Cathy Stone Mission Reflections. . .

Saludos desde Mexico!

The days continue to just fly by for our group - it's hard to believe we've now been gone for one week. Thursday and Friday were full of travel, new experiences (those just keep coming!), and learning as we left Guatemala and journeyed into Mexico. The 12+ hour day of travel was long, but filled with blessings and adventure. We began the day with a  5 am van ride into Antigua and then were packed like sardines into another van with others also traveling to Mexico. When we stopped for gas it was mind boggling as I looked around the van at the group that was to share this journey - there was Spanish praise and worship music loudly playing over the gas station speakers, a Guatemalen driver, seven of us from the U.S. (with only 2 speaking Spanish), a group of five Jewish young adults from Israel, and a young couple from Italy (although he's originally from England). What an assortment! The ride began quietly,with little interaction between our various groups, but that didn't last long in such a small space!

I was particlarly intrigued by the group of young folks from Israel. One spoke English rather well and we quickly learned they had recently finished serving their mandatory National military service and are now traveling for three months before attending University. One young lady from the group found herself sitting on the very back seat of the van with part of our group and a row of us between her and the rest of her group. While her travel mates quickly went to sleep, she found herself being engaged in conversation by our own Dr. Cuellar.

Dr Cuellar shared with her that he is a professor of Old Testament and knows/teaches Biblical Hebrew. He explained some of what is expected in these classes and the kind of learning that occurs. This young lady seemed unable to understand why we would be wanting to study these topics, to learn Hebrew and learn so much about Torah. She shared with him that she is not very religious and has not read Torah much since childhood. Her mom is the religous one in the family. Before I knew it Dr. Cuellar was opening Bibleworks on his computer and the two of them were reading the story of Sarai and Haggar from Genesis together. I closed my eyes, smiled, and settled in to listen to this fascinating converstaion. As they took turns reading passages I heard English and Hebrew, with a passionate discussion occurrirng between the two of them about the meaning of certain words and this Biblical story. After a while the discussion drew to a close and the young lady slept for much of the remaining part of the trip out of Guatemala while the rest of us contemplated the dramatic mountainous scenery. When the time came to leave our van (only to end up all together with many others on a large bus) Dr. Cuellar told her to make sure and let her mom know that while she was traveling to Mexico she spent time reading Torah. He also handed her a Hebrew blessing. She quickly questioned when he had done this, and of course it was while she slept. It was clear that she was deeply moved and honored by this gift. I truly believe she felt the love of God that day on this crowded van ride into Mexico and will carry this time with Dr. Cuellar fondly in her heart.

As I reflect on this interaction between these two people from different parts of the world, I can't help but think about how language brought them together, Hebrew and English in a Spanish setting - who'd have thought?

Language has been weighing on my mind the entire trip. For me, language has been more of a divider rather than a connector. I don't speak Spanish and have often felt somewhat disconnected from the people was have met in both Guatemala and Mexico. It's almost as if there is a thin wall or veil between us that I can't reach across, giving me a feeling of being an observer, rather than a participant.

This feeling was heightened on Friday when we spent most of the day at the Semario Dr. Juan R. Kempers, a Presbyterian seminary here in Chiapas. Dr. Cuellar presented the thesis of his book on Latin American immigration in relation to Biblical themes of exile and return in Isaiah to the seminary faculty - in Spanish.

 I was able to understand bits and pieces (with the help of his powerpoint even though it was also in Spanish - I'm finding the written word much easier than speaking or listening!) often enough to be intrigued but not fully understand, and certainly  not enough to engage in the conversation. We had lunch with the faculty and I sat across from the New Testament professor who is from the Netherlands and speaks English. We had a great conversation, but I still ended our time there frustrated with the language barrior. I kept thinking about the first grade students I had over the years for whom English was a second language and the families we have at my church from Burundi, Africa who have struggled with these languages challenges much more than I have. But, I found my frustration turning into desire, a great desire to learn the language. For the rest of the day I kept asking, "Where can I buy an English/Spanish Bible?"  At times the group lovingly laughed at my sense of desperation as I asked more than once. We haven't been able to find one yet, but my enthusiasm has been contagious, others in our group want one too!

