Commitments

After an amazing but long day at Semuc Champey, two groups - representing both Crescent Hill church and the Estoreno Presbtery – got together to plan. Lowell (aka Raul), Armando, and Pastor Antonio (aka Tomo) planned the final “despedida” service. Jane, Perry, Pastor Fidel (the presbytery president), and Pastor Gerardo (our main phone and e-mail contact) hammered out a partnership “compromiso” (covenant). What we came up with, which will be posted later, was a two-part document. In one part, the presbytery pledged to do a number of things, and in the other part Crescent Hill church pledged to do a number of things. A number of things were on both lists (and had been on an essentially unwritten list from a year ago): regular phone and e-mail communication, regular prayer for each other, shared Bible study, visits (by us and perhaps them). In possession of a list of suggestions of ways we could aid them from the previous evening (whose two-hour sesssion had gone relatively well), we noticed an interest in more intensive training and study, and so we pledged to send a persono r persons to help with Duch study or trainings. We also pledged to learn Spanish better (they pitched for Q’eqchi’ too, which is a tougher one) and to learn more about the Guatemalan and Q’eqchi’ cultures and the church there. And – under prayer support – we pledged to have more prayer vigils. (We may include a P.S. about something we talked about Tuesday evening: review of the partnership – for example, in 2012.) Everyone seemed pretty happy. During the service, as the message, (after making some general comments) Jane with Ellen read our part, and Gerardo with Fidel read the presbytery part. In the midst of singing led by Maria, Gerardo, Tomo, and Lowell, we all went to the front and signed around the written commitments, on a banner about out partnership that we had constructed earlier in the week. The service ended with the singing of “Amazing Grace” in English, Spanish, and Q’eqchi’. As a follow-up, we will take the compriso to the church session and other groups, as well as translating our part, and e-mailing this, along with what we wrote down as their commitments, in Spanish, and e-mailing this to the presbytery. The Estoreno group will take the commitment to their presbytery executive committee, other groups, and the churches. As they say in Q’eqchi’ land, ooss!

-- Perry