A Steadfast Commitment

In the 1960s, Susan Mater and Michael Jenkins met during four months of Peace Corps training. They were assigned to different villages, where for the next year, they both fell in love with the people of El Salvador. Little by little, Susie and Mike also fell in love with each other.

They married in San Jose Villanueva where Mike was stationed. This unprecedented wedding between two “gringos” spurred interest across the country. But the local priest was reluctant to marry Mike, a Catholic, and Susie, a Methodist, inside the church. When Archbishop Rivera y Damas returned from Rome and the Second Vatican Council, with its strong push for ecumenism, he agreed to marry them. Julio Rivera, the El Salvadoran President, and his wife, were honorary best man and bridesmaid. The church was packed with guests, including the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Raúl H. Castro and other high-ranking embassy officials, most Cabinet members of the Salvadoran government, the Peace Corps Director and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, and most importantly all of the people in the village! 

After working for two years in San Jose Villanueva and Susie’s town of Tacuba, and after initiating a country-wide leadership exchange program called Pueblo a Pueblo, it was time for the young couple to return to the U.S. But Susie and Mike would never forget the faces of their friends in El Salvador.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

In 2000, Mike and Susie traveled to their beloved village of San Jose Villanueva for a Peace Corps reunion. There they renewed their wedding vows and rekindled their friendships with the villagers. It was a momentous reunion. Mike and Susie, with two grown children, were nearing retirement and wondered what possibilities it could bring. Mike was the executive director of New Hampshire’s Governor’s Commission on Disability. Susie coordinated an adult tutorial program and classes for foreign visitors, refugees, and immigrants in “English as a Second Language.” They took pride in their careers of helping empower others to become more self-reliant through education and community advocacy. Their retirement decision was easy: in the community they called their second home, they would help their neighbors help themselves.

Since 2002, Susie and Mike have lived in San Jose Villanueva. Together, through Epilogos Charities, they have guided hundreds of other volunteers in providing the people of San Jose Villanueva the health care, education, housing, and work skills that are making a true difference in their lives.

Susie and Mike make periodic trips to the U.S. to visit their children, Jennifer and Michael, and their treasured grandchild, Bobby.