In the Heart of Guatemala

Today we had the privilege of spending the morning at the office of our partner CEDEPCA (the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America). Just to review, the Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery has two formal partners in Guatemala: CEDEPCA and the Association of Mam Christian Women for Development (Association). With both of these non-profit organizations, we have signed multiple three-year covenant agreements which specifically outline how we intend to work together to improve the lives of all, as God intended. And not just the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized in the communities we mutually serve, but the lives of each and every one of us involved in this partnership (this includes you!). Of course, we also have several informal partners such as AJPU (who make the stoves) and JESELCA (Jesus Es El Camino church) which initiated the Utz Pan bakery youth project and has an incredible after-school program.

CEDEPCA is an educational institution that transforms lives by providing training and accompaniment, and by offering spaces for reflection to women and men from diverse Christian traditions, communities and contexts. They confront social issues through theological education, coming from a more progressive and liberating viewpoint that is rarely experienced in the more conservative culture of Guatemala. CEDEPCA is committed to building a more just world and promoting life in abundance and we are honored to work alongside of them.

After a meaningful and very relevant devotional with the full staff (which they gather for every Tuesday), we listened to presentations by the Disaster Ministry and Women’s Ministry teams who updated us on their work during the past year and shared their plans for the future. Finally, we enjoyed a delicious lunch together and had a chance to socialize. At one point during the morning, a CEDEPCA staff member said, “CEDEPCA was born in the heart of God.” We firmly believe that CEDEPCA is indeed a ministry of God’s heart. It is an organization that pursues God’s intentions for all of us, by loving what God loves and valuing what God values. We feel truly blessed to be a part of this work and hope that you do as well.

After lunch, we hopped on the bus for the five-hour drive on the Pan-American highway to an elevation of 10,000 ft in the mountains of Quetzaltenango. Carrie tried to work on this blog post on her phone in the back of the bus, but started to get carsick. The twists and turns of the highway are unrelenting. So we made a quick stop at a viewpoint looking over Lake Atitlan so she could get her bearings – and lovebirds Bruce and Carol Shumway posed for this romantic photo…in the heart of Guatemala.

We will be with the Association tomorrow so stay tuned!