You are invited

 Dear friends,

Since posting the story about our journey and our decision to accept the early separation package from World Mission, our colleagues in mission have arranged for a 'virtual celebration' of our time in Guatemala as PC(USA) mission coworkers. The celebration will be held over Zoom, and we want to invite any and all who are interested to join us in celebrating together. Here are the details, put together by our colleague Sy Huges:

Bellow please find an invitation for a virtual farewell gathering for Richard & Debbie Welch hosted by Mr. Sy Hughes of the Mission Engagement and Support team. Please join all of us in wishing Richard & Debbie every blessing for the future.
 
When: Sep 22, 2020 09:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
Register here
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
 
In Christ,
 
R. Sy Hughes
Mission Engagement Advisor
Presbyterian Mission Agency
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Petrichor

Dear Friends and Partners in mission,

“It was predicted, but it was still unexpected.”

Folks around the world are no strangers to the sweet smell that comes after a rainfall, but did you know there is a special name for it? It’s called, petrichor. It’s defined as the pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. This morning, as we prepared for our morning walk in the woods near our home, we stepped out into an unexpected and very welcome morning rain. The chance of this rain had been predicted. But with no measurable rainfall since the first of July, we didn’t take it seriously. So, the sight, the sound, and yes, the fragrance of the rain was poignant. While beautiful, the rain did force us to take another route for our walk. The tall wet grass would soak us. The change made for an invigorating start to our day.

2013, Our journey begins. In route to
language school. Lake Atitlán Overlook

While predicted as a possibility, but still unexpected and yet another disruption to our plans, our Presbyterian Mission Agency has offered a Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) to employees who meet age and length of service criteria. We meet those criteria. After much prayer and deliberation, we have decided to take the offer. Over the years we’ve grown weary of the vague “God has called me in a new direction” reason given by some colleagues who leave this work, so we decided to be as transparent as possible about our discernment process and what led us to this decision. At the end of this letter is a list of reasons that finally convinced us that this was the best choice for us.

We believe that for you, of most interest is, what’s next for us, and how does this decision impact the work we’ve been doing alongside you, our partners? The short answer is, “Together we can ensure they will continue”. Some of you already know about our “exit strategy” that includes our continued involvement in Guatemala once we are no longer mission coworkers for Presbyterian World Mission. That strategy is based on our working with the Guatemala Partnership Network and reengaging with our home presbytery’s mission partnership and other partnerships that would like our continued support. We need to point out that as former PC(USA) mission coworkers, we will coordinate our involvement with World Mission. It is not our desire to impede or duplicate the ongoing mission of the church we love.

Here are some specifics of our ministry areas and projects:

Scholarships for young indigenous people to attend school:

Scholarship student and class valedictorian 

Candy's High School Graduation

This program has blessed and continues to bless the lives of many indigenous youth in many places in Guatemala with opportunities to obtain a quality education through the secondary grades. We will be doing all that we can to ensure the programs we have supported will continue. As the program has grown and adapted to the different needs of donors and recipients, how we go forward will depend on how you have participated in this program. For those funding tuition-only scholarships via the logistics and international relations ministry of the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church, PresGOV (Presbyterian Groups, Organizations, and Volunteers) the process should remain the same as before. The same goes for partners who have been funding their scholarship programs directly to your Guatemalan partner. Where we have helped facilitate communications with and visits to your partner, we continue to be available to provide that service for and with you. Those sponsoring students with full scholarships via PC(USA) World Mission and the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church, the administration staff at our World Mission area office will continue to manage your generous donations to this program as it has in the past. Coordination with national church  leaders and the schools will be performed by our regional liaison,Rev. Leslie Vogel (leslie.vogel@pcusa.org).

Libros Abiertos children’s literacy program:

We have been inspired and amazed by how this program has ignited the passions of our partners as we’ve explored together how a creative approach to language and culture appropriate children’s literature can transform the learning experiences of so many children. We are exploring some creative and exciting ways to sustain this program with our partnerships for the long term. As long as our PC(USA) partners continue to engage and support this program, and it’s supporting institution, La Puerta Abierta school in Atitlán, we will continue to support them in a faithful method compatible with the missiological goals of our denomination.

