Walking With El Salvador

A long time ago, a Sunday School student gave me a little notebook for Christmas. I brought it to El Salvador in the early years and jotted down some notes and stories. Most of the writings in this notebook have neither dates nor years, which has made organizing my journals and photographs from that era an archeological experience. A few days ago, I came across this little story, which I did not even know I had written down: We visited Pastor Matías' church, Milagro de Dios - Miracle of God. They lost everything in a recent robbery, but greeted us warmly with snacks and singing. Vonda gave away her guitar. I love her. We took up a little collection ($150) which will pay for a new motor for the mill, to replace the stolen one. The Abuela of the Senior Citizen group stuck the money in her bra. She said it is the bank. She is the church treasurer. I read this and my first thought was: I do love Vonda. I can still picture the moment Vonda turned to me and said, ...

The other day, someone asked me what I love about El Salvador. I thought for a moment, then answered with a story... At the end of January, my father-in-law and two of my brothers-in-law came to visit. For 25 years they have heard stories about El Salvador, and they were curious to see things for themselves and understand why we spend so much time here.  We planned a short trip, complete with a history day, a volcano day, a coast day and a day with our church community. My father-in-law, Papá Roberto (as we call him here), is an elder. He'll be 90 this year. For us, this produced a little bit of stress because El Salvador isn't exactly known for it's smooth sidewalks and accessible locations. And, there is always the chance of tummy trouble. We chose our destinations carefully and hired a trusted driver so my husband and I could more fully enjoy the longer excursions.  Sunday was our church community day. The Los Héroes hills are a little steep for doing a walking-tour, s...

Today we are not winding down the hill below Suchitoto to catch a boat on the shore of Lago Suchitlán .  Today we are not going to hear a grandfather's story while bumping along on the road between Aguilares and Suchitoto. I realized today that Suchitoto appears as a character in several of my stories, but never as the main character. So today, it's time to actually go to Suchitoto. Central Plaza in Suchitoto (©2023 Linda Muth) The city of Suchitoto is situated between the Guazapa volcano and the Lempa River valley, on the western edge of the Department of Custcatlán.  The name "Suchitoto" originates from a Nahuat word meaning "bird-flower." Archeologists believe the town was established as a Pipil (indigenous) settlement in the mid-11th century CE. Near to the city (and within the Suchitoto municipality), Spanish colonizers  established what is known as the second "Villa de San Salvador" (the capital of San Salvador) in 1528 CE. Although the town...

For Christmas this year, my husband gave me an experience: a bird tour with guide Julio Acosta .  I've been following Julio's social media posts (found on various platforms as El Salvador Birds - Julio Acosta) for a while, in an effort to learn more about the birds we hear and see as we go about daily life in El Salvador. We decided to do a boat tour of Lago Suchitlán. Over the past 23 years, our Mission of Healing itineraries periodically included a boat ride on the lake as a way to relax after expending lots of energy teaching and providing care for families. Although a few local pastors and boat drivers shared stories along the way, we never learned much about the multitude of bird species we encountered and enthusiastically tried to photograph. A tour with a professional guide, in a boat, on a lovely lake, at sunrise seemed like a most excellent opportunity to learn. Lago Suchitlán at sunset from Suchitoto (©2023 Linda Muth) The Embalse Cerrón Grande (Cerrón Grande Reservoi...

Silver Anniversary bells will be showing up throughout the year. Today's little notebook (2001-2004) This is a silver anniversary year.  It has been almost 25 years since our 3 churches formally became iglesias hermanas - sister churches. We have shared more than 25 years of wild adventures and everyday life.  We are 3 congregations: one congregation of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church, and an urban church and a suburban church in the Greater Milwaukee Synod ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). Over the years our congregations have changed and so have our communities.  We have suffered great losses. We have celebrated great joys. Parents have become grandparents, and many children in our memories now have children of their own. During the 15th year of our partnership, we celebrated with big quinceañera parties in Los Héroes and in Milwaukee, complete with lots of poofy pink dresses and fancy cakes. Now, ten years later, we are ready for another year of celebration...