SURFS UP, El Zonte Beach, El Salvador

BEAUTY of El Sunzal, El Salvador

Nora, workshop with Debbie

El Zonte, coast, El Salvador

     The BEAUTY of the Pacific Ocean Beaches here in El Salvador is something that no words can describe.  Surfers from all over the world come here to ride the waves whenever the "Surf is up".

CHILTUPAN BEAUTY

Beautiful Vista from Chiltupan

Maryknoll Lay Missioner Director Debbie leading a Workshop

    Chiltupan is a beautiful village in the Hills above the great surfing beaches of El Zonte and Sunzal.  The name "Chiltupan is an Nahuat Indian name meaning "Chil" (red) and Tiupan (Temple).  Our Maryknoll Lay Missioner Director, Debbie was leading a workshop there, and I was invited along to see some of the great work that she does on social and health issues that affect the people here.

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN

Santo Domingo De Guzman

Pottery Ladies

Erica, Maryknoll Lay Missioner

     Indigenous (Native Indians) here in El Salvador are surviving in small numbers despite the past history of  government and military efforts to totally massacre them into extinction.  The Nahuat (Nawat) language is still spoken in El Salvador in Santo Domingo De Guzman.  Erica, a fellow Maryknoll Lay Missioner is volunteering to help the Indigenous people save and appreciate their culture which is rich in art, music, history, and spirituality.  I was happy to visit the pueblo, and watch the women make beautiful clay pottery, and hear a man play their music.  We also had a lesson in the Nahuat language which comes from the Uto-Aztecan family.  In El Salvador, their language was almost extinct in the 1980s where only about 200 spoke it.  There have been efforts made by the government and other volunteer groups to save their language, and over 3,000 people speak it now.

A LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

"A LIFE" is Beautiful Sophia

     I had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to visit an Orphanage with Nan.  Nan is a fellow Maryknoll Lay Missioner who arrived about a year & a half ago.  She volunteers with the Nuestra Sra. de Lourdes Parish here just outside San Salvador, and is very dedicated to youth work and the children at the St. Vincent de Paul Orphanage.  The children range from newborns to about 12 or 13 years old, and they come from many kinds of problem homes or tragic situations.  The Orphanage provides a safe and loving place for them.  Nan loves all the children very much, and you can feel that they love her too.

NAN, Maryknoll Lay Missioner

     I know that God is with all the children, and you can feel the LOVE of all the Sisters, staff, and volunteers who care for them each day, and hope for better futures.