Learning to fall in love with reading.
Dinosaurs capture a young reader's 
imagination.

Theological education for indigenous pastors and leaders:

Our position as consultants to the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church’s committee for planning these programs will end when we separate from World Mission. As with the youth scholarship program, Coordination with national church leaders and the committee will be performed by our regional liaison, Leslie Vogel. Some of you are in partnership with some of the indigenous presbyteries involved in these programs (including our home presbytery) and have supported your partner’s participation in some manner or another. We will continue to be available to our World Mission colleagues to provide secondary support this program as needed.

Indigenous pastors complete a week of study
in Cobán, Guatemala

Guatemala Mission Partnership Network:

A first look through a telescope at the 2020
Partnership Network Gathering in Guatemala

Our involvement with the network predates our appointment as mission coworkers. We have long held the belief that the network can be a helpful tool as we seek to keep our partnerships relevant both at home and with our Guatemalan partners. We hope to continue as participants in the network, helping our home presbytery in its involvement, and working alongside you in planning helpful and fun gatherings in Guatemala and in the US.

Helping in the church kitchen. US visitors
and Guatemalans celebrate their
partnership

Supporting partnerships and logistics and accompaniment of visiting groups:

Traveling with and accompanying many of you on your visits to your Guatemalan partners has been one of the highlights of our time as mission coworkers. Debbie says, “It was working with visiting groups that kept us sane!” When appropriate, and when it makes the most sense for all involved, we will be delighted to continue supporting you in your partnerships. Of course, the dynamics will be different. Before making Debbie and Richard your ‘go to’ people for your visit, remember that PresGov continues to support visitors to Presbyterian churches and presbyteries in Guatemala. And we encourage you to connect with our friend and colleague, Rev. Betsey Moe, facilitator for the intercultural ministries program at CEDEPCA, another PC(USA) partner in Guatemala.

Now we begin the process of stepping back from our roles as mission coworkers and stepping back into the role as Presbyterians with a love and passion for our partners in the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church. We’ve wanted to pass on as much information about our immediate plans as possible (hence the length of this letter) in order to address the many questions and concerns you have. Should you have further questions, comments, or suggestions for us, we remain available to you via all of the previous communications methods. Our pcusa.org email addresses will be made inactive on September 17^th. If you don’t have them already, our personal email addresses are: Debbie: djwelch2k@gmail.com, Richard: dwelch2k@gmail.com.

God’s blessings and peace to you all!

Richard and Debbie Welch

 Our reasons for separating at this time:

1)    For the “good of the order”: From the initial introduction of the program, our colleagues in World Mission have stressed the importance of making our decisions based on “what is right for you (the Welches)”. Such a statement reflects the ongoing concern and caring, by and for the people who make up our World Mission Agency. It is something we have experienced throughout our history with this organization. As we contemplated what was “right for us”, we found that it was not possible to separate what seemed right for us and what was right for the church and the mission of which we have been a part these last eight years. And it’s clear that the impact of the pandemic means, among other things, the church needs to reduce spending in all areas of its ministry. Having joined World Mission at a later stage in our lives, we enter this separation in a God-given ‘good place’ to begin the next chapter of our lives and ministries.

2)    God’s perfect timing: Our current term of service will end on June 30, 2021. Originally, we had plans to extend our service in Guatemala for one or two more years. In addition to the early separation offer, World Mission is also under a hiring freeze. The possibility of our being able to extend our appointment when several key positions in World Mission remain unfilled is unlikely. As the border closure continues, the time we will have in country to finish our work continues to diminish.

3)    The work can and will go on: This offer of early separation comes at a time when friends and colleagues with whom we have worked over the past several years are leaving or have left, and new faces are arriving to ensure the ministry moves forward. Many of you have helped educate and equip several Guatemalan men and women with leadership and facilitation skills to carry some of these projects forward. The Guatemalan Presbyterian Church’s ministries of providing facilitation and logistical support to groups (PresGOV) continues, as do the various committees supporting secular and theological education. And… we are most excited about the (pre-COVID, pre hiring freeze) appointment of our good friend and colleague Rev. Betsey Moe. Betsey, her husband Eric, and their three children are poised to move to Guatemala as soon as the conditions permit. We’ve known Betsey for many years as a pastor in our home presbytery, a leader of several of delegations to Guatemala, and an active participant in the Guatemala Partnership Network. We are confident that Betsey’s intercultural ministries team will be a good fit for many existing partnerships we know.

