Porterfield’s relationship with the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador began in November 2018.  Ahuachapán is a city of 110,000, nestled among the volcanoes of western El Salvador.  The Evangelical Methodist church has 13 congregations in the area and operates a private school – Colegio Metodista – with over 600 students.

Colegio Metodista is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024! It’s hard to believe that this small school, which opened its doors in 2014 with just 18 students, has grown so rapidly.  Colegio Metodista is now the largest private school in Ahuachapán, and the National Minister of Education recently recognized Colegio Metodista as the top school academically (public or private) in the entire state.

With Porterfield’s investment, the 4,000 sq. ft. “Miracle School” was constructed in 2020, and Colegio Metodista graduated its first class of high school students in 2021. In 2022, we built the nursing school, which opened in 2023 and offers high school students the opportunity to focus their studies in the fields of health sciences. Porterfield also helped reopen the medical clinic at Colegio Metodista, and we have provided the clinic with medication and supplies.

In 2020, Porterfield launched its student sponsorship program, offering church members the chance to sponsor individual students at Colegio Metodista. In 2024, Porterfield families sponsored a total of 61 students! Sponsorships cost $480/year and cover the cost of attendance, help fund the school's operations, and provide a foundation for students to continue learning and growing in Christ. 

In addition to these Student Sponsorships, each fall, Porterfield awards a six-year university scholarship to one deserving Colegio Metodista graduate.  

Previous scholarship winners include:  Carlos Alfredo Trujillo Velásquez, Raquel Saraí Bonito García, and Jensy Noemí Herrera García.

We regularly send mission teams to Ahuachapán to help with construction projects, deliver food, host medical clinics, teach Bible school, visit with sponsored students, and share the love of Jesus.  Porterfield teams visited Ahuachapán in November 2018, November 2019, December 2021, March 2022, July 2022, November 2022, December 2022, June 2023, and July 2024 – and we will soon begin planning trips for 2025!

If you are interested in learning more about our Ahuachapan ministry or being a part of a mission team, contact Caren Dilts at cdilts@porterfieldmethodist.org