Mid-February e-mail translated into English

Greetings to our Estoreño Presbytery brothers and sisters in Christ:

This month we have snow in Louisville and there is snow in many other places in the United States. This month many people from our church also continue to teach English to people who do not speak English well (including many Guatemalan men and women), prepare meals for the students and teachers, and play with children of the students. Also this month, other people from our church are participating in a Spanish class. The teacher is Ada, who went with the group to El Estor in 2007. Other people from our church are studying, in English and Spanish, partnership and ecumenism in the Bible and in a book about partnership. This month we are going to have a special worship service on Ash Wednesday and other special services before Easter Sunday.

In December Ben’s wife began to work again. Thanks to God, Shannon is well, after being very sick. Shannon works for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the national Presbyterian church in the United States. Many thanks to you all for your prayers for Shannon.

Some people in our church – and many other people in the community – do not have work. Other people believe that they are going not to have work in the future. Can you all pray for these people? We believe that that are many people in Guatemala without work also.

On a recent Saturday Pastor Gerardo and we talked about some ideas for a trip by a group of people from our church and a trip by a group of people from your presbytery. We imagine that each group (would) include some pastors, some elders, some deacons, some women, and some young men and young women (including at least two elders or deacons, two women (from the Presbyterian Women organization), and two young people ), 10 or 12 total in each group.

Our idea is that these groups meet in Coban and stay in the Nazarene Center in Coban. We imagine that we (would) do Bible study together, that we (would) talk about ideas for the partnership together, that we (would) talk together through the streets of Coban and (would) talk with some people about the history of Coban, Q’eqchi’ culture, and the region of the area (including Delia Leal, a pastor who preached at our church this past September).

We imagine that we (would) travel together to some places around Coban. It is possible that we (could) travel together to the Mayan museum in Co ban, to the Santa Margarita coffee plantation, and to Semuc Champey (waterfall area). We are communicating with Roger Marriott. Roger and his wife, Gloria, Presbyterian missionaries who live in Coban, and Roger hopes that we and you all are going to visit the La Patria school. We talk(ed) with Pastor Gerardo, and he hopes that we have a worship service with some Presbyterians who live in the area around Coban (possibly at the school).

The best time for Roger and us for the trip is the third week of July. It is possible that we and you all (would) meet in Coban on Saturday, July 10, or Sunday, July 11, and (would) stay there until Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Are you all interested in the idea of a meeting and trip to Coban? Is it possible that a group of pastors, elders, deacons, women, and young people from the Estore o presbytery could travel to Coban on July 10 or July 11? Would you all like to visit in Coban with us?

Roger is also organizing a meeting in April with U.S. Presbyterians from Tennessee and other places, Q’eqchi’ pastors and elders from many places in Guatemala, and some people from the national church in Guatemala (IENPG) about possible advanced theological training in Q’eqchi’ for pastors. It is possible that one or two people from our church are going to go to this meeting. The meeting is also going to be in Coban at the Nazarene Center, but is going to be April 20-27. It is possible that we and you all are going to communicate about this meeting in the future. We are interested in theological training even if we are not able to send some people to the meeting in April. Are you all interested in this meeting and in theological training for pastors?

By telephone with Pastor Gerardo, we also ask(ed) that you all try to provide us with the words in Q’eqchi’ for the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” In March 2009, Pastor Mario at the church in San Jorge sang this hymn – in Q’eqchi, we believe. The PC(USA), the national Presbyterian church in the United States, is now preparing a hymnal and we would like you all and we to submit the hymn in Q’eqchi’ for the hymnal.

Thanks for your attention to this long letter. Blessings from God for your ministries and your families this spring. We hope that some people from our church are going to be able to see some of you all in July or in April or (at) both (times).