Yes, we would have wanted more time. We probably would always have wanted more time. In reality, we hope God blesses us with more time to experience and participate in the work God is doing through the ministries of partnership.

Annual Ministry Update

“Yes, yes, we have approved your application for another four-year term ending 6/30/2021! Breathe Debbie, just breathe!”

As we closed our winter letter, we shared with you our calling to apply for another term of mission coworkers. Though we’ve sensed the call to continue the work we started in Guatemala, and received encouragement from our Guatemalan partners, colleagues and supervisors, and from many of you, we had to face and prepare for the possibility that our time in Guatemala might be coming to a close at the end of our first term.

We opened this letter with the enthusiastic reply from Del Braaksma, our Mission Coordinator with the mission personnel team in order to share with you the good news. We’ve been approved for another four-year term in Guatemala! As we write this letter, the time for the end of our first term, and the beginning of our second term is upon us. So, we’d like to take advantage of this annual ministry update to reflect on God’s faithfulness throughout these last for years, and share some of our hopes and dreams for the four years that lay ahead. Here are some stories that have accented our journey as mission coworkers.

Orientation:

World Mission Orientation - The Journey Begins

“As an overseas mission worker, you’ve got to remember the need to take care of yourself. ‘Self-care’ can never be an afterthought. You will never be effective in a new place, language, and culture if you don’t have a plan for taking care of yourself.” To our surprise, among all the valuable information gained in our World Mission orientation, this advice has been one of the most beneficial. ‘Paz en la Tormenta’ (Peace in the Storm) is a new song we learned early in our new church experience. We’ve learned to “Be still and know that God is God”. And in those still moments, we remember that there are so many people praying for us, and the peace rushes over us.

Language School in Quetzaltenago
with our very patient teacher

Language Learning:

“At what point did we really think we would be able to become proficient in a new language given our ages and past experiences? What were we thinking?” About halfway through our 11-week adventure of language school, our brains were starting to melt down. “I don’t get enough time to practice a concept before the next lesson is upon me. I feel like an idiot.” Then a friend or a colleague will comment on our progress. They say, “Wow, you two have certainly come a long way in your language skills”. A little encouragement right when we need it the most has consistently been God’s gift to us – lovingly delivered by God’s messengers, our friends, our colleagues, and family members.

Settling into a home:

Making a house a home - A bright and sunny kitchen

“Well, the apartment was going to be available, but our daughter has moved home and now she is in it.” Our hope was to move into an apartment in Cobán that was previously occupied by mission coworkers we’d gotten to know from previous trips to Guatemala. It was a familiar place, and we were looking forward to something known. Those hopes were dashed when the apartment was no longer available. We were unsettled and worried. Then a friend told us about a house that had just become available. It was literally just around the corner from the apartment. The house is large, with a beautiful garden. It has become our home and a place where we practice hospitality.

Theological training in the Q'anjob'al Presbytery

Getting into “The work”:

We’ll always remember that first meeting. It was with a national church committee with the responsibility to develop and execute theological training programs for the growing number of indigenous church leaders. Fresh from language school we did our best to keep up with the fast-talking ladino (non-indigenous Guatemalan) members of the committee. We found ourselves identifying with the representatives of the indigenous presbyteries who sat quiet and pensive. For these representatives, Spanish was their second language as well. We were all struggling to keep up. As the representatives from the US Presbyterian church, we needed to understand the need and help develop plans aligned with the purposes set forward by the US donors who were making these programs possible. “Am I getting this right?” Debbie asked as we did our best to follow the conversations. “This is going to be tough”. Riding home from our latest meeting with this group we remembered our first experience with them. The committee now is chaired by an educated, articulate, yet soft-spoken Mayan representative, selected by his presbytery. The ladino/a representation on the committee serve the mission of the group, serving as a consultant from the seminary, a representative from the women’s association, and a recording secretary. What a difference a few years and a lot of prayer have made!

