of New Castle Presbytery
Hola! We are Karen (left) and Darlyn (right) and today was our second day in Xela! We woke up early for breakfast and then went to visit the Red Cat restaurant downtown. We had a fantastic time there; it was a unique and unforgettable experience, from learning about the restaurant’s history to seeing every wall covered in art, with hand-painted murals that told stories and inspired us!
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Day one with the eight Utz Pan youth was a success! They are super sweet, mature beyond their years, kind, inquisitive, giggly and overall just wonderful. They range in age from 14 to 17 and have impressive career aspirations: doctor, lawyer, pastry baker, systems engineer, computer engineer, motorcycle mechanic and accountant. The idea for this trip is to inspire them to work towards their goals and dreams, and, of course, have a blast.
Read moreBy Carrie Saathoff, Co-Chair of the Guatemala Partnership
This weekend after Thanksgiving, I am grateful to be heading to Guatemala to help lead the Utz Pan Bakery youth trip for a third year. If you are not already familiar with the Utz Pan bakery project, here is a quick recap:
Pastors Emerson Morales and Mardoqueo Perez of Jesus es El Camino church (Jesus is the Way) in Guatemala City initiated a bakery project in their church aimed at offering local teenagers a safe space to learn new skills and earn extra income, often to help pay for their traditional schooling and family expenses. The initial investment for the bakery equipment and supplies was funded with a grant from Self-Development of People, a mission program of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Utz Pan bakery project was born. Utz Pan, meaning Good Bread, has been a smashing success, graduating a new group of skilled bakers every two years.
