Patricia Cespedes-Schueller, a member of the Sister Parish Board of Directors, gave the following talk during a Sister Parish-themed service at Wallingford United Methodist Church in Seattle, Washington. The Sister Parish board rotates the location of meetings to visit current and potential Sister Parish churches. Contact us if you would like to host our board for a meeting. It is a great opportunity to gather and share Sister Parish with more people.
Buenos dĂas, Good Morning, my name is Patricia Cespedes-Schueller I am a member of a Catholic community called Saint Joan of Arc (SJA) located in Minnesota. SJA has been walking in solidarity with Tierra Nueva II in Guatemala for more than 26 years and our relationship gets stronger every year. In preparation for this talk, there was one reading in particular that called my attention: Acts 4:32. “Now, all the believers were one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”
The acts of the apostles tell us about the profound spirit of community within the early church. In the same way, I feel that our relationship with the community of TN II in Guatemala follows the same spirit. When our two communities encountered each other more than 26 years ago, this profound encounter moved us to open not only our hearts, but also our lives and share our struggles together and understand injustices and possibilities.
My daughter and I traveled to Guatemala to visit TN II in August of 2018. We had the honor to stay with a family which consisted of a mom, a dad and two daughters. We slept in the best bed they had in the house and sat in the best places at the table when sharing a meal. They explained their identity as a mixed family, Ladina (of mixed Indigenous and European descent) and Garifuna (of Afro-Caribbean descent), with pride in their heritage. The dad was not in town when we were staying with his family due to the lack of jobs in the area. He needed to travel far away to find jobs. Sometimes he could not find work for long periods of time. The mom had a small room where she sold bread that she picked up from the bakery at 4:30 am. In addition, she sold some homemade “empanadas” which are small pies made by wrapping a pastry around cheese in this case. She sold these things to provide for her daughters. The older daughter was studying to be a teacher, but at the same time, she also needed to work to help the family, and her commute was long, and her days were very tiring. The younger daughter was still in high school. Both daughters were very dedicated students. A year later, I learned that the dad’s health had worsened, and he could not work any longer, and the older daughter stopped studying to support her family.
This family shared their lives with us. We talked for hours telling each other funny and sad family stories. We sang together. We danced. I helped the mom to cook empanadas at 4am in the morning one day. My daughter dressed up in some of the daughters’ dresses just for fun. The three young women played a game called Dos (a version of the game Uno in USA). We took many pictures. We shared so many meals together even when we were not hungry at all. One day I mentioned that I liked a fruit called lychee and the next day I had many waiting for me at the house. We talked with the dad on the phone because they wanted to share that with us. We were a family united in one heart and soul.
This is what sister parish offered to my daughter and I, a real encounter with real people, the gift to struggle for justice together with our brothers and sisters in TN II. The understanding that our families had many similarities, but also the awareness that our geographic locations either limited or offered more opportunities to us, and the realization that the injustices were keeping us from fully answering our call to be a community who shared everything together, to fully be a family.Â
After my visit to TN II in Guatemala I joined the Sister Parish community at Saint Joan of Arc and later I joined the board of Sister Parish Inc. The Acts of the Apostles says, “Now, all the believers were one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” Sister Parish offered us the opportunity to share our lives, to be One with our brothers and sisters in TN II, Guatemala and that is a gift that we accepted. I know many of you are sharing your lives with Guatemalans and Salvadorans, but there is always more space for more to join us in this journey.
Los Hechos de los apĂłstoles nos hablan del profundo espĂritu de comunidad dentro de la iglesia en ese entonces. De la misma manera, siento que nuestro hermanamiento con la comunidad de TN II en Guatemala sigue en el mismo espĂritu.
Jan Heikes, a member of the Sister Parish Board of Directors, gave the following talk during a Sister Parish-themed service at Wallingford United Methodist Church in Seattle, Washington. The Sister Parish board rotates the location of meetings to visit current and potential Sister Parish churches. Contact us if you would like to host our board for a meeting. It is a great opportunity to gather and share Sister Parish with more people.
Hi! I’m Jan Heikes from Decorah, Iowa.
Our affiliation with Sister Parish began in about 1996 after my husband, Lee Zook, took a three-week summer course in Guatemala in preparation for course that he was leading for Luther College students. One of the activities was a visit to UPAVIM where he met Dick Fenske, one of Sister Parish’s founders. He came back very excited, and a core group including our current pastor, Jim Dale, started exploring the idea.
After some time of education and discernment, our first delegation traveled to Nebaj, Guatemala in June of 1999. Over the next three years, we had two additional delegations south, and one north. Although none of us considered ourselves financially well off, the living situations of our hosts showed us the reality of how many people lived…dirt floors, cooking over an open fire, hand dug pits in the corn field for bathrooms. But incredible hospitality in sharing all that they had with us, and with those even less fortunate than they were. And we struggled in how to be in solidarity with these folks given our wealth. We financed scholarships and a chicken raising project. I’m not sure exactly what happened…internal conflicts, politics, the leadership not acting on behalf of the entire Nebaj community…it’s all a little murky. And, staff recommended that the relationship end.
I tell you this because we don’t tend to talk about the things that can go wrong. The experience shook us, and it took a couple of years to regroup. Could we really make the same connection with another community like we did with the people of Nebaj? What would be our role in funding projects? How could we make sure that our relationship was based on our solidarity with each other?
But in 2003, we had our first delegation to Potrerillos, El Salvador with delegations going north (January & November of 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, and 2017) or south (2006 and 2014) every year until 2017. Maria Van Der Maaten & I have been back as part of open delegations, but COVID, Sister Parish active members growing older, and busy schedules interrupted several “almost” delegations. About 2 years ago, the group expanded to include the Congregational UCC across the street.