 

Young Mayan scholarship recipients studying
at a local secondary school

A young Mayan woman learning traditional weaving
techniques via a vocational training program

Reflecting on these events started as a way to tell Debbie and Richard’s story. But as we’ve recalled them, we’ve been reminded of how much our story has been the story of all who’ve walked alongside us. The connections that have been created and nurtured over these past four years have made this journey a living one. Despite the amazing encouragement we’ve received so far from so many of you, there is still financial need. So we must continue to ask for your prayers and consideration of your ongoing support for our position, even as we thank you so much for the way you have held us up so far.

A visiting delegation making the overland
trek to spend time with their partners

As we look forward to our next term, we hope to expand a new adult literacy program that provides the required secular education certification to indigenous church leaders that will allow them to continue formal seminary-level studies. Supporting indigenous young people in their pursuit of a formal education beyond the primary grades has been an exciting and rewarding endeavor for us and our US partners. We hope to connect more students with sponsors as the program grows. And as the enthusiasm grows among many US partners, we’re excited about working alongside many more creative and innovative vocational programs. Our experiences here have confirmed what we already know: Nothing is too hard for God!

Blessings to you as we celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past and our hope for the days ahead!

Richard and Debbie Welch
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A Sip from a Cup of Hope

“Partnership is hard. It always has been. It means coordinating different peoples’ schedules. It means learning, understanding, and responding to the different needs, perspectives, contexts, and ideas of everyone in the partnership. We need to work through differences in language, culture, demographics, and time zones just to be in communication with one another. It is hard. But we’re here because we know the results are worth it; and we know we can’t achieve them on our own.”

Plenary Session of the Guatemala Partnership Network

In January, The Guatemala Partnership Network met for three days in Guatemala City to celebrate the partnerships between congregations and presbyteries in the U.S. with congregations and presbyteries in Guatemala. It was also an opportunity to share ideas, experiences, successes, and ‘learning opportunities’ encountered over the years of mission partnership. Gatherings such as this one can bring much to an individual partnership as each one works through the nuts and bolts, the relational and the practical, and how we can all be better partners in discerning and living out our call to work together in order to accomplish what can only be accomplished through each member’s unique contribution.

Listening to Presentations

 

Sharing by one partnership group

In the midst of the different presentations, messages, prayers, workshops, meals, and discussions, our thoughts often returned to the words shared as we opened our time together. It is hard. Sometimes it seems that as we grow closer in our relationships, the more we learn about the areas in which our partnerships fall short of the goals and ideals on which we established these relationships. We should point out that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s often an indication that the level of trust and respect between partners has grown to a place where honest evaluation of the work we do together can take place. But I don’t think we’re alone in saying that it’s a lot more fun to celebrate our progress than it is to face the daunting challenges ahead.

New Living Waters for the World installation

Can we celebrate the ordination of a new woman pastor without recognizing how scarce female pastors are in the church here? Can we celebrate the installation of another water purification system without recognizing how many more people are without clean drinking water? Can we celebrate the graduation of more indigenous children from secondary school without recognizing the continued reality of limited opportunities for these graduates? Can we celebrate the beautiful weavings produced by women learning and rediscovering the traditions of their mothers and grandmothers, even though we know the challenges these women face as they try to organize and access the markets they need in order to sell their wares and help support their families? Does every celebration have to be accompanied by the reminder of the work that still needs to be done?

“Don’t talk to God about the size of your problems. Talk to your problems about the size of your God”. This quote, shared with us by our “pastora” many years before our call to mission service, often comes to mind when we feel overwhelmed by the challenges of our work in Guatemala. After the close of our network gathering, and after saying farewell to so many friends, we repeated those words once again as we rode the bus home and on to meet a visiting delegation in the northern part of the country.

