The following is our first
quarter, 2016 Mission Connections letter. We normally do not post these updates
to our blog until they have been published and distributed by World Mission.
This year, changes to the World Mission web site, along with personnel changes
have resulted in our electronic and printed letters not getting published. So,
here is our first quarter letter on our life and work in Guatemala. We hope you
enjoy it. Our second quarter letter will follow shortly.
Dear Friends and Partners
in Mission,
“Is that you hermano Rogelio? I thought I recognized you.
We haven’t seen you for a long time. I’m Maria, one of the students you helped
with a scholarship so I could finish high school. It’s so great to see you
again. I never had the chance to thank you and all the people who helped me. I’ve
finished my studies and now I’m working in a bank. Thank-you for what you and
the churches did for me and my friends!”
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| 'Rogelio' looking over the Passion River in Guatemala |
The beginning of 2016 has
been a season of celebrating the many connections we have in and about
Guatemala. Rogelio, or Roger as we know him, is a former PCUSA mission coworker
who recently returned to visit the area where he and his wife Gloria served for
ten years. Along with two friends who have supported the church’s mission in
Guatemala for many years, we accompanied Roger on an odyssey of reconnecting
relationships formed over many years of ministry.
In the early stages of the
partnership between this Guatemalan presbytery and their US partner, church
leaders recognized the barriers poverty and related difficulties bring
to education. The Guatemalan people we
serve value education and wanted their children to benefit from it. So, these partners got to work. They envisioned a scholarship program that
would expand educational opportunities for the young people of the presbytery. More than that, they discovered it would be
the perfect ministry to bring together Presbyterians from around the
world. We Presbyterians have long been
committed to education. The National
Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala (IENPG) is no exception. They have
formed advisory councils and administrative committees focused on education;
and they have invited Presbyterians like so many of you to share from God’s
bounty and participate in these scholarships.
Roger and Gloria worked tirelessly to coordinate this and other scholarship
programs.
We are grateful that the IENPG
has asked us to be part of the scholarship ministry. Roger and other key players came to Guatemala
to teach us what they know about the program and to introduce us to the local
church leaders who provide local coordination of these programs. To students
like Maria, the mission coworker is often viewed as the source of their
support. In reality, programs such as these require a lot of coordination
between the local churches, their US partners, as well as representatives from
the denominations in both the US and in Guatemala.
As Roger shared his chance
encounter with Maria, we realized that we were witnesses to a holy moment of
affirmation. It was a gift from God in which we can be reassured that the work
and ministry to which God calls us to do and support has a real impact on lives
it touches. We believe we all need these moments of affirmation. For us,
they’ve become more important since we’ve been working in a context where so
much suffering and poverty surrounds us.
 |
| Fred and Chuck on the Passion River - Headed for Aguateca |
“You know, I’ve got to admit it, I’m having a really
good time here”. That was Richard’s
cousin Jim. If the truth be told, Jim has always been Richard’s ‘favorite
cousin’. Ten years his senior, Jim personified the ‘man of adventure’ so easily
idolized by a young kid growing up in suburban Chicago. He served in the US
Special Forces and taught Richard how to execute a parachute landing as they
jumped off the picnic table in the back yard. Later, he bucked the family
tradition of going into the business world and instead pursued his passion for
flying, becoming a pilot for United Airlines. Jim accepted the Lord Jesus
Christ into his life and became active in a large congregation near Chicago.
Now that he’s retired from United, he’s traveled around the world participating
in many of his church’s mission endeavors. We were so excited when we learned
that Jim wanted to visit us in Guatemala, see the country, and learn about the
work we’re doing with the IENPG.
 |
| Jim, Richard, and Debbie in Tikal |
There is so much beauty,
history, and culture to experience in Guatemala, and we love every chance we
get to share this country with visitors. When we share our IENPG ministries
with visitors, there’s also a good possibility of being exposed to some of the
poverty, injustice, corruption, and desperation that impacts many of the people
with whom we have contact. We made a journey to the northern part of the
country to visit Tikal, the national archeological and natural park and one of
the ‘must see’ destinations for anyone visiting Guatemala. Jim also joined us
to meet the family of a potential scholarship student in Cobán. Cesar, the
potential recipient, suffers from a cleft palate and lip and has had to undergo
several painful and expensive reconstructive surgeries. His family recently had
to make a choice between continuing with Cesar’s education or with his medical
treatment. We worry about ‘overloading’ visitors with the harsh realities of
Guatemala such as this situation. But Jim was able to find the positive. In the
midst of a reality that limits access to education and health care for poor
people, he could see the impact of a gift from an anonymous donor in the US.
 |
| Cesar, his mother and little brother registering for school |
These are a couple of
examples of how our connections with one another affirm, enhance, and fulfill
the work God is doing here in Guatemala, using all of us in ways that often
surprise us and encourage us. As Presbyterians, we cherish the concept of
community by celebrating these connections wherever they occur. We refer to our
denomination as ‘connectional’, and our system is setup in such a way that we
can rely on, depend on, and be accountable to one another. Since becoming PCUSA
mission coworkers, the reality of our connectedness is regularly in front of
us. What we do can only be done with the blessing, affirmation, and support of
the larger body of the church. So we close with words of thanks. Thanks from us
of course, but also from Cesar and his family, from Maria and her family, and
from the countless others for whom your support has made a difference in their
lives.
The blessings of this New
Year to you all!
Debbie and Richard Welch
PC(USA) Mission
Co-workers, Guatemala
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