I continue to be struck by the importance of relationships built through Sister Parish, relationships that have long-lasting impacts even if the contact is not frequent. We know their stories. We can tell their stories. And this is powerful in a community that continues to have an increasing immigrant population that fill jobs in meat packing plants and on farms that would otherwise go unfilled. One of our delegates was a Decorah police officer who wanted to see what life was like for those people that he was running into on the streets. Now, Warren is a big man who towered over most of our friends in El Salvador. And when the host family found out that he was a policeman from the US, they were terrified. This was not the reaction that this teddy bear of a man had expected.
Personally I’ve had to confront and become aware of prejudices that I didn’t think I had…things like poor people aren’t in touch with the political situation. Boy, was I wrong there!!
But, I think that a piece that my younger son, Sam, wrote on return from his first visit as a 14 year old might say it best….
“Since I have come back from El Salvador, I have changed the way that I look at the world, the U.S., and everyday items that are supposedly necessities in America. Potrerillos, where we stayed as a delegation, was the poorest place I have been in all of my life. But it was remarkably one of the places with the most smiles walking the streets… This joyfulness that surrounded me affected the way I acted, and what I did. So when I came back home, I felt almost sad—that I wasn’t in that environment and that I had so many things around to distract me unlike my time in El Salvador.”
Les cuento esto porque no solemos hablar de las cosas que pueden salir mal. La experiencia nos sacudiĂł y nos llevĂł un par de años reagruparnos. ÂżPodrĂamos realmente establecer la misma conexiĂłn con otra comunidad como la que establecimos con la gente de Nebaj? ÂżCuál serĂa nuestro papel en la financiaciĂłn de proyectos? ÂżCĂłmo podrĂamos asegurarnos de que nuestra relaciĂłn se basara en nuestra solidaridad mutua?
En 2003, tuvimos nuestra primera delegaciĂłn a nuestro nuevo hermanamiento en Potrerillos, El Salvador, con delegaciones que iban al norte (en 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 y 2017) y al sur (2006 y 2014) cada año hasta 2017. Maria Van Der Maaten y yo hemos vuelto como parte de delegaciones abiertas, pero el COVID, el envejecimiento de los miembros activos de Iglesias Hermanas y las agendas ocupadas interrumpieron varias delegaciones “casi”. Hace 2 años, el grupo se expandiĂł para incluir a la la Iglesia Unida Congregacional al otro lado de la calle.
Personalmente, he tenido que enfrentarme y tomar conciencia de prejuicios que no creĂa tener… cosas como que la gente pobre no está en contacto con la situaciĂłn polĂtica. ¡Vaya, estaba muy equivocada!
Creo que un texto que mi hijo menor, Sam, escribió al regresar de su primera visita a los 14 años lo explica mejor…
In April 2024, Danville Congregational Church hosted a Sister Parish Sunday that included special hymns, a children’s message about Holy Week traditions in Guatemala, video messages and prayer requests from their sister community in San Antonio, Guatemala and a sermon from Sister Parish staff Carrie Stengel (below). The service was livestreamed so that people in San Antonio could watch.
Mark 6:7-10
Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.
Good morning, Buenos DĂas, Saqarik (in Maya Quiche to San Antonio watching now).
On one of my first delegations with Sister Parish, an elder in the community told our group that we were like the 12 disciples sent out by Jesus in the reading today. They were told to bring nothing but their staff and their clothes and to stay in the homes of the people they visited. This elder told us we were doing God’s work just like the disciples, just by visiting.
We were struck and moved by his comment. We hadn’t thought of it that way and weren’t sure how the community saw us, though it is true that some of us felt called to be there.
We had come to humbly accept radical hospitality, to approach this relationship not as helper and helped, but as equals, each serving both as the giver and the receiver while also recognizing the inequalities of the world. Though we did bring more than just a staff and clothes in our suitcases, in other ways, we brought very little. No health brigade, no building project. We hoped to build bridges of a different kind. As Pope Francis said, God had come and called us out of our house, to be encountered so as to encounter others.
Since 2011, Sister Parish, the non-profit organization I work with, has had the honor of facilitating DCC’s relationship with the Catholic Community of San Antonio in Guatemala – it is a small church in a rural Indigenous Maya Quiche community. We facilitate similar relationships for 10 other U.S. churches, from Maine to Seattle to Minnesota, and each of them has a partner community in Guatemala or El Salvador. As an organization, we connect people, provide opportunities for cultural and faith-based exchanges. At our best, we also foster a commitment to social justice that is both local and global.
12 years ago, I visited San Antonio for the first time. In the house I stayed in, the two teenagers took care of me. Erica and Olga made sure I had enough to eat and that I was warm enough and not lonely at night. They taught me how to sing “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” in the Maya Quiche language so we could entertain their nieces and nephews while their mothers made tortillas and beans for 12 of us. Paola sang us hymns as we fell asleep.
There, on that day, I started building bridges, not out of cement or brick or metal, but out of moments of connection. Over the years, I have added many other moments to what I carry in my heart.
As we have shared our joys. I remember Juana and Ana teaching me their dance routine for a school performance and hanging out with Yoselin and Leslie in Antigua during a visit from DCC. On another visit with DCC, Tomás surprised our group, taking us to a beautiful mountain lookout and serving us “shecas”, the special bread served with honey during Holy Week that I showed a picture of during the children’s message. Tomás and the community didn’t want us to miss out on this special community tradition just because we visited a few weeks before Holy Week.