 

Sandra and her reader

Then we met Sandra. This precocious seven year-old was playing outside her aunt and uncle’s simple home across the street from where our friends from the U.S. were planning on meeting their Guatemalan partners. As we waited, we started a conversation with Sandra. The house was also home to several students that had benefited from a scholarship program supported by our visitors. Sandra’s parents live in an outlying village. She’s staying with her aunt and uncle in order to attend the local primary school. “Do you like your school?” one of the delegates asked. “Oh yes!” was the reply. “What subjects do you like the most?” “I love to read” She said. Her cousin produced a reader from inside the house. Sandra read story after story to us. Her joy of reading was palpable. We checked the reader. It was designed for fourth grade students. That was pretty impressive for this second grader. Our time with her was a special gift of hope that we received right when we needed it.

 

Sandra reading to the North Americans

It is hard. The challenges are significant. We are so thankful that we don’t face these challenges alone. Sandra’s reading, the words (and often tears) of thanks from parents of scholarship students, the deep questions from theology students, the looks of accomplishment and pride of a weaver, the comments and notes we receive from our folks back home, and the notification of each gift of financial support from you is the gift of hope that always comes at just the right time. Thank-you for walking with us and reminding us that we meet these challenges together.

 

Indigenous weavers demonstrating their work

As we look ahead to the end of our first term as mission coworkers (June, 2017) we have sensed a call to commit to another four-year term in Guatemala. Will you consider continuing with us as we embark on this new chapter of working alongside our indigenous brothers and sisters of the Presbyterian Church of Guatemala? The journey will continue with your continued prayer, encouragement, and financial support of this work with our Guatemalan partners.

Blessings to you all in celebration of the hope of the resurrection!

Richard and Debbie Welch
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A Guatemalan embrace of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Former Guatemalan President
Jorge Serrano Elías

In recognition of the celebration of the life of Rev. Martin Luther King, and the 

remembrance of his “I Have a Dream” address, former Guatemalan president Jorge Serrano Elías, with his own checkered past of constitutional violations while in office, (‘Google’ his name for more information on his life and presidency) posted a Guatemalan version of Dr. King’s famous speech to social media. I can’t endorse Mr. Serrano (or his ghost writers) given the fact that, as of this writing, he lives in Costa Rica, resisting extradition back to Guatemala to stand trial for corruption. I can however, endorse the spirit of this celebration of historic words that changed a country forever. Looking at them again, now, after 53 years - and in a Guatemalan context, we are challenged to dream of the possibilities for Guatemala, our country of service, as well as reminding us of how far our country of origin, the U.S. has come in these 50+ years, and how more recent events remind us of how far we still have to go. I hope you enjoy it.

50 years ago, in the most powerful country in the world, a leader of the African American community, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., shared his community’s dreams and inspired the whole nation to fight and defeat a structure of oppression that seemed invincible, that oppressed an entire people, denied their fundamental human rights and fundamental civil rights.

Guatemalan brothers and sisters, inspired by that example, I invite you to dream…

We dream that our children can walk the streets and roads of our country without fear of being killed, robbed or raped and to get on a bus without risk of death. Let us dream that we can go to court and find justice without bribes or coercion, and that it be the same for everyone, no matter how poor or powerful the person who seeks it.

Let us dream that hospitals find answers to our ills and medicines to cure them; that our children will no longer die due to the state's negligence in not preventing disease and for neglecting the environment of misery in which the poor live.

We dream that our children will have schools and educational opportunities, so that they can enjoy access to a dignified life and join in the conscious participation of the development of our country and its ethnic groups.

Let us dream that those who make the laws do so with the needs of the people in mind and not only the interests of the powerful.

Let us dream that the wealth of our country will have a better fate than to find its way to Miami or European bank accounts; and that rather it will serve to provide employment to the needy, to meet the needs of every household, to enable a dignified life for every Guatemalan, and finally serve to banish once and for all, the extreme poverty and misery that shames and dishonors us.

Let us dream that looting and corruption by the state and the exploitation of the poor and the trafficking of drugs, people and arms, with all that it implies, will disappear from our land simply because Guatemalans want progress, but not at the expense of our moral degradation.

