of New Castle Presbytery
Reading a book about love is not the same as falling in love.
Hearing someone talk about bungee jumping is not the same as taking the leap yourself.
Watching a cooking show is not the same as sinking your teeth into something delicious, feeling its texture, savoring its many-layered flavors.
Experience bursts us open at our core and touches us in a way that cognition simply can’t.
On our fourth day in Guatemala, we traveled to visit two different microloan groups of indigenous women in the Association. The women have a strong and remarkable faith. As it says in Joshua 1:9, “…Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” These women displayed powerful courage and strength in conquering obstacles in their lives with hard work and faith. Read more
While our second day in Guatemala was enlightening as we learned about its history and economic conditions, our third day was active, exhilarating, and inspiring. We experienced first-hand the beauty of the Guatemalan highlands by traveling to various microloan groups to receive updates on their projects and form bonds.
Winding our way up the Pan American highway through the cloud-topped Sierra Madre mountains of the western highlands of Guatemala, we headed for Xela. We were meeting an amazing group of women and would witness a defining moment for the Association of the Mam Christian Women. What started many years ago was coming to fruition. Women with years of experience, those who had been mentored, and a second generation of daughters were empowered and working together to lead a robust array of successful projects. Read more
As mentioned previously, the Association had an amazing and transformative 2018. We met with the Association Board to review its annual report to NCP for 2018 and 2019 plan of work. Composing these documents are a requirement per the signed covenant between the Association and NCP.
One sentence in their annual report to NCP that emphasized the increase in work read “Please note we can ordinarily fit our activities on one-page, but this year the number exceeds what can be stated with that limit.” (It was four pages long.) Read more