We have shared our struggles too. I remember talking with one woman in San Antonio after her son left for the U.S. He had not found work in Guatemala and had two little kids to support. She hadn’t heard from him for days. She found out later he had made it, but at that time she didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Many mothers never even get an answer to that question. During the pandemic they told me the young men were leaving in “truckloads”. Over the years, we have prayed for many members of both San Antonio and DCC who have lost loved ones, faced illness or long struggles with addiction. When 16-year-old Caty from San Antonio passed away, we grieved for her and the grief was double for me knowing that the injustice of poverty and entrenched racism played a role in her death. In San Antonio they received our prayers for Caty and sent videos of the funeral march. They know that Caty’s picture sits on DCC’s altar during the All Saints Day mass.
We have shared our movements and resilience. I remember Pedro talking to DCC about the historical and ongoing displacement of Indigenous peoples in Guatemala and the creative organizing happening now to protect Indigenous territory and Mother Earth. Last fall, Indigenous leaders in Guatemala led the nation-wide efforts to protect democracy and the elected president was able to take office thanks, in part, to their efforts. When a group from San Antonio came up to visit DCC, they learned about the church’s call as an open and affirming church and the movements in the U.S. to promote the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
We have shared our faith. I remember San Antonio’s reflection after visiting DCC. “We learned a new way to pray,” they told me. In Danville, they hold hands, uniting with each other and with God. “We will do that now,” they said.
I remember 12-year-old David’s reflection after visiting San Antonio. We asked him what he gave and what he received, and he told us, “I gave my time and I received the truth.”
That’s just it. Through Sister Parish, we expand our circle of understanding and we deepen our faith. We are called to our visits and our encountering of each other, not just because we enjoy it and we learn from it, though those are both good things. We are called to it because of God’s love for us and for the human dignity of all people. All those moments of connection I now carry in my heart add up to love.
In a world that seeks to divide us by nation, by language, by racism and classism, by the haves and have nots of the world, what is more transformational than connecting across those barriers? What force is more powerful than love in changing the global systems of oppression that divide us and obscure our shared humanity? You simply cannot view injustice with indifference or apathy when the people you love are harmed by it. Though it can be hard to see from here, the struggles for justice in the U.S. and Guatemala are inextricably linked.
The bridges we build cannot be built in a matter of days or weeks. We build them over time, in the moments we listen together, pray together, laugh together, and speak out against injustice together. If a group of delegates from the U.S. is like the 12 disciples, then so too is San Antonio, as we minister to each other.
And we invite you all to join us. You can connect with the Sister Parish committee here, help plan activities, join a call with San Antonio, or travel to Guatemala. There is an opportunity this November to travel with Trish and others from DCC who will join a Sister Parish trip to Guatemala and El Salvador – please reach out if you are interested in learning more.
The reading from Micah today asks, “And what does the Lord require of you?” The answer is straightforward, though not always easy in practice, “To do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This is what Sister Parish calls us to do.
Because of the relationship built over many years, you are invited into something that I believe is sacred and holy. You are invited to eat beans and tortillas over an open fire, to carry water from the well, to sing “head, shoulders, knees and toes” in Maya Quiche, to kneel on the floor of a rural church in Guatemala as you pray in 3 languages, to join hands in prayer and action to change injustice, and to share your own knowledge and gifts. It is not always easy. Sometimes it is awkward, sometimes it is hard and painful.
But you are invited in in the spirit of love. And you are invited to let that love and humility transform you as we work together toward that better world we need and know is possible.
In the video below, Pedro and Gabriel from San Antonio talk about what the Sister Parish relationship means to them and their community.
En el video arriba, Pedro y Gabriel hablan de lo que significa el hermanamiento para ellos y su comunidad.
En abril de 2024, la Iglesia Congregacional de Danville organizó un servicio para celebrar su hermanamiento que incluyó himnos especiales, un mensaje para niños sobre las tradiciones de la Semana Santa en Guatemala, mensajes en video e intenciones de su comunidad hermana en San Antonio, Guatemala y un sermón de Carrie Stengel, miembro Iglesias Hermanas (abajo). El servicio se transmitió en vivo para que la gente de San Antonio pudiera verlo.
Su comentario nos impresionĂł y nos conmoviĂł. No lo habĂamos pensado asĂ y no estábamos seguros de cĂłmo nos veĂa la comunidad, aunque es cierto que algunos nos sentĂamos llamados a estar ahĂ. HabĂamos llegado a aceptar humildemente la hospitalidad radical, a abordar este hermanamiento no como servidor y servido, sino como iguales, cada uno dando y recibiendo a la vez, y al mismo tiempo reconociendo las desigualdades del mundo. Aunque trajimos mucho más que un bastĂłn y ropa en nuestras maletas, en otros aspectos trajimos muy poco. Ni brigada de salud, ni proyecto de construcciĂłn. Esperábamos construir puentes de otro tipo. Como decĂa el Papa Francisco, Dios vino y nos llamĂł a salir de nuestra casa, para encontrarnos a nosotros mismos y reencontrarnos con los demás.
Hemos compartido nuestras luchas y resiliencia. Recuerdo que Pedro hablĂł con la iglesia de Danville sobre el desplazamiento histĂłrico y actual de los pueblos indĂgenas en Guatemala y la organizaciĂłn creativa que se está llevando a cabo ahora para proteger el territorio indĂgena y la Madre Tierra. El otoño pasado, los lĂderes indĂgenas de Guatemala lideraron los esfuerzos a nivel nacional para proteger la democracia y el presidente electo pudo asumir el cargo gracias, en parte, a sus esfuerzos. Cuando un grupo de San Antonio vino a visitar la iglesia de Danville, aprendieron sobre el llamado de la iglesia como una iglesia abierta y afirmativa y los movimientos en los EE. UU. para promover los derechos de la comunidad de la diversidad sexual.
