|
The
earthquake has reduced many homes to debris in El Salvador. People
build makeshift shelters from cloth and plastic covers. |
On
January 13, 2001, at about two a.m., a strong earthquake hit El Salvador
in Latin America. The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association
immediately sent relief funds to the victims through the San Jose and
Los Angeles Centers in the United States, to cover the cost of food
supplies and home reconstruction. Costa Rican fellow practitioners who
were in charge of the funds teamed up with San Salvadoran initiates
to form a network of human and material resources, and thus bring Master's
loving concern to the quake victims.
Fellow
practitioners visited several communities and provided aid to 257 households
in Tamanique County, including El Jobo, La Lima, La Cumbre, San Isidro,
and two remote villages. Severely devastated rural communities where
little international aid could reach were listed as top priorities for
the relief operation. First, we visited several communities in Tamanique
County to determine the practical needs of the victims, and then divided
into several groups to handle different work assignments. With God's
Grace, everything went smoothly, and the relief provisions were fairly
and reasonably distributed. Such timely material assistance was welcomed
at the time, but we realized that spiritual comfort would last forever
in the hearts of the victims. Thus, we also conducted seminars featuring
Master's videos during community gatherings, and many people asked to
learn the Convenient Method. Fellow practitioners were amazed and delighted
by the people's overwhelming interest in Master's teachings.