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[San Salvador] El Salvador can be counted as an economically developed country in Central America. Her people are hard working and amicable. Unfortunately, however, the country's prolonged civil war has worn down both the nation and its people, especially in rural villages, where the people live in poverty, many of them jobless. Some time ago, the country was attacked by dengue fever, leaving sixty thousand people infected; the children were the most seriously affected. Knowing that El Salvador's children desperately needed help, Master immediately sent volunteers to make a survey on the spot, to find out what they needed most, and then help them accordingly.

Upon receiving Master's instructions, a Quan Yin messenger promptly went to El Salvador, joined by local fellow practitioners and a brother initiate who came from Costa Rica to help, and then penetrated deep into many remote areas, traveling over mountains and rivers, to conduct a thorough survey. The team found that although the peak of the dengue fever outbreak had passed, many people, especially children, still needed help. Our group first went to the Red Cross, providing medication most needed by the children. We also went to the local Green Cross organization and three orphanages, one of which was devoted to accommodating mentally handicapped children and abandoned babies who were born abnormal. Our subsequent destinations included two remote villages by the seaside, some other destitute communities, a Catholic hospital and a children's hospital. We didn't forget the local drug addicts' infirmary and old folks' homes, because we hoped to convey Master's love to all needy people in the area.

Two charity groups helped us enormously in accomplishing our task. One of these organizations was the local Green Cross and the other was CEntro Salvadoreno de Tecnologia Apropiada, (CESTA) that advocates ecological preservation and environmental protection, and also does charity and relief work. Members of these groups accompanied us on our visits to the two seaside villages. The Green Cross is a local voluntary disaster relief group, and one of its volunteers, Mr. Victor, was most helpful in driving us to visit the people most in need during this period, and in helping with collecting information.

The first seaside village we stopped at was San Juan del Gozo in the province of Usulutan. Two years ago, typhoon Mitch devastated the whole village, reducing the roads to a muddy mess, and leaving the villagers in poverty and misery. When we went there on November 17 to explore the situation, we conveyed to them Master's loving concern for their children. They told us that they could not take good care of the children due to poverty, and had never celebrated Children's Day and Christmas with the kids. Knowing that they needed a water pump, we bought one for them, together with numerous living necessities such as clothes, milk powder, rice, red beans, oil, sugar, and oats, as well as plenty of toys, biscuits and candies. We delivered these materials to the residents on November 14 when we visited their village again. We also held an early Christmas celebration for all the children in the village, and several hundred children participated joyously. According to the village committee, some people also had helped them before. But they had only come to take a look and then sent someone else to buy the things. They were deeply touched because we really found out what they needed and then personally delivered our love right into their hands.

In one family of this village lived a mother and her nine children. The youngest daughter was only two. One of her eyes was already blind, and the other was popping out and nearly blind. Extremely weak in condition, she coughed continuously. That night we took her to get medical treatment at the Benjamin Bloom Children's Hospital 100km away in San Salvador. We paid her medical fees and left some money with her mother so that she had travel money to visit her daughter, and paid for any subsequent medical fees. The mother wrote us a thank-you letter for our efforts. At the Children's Hospital, we met two children who had heart symptoms, but they could only wait because they could not afford the expensive check-up fee. We also paid for them so that they could be treated without delay.

Another village that CESTA led us to visit was Toluca. We also held a Christmas celebration for its inhabitants on November 16. In that village, we found a child who was suffering from malnutrition and calcium deficiency. A tumor was growing on his arm and later he had accidentally broken a bone on his arm, and the only treatment he had received was plaster immobilization for more than three months. He did not receive further medical treatment because the surgery fee was too expensive for his family to pay. We promptly took him to get medical treatment and entrusted the surgery fee, amounting to 10,000 Colones (approx. US$1,200), to the local CESTA organization so that the group could pay for it later.

The first orphanage we visited was the Hogar del Nino Minusvalido Abandonado (Home of Abandoned Abnormal Children) founded by a Catholic priest. The facility accommodates more than a hundred abandoned and abnormal babies and mentally handicapped children. The orphanage needed a washing machine, a drier, wheelchairs and lots of food, and we provided these items accordingly.

In a suburban area, we visited an orphanage called Villas Infantiles de San Martin (San Martin Village for Infants), which cared for over a hundred orphans, and the administration told us that they were short of everything from mattresses, medical supplies, stationery, and food, to various kitchen items. Therefore, we bought them 26 mattresses, a large amount of kitchen utensils, food, candies, biscuits and toys.

On November 17, we held a joyful Christmas celebration for the inhabitants. The local Channel-4 TV came to report the event, and the Green Cross also came to help distribute gifts. All the children were very happy. With chocolates in their mouths and air pumps in their hands, they wasted no time in inflating the basketballs and footballs that we had gotten them. Channel-4 TV provided special coverage showing the joy of the children before the eyes of their compatriots. Many of the children came forward to kiss and hug us, which let us physically feel the warm passion of Latin America.

Another orphanage that we visited was the Aldea Anfantil SOS Santa Tecla. We also held a Christmas celebration at this facility in the evening, and the venue was beautifully decorated with ornamental lights. When we were about to leave, the superintendent and all the children together sang Christmas carols including Silent Night for us, thus ending this heart-warming evening.

On November 24, we revisited the San Martin Village for Infants, because during our previous visit, many staff members had expressed great interest in Master's teachings and in learning the Convenient Method.