Es eso. En Iglesias Hermanas, ampliamos nuestro cĂrculo de entendimiento y profundizamos nuestra fe. Estamos llamados a nuestras visitas y a nuestro encuentro mutuo, no sĂłlo porque lo disfrutamos y aprendemos de ello, aunque ambas son cosas buenas. Estamos llamados a ello por el amor de Dios por nosotros y por la dignidad de todas las personas. Todos esos momentos de conexiĂłn que ahora llevo en mi corazĂłn se suman al amor.
Pero estás invitado a entrar con un espĂritu de amor. Y estás invitado a dejar que el amor y la humildad te transformen mientras trabajamos juntos hacia ese mundo mejor que tanto necesitamos. Sabemos que es posible.
I love to travel. As a tourist – for sure. But also to learn and grow. I lived in Singapore for a year, visited the USSR (when it was the USSR), mainland China before it “opened up”, met with perpetrators and victims of the genocide in Rwanda, and with people who lived through “the troubles” in Northern Ireland.
And I did learn a lot! –Central American history, which is also U.S. history; Guatemalan and Salvadoran cultures and foods; the beauty of the landscapes. I heard accounts of the horrific civil wars and armed conflicts from people who suffered, fought in, rebuilt after, and are still recovering from them.Â
But something else, harder to put into words, set the Sister Parish trip apart from all my other travels. I keep mulling it over, and right now, three biblical words seem to get me closest to the deeper experience I had: Witness. Covenant. And Hope.
WITNESS: Most church trips to developing countries bring money, expertise, or materials to those “in need.” When we “have so much”, why wouldn’t we? Why wouldn’t Sister Parish?
I began to understand the “why” of that even before we left Seattle. Guatemala was roiling in pro-democracy protests and blockades to stop the erosion of basic human rights, as powerful elites worked to undermine the winner of the recent presidential election. In conversations about risks we could face, I suddenly realized our trip wasn’t just to learn or see. We were also going to let people under the thumb of repression and injustice know they were not alone. We could see them. We could hear them. We believed them. Decades-long relationships with one another meant they could trust us with their truth, even when telling the truth was often extremely dangerous for them.Â
I asked people in both countries, “How can we support you?” They answered swiftly: “Tell what you see happening here.” Be a witness. Get the word out. Give our suffering and increasing vulnerability a voice in the ear of people like you, people in power in your country, and in God’s ear as you pray for us.
As essential as money can be, witness and solidarity, born of deep trust, is even more precious. And rare. Thank God Sister Parish exists to support this.
COVENANT–An old-fashioned word, mostly reserved for real estate these days. But it’s the Bible’s word for God’s abiding relationship with humanity, culminating in Christ’s solidarity with the powerless, and with all of us in our suffering, sorrow, complicity and shame. It seems to me the only word adequate for describing the beauty and power of Sister Parish’s decades-long relationships of mutual solidarity and friendship is “covenant”. As God with us, we seek to be faithful to each other. Human though we are, we live into the promise: “We will never give up on each other.”
Why was this trip richer than any other for me? I was traveling with people and to people who loved each other. With warm covenant love!
Getting out of the van in Tierra Nueva Dos, Guatemala, I knew none of the people waiting for us. But they seemed to know me! Such warm hugs! Immediately! This wasn’t forced or fake. I was family because Sister Parish is family, now I was part of Sister Parish! Somehow, with no shared language, a tiny abuela and I felt a deep connection. Over lunch, I asked enough questions to learn of her separation from her parents as a child, servitude, loss of family members in the war–with her daughter’s explanations and Jorge’s translating. I found great comfort in her unflinching gaze right into my eyes, and her tight hugs. I feel her still.
I will never forget our last night in Guarjila. Seven of us sat around the dining table –3 former guerillas, now teachers; 3 from the States and Ruth, translating. We weren’t Salvadorans, Guatemalan, and Americans, though. These were old friends reconnecting after a long absence. Like old friends do, gifts were exchanged. We talked deeply. About the painful past. With resolute, heart-broken eyes, they told of old traumas they have worked so hard to erase, rearing their ugly heads in new ways. We talked possibilities. We laughed until we cried or until things turned serious again. A group photo which somehow turned into a chorus line (?!?) concluded the evening. Such a rich blessing of an evening. Thanks only to the 24-year covenant relationships between the communities of Wallingford United Methodist Church and Guarjilla,Â
HOPE My awe grew with every community visit. Each had its stories of trauma, determination, resilience and continuing injustices and violence. And in each, people didn’t just withstand this, they lived in courage and hope. Are you frightened? “Yes.” Are you sick at heart to see the health, equality and compassion you have rebuilt since the war, being enthusiastically assaulted? “Yes, of course.” Are you thinking about leaving your country for the safety of another country? “No. No way. Our young people, yes — to avoid gangs, make money and have a better life. But we, we must resist. We must care for the communities that cared for us.“ No one wavered in this. They were matter of fact.
I already knew that for hope to BE hope, it has to be more than a fleeting feeling. But how can people who have experienced the decimation of all they hold dear, who then summoned the will to rebuild, and now are faced with the prospect of going through it all again, how can they still have hope enough to stay and do it again? On that last Guarjila evening, Carlos (former guerilla, now teacher of the children who are El Salvador’s future) said: There is only one good thing that came out of the war — That we will never let it happen again.
