-Ramiro, a teacher turned businessman who is the presbytery treasurer and advisor to the presbytery's youth and young adult organization, is an elder in the Altar de Noe church (the presbytery's largest church, in central El Estor). He is the only Estore o person to visit Crescent Hill twice. Ramiro missed Monday's activities because he had to drive all night to go to a national church board meeting in which the division of the national church into five synods (including possibly an all-Q'eqchi' synod) was discussed (and then drive all night to get back). Ramiro and his family also helped prepare the team's Monday and Wednesday lunches, and hosted two team members in their home Sunday night. Ramiro seemed to be tired through the visit (as one might expect) and his stomach was ailing too. He spoke about spending a lot of time on church work that he might have spent on his business and privately about the truck that is the centerpiece of his business ailing. Ramiro spoke the most at the La Guitarra church.
-Raul Contreras, a singer and pastor at the Altar de Noe church, and again - one of the three Guatemalans who visited CHPC in 2014. Raul again proved to be a dynamic personality and a bit of a cut-up. He was the first of the two to join the team members swimming at the Seven Altars waterfalls. Raul's church also hosted Tuesday's children's and youth workshop and women's dialogue, and so many on the team got not only to meet his wife Elvira but also to tour his house and recording studio. Raul mentioned that his oldest child, 19-year-ood Delia, is not only pregnant but also has anemia and asked people to pray for her.
-Gerardo was long a dominant force in the partnership, as a friend of Carlos Lara from way back (the Guatemalan pastor turned LPTS student who guest-pastored at CHPC for part of Jane's 2006 sabbatical), as teh pastor of the presbytery largest church (El Estor's Arca de Noe), and as the presbytery leader who at least talked as if he best understood PC(USA)-style partnership principles. But then Gerardo's wife became ill and died, he developed health problems, the Arca de Noe church shifted to a different pastor, and he lost his home. Since then, however, he has remarried, found a new call at the Hijo del Dios Viviente church in La Guitarra, and is now president of the presbytery again. He was definitely part of the presbytery executive committee welcoming team. He was also the one who apparently talked about broader partnership principles during the various church visits. And I suspect it was partly because he is the pastor at the La Guitarra church that the team visited there instead of Rosa Marina's Monte Sinai church. There team got to met his new wife (Loida?), a former Arca de Noe parishioner or his.
-Fidel is the most quiet of the executive committee members, and also the one who got tapped to do the fewest introductions, etc. As soon as the team arrived, Fidel started to let people know about the death of one of his two sons, who died in March. Fidel is a former presbytery presidents who has pastored two different churches, the Peniel church in Boqueron (that Pastor Pablo Sacul pastored before he died) and the Hijo del Dois Viviente in La Guitarra (that Gerardo pastors now). 2007 team members met Fidel and his wife, Jesus, and he also participated in the 2010 Coban retreat. He and also Jesus and parishioners are building a parsonage in Boqueron. Even in this transition, Fidel and Jesus hosted two team members Sunday night. The team's visit to their church was one of the most enjoyable, relaxed visits.
-Pastor Mario, from the Lirio de los Valles church from the Los Cerritos neighborhood of El Estor, was the fifth of the Executive Committee members who accompanied the team, but the only who did not go to La Guitarra. Recall that Crescent Hill team members have visited his church in 2009, 2012, and 2016, and each time the church was in a new building (if not in a new location).
-Perry
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