Earlier today, as I looked back over the past week and the challenges there have been with not knowing the Spanish languge, I realized something - yes, Dr. Cuellar and the young woman from Israel were brought together by language, but not just words in English or Hebrew, it was the Word of God. Through Torah, they connected as children of God. I may not have been able to connect as much as I would like to with the people we have met, but through the Word of God, la palabra de Dios, we are connected, no matter what language is spoken. But this means we must live in and with the Word, it is staying in the Word of God, through reading Scripture, that keeps us connected to one another and to God. Language and relationships, brought together in the most unlikely of places, are glipses of the Kingdom of God, right here and right now. Thanks be to God!

Matthew 2:36-39 -  Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Pastor Sebastian and his family. Our "hosts" in Mexico

A woman making fresh tortillas in Guatemala

A group of girls practicing liturgical dance as part of the praise team at their church

Reflections on Mission from APTS Special Student Mark Nygard

Today is Wednesday Jan 11, We left the mission house and headed to a village high in the mountains called Buena Vista. The sights are breath taking. The city is about 7,000 ft in elevation and has a population of around 7,000, many of whom are children.

When we got near the village, we were met by two independent missionaries, Brock Johnson, and Mark Schmidt. Brock arrived at the village in 2008 looking for a place to serve the poor. He could not speak Spanish but remained in the village and learned the language and the needs of village people. His friend Mark arrived in 2009 with his family. Their first project was a home construction ministry called 12 by 12. This simply meant their goal was to build twelve houses in twelve months. This goal was accomplished, and they have now built seventy homes and already have twenty-one financed and ready to build this year.

They share their passion and their goals with us. They stated that domestic violence is high in Guatemala, even among Christian families. Men do not realize it is wrong to abuse their wives. A burden was put on their hearts to develop a sports academy for boys to teach them how to grow up and treat their wives properly. Their goal was completed last year with the building of a soccer gym and classrooms as well. Their next dream is to build a 14,000 sq.ft school. They stated that only 10% of the children of Guatemala go past the sixth grade. They want to see that changed. They have purchased the land for the school in the heart of the village and now are trusting in God to provide the funds for the project. They challenged our team to go out and be the church and to really live God’s word. They shared a statement given to them by a friend, which says, “Don’t be afraid to follow Jesus into the unknown, remember you are following Jesus, not the unkown.” It is evident that God is blessing their ministry. Their final challenge to us as we left was to go out and do something radical.

We visited several of the homes they had built in the village and met several of the people who live in them. I was very impressed with their ministry. We stopped in Antigua on the way back for a couple of hours.

Dr. Gregory Cuellar, Rev. Linda McCarty, APTS Student Greg Allen-Pickett and Faith in Practice In-Country Director Laura Shearer

In the evening, we met Rev Linda McCounty, who is CEO of Faith and Practice. She shared more about their ministry in Antigua. She stated that it was not just about healing bodies, but about the wholeness of helping the people in every way. She stated that even those who can’t medically be helped can still know someone loved and cared for them. She stated that often times the people who come to help are the ones who have the life changing experiences. She stated that even if one cannot speak their language that there is a lot of communication that transcends language.

Day four: Reflections on Mission by Liz Klar

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Buenos Dias La Familia y Amigos!

Another filled day learning about God’s mission in Guatemala.  After a wonderful breakfast fixed by Mark, our fellow classmate, we stayed at the Mission House which is our home away from home in San Lucas.  This has been our post as we go out and as we come back each day as we continue our journey on learning about short and long term mission in the Guatemala area.  Today, Rev. Dr. Karla Ann Koll came to continue the conversation that was started yesterday when we met with CEDEPCA (which is the Centro Evangelico de Estudios Pastorals en Centro America) on their campus in Guatemala City.  There are 4 components to the work that was started in 1979.  One is the Disaster Relief and Education Program, one is the Women’s Service Program, one is the Intercultural Encounters Program, and the last one is the Biblical, Theological and Pastoral Training which is administered by Dr. Koll.  