Is Carlos out of touch with reality? Or might he hope for more than what he can accomplish? And might his hope reach beyond our lifetimes? If so, where does such hope come from? On this trip, he and others showed me hope is a work of love. As St. Paul says in I Corinthians:13: Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Sister Parish, thank you! For sustaining hope, North and South, through the witness of those who seek to walk together; through faithful, joyful covenant relationships for the long haul; and most of all, for inviting us to take hold of the promise of God’s transforming love, and, to take heart! Being part of how God’s resurrecting power is still loose in the world.Â
Asà que me unà a la Delegación Abierta de Iglesias Hermanas el pasado noviembre (2023) esperando un viaje interesante y significativo, y la oportunidad de conocer a gente de Guarjilla, El Salvador, a quienes mi prometido, Tom Pouliot, conoce desde hace casi 25 años.
Pero algo más, más difĂcil de poner en palabras, diferenciĂł el viaje de Iglesias Hermanas de todos mis otros viajes. Sigo dándole vueltas, y ahora mismo, tres palabras bĂblicas parecen acercarme más a la experiencia más profunda que tuve: Atestiguar. Alianza. Y Esperanza.
Por más esencial que pueda ser el dinero, el testimonio y la solidaridad, nacidos de una confianza profunda, son aún más preciosos. Y raros. Gracias a Dios, Iglesias Hermanas existe para apoyar esto.
ESPERANZA: Mi asombro creciĂł con cada visita a cada comunidad. Cada una tenĂa sus historias de trauma, determinaciĂłn, resiliencia e injusticias y violencia continuas. Y en cada una, la gente no solo soportĂł esto, viviĂł con valentĂa y esperanza. ÂżTienes miedo? “SĂ”. ÂżTe duele el corazĂłn al ver que la salud, la igualdad y la compasiĂłn que has reconstruido desde la guerra están siendo atacadas con entusiasmo? “SĂ, por supuesto”. ÂżEstás pensando en dejar tu paĂs para ir a la seguridad de otro paĂs? “No. De ninguna manera. Nuestros jĂłvenes, sĂ, para evitar las pandillas, ganar dinero y tener una vida mejor. Pero nosotros, debemos resistir. Debemos cuidar a las comunidades que nos cuidaron”. Nadie vacilĂł en esto. Eran objetivos.
Ya sabĂa que para que la esperanza SEA esperanza, tiene que ser más que un sentimiento fugaz. Pero, ÂżcĂłmo pueden las personas que han experimentado la aniquilaciĂłn de todo lo que aprecian, que luego convocaron la voluntad de reconstruir, y ahora se enfrentan a la perspectiva de pasar por todo eso nuevamente, cĂłmo pueden tener esperanza suficiente para quedarse y hacerlo de nuevo? En esa Ăşltima noche de Guarjila, Carlos (ex-guerrillero, ahora maestro de los niños que son el futuro de El Salvador) dijo: Solo hay una cosa buena que saliĂł de la guerra: que nunca permitiremos que vuelva a suceder.
There is so much we want to share with you about the Open Delegation in November. So many stories, so many experiences. It had been four years since the last Open Delegation, and Cathy Burrell, current member of the Sister Parish US board, was part of the last delegation in 2019 and also this year. She shares her experience in this beautiful letter.
Sister Parish Open Delegation Guatemala and El Salvador November 7-17
On Tuesday November 7, I was part of a ten-person delegation who came together in Guatemala City to begin our journey on an Open Delegation. We were fortunate to also have community members from UPAVIM (Conchita) and Tierra Nueva Uno (Lorena) accompany us from Guatemala to El Salvador. We all had connections with Sister Parish and were looking forward to visiting Sister Parish communities, meeting the people, listening to their stories, and learning about their histories. We had many learning opportunities and experiences. As we traveled, we experienced the beauty found in Central America from viewpoints overlooking valleys and rivers to a sunset on the Pacific Ocean.
Sister Parish is about relationships. We were able to spend time with several communities during our ten-day delegation. In each community we were greeted with lots and lots of hugs. It didn’t matter if they knew us. We were family to them because we represented Sister Parish. In Guatemala, we visited UPAVIM, Tierra Nueva Uno and Tierra Nueva Dos. They have overcome many hardships over many decades. Through hard work and perseverance, they have built the communities to what they are now.
In El Salvador, we visited Guarjila, San Jose de la Montana, Potrerillos and Los Ranchos. We listened to what life was like before, during and after the war and how their communities were affected. We learned about the strength of the people and their resilience to extreme challenges.
As we were leaving each place, everyone hugged again and then a second time because we didn’t want to miss anyone. This was repeated in each community we visited. We were leaving family, and we didn’t know when we would see each other again.
In both Guatemala and El Salvador, we learned about their civil wars and the widespread human rights violations against the people in both countries which led to these wars. We visited San Sebastian Church in Guatemala City where Archbishop Juan Jose Girardi, Guatemala’s leading human rights activist, was assassinated in 1998. In San Salvador, we visited the Monsignor Romero Center, on the University of Central America’s campus, where six Jesuit priests were murdered along with the caretaker’s wife and daughter. The Jesuits were advocates of human rights. We attended a vigil commemorating the 34th anniversary of their murders.
We witnessed the beauty in both countries as we traveled by bus from Guatemala City to San Salvador. We viewed the sunset from El Alto’s observation deck overlooking the Lempa River. We enjoyed beautiful views of valleys lush with greenery. On our last day in El Salvador, we ended our delegation with a visit to Tamanique Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Here, we stayed until the sun set. It was a fitting way to say goodbye to the people and places we visited in Guatemala and El Salvador over an amazing ten days. Our minds and hearts were full.
Al irnos de cada lugar, todos nos abrazábamos y luego una segunda vez porque no querĂamos olvidar a nadie, esto se repitiĂł en cada comunidad que visitamos, dejábamos a nuestra familia y no sabĂamos cuándo nos volverĂamos a ver.
