Hope in Sarteneja

I have always been in love with Sarteneja. Growing up as a child and into my teenage years I could always remember being so proud of my village, the place I call home. I haven’t been able to always live there but I had never abandoned it. Perhaps it’s because my parents have been in love with the place before me. I mean, I get it: In Sarteneja they grew up, in Sarteneja they
met and in Sarteneja they fell in love – ‘ cerca del mar’. I could recall that my interest though was born over story time with my father over a family lunchtime, bedtime or at the evening tea outside in front of the sea, catching the sunset and enjoying the salty sea breeze. These stories about my village home brought me to appreciate this community and all its natural beauty as blessings from God. Among the most prevalent stories of this village is that of how it was formed and how it has been resilient under the divine providence and protection of God. Perhaps that is why I call it the place of ‘Hope’.