We dream that our sisters and brothers will not have to emigrate; risking their lives and living inhuman tragedies, in a quest to seek security and opportunities denied them their own homeland.

Let us dream that cultural differences will never again be cause for discrimination against indigenous peoples and ethnic groups; and who can finally live in justice and peace, respecting and enjoying, orderly and judiciously, the resources God has given us.

Let us dream that we will protect the environment, aware that this is the space in which we, our children, our grandchildren and future generations will live; so their conservation and recovery represents an inescapable responsibility, especially with the generations who come after us.

Let us dream that, with the work of all, Guatemalan goodwill oriented in love, we can overcome these problems and above all, restore the good name that our country deserves but has been lost in the community of nations.

Dreams like these, that seemed impossible in the United States 50 years ago, became a reality for a people's faith in a God who was always the guarantor of their freedom, and the inspiration of men of faith like Martin Luther King, who made it possible for the nation to break those barriers and come to true brotherhood between black and white, giving the key steps towards achieving those dreams.

The people of Guatemala have faith in God and understand that to overcome the hatred, resentment and selfishness that oppress and denigrates us is fundamental for solidarity and brotherly love, understanding between rich and poor, as well as between all ethnicities and nations, and between practitioners of the different faiths that are practiced in our country, and to preach the love and the fear of God.

 

Protesters demonstrating against government corruption.
"Yes, we have the right to dream"

SOLO ASÍ PODREMOS DECIR, COMO DIJO LUTHER KING,
“¡LIBRE AL FIN, LIBRE AL FIN!”
“GRACIAS A DIOS TODOPODEROSO, SOMOS LIBRES AL FIN”

The blessings of a new hope for the future to you all!

Debbie and Richard Welch

PC(USA) Mission Co-workers, Guatemala

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1st Quarter Letter - A little late

The following is our first quarter, 2016 Mission Connections letter. We normally do not post these updates to our blog until they have been published and distributed by World Mission. This year, changes to the World Mission web site, along with personnel changes have resulted in our electronic and printed letters not getting published. So, here is our first quarter letter on our life and work in Guatemala. We hope you enjoy it. Our second quarter letter will follow shortly.

Dear Friends and Partners in Mission,

“Is that you hermano Rogelio? I thought I recognized you. We haven’t seen you for a long time. I’m Maria, one of the students you helped with a scholarship so I could finish high school. It’s so great to see you again. I never had the chance to thank you and all the people who helped me. I’ve finished my studies and now I’m working in a bank. Thank-you for what you and the churches did for me and my friends!”

'Rogelio' looking over the Passion River in Guatemala

The beginning of 2016 has been a season of celebrating the many connections we have in and about Guatemala. Rogelio, or Roger as we know him, is a former PCUSA mission coworker who recently returned to visit the area where he and his wife Gloria served for ten years. Along with two friends who have supported the church’s mission in Guatemala for many years, we accompanied Roger on an odyssey of reconnecting relationships formed over many years of ministry.

In the early stages of the partnership between this Guatemalan presbytery and their US partner, church leaders recognized the barriers poverty and related difficulties bring to education.  The Guatemalan people we serve value education and wanted their children to benefit from it.  So, these partners got to work.  They envisioned a scholarship program that would expand educational opportunities for the young people of the presbytery.  More than that, they discovered it would be the perfect ministry to bring together Presbyterians from around the world.  We Presbyterians have long been committed to education.  The National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala (IENPG) is no exception. They have formed advisory councils and administrative committees focused on education; and they have invited Presbyterians like so many of you to share from God’s bounty and participate in these scholarships.  Roger and Gloria worked tirelessly to coordinate this and other scholarship programs.

We are grateful that the IENPG has asked us to be part of the scholarship ministry.  Roger and other key players came to Guatemala to teach us what they know about the program and to introduce us to the local church leaders who provide local coordination of these programs. To students like Maria, the mission coworker is often viewed as the source of their support. In reality, programs such as these require a lot of coordination between the local churches, their US partners, as well as representatives from the denominations in both the US and in Guatemala.

