travel Archives - Guatemala Partnership

Gems of Guatemala

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023Guatemala Partnership

By Carrie Saathoff, Co-Chair of the Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery

What a trip! I first want to say how impressed I was with this tenacious group of travelers. True gems! We had very full days filled with new sights and sounds, situations that pushed us outside our comfort zones, and experiences that will reshape who we are and how we see the world. These 16 travelers persevered without a single complaint, misstep, or issue. They even stayed up late at night to get their blog posts out. A huge shout out goes to Chris Hickey who provided technical support stateside to be sure the posts looked good and got out on time. Thank you, Chris! We hope you have enjoyed following along with us.

Up and At ‘Em!

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023Guatemala Partnership

This is Gloria Kilby, from West Nottingham Presbyterian Church in Colora, Maryland.

After an amazingly quiet night in Guatemala City, near the airport, with hardly a sound all night, I woke up at 5:30 to the sound of a very loud jet taking off. At breakfast, some people said they woke at 5 a.m. to the sound of a trumpet call from the neighboring military school.

Up and at ’em for day 2 of our amazing trip!

Continuing Our Youth Partnership

March 20, 2018November 28, 2019Guatemala Partnership

This past Sunday, Cathy and Carrie paid a visit to our partner church, El Verbo Divino. The church is absolutely breathtaking and has the most scenic view from its balcony. If that name sounds a tad familiar, this is the same church whose youth group graciously hosted Westminster youth this past summer for the inaugural youth partnership trip to Guatemala.

View from the balcony of El Verbo Divino

Reconnecting with CEDEPCA

March 15, 2018January 8, 2021Guatemala Partnership

After much planning, packing, and flying, Westminster Presbyterian Church members, Carrie and Cathy, arrived safely in Guatemala City Wednesday afternoon. Upon their arrival, they immediately connected with Emerson Morales of CEDEPCA. As CEDEPCA’s Program Coordinator in its Intercultural Encounters program, Emerson is a vital figure throughout all trips to Guatemala. Beyond his amazing translation skills, he acts as the perfect liaison between the visiting group or church and the local community with whom the group or church is partnering. In this case, Emerson helps Westminster and its efforts to assist the Association, so that partnership projects are helpful to the Association and local communities and not hurtful.

Emerson, Carrie, and Cathy discussed two upcoming trips in 2019. Though the dates are not finalized, we plan to take two groups to Guatemala in 2019. Read more →