This time, the Village's superintendent and many staff members learned the Convenient Method. During their tranquil meditation, many beheld the inner Light, which delighted them very much. The Quan Yin messenger told them that, after being connected to God's loving power, we are able to take even better care of the children who God has entrusted to us. They were all very grateful to Master for imparting this peerless method to them. Many staff members asked us to give them Master's photo pendants, and also requested a set of Master's books to keep in their library, because they wanted to know more about Master's teachings.

Channel-4 TV often reports on the misery of needy local inhabitants. For instance, recently some people desperately needed wheelchairs, but nothing happened long after the report appeared on TV. Especially miserable was an old lady who was bedridden and had one of her legs severed. Since her home was not fitted with a toilet, each time she needed to go to the washroom, her daughter had to borrow a wheelchair from their neighbor to take her to the public lavatory outside, which was desperately inconvenient. When we helped her to sit on the new wheelchair that we had bought for her, tears of gratitude flooded her eyes, and she kept grabbing at Master's sample booklet, unwilling to let go. Her daughter held a large photo of Master in her hands and asked us to give it to her. She liked the photo very much and wanted to hang it on the wall to remember Master. When we left them, we could still see the old lady through the window, clutching at the big photo and gazing at Master, while tears rolled down her cheeks.

A person suffering from Down's Syndrome needed his seventy-year-old father to carry him in order to move around. Upon receiving notification, the father went to our residence and received a wheelchair. Even after he had gone home, he still could not believe that what had happened was true! Later, some friends from the Green Cross told us that the father cried again and again while feeling the wheelchair, because from then on, he could easily take his son everywhere.

On November 16, we visited a civilian infirmary called Nuestra Senora de la Paz. Apart from helping addicts to quit drugs, this facility also cares for youngsters perplexed by other problems. One of the founders of this center was a CESTA member, and it was because of this connection that we visited this place. To satisfy the infirmary's needs, we bought plenty of food, tables and equipment. All of the inhabitants had very good experiences when learning the Convenient Method. Upon seeing the inner Light, they felt very comfortable and relaxed. Since the most vital factor in quitting drugs is eliminating the stress and anxiety when one is not using drugs, the administration staff members realized that the Convenient Method was most effective for this purpose. Therefore, they consulted us concerning the appropriateness of including meditation in their daily routines.

On November 22, we went to the Rosario region, where an environmental protection school founded by CESTA was located. Apart from the normal curricula of a primary and secondary school, they also taught environmental protection concepts and the cultivation of organic plants, especially soybeans. The responsible person of that region was very interested in processed soy products such as tofu, soybean milk, and vegetarian meat substitutes, and wanted very much to teach production methods for these items in the school. A would-be initiate had promised to teach their teachers these procedures free of charge. Afterwards, they would be able to teach their students.

Later, we visited Hospital Parroquial, a community hospital run by the church. Although the Hospital was kind enough to provide free medical consultation to destitute patients, all the while they could not afford to pay for their medication. Therefore, we also bought some of the most urgently needed medical supplies for them.

Later, we learned that an old folk's nursing house, Asilo "Sara Zaldivar" desperately needed a water filter to sterilize water for wound cleansing. We immediately ordered a set for them from the United States, which could be delivered within a week. When we visited their place, we found that the besides a water filter they also lacked other items, especially clothing and bed sheets. Therefore, we bought milk powder, oats, bed sheets and clothing for them, for which they were very grateful. We also left some money with a local fellow practitioner for the purpose of celebrating Christmas with them in December.

During this period, we went out very early each day to buy food, toys, candies and medical supplies, and were busy until midnight. In the few days before our departure, we managed to find time to hold two video seminars. The theme was "How to Develop Our Inner Almighty Power and Live a Life of Truth, Virtue and Beauty through the Meditation Method of Contemplating the Inner Light and Sound." Apart from Channel-4 TV, which reported on our visit to the first orphanage, Radio El Mundo and the largest newspaper in El Salvador, La Prensa Grafica, also reported on our aid to the orphans and needy. They also disseminated news about the video seminars and introduced Master and the Quan Yin Method to their compatriots.

The owner and program hostess of Radio El Mundo was also running a local vegetarian restaurant. She was very fond of Master's Celestial Jewelry and Clothes, as she could perceive the Truth, Goodness and Beauty that Master expressed through Her designs. She asked many questions about Master, and even recited a poem by Master, the "Peace Seeker" to the audience. People came to our video seminars after listening to her broadcast. She told us that she sincerely hoped that Master could visit El Salvador; and is longing for this day.

The first video seminar was held on November 23 at the Kalpataru Vegetarian Restaurant. Though we had no time to print fliers, many people came nonetheless. Many learned the Convenient Method, had wonderful experiences, and left their addresses with us for further communication. We gave them some vegetarian food that we had bought, and taught them how to cook vegetarian meals.
The venue of the second video seminar on November 25 was a yoga association, and the responsible person had attended the first seminar. He liked Master very much, and enjoyed very good experiences after learning the Convenient Method. When he went back, he immediately arranged the venue to welcome participants coming to this divine congregation. The second seminar was also very successful; the atmosphere was wonderful and people had good experiences.

We were overjoyed to see people getting the opportunity to know Master, experience Her love, and understand Her teachings. Within this period, many fellow initiates and would-be initiates miraculously turned up and contacted us, asking to join our mission. Master's intense blessing on us was obviously discernible. Before departing, we sent our best wishes to the benevolent and beautiful country of El Salvador, hoping that her people, through God's blessing, would have long lasting peace, happiness and satisfaction.

(The details of expenditures and receipts for this activity will be published in the Charity Expenditures Table in the next issue of our magazine.)