2023 South to North Delegation, Guarjila – WUMC, Seattle / DelegaciĂłn Sur a Norte, Guarjila – Seattle
[Español más abajo]
Delegation welcome at WUMC
Wallingford United Methodist Church celebrated 24 years of its relationship with Guarjila, El Salvador with a South to North delegation this October. Julieta accompanied three delegates from Guarjila, Carlos, Isidro and Marilu, for the 11-day visit.Â
We greeted the delegation at our services on both weekends, and they spoke more extensively at the 2nd service. You can watch the welcome in the video above.
In addition to our partnership with Guarjila, we enjoy a relationship with El Dios Viviente, Highland Park United Methodist Church. Most of the members come from Central America including the Salvadoran pastor. The delegates attended an afternoon service there with us on Sunday and were treated to a warm dinner after the service. The delegates were also able to join El Dios for dinner the next Sunday as well.
We focused on homelessness and immigration issues on this trip North. It can be surprising to folks from El Salvador that we have people living on the streets in such a rich city. Attending meetings and looking at these issues is an eye opener for all of us.
One of the highlights was visiting the factory where we build tiny houses for the homeless. Isidro and Nikki even made a return visit to help build houses on Sunday afternoon.
As is sometimes the case with delegations in both directions, we had a number of physical challenges. Folks who were to host got sick or injured. Others who had signed up for activities were unable to help due to family problems or other issues. Through the entire exciting and fulfilling delegation, one person after another stepped up to assist when called on.
We have a better appreciation for our friends in Guarjila now, especially two young people who were somewhat new to us. We trust that their experiences were fulfilling. The relationship that we continue to build is exemplified by the hymn that we shared, “To you I give, From you I receive, together we share, and from this we live.
La Iglesia Metodista Unida de Wallingford celebró este octubre 24 años de su hermandad con Guarjila, El Salvador, con una delegación de Sur a Norte. Julieta acompañó a tres delegados de Guarjila entre ellos Carlos, Isidro y Marilú.
Nos centramos en las cuestiones de las personas sin hogar y la inmigraciĂłn en este viaje al norte. Puede resultar sorprendente para la gente de El Salvador que tengamos gente viviendo en las calles en una ciudad tan rica. Asistir a reuniones y analizar estos temas nos abre los ojos a todos.
Uno de los momentos más destacados fue visitar la fábrica donde construimos pequeñas casas para personas sin hogar. Isidro y Nikki incluso volvieron a visitarlos para ayudar a construir casas el domingo por la tarde.
Como suele ocurrir con las delegaciones en ambas direcciones, tuvimos una serie de desafĂos fĂsicos. Las personas que iban a ser anfitriones se enfermaron o resultaron heridas. Otros que se habĂan inscrito en las actividades no pudieron ayudar debido a problemas familiares u otras cuestiones. A lo largo de toda la emocionante y satisfactoria delegaciĂłn, una persona tras otra se acercaron para ayudar cuando se les pidiĂł.
Valoramos mejor a nuestros amigos de Guarjila, especialmente a dos jóvenes que eran algo nuevos para nosotros. Confiamos en que sus experiencias hayan sido igual de satisfactorias. La relación que continuamos construyendo se ejemplifica en el himno que compartimos: “A ti doy, de ti recibo, juntos compartimos y de esto vivimos.
It’s well known that due to the global pandemic, our in-person delegations had to be postponed or canceled. After a long wait, we restarted our delegations in 2023 and joyfully returned to one of the best parts of Sister Parish.
Starting in May, East Orrington visited the community of Virginia (Guatemala) for the very first time since they started their relationship. Read more from delegate Doug Fogg.
In August, a group from Saint Joan of Arc (Minnesota) visited their extended family in Tierra Nueva Dos (Guatemala). Delegates included some who had never been in Guatemala before but received the call to participate, as well as members who have been involved in the relationship since the beginning. Here more from delegates Mia, Rylee and Sandi.
We also had the pleasure of coordinating the virtual delegation between St Thomas Lutheran Church and the Catholic church in Chichipate (Guatemala) in February. It was a wonderful way to start the year, as participants shared faith and conversations on issues of common interest like women’s rights and immigration. Read more about the virtual delegation.
All of this has been a great chance for Sister Parish to re-start activities.
And we closed out the year with our big event, the Open Delegation, during which representatives from all the communities in the South coordinated to receive the group and spend time with them.
In Guatemala, we visited UPAVIM and met with the students who are part of the scholarship program supported by their sister parish First United Methodist Church in Downers Grove (Illinois). In Tierra Nueva 1 and Tierra Nueva 2, we met at the parish and had a deep conversation about the effects of climate change on our communities and the current political situation. We learned about the history of Guatemala and the struggles of the people.
Traveling to El Salvador, we participated in the vigil organized for the 34th commemoration of the massacre of six Jesuit priests and two women inside the campus of the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) during the armed conflict in El Salvador by the government, due to their advocacy to human rights.
We finished our time at the Tamanique beach, with the group gathered watching the sunset on the Pacific Ocean before the trip back home.
The delegation was a wonderful experience and words can’t describe on how special it was to see so many faces reunite with our chosen family.
As Siter Parish, we can’t say anything other than thank you to all the people who were part of this delegation, one way or another, making this wonderful experience possible for everyone.
Cathy Burrell, a board member of Sister Parish, shares her thoughts here.
Todo esto ha sido una gran oportunidad para Iglesias Hermanas de reiniciar actividades.
Ahora, llegamos a este gran evento: la delegaciĂłn abierta, donde representantes de las comunidades del sur se coordinaron para recibir al grupo y poder compartir sus vidas con ellos.