Dr. Koll is a professor of history, mission and religion and has been in Central America in various capacities before coming to serve as a mission co-worker assigned to the Latin America Biblical University in Costa Rica.  This university placed Dr. Koll at CEDEPCA.  She shared with us the information about the Colonization of Guatemala, the Chronology of Guatemalan Protestantism and Mission, the history of the Guatemalan Civil War, her own personal story and information about the relationships between the various Inter-religious organizations.  What she loves about CEDEPCA is that it is truly an ecumenical environment that is making a difference one person at a time.  The history of Guatemala has brought many challenges for modern day Guatemalans…51% live in poverty and 15% live in extreme poverty which is living on less than a $1/day.  We hear and we can see glimpses of the good that is being done but when there is so much corruption and violence, it is hard some days to realize that the reign of God is alive in Guatemala. Dr. Koll’s hope as well as many of the others working in the mission in Guatemala is that the reign of God will be present each and every day.

Dr. Koll joined us for lunch at Café Condessa in Antigua where we feasted on smoothies, sandwiches, soup and desserts made with the “best butter, thickest cream, and freshest eggs that money can buy.”

 Our student guide "Gregorio" enjoying a delicious dessert in Antigua

Tres Leches Cake!

After lunch we took a tour of Obras Sociales de Santo Hermano Pedro given by Vicki and translated by Laura, the program director for Faith in Practice in Antigua.  This is a Catholic hospital that provides much needed health care to the poor.  The objectives of this hospital are to give a home and help to malnourished children with cerebral palsy, to youth and adults with physical and psychological problems, older people and blind people that cannot find help in private or public institutions. Provide eye surgery at no cost for cataract, strabismus and tearing.  Offer general medical assistance, specialized and surgical, and many different types of therapy.  There are 34 surgical teams that come from other countries to perform the many needed surgeries.  The only cost to the patient for the surgery is a donation if they can afford it.  The hospital houses 230 patients in which 40% have parents and the other 60% have been abandoned.  There is education offered to not only the patients but also the employee’s children.  There is also a Birth and Nutritional Project that takes care of malnourished children and prepares children for cliff palette surgery.  These children all have families and are only there short term.  In addition they also provide outpatient services for gynecology, neurology and general medical needs.  It costs $250,000 per month to run the hospital in which 20% is from a government grant and the other 80% comes from donations.  The hospital was founded by Brother Pedro 300 years ago who was canonized a Saint.  Under the auspices of this hospital is an orphanage, rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addicts and a nursing home. 

Another mission of Faith in Practice is Casa de Fe which is the Ronald McDonald House of Obras Sociales de Santo Hermano Pedro.  It opened in 2003 after there were great needs for those who were pre or post op to have a place to prepare or recover from surgery.  Without this place many would leave the hospital and sleep on the street or in unsafe hotels or travel long distances back home before they have fully recovered.  This house has 100 beds in the women’s and men’s dorm plus the family rooms.  In 2011, 26,000 patients were served.  The patients are provided free rooms with a free breakfast and dinner and possible lunch if one can’t physically or financially go and get it on their own.  This house is fully funded by a grant from Faith in Practice, the selling of tiles for those that have donated money to the house and medical mission teams providing a donation as well.  They provide spiritual care and education about specific medical needs.  There is a chapel for individual prayer.  The patients or families wash their own clothes by hand.  The goal of this house is for the patients of Obras Sociales de Santo Hermano Pedro to return to an active productive life. 

We ended our evening with a dinner meal provided by Pastor Julio and Jodi Rodriguez at the Mission House which is a retreat and house for mission teams.  Through their mission, they have not only built the Mission House but have also built the Getsemani School for 700 students in grades Pre-K through 12^th grade and started a Life and Light church which is housed in the school.   There are about to break ground for an actual church building on a piece of land outside of San Lucas.  After dinner, Julio and Jodie shared their faith journey and the mission work they are doing in Guatemala.  After a long day, we finally went to our separate rooms late. 

