Second song (March 29)

This second song sung by the Arca de Noe church's youth and young adults was less spirited. But the video gives a better view of the whole group. Click on the arrow below, and you be the judge yourself which song was better.

Jovenes de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Arca de Noe (March 29)

The mystery elder led the youth and young adult of the Arca de Noe church in song, during worship. Could this have been "When the Saints Go Marching In" again? Click on the arrow below to watch and listen.

Pastor Abelino sings (March 29)

Pastor Abelino Tec Chub, of the Livingston church, helped get the Sunday night worship service El Estor's Arca de Noe church get started by leading the singing. Click on the arrow below to watch and listen.

Marimba music (March 29)

An elder whose name I forget, Pastor Raul, and Pastor José helped cool us down at the El Chupon mission church that the Arca de Noe church has subsequently helped reconstruct before Pastor Gerardo spoke with us. Click on the bottom arrow to watch and listen.

La Union song (March 29)

Two young women - I'm guessing they were daughters of Pastor Roberto (far left) and his wife (middle) - helped lead the singing of a song in a very different style than that at the San Jorge church. This was the misison church in the El Estor suburb of La Union, where Pablo and Roberto were also pastors. Click on the bottom arrow to watch and listen.

When the Saints . . . (March 29)

Click below to watch and listen as Pastor Mario, of the San Jorge church in El Estor's Esperanza neighborhood, sings another song, this one up-tempo (I believe it's "When the Saints Go Marching In"). If you've got a laptop, turn it sideways.

Greetings from Crescent Hill folks

This is Ana's summary/translation of notes people wrote to Estoreño folks on prayers sheets and on a big card we left in the Narthex (which Martha and Lowell helped organize) in May, which Ellen sent - with a few additional comments -to Guatemala by e-mail on Tuesday. Thanks, Martha, Lowell, Ana, and Ellen!

Hermanos y Hermanas del Presbiterio El Estereño,

Les manda saludos en el nombre de Jesucristo, esperando que sus vidas estén llenas de las bendiciones de Dios.

Lo siguiente es un resumén de unos saludos de miembros de nuestra iglesia, Crescent Hill, a ustedes que ellos y ellas lo escribieron en español y ingles a su presbiterio.

Hermanos y Hermanas en Cristo:

Queremos que sepan que están en nuestras oraciones, y que sepan que oramos por ustedes todos los días.

Sigamos sembrando las semillas buenas y esperamos buenas cosechas de justicia y paz, su trabajo nos alienta para continuar nuestro ministerio.

La paz de Cristo sea con ustedes. Estamos contentos de poder conocerlos, como también estamos agradecidos de poder estudiar y aprender juntos en hermandad los pasajes de la Biblia que nos unifican cada vez mas.

Nos sentimos sumamente bendecidos por tener esta relación de hermandad con ustedes,a la vez les damos las gracias por la calurosa bienvenida que les dieron a los miembros de nuestra iglesia en la visita que recientemente les hicimos, hemos escuchado cosas hermosas de su comunidad y de la manera tan amable en que los atendieron.

Nuestros deseos y oraciones siempre son con las mayores bendiciones para su iglesia, sus familias y su comunidad.

Oramos también porque la paz de Cristo siga siendo con ustedes y recuerden que nuestra iglesia Crescent Hill los mantiene en sus oraciones y en sus corazones siempre!

Que las bendiciones de Dios sean con ustedes,

La Iglesia Crescent Hill!

Congratulations, Amanda and Omar!

PC(USA) mission co-worker Karla Koll writes that Amanda Craft, another PC(USA) mission co-worker in Guatemala, who two Crescent Hill Guatemala mission teams worked with, gave birth to a son two weeks early on Monday of this week. Unfortunately, Omar Chan, Amanda's husband, has been in the United States, in connection with the PC(USA) Big Tent gathering in Atlanta earlier this month, and so he missed the birth. With no picture or name yet of the baby, pictured above are Amanda and Omar when the spring 2009 mission team lunched with them three months ago yesterday. Karla also writes that the coup d'etat in Honduras has not only removed the president but also unveiled attacks on leaders in his government and others who support or are seen as supporting him. Some people in Guatemala have called on the military there to mimick the Honduran military and topple President Colom, Koll writes. It also seems possible that the coup wasn't so much about removing the president - who only had a few months left in office and had only tried to schedule a non-binding referendum about eliminating the one-term term limits - as about going after Honduran community groups that have been a thorn in the side of the Honduran military and the country's affulent families.

-- Perry