March 24, 1980, a day that marked the history of El Salvador and should never be forgotten, the day that Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez was assassinated while celebrating mass in the chapel of the Divina Providencia Hospital at the hands of a sniper who positioned himself in his vehicle at the entrance to the chapel and ended Romero’s life with a bullet to the heart.
St. Romero has become a national and international symbol as a defender of human rights. He became “the voice of a voiceless” during a period of social upheaval in Latin America, when a repressive military government and the oligarchy benefitted from injustice in El Salvador.
The Salvadoran people remember this date and year after year Romero is commemorated throughout the country. This year, the community of Los Ranchos and First Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minnesota, held a conversation on the life of St Romero. Beginning March 21, the church in Duluth screened a biographical film about Romero’s life in the Adult Room, so those who were not aware before were able to learn about his life.
On March 24, the community of San Antonio Los Ranchos carried out a series of events to honor Saint Romero, beginning with a procession around the entire community, with stations to pray and reflect, while they carried a figure of Jesus and another of Romero. The procession finished in the church, where the priest celebrated mass. After the mass, the community gathered outside to watch a documentary about the life of St. Romero that was projected on a side wall of the church while food and drinks were handed out to all attendees. The event ended with a musical group that brought joy to the visitors with their music and encouraged them to dance. This beautiful event reminded the new generations about who Oscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez was, his struggle for peace and justice, and how we must follow his teachings, always protecting those who need it.
After these activities in each community, people from both Los Ranchos and Duluth met for a video call on March 28 to talk and share reflections. At the beginning of the call, Jaime Galdámez, president of the ADESCO in Los Ranchos, shared a review of St. Romero’s life. This presentation included testimonies from members of the community who had met Romero, also sharing what it was like to receive the news of his death.
The Duluth group participated by sharing about life in the United States in the early 1980s, how the news about St. Romero came to light, how the U.S. government supported military dictatorships in the region at that time.
Finally, a series of questions made us reflect on the works of St. Romero and how to apply his teachings in our lives.
Below, we share a photo album of the activity in Los Ranchos and images from the video call.
24 de marzo de 1980, un dĂa que marcĂł la historia de El Salvador y no debe ser olvidado jamás, el dĂa que Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez fue asesinado mientras celebraba la eucaristĂa en la capilla del Hospital Divina Providencia a manos francotirador que se posicionĂł en su vehĂculo al a entrada de la capilla y terminĂł con su vida con una bala directa al corazĂłn.
El pueblo salvadoreño recuerda esta fecha y año con año se conmemora este suceso en todo el territorio nacional. Este año, la comunidad de Los Ranchos y la Primera Iglesia Luterana en Duluth, Minnesota, llevaron a cabo un Conversatorio sobre la de San Romero. Comenzando el 21 de marzo, la iglesia en Duluth proyectĂł en el SalĂłn de Adultos una pelĂcula biográfica de Romero, donde los hermanos y hermanas que no le conocĂan pudieron aprender sobre su vida.
A group from East Orrington Congregational Church, Maine visited our sister parish community Virginia, Guatemala for the first time in May 2023, after waiting anxiously for 3 years because our 2020 delegation was canceled due to the pandemic.
If there is one thing that was confirmed for me over and over on this trip is that, as Christians, we are called to great love and unity. And the best way to pursue greater love and unity is to put yourself into the shoes of another and learn from their reality, whether they be next door or on the other side of the world.
Accepting gracious hospitality
While in Virginia, we stayed with the family of Fernando and Julia. Fernando was a farmer but doesn’t do as much farming anymore. He is also a miller, grinding corn, mostly for his very large family, but for his neighbors. Julia is a registered midwife. She is now 75 and, in her career, has delivered over 1000 babies, including her own 15 children, over 50 grandchildren, and many of her great grandchildren. Of all those deliveries, she has only had to send one woman to the hospital for complications, which is good, because, though they do have a maternity clinic 30 minutes away, the closest hospital is 4 hours away.
On our last night in Virginia, we had a celebratory dinner and prayer service. We thanked them so much for their gracious hospitality and friendship. They thanked us for our visit and for our partnership. It meant so much to them that we stayed in their homes, ate with them, got to know their lives, and listened to what they had to say.
When we left Virginia, there were lots of hugs and lots of tears. I was especially moved when Julia embraced Danielle, not letting go, and shared her love and prayers with us. There were a lot of words and we only understood a few of them. Nonetheless, the love and honor that was conveyed was evident and very intense. Sometimes you just don’t need the words.
Exchanging recipes
People in Virginia had heard that we raised a major part of our funds for the trip by making and selling doughnuts, so they wanted to learn how we did it. I mixed up a triple batch for 9 dozen doughnuts and started to fry. Now I’ve never deep-fried doughnuts over an open fire before, so I was no good at adjusting the heat. The first few doughnuts burned on the outside. Severiano and his wife Carolina quickly took charge of the fire and frying, and the rest of the doughnuts turned out wonderfully and were a big hit!
The next day, our new friends Pablo and Francisca returned the favor by teaching us how to make chocolate, from tree to the table, Guatemalan style!
Cocoa beans, or cacao, as it is called in Guatemala, grow in a very tasty, good-sized fruit that grows in cacao trees. It is harvested, then the beans have to be extracted, cleaned, and dried in the sun for about 3 days. It is then slow roasted on a clay disc over hot coals for 60 to 90 minutes, while the beans are stirred constantly so they don’t burn. The result is a very dark, bitter nut. They are then husked or peeled, then finely ground, along with sugar and cinnamon (which the family also grows), and mixed and kneaded very carefully, then pressed into a mold. Once this is hardened, the result can either be eaten as candy or melted in hot water (not milk) to be turned into their traditional chocolate drink.