Buenas noches y Dios los bendiga!  Liz Klar

Our first three days in Guatemala!

Bienvenido a Guatemala! Seven brave seminarians and their professor arrived safely in Guatemala on Saturday, January 7th, the destination of their January term class on Latin America Missiology. This beautiful country is ringed by mountains and volcanoes, both dormant and active, as pictured above. Our student guide, "Gregorio," aka Greg Allen Pickett, buzzes us all around in our mini-van in these crazy-busy streets, packed with the colorful sights, sounds and smells of Guatemalan street life.





Lodging for week one is the Mission House in San Lucas, one half hour N/W of the capitol, Guatemala City. Built and run by Christian missionaries, Rev. Julio and his American wife, Jodi, we are surrounded by lush gardens, wild birds, the constant crowing of roosters and the early morning fragrance of a local pig farm. After settling in on Saturday our first excursion was dinner in the ancient city of Antigua. Built in the 1600's it is famous for its Spanish colonial architecture and narrow, cobblestone streets. The central plaza's glorious fountain and cathedral (pictured above & below) was the rendez-vous point for our group with APTS YAV volunteer, Kristi Click, who will spend the next several days with our group.

Day one, Sunday: We rose early to attend the evangelical church of our host Pastor and his family which is called "Luz and Vida," or Light and Life. Although Guatemala is 35% Non-Catholic Christian it's astonishing that the predominant Christian theology and praxis is evangelical. The 3-hour service was filled with lively hymns and a sweet sermon led by the Pastor, his wife and children. After the service Gregorio treated us to an authentic Guatemalan street lunch of chile rellenos wrapped in corn tortillas hot off the griddle....yum! Habitat for Humanity coordinator, Bethany, joined us later that day at the Mission House (on her day off, no less) to discuss Habitat's successful mission projects in Guatemala for the past 20+ years.


After dinner we did what all good seminarians do on Sunday....we went back to church! But this time it was to a Roman Catholic Mass in the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj. And what a glorious mass it was! Fr. Jose, a native Mayan from the region, intentionally honors the Mayan people with use of the Mayan dialect in both reading the Gospel and preaching the word during the service. The pews were filled with indigenous Mayan women and men in vivid local dress and it was a real treat to tour the church's museum with Fr. Jose after mass. This church is also the site of one of Healing Waters water purification systems which we enjoyed touring.

A typical street scene in our hilly host village of San Lucas, Guatemala....

Here is an example the good work of the non-profit organization, Healing Waters...pure drinking water at minimal cost, to the villagers of Xencoa.
L to R: Fr. Pedro, our "Gregorio" who used to work for Healing Waters, and two Santo Domingo church deacons. Below: Healing Waters from the street (night time lighting)...L to R: YAV voluntter Kristi Click, and then members of our tour group..Liz, Cathy, Greg Allen, Beth, Tim, Mark, Fr. Pedro, Dr. Cuellar.

 

Day two, Monday: Like the start of any good school week we barreled into studying this new culture with our first classroom experience at a Presbyerian non-profit agency, CEDEPCA. Our agency hostess, Rev. Dr. Karla Koll and her staff warmly welcomed us with presentations about their theological training for lay and pastoral Guatemalans, programs to host in-country mission trips and empowerment programs for indigenous women. We also met the Guatemalan YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) coordinator, Marcia.

Below are the CEDEPCA staff who paused for a group photo with us after lunch in their tropical gardens.

