Kites and Heights

Hi everyone! Carrie Saathoff here. I’m traveling in Guatemala for the next two weeks and will post about a few highlights as I go. For this trip I am on my own instead of leading a group from New Castle Presbytery, which allows me to get a bit more business done and spend more in-depth time visiting with our partners. For the first week, I will be with the Utz Pan bakery youth, taking them out to Xela for a five-day learning and adventuring experience like we did last year. The second week I will be with the Association, meeting with staff and the Board, getting out to some of the hard-to-reach communities, and seeing how the women’s projects are coming along.

When I first arrived, I spent a day at the CEDEPCA offices, putting the finishing touches on the itinerary for our next NCP trip in late January, making plans with Carolina for CEDEPCA to expand their Bible Class offerings to the Association next year (thanks to your new donations!), and confirming with Luis that the Association will continue to receive vegetable seeds and seedlings again in 2025 for their family gardens. As luck would have it, Doug Michael from Presbytery of Western North Carolina was also at the office that day, so we were finally able to meet in person after working online together for the last six months on the PC(USA) Overture in Support of the People of Guatemala which was approved by General Assembly this summer. We are now working to put those words into action by sending a letter to the Biden administration urging them to support the democratic reforms in Guatemala, as well as address the root causes of poverty and injustice in the country.

And our good friend Pastor Emerson Morales from Jesus es El Camino Church met me at the office to receive the funds Westminster and NCP just sent down for the Backpack Project. Generous donations from so many of you will be used to provide 300 youth with new backpacks filled with supplies so they will be ready for the new school year that begins in January. The church is so grateful and we will send photos of the packing and delivery of those early next year.

The next day I headed to Antigua to spend the weekend with my friend Amy Scheuren who used to work at Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) supporting the Guatemalan immigrant community. Several years ago, I read a local news article highlighting her work in Kennett and also with an organization in Xela doing similar projects as the Association. So I called her up, we had coffee, and have been in contact ever since! She has since moved to Xela to work full-time down here and was able to get away for the holiday weekend.

Friday was Day of the Dead (All Saints Day) so we headed to the famous Kite Festival in Sumpongo. A crush of humanity comes to see the incredible handmade kites that are flown as high as possible to get personal messages to deceased family members who have passed. The kites are very delicate and intricate, made with tissue paper backed with plastic sheeting and strung on a bamboo frame. The first photo below was my favorite – a tribute to all of the mothers out there – with a special meaning for the staff and clients we have come to know and love at YoungMoms.

There is also a nearby cemetery where family members come on Day of the Dead to pay their respects to deceased loved ones. Municipal law mandates that each grave has a cross (European power influence), but the Mayan people still decorate them with pine needles, flower pedals, candles and other items that bring color and nature to the site.

Yesterday, Amy and I climbed Pacaya Volcano, which is not too tough of a climb but has some great views at the top. This is one of three active volcanoes in the country and you can see different stages of lava flow over the years. In the photo below, you can see how close a recent flow came to the nearby village. They had to dig channels to encourage the lava to stay clear of their homes!

Today (Sunday), Amy headed back to Xela and I went to worship at Emerson’s church to celebrate Communion and then we went to a beautiful farm to table restaurant for lunch with his family.

A busy first four days…and more to come! Tomorrow we head to Xela with the Utz Pan kids and I’ll share photos later in the week. Please pray for safe travels! Thanks to each and every one of you for your prayers, donations and support. None of this would be possible without you!