Saturday gathering

Crescent Hill folks interested in finalizing plans for the Kentuckiana visit by Estoreño Presbytery representatives will gather at Stephanie, Perry, and Vincent’s home at 3928 Kennison Avenue, sort of behind Trinity High School (campus pictured above) and Heine Brothers on Chenoweth Lane, at 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Everyone is welcome.

Monday

Prayers for our five friends hoping to obtain visas to visit the United States, leaving El Estor at 1:00 a.m. tonight by car and traveling all night through Rio Dulce (pictured above). We should know Monday night whether they will be coming to visit Kentuckiana as planned (Tuesday PM, November 29, through Wednesday AM, December 7). A 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 28 meeting may be in order in advance of the visit.

Election results

Otto Perez Molina, the former general and intelligence chief, won the Guatemala's president election this past Sunday, with 54 percent of the vote, against a populist candidate who emerged later during the election. Molina's Patriotic Party own a plurality in parliament, with more deputies than a short-lived coalition that included the outgoing center-left president's party, which endorsed Molina's opponent. Molina, like each man Guatemala has elected as president since the Peace Accords, ran second in the previous election

- Perry

Early November gathering

Help plan the possible Kentuckiana visit by Crescent Hill’s Guatemala partners by participating in a gathering at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday, November 5, at Brad and Soni Castleberry’s at 209 Fairfax Avenue, Unit 1, kitty corner from the St. Matthews library and down the street from El Tarasco restaurant. Contact Soni at 896-8561 or Andrea at 895-1102 for more information. Everyone is welcome

Sunday's vote

In the face of a fall of torrential rains, Guatemalans go to the polls this Sunday, November 4, for a presidential election runoff. The election pits retired Army General Otto Perez Molina (of the right-wing Patriot Party), who garnered some one-third of the vote in the September 11 first-round election), against populist millionaire businessman Manuel Baldizon (of the centrist Renewed Democratic Liberty Party), who garnered some one-quarter of the vote. There was no presidential candidate from the party of outgoing President Colom in the election. Opined PC(USA) mission co-worker Karla Koll about the two candidates: "Both are making lots of promises that can’t be fulfilled. Both are reported to have tied to drug cartels. The lack of political alternatives at the national level is a good reminder that change here will not come through the formal political process, but through people organizing at the community level to hold their leaders accountable. Please pray that the elections will take place without violence and intimidation."

- Perry

November prayers

This month Crescent Hill church will pray with and for our Guatemalan partners:

-On Sunday, November 6, and the week thereafter: Hijo del Dios Viviente church in the village of La Guitarra outside of Livingston, Pastor Fidel Juc and family, and members, deacons, and elders

-On Sunday, November 13, and during the week thereafter: El Buen Samaritano church in El Estor’s Nuevo Amanacer neighborhood, and members, deacons, and elders.

-On Sunday, November 20, and during the week thereafter: Q’eqchi’ Estoreño, Izabal Presbytery Executive Committee, President Pablo Sacul, and other officers.

-On Sunday, November 27, and during the week thereafter: Estoreño Presbytery Presbyterian Women organization, President Maria Coc Tial, and other officers.

-On Sunday, December 4, and during the week thereafter: Estoreño Presbytery youth and young adult organization, President Roderico Sacul Tiul, and other officers.

EFL publicity

A dozen Crescent Hill, James Lees, and CCC folks gathered this past Wednesday to brainstorm about publicity for the joint English as a foreign language education ministry and, in the end, to plan its future. The group decided that the fall term would end as plan, on the Monday before Thanksgiving (November 21), but Monday would be a party, with no classes. The group decided on the Monday after the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday (Monday, January 23) through Wednesday, March 14 as the dates for the winter term, and possibly Monday, April 9 (Easter Monday) through Wednesday, May 23 as the spring term. There was a wide discussion about publicity possibilities and a discussion of the need to remake the current flyer in a software that all could use (Phil volunteered to re-do it in Word) and possibly to include that students could start in the middle of the term and that the classes were not religious classes (for potentially leery non-Protestants). The group divvied up a range of different publicity responsibilities.

-Perry