three Joshua Christian bookstores, Shalom Children's Home and school, Oasis Children's Feeding Ministry, Living Stones Church, and the Shalom Family Medical Clinic.

HIS is an independent, non-profit, interdenominational evangelical mission committed to advancing the Gospel in El Salvador through literature distribution, healthcare, and the investment in young lives by instilling Christian values and hope for a brighter future. The expectation is that these young people will be the agents of change for their nation as they grow up.

Shalom Family Medical Center has six general exam rooms for pediatric and general care, a gyno-obstetric exam room with ultrasound, two dental chairs, an X-ray room, basic pharmacy, clinical laboratory, two trauma/emergency bays, administrative offices, staff lounge, two classrooms, chapel and offices for a psychologist and a social worker, staff kitchen, and regular and handicapped bathrooms on each floor. The next phase of development of the building will allow the center to have an out-patient operating room, patient recovery room, and physical therapy area.

Spanish is the official language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants. Some indigenous people speak their native tongues, but indigenous Salvadorans who do not identify as mestizo constitute only 1% of the country's population. However, all of them can speak Spanish.

El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change, with the average temperature in Santiago Texacuangos averaging around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

The rainy season (May through November) is considered the winter, and almost all of the annual rainfall occurs during this period. During this time it rains primarily in the late afternoon and at night, although there are exceptions.

December through April are the summer months and the northeast trade winds control the weather patterns. During these months, by the time the air flowing from the Caribbean reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot, and hazy. This excludes the northern higher mountain ranges, where temperatures will remain cool.

All volunteers are housed in apartments at the Shalom Children's Home. If you would like an apartment with a kitchen in order to prepare your own meals, please notify your Logistics Coordinator so that proper inquiries/arrangements can be made. If the apartment is available during your stay, it will be reserved for you.

Volunteers will need to bring bath towels and/or wash cloths for their use. Some bed linens are provided—you will be notified prior to your departure if you must bring your own. Mosquito nets are not kept in the apartments, but most bedrooms are equipped with air conditioning, and all have fans.

There is a swimming pool and basketball court on the campus, and a net can be set up on the basketball court for volleyball if desired.