Dear Friend,
 

In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he asks us to enter into a colloquy with God.
 

He would explain ‘colloquy’ as entering into an intimate conversation where you can both speak and listen as the spirit moves, as a friend speaks to a friend. On his meditation on love, Ignatius asks us to stand before the suffering, crucified Christ and asks us to respond to three critical questions:
 

Today, we stand once again before the crucified at the southern border where the bodies of 25-year-old Salvadoran Oscar Alberto Martinez and his 23-month-old daughter Valeria were found dead after being swept away by the strong currents of the Rio Grande between Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas.
 

Let us all now put ourselves before the image of this crucified child and her father and contemplate these three questions:
 

The Tamarindo believes, as does the new president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, that there is really only one loving response to the tragedy of Oscar and Valeria and that is to create sustainable solutions here in El Salvador.
 

We realize our political, social and economic environment has created institutional corruption, gang violence, poverty, lack of opportunity and forced migration. 
 

This needs to change. 
 

Salvadorans are tough; they have stood up to wars, violence, political lies and natural disasters. We believe that through our combined efforts, which include God’s grace, you, your friends, connections and family, the Tamarindo and the initiatives being proposed by our new President and his cabinet with our dear companion Maria Chichilco as Minister of Local Development, we can turn things around.
 

Our people can and should remain at home. 
 

We believe that the Tamarindo has created a model so that our people can flourish at home. So how do we respond to those three questions?  What have we done? What are we doing? What will we do?

 

Every day, we see children, women and men filling our spaces to play, learn and grow. There are Salvadorans investing in their lives here.
 

Thanks to you, in Guarjila no one needs to flee north because of poverty, violence or lack of opportunity. Please reflect on these three questions and recommit to the work of the Tamarindo Foundation.

We need you to continue your partnership with us as our work strives to meet the challenges of the tragedy and opportunity before us. Today, let us mourn and let our tears nourish our every action.
 

Please continue to invest, share, educate, communicate and pray with us.
 

Your generosity is saving lives. This really is a matter of life and death.
 

Have a blessed Summer,
With love from everyone at the Tamarindo