As Roger shared his chance encounter with Maria, we realized that we were witnesses to a holy moment of affirmation. It was a gift from God in which we can be reassured that the work and ministry to which God calls us to do and support has a real impact on lives it touches. We believe we all need these moments of affirmation. For us, they’ve become more important since we’ve been working in a context where so much suffering and poverty surrounds us.

 

Fred and Chuck on the Passion River - Headed for Aguateca

“You know, I’ve got to admit it, I’m having a really good time here”. That was Richard’s cousin Jim. If the truth be told, Jim has always been Richard’s ‘favorite cousin’. Ten years his senior, Jim personified the ‘man of adventure’ so easily idolized by a young kid growing up in suburban Chicago. He served in the US Special Forces and taught Richard how to execute a parachute landing as they jumped off the picnic table in the back yard. Later, he bucked the family tradition of going into the business world and instead pursued his passion for flying, becoming a pilot for United Airlines. Jim accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life and became active in a large congregation near Chicago. Now that he’s retired from United, he’s traveled around the world participating in many of his church’s mission endeavors. We were so excited when we learned that Jim wanted to visit us in Guatemala, see the country, and learn about the work we’re doing with the IENPG.

Jim, Richard, and Debbie in Tikal

There is so much beauty, history, and culture to experience in Guatemala, and we love every chance we get to share this country with visitors. When we share our IENPG ministries with visitors, there’s also a good possibility of being exposed to some of the poverty, injustice, corruption, and desperation that impacts many of the people with whom we have contact. We made a journey to the northern part of the country to visit Tikal, the national archeological and natural park and one of the ‘must see’ destinations for anyone visiting Guatemala. Jim also joined us to meet the family of a potential scholarship student in Cobán. Cesar, the potential recipient, suffers from a cleft palate and lip and has had to undergo several painful and expensive reconstructive surgeries. His family recently had to make a choice between continuing with Cesar’s education or with his medical treatment. We worry about ‘overloading’ visitors with the harsh realities of Guatemala such as this situation. But Jim was able to find the positive. In the midst of a reality that limits access to education and health care for poor people, he could see the impact of a gift from an anonymous donor in the US.

Cesar, his mother and little brother registering for school

These are a couple of examples of how our connections with one another affirm, enhance, and fulfill the work God is doing here in Guatemala, using all of us in ways that often surprise us and encourage us. As Presbyterians, we cherish the concept of community by celebrating these connections wherever they occur. We refer to our denomination as ‘connectional’, and our system is setup in such a way that we can rely on, depend on, and be accountable to one another. Since becoming PCUSA mission coworkers, the reality of our connectedness is regularly in front of us. What we do can only be done with the blessing, affirmation, and support of the larger body of the church. So we close with words of thanks. Thanks from us of course, but also from Cesar and his family, from Maria and her family, and from the countless others for whom your support has made a difference in their lives.

The blessings of this New Year to you all!

Debbie and Richard Welch

PC(USA) Mission Co-workers, Guatemala

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Forgive me; I know not what I do. A Good Friday reflection

It’s 3:30 in the morning and someone is outside chopping wood. Just one more abrupt sound in the night to jolt me once again from a restless sleep, and I find myself staring off once again through the mosquito netting into the darkness, wondering if I should just stop trying to sleep. My mind is buzzing from the stimulus of strange and unpleasant sounds and smells. Well, that and the huge mug of over-sweetened coffee I was served just prior to bed time. As I listen to the axe finding its way in and out of the wood, I run through the catalog of noises keeping me awake. There’s an immature rooster in the coop outside who’s just learning how to crow. A gecko in the rafters chirps from time to time. The dog outside, surprised by something unseen and unheard, launches into a tirade of barks. A poorly-muffled motorcycle makes its way down the rough and rocky drive outside the house. Shortly after midnight, someone’s audio system kicks on. I don’t think they’re home. So the neighborhood is being treated to a short playlist of Latin dance tunes, playing over and over. And now someone is out chopping wood.