After the intense immersion learning experience with CEDEPCA in the morning it was time to take a breather and explore Guatemala City during the afternoon. Rev. Dr. Koll escorted us through the city's central plaza, around the fountain and to our destination, the Cathedral. The outdoor entrance fence is noteworthy for the names of the many victims of the conflict during the Guatemalan Civil War, which are carved into numerous stone pillars lining the entrance to the Cathedral

Later that evening we gathered back at a restaurant in Antigua to dine with the YAV coordinator and her three current YAV volunteers. Fortified by a good meal (not beans, not tacos - which is the staple in host families - but Italian food!). Kristi (TX), Austin (NC) and Julie Ann (WY) enjoyed the opportunity to share their impressions about their YAV Guatemalan experiences with us. These volunteers work in a variety of ministry's in different Guatemalan locations for a full year which range from youth work to teaching to conducting programs to empower women. despite multiple challenges (including home-sickness and culture shock) they are making a difference and we are proud of them. Before I close out these early posts I feel I speak for the whole group when I say how grateful we are to be here thanks to the enthusiastic and outstanding organization of Greg Allen Pickett and Dr. Cuellar. Oh, and two more things....Congratulations to Becca! and Go Alabama!

Paz - Beth Gleason, M.Div. 2013

Bienvenidos and Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (APTS) Travel Seminar: Short and Long-term Missions in Latin America. We have a group of six APTS students and one professor in Latin America for the next two weeks (January 7-21, 2012). Below is some information about the class. Each day a student in the class will be writing an entry for the blog and posting it here, so stay tuned daily for some fresh content and a different perspective each day. Thank you for reading and following our journey!

The course description is:

Visiting Guatemala and Chiapas and Yucatan, Mexico, this class explores different approaches to short-term and long-term mission work. The trip includes meetings with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers and with faith-based NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to learn about their work. The group also visits with missionaries from other Christian denominations to explore differences in missiological philosophies and approaches. The trip includes conversations with students and faculty members of Presbyterian seminaries in Chiapas and Yucatan, and with personnel from a Catholic social service/social justice organization doing service-learning projects. Opportunities to explore Mayan ruins and sites of ecological interest are provided.

Our learning objectives for the class are:

By the end of this course, students will:

•             Have understood the historical significance of colonization and the role of the church and what impact these forces still have on missions in Latin America today

•             Have broadened their awareness of issues, such as immigration, relating to mission in Latin America and been exposed to a variety of models and methods for short and long-term missions

•             Be able to critically analyze different models and methods of missions based upon principles of sustainable development and missiology

•             Learn to bring into the critical learning process their own faith based questions, religious experiences, and fundamental convictions to missiology.

•             Have developed a skill set to explain and articulate different aspects of mission to congregations

•             Begin to understand what it takes to plan and implement a sustainable and responsible missions program in the context of a local congregation or ecclesial body

We arrived safely yesterday. Despite an early morning departure from Austin, student’s sprits were high. Our plane got in about 12:45 in the afternoon. After getting our rental van we headed up to San Lucas where we are staying. There is a family that runs a Missions House to provide lodging for short-term missionaries which is where we are staying. The facility is beautiful and very comfortable. You can see photos and learn more about it here: http://juliojodi.org/lamision/

After getting unloaded and settled in, we headed out to the grocery store to purchase food for breakfasts while we are here in Guatemala. We will be cooking our own breakfast together as a class each day. The grocery store was a fun experience for the class. Most of our students have never been to Latin America, or spent very limited time here, mostly in tourist destinations. So to immerse ourselves in the local culture was a treat.

After grocery shopping we loaded into the van and headed into Antigua for dinner. We met up with two missionaries from the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program that is run by the Presbyterian Church PC(USA). One of them is an APTS student who is taking a year off to serve as missionary. They joined us for a delightful dinner at La Pena del Sol Latino where we had delicious food and were serenaded by live music. http://lapenaantigua.com/

After dinner and our long day of travel, we headed back to our lodging and everyone was ready to sleep.

Sunday looks to be a very exciting day with worship services planned in both a Protestant and Catholic church and a lecture from Habitat for Humanity about their work here in Guatemala. Stay tuned for more blog updates and please pray for us on our journey.

Prayer requests:
Prayers of thanksgiving for arriving safely and having a GREAT first day

Prayers of thanksgiving for meeting up with the great missionaries last night

Prayers that our student’s minds and hearts will be open to where God is leading us on this trip

Prayers for the health and safety of our group