In November, seven Guatemalan young adults embarked on a four-day adventure that will have a lasting impact on their lives. I had the privilege of accompanying the group, alongside Pastors Emerson Morales and Mardoqueo Perez of Jesus es El Camino church in Guatemala City. The Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery funded this trip.
In late January 2020, New Castle Presbytery sent a delegation to Guatemala for its annual visit with mission partners: the Association of Mam Christian Women for Development and the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA). Delegates look forward to the yearly trip as a great way to reconnect and see God’s work in action. The presbytery has been sending a team to Guatemala for more than 30 years, as it believes building collaborative relationships are of utmost importance in addressing the root causes of poverty.
As in the U.S., COVID-19 has caused a huge disruption in the lives of families in Guatemala, resulting in lives lost, jobs vanished and plans put on hold. The Western Highlands, where the Association of Mam Christian Women for Development is headquartered, has been hit especially hard because of widespread poverty and nearly nonexistent health systems. As a result, high levels of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity in rural Guatemala persist.
A delegation from New Castle Presbytery traveled to Guatemala late last month to strengthen relationships with our two in-country partners — the Association of Mam Christian Women for Development and CEDEPCA. Together, the organizations collaborate to support sustainable development initiatives for indigenous women and communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. New Castle Presbytery and its member churches have faithfully responded to the widespread, critical needs of Guatemalans since the late 1990s.