What am I doing here? That question comes up from time to time in this type of work. On Sunday I left Cobán for El Estor, a community on the banks of Lake Izabal, close to the Gulf of Honduras. I’d gone to meet up with Brian, my coworker, as well as with two leaders from the Sinódica, the women’s organization of the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church. Their plan was to travel to the remote indigenous presbyteries of Estoreño and Izabal, connect with the women there, build relationships, and talk about potential projects and programs to better the lives of the women in these areas. I was invited along to share some of the education projects going on in other indigenous presbyteries. Plans and schedules are generally goals and guidelines. They are subject to unpredictable bus schedules, weather, and other things that come up in the course of executing one’s trip plans. In El Estor we met briefly with the women and then attended an evening Palm Sunday service. Clearly everyone was too tired to have a productive meeting that night. We decided to gather the following morning.

Brian (left) and Richard (right)
Together with the women following the Palm Sunday Service

Meeting with the Estoreño Women

Observing meetings of the women leaders of indigenous presbyteries is often an enlightening and encouraging experience. Our time with the leaders of the Estoreño presbiterial was no exception. They arrive on foot or by public transportation, often with one or more child in tow. They are always ready to greet each other and their visitors from distant places. They work so hard in support of their families, and yet are willing and excited about gathering with us in order to hear about programs that could potentially improve their lives, and the lives of their children. Each has a story worth listening to. Each has dreams they are ready to articulate and share with both the women with whom they have worked and struggled alongside in their faith community, as well as with these women they’ve just met. We four travelers knew we were in sacred space and the time could not be rushed.

Guatemalan hospitality: 
Richard outside our host's home

So now we are behind schedule and we’re starting to realize that it will be impossible to make the long trek out and back to a very remote village in the presbytery of Izabal. We call the pastor with the responsibility of supporting the presbiterial to explain our dilemma. “No problem”. He assures us, “We’ll put you up in the village for the night”. Normally, when we know we’ll be staying in a village without a hotel, we bring along a few camping essentials to spend a somewhat comfortable night in a church building. A camping cot and a sleeping bag can make a big difference when ‘roughing it’ in a village. The pastor knew we were unprepared; and the tradition of hospitality among Guatemalan indigenous people made us realize we’d be displacing someone in order to make room for us in a house in the village.

Sinodica leader Betty (right) with Izabal
presbiterial leaders

Arriving late in the day we were welcomed by the women leaders who insisted we rest and eat prior to meeting together. This was a different meeting dynamic. Meeting late in the day it was clear the women were tired and frustrated. The children were restless, keeping the women occupied with them. Having traveled several hours from the main road by truck, we knew we were visiting a very isolated place where the contrast with the people from our previous meeting in levels of education, language ability, and interest in educational programs was obvious to us. I started to wonder if we were wasting our, as well as their time. As our meeting time finished, several women asked me about scholarships and one asked about the possibility of attending some of the seminary extension classes taking place in Cobán. I could see and hear her interest, but also could detect her low energy and a sense of futility over the possibility of her being able to fulfil that dream.

Meeting with Izabal women. It's late, it's dark, and
everyone is tired

I’m running through these conversations and events as the sugar and coffee continue to keep me awake with artificial stimulation and the need for regular treks to the pit latrine. I’m smiling as I remember the Estoreño women and the door falling off the mini bus on the way to our next rendezvous. Still, my heart sinks a bit thinking of the women in this village and their general lack of enthusiasm or hope. Something startles the dog again and he launches into another round of excited barks. The chopping stops and a voice chastises the dog. I recognize the voice of the woman I spoke with earlier. She’s up at 3:30 chopping wood for her fire in order to prepare breakfast for her husband as he prepares to head to the palm plantation for the day’s work. And here I am, lying on a lumpy mattress on a too-short bed, feeling sorry for myself for not being more effective in communicating our project plans to this woman. “Oh Father forgive me, I had no idea of what this woman’s life was like”. Exhaustion and overwork were mistaken for apathy and hopelessness. I had been blessed by a glimpse into one person’s life and have been restored and resurrected. Come Easter Sunday! I’ve a new perspective of a lifelong holiday.

The blessings of the resurrection to you all!

Debbie and Richard Welch

PC(USA) Mission Co-workers, Guatemala

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