After the beans are roasted, Francisca often roasts corn on the same disc and runs it through the same, uncleaned mill to make a chocolate-flavored corn-based drink that is also traditional to the area. Running the corn through the mill after the cocoa beans also cleans the mill blades! Absolutely fascinating…and delicious!
Laying the foundation for a partnership
While in Virginia, we met with the Sister Parish committee to talk about how we could best move our relationship forward. We discussed what had brought both Virginia and East Orrington Congregational Church to this point, the success of this delegation (all were thrilled with this delegation and the relationship that has been established so quickly), and what to do from here.
We decided we would meet over Zoom or WhatsApp and share prayer intentions. We mentioned that our annual meeting was coming up and prayers would be appreciated for that. They asked for prayers for their national elections in June and support in addressing the lack of water in the community.
We ended the meeting with prayer and thanksgiving for our new friendship, praying that God would bless our relationship for many years to come!
Returning home
Will this experience change our lives? I would say yes, without doubt. Once you put yourself in someone else’s reality, the trajectory of your life can’t help but change, and the perspectives and paradigms you once held shift and broaden.
For the rest of our lives, Danielle and I will be practicing loving people; people who are different from us, people who live different lives, people who have issues, people who don’t believe as we do, people who disagree with us, people who are hurting, people who have made mistakes….we’re going to seek out as many opportunities as we can to do this and we will use what we learn from people to change our views, broaden our perspectives, and do what we can to make the world a better place. That will happen in any place we happen to be in the whole world, including our own backyard. This is what Jesus Christ taught so that’s the way we will live. We are home.
Si hay algo que me confirmĂł una y otra vez en este viaje es que, como cristianos, estamos llamados a un gran amor y unidad. Y la mejor manera de buscar ese gran amor y unidad es ponerse en el lugar del otro y aprender de su realidad, ya sea que sea nuestro vecino o al otro lado del mundo.
Cuando dejamos Virginia, hubo muchos abrazos y muchas lágrimas. Me conmoviĂł especialmente cuando Julia abrazĂł a mi esposa Danielle, sin soltarla, y compartiĂł su amor y sus oraciones con nosotros. HabĂa muchas palabras y sĂłlo entendĂamos algunas de ellas. Sin embargo, el amor y el honor que se transmitiĂł fue evidente y muy intenso. A veces simplemente no necesitas las palabras.
Al dĂa siguiente, nuestros nuevos amigos Pablo y Francisca nos devolvieron el favor enseñándonos a hacer chocolate, del árbol a la mesa, ¡al estilo guatemalteco!
Decidimos reunirnos por Zoom o WhatsApp y compartir intenciones de oraciĂłn. Mencionamos que se acercaba nuestra reuniĂłn anual y agradecerĂamos oraciones por eso. Pidieron oraciones para sus elecciones nacionales en junio y apoyo para abordar la falta de agua en la comunidad.
¡Terminamos la reunión con oración y acción de gracias por nuestra nueva amistad, orando para que Dios bendiga nuestra relación por muchos años más!
Volver a casa ÂżEsta experiencia cambiará nuestras vidas? Yo dirĂa que sĂ, sin duda. Una vez que te pones en la realidad de otra persona, la trayectoria de tu vida no puede evitar cambiar, y las perspectivas y paradigmas que alguna vez tuviste cambian y se amplĂan.
Por el resto de nuestras vidas, Danielle y yo practicaremos amar a las personas; personas que son diferentes a nosotros, personas que viven vidas diferentes, personas que tienen problemas, personas que no creen como nosotros, personas que no están de acuerdo con nosotros, personas que están sufriendo, personas que han cometido errores… vamos a buscar tantas oportunidades como podamos para hacer esto y usaremos lo que aprendamos de la gente para cambiar nuestros puntos de vista, ampliar nuestras perspectivas y hacer todo lo que podamos para hacer del mundo un lugar mejor. Eso sucederá en cualquier lugar del mundo en el que nos encontremos, incluido nuestro propio patio trasero. Esto es lo que Jesucristo nos enseñó, asà es como viviremos. Estamos en casa.
Dina from UPAVIM visited sister church Downers Grove FUMC in July 2023. Below she shares her reflections on the experience.
The experience was very motivating and encouraging for me, because I could see that the brothers and sisters in Downers Grove want to continue with our relationship, despite the distance, despite our differences. They are such special people.
I got to spend time with my pen pal, visit and stay in friends’ homes, and see so many beautiful gardens. I spoke with a cooperative so that they could learn from me. I loved working with the kids in the Vacation Bible School – they loved the book about the worry dolls and the craft and the whole Vacation Bible School was so well organized. A number of people told me how excited their child was that a woman from Guatemala was visiting. I am also grateful I got to meet the committee that is in charge of the scholarships (the Missions, Justice and Community Committee) – I have their names written down so that I can share with UPAVIM.
It was a beautiful experience.
I also met new people who are excited about building our friendship and relationship. This was so important for me. When new people asked me what the relationship was about, I told them, ‘It is about sharing our friendship, our cultures and our faith.’Â
Thank you everyone at UPAVIM and Downers Grove FUMC who helped give me this opportunity to share.
Dina de UPAVIM visitĂł a su hermanamiento la Iglesia Metodista de Downers Grove en julio de 2023. Abajo comparte sus reflexiones sobre la experiencia.
Mi experiencia fue muy motivadora y animadora para mĂ, porque pude ver que los hermanos sĂ quieren continuar con nuestro hermanamiento a pesar de la distancia, las diferencias. Son tan especiales.
Sister Parish, Inc. promotes intercultural and ecumenical understanding by establishing linkages between churches in the United States and faith-based communities in Central America. Our members tell you more in the brief video Introduction to Sister Parish.
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