Water: Source of Life and Death
Submitted by Ron Leonhardt
The National Catholic Reporter (June 7-20, 2024) contains an article about the brutal massacre of villagers trying to flee from the civil war in El Salvador by crossing the Sumpul River to get to Honduras, and efforts that continue today to keep memories of that event alive. Many of our parishioners who have visited Ellacuria have been privileged to visit the Sumpul and walk in its waters, accompanied by our brothers and sisters from Ellacuria. See Good Shepherd’s Facebook page for a link to the article.
Water is an ingredient of life for humans and their crops and animals. The rainy season was not as wet as usual this year, and El Salvador is suffering a shortage of clean water. The residents of Ellacuria would like to drill a well to supplement their spring-fed water supply from the nearby mountains. It’s a costly project ($40,000), and they have asked for our help. The Ellacuria Ministry Committee is working to see how we may assist them. We have about $12,000 in our account from fair trade sales and contributions, and are seeking information from them about other resources they may have access to in order to complete the project. Please pray for them.