Tis the Season

Growing up I remember seeing pictures of grocery stores without food and hearing about gasoline rationing. The results of war and economic hardship. Hurricane Stan affected everyone in Guatemala—some lost homes and loved ones and others suffered losses less devastating.

In one doorway in Villa Canales, I saw the after effects of the storm for one family. While the wife and child sat quietly on a plastic chair inside the doorway of their home, the husband placed cement blocks on by one in the doorway in an attempt to make it harder for the water to enter when the streets flood next. A necessary precaution, even if the two feet the door stoop already was from the road would seem to be enough.

Karen, Beatriz, Esther and I spent a morning trying to find food. Many of the supermarkets in Guatemala City did not have vegetables or fruit and many feared it would only get worse. We went to Klub Co (Like Sam´s Club)… even there in the warehouse environment we were met with empty shelves… no fresh vegetables or fruit and they were running low on beans (a staple for Guatemala) and noodles, and many other basics.

It was a different kind of fear—to face the possibility of not being able to buy food and not being in the position to obtain food in any other way.

At this same time, we are having trouble finding gasoline as many stations simply did not have a supply truck come for days at a time. In some areas of the country prices were being illegally raised—supply and demand—or simply feeding off of misfortune?
For example a pound of tomatoes was Q. 3.50 has risen to Q.10.25.
A 5 gallons of Drinking Water was Q. 13.00 has risen to Q. 50.00

In the midst of it all people were buying the basics to provide for their countrymen in need… beans, rice, milk, water, oil, sugar… creating shortages in Guatemala City but it was refreshing to see people think of others. Then on October 15, it began. The radio stations began playing Christmas music. While in the mood to help other… we naturally can being taking advantage of sales on Christmas gifts for our own families… right?

How things are...

As some of you may have seen on CNN, Guatemala is in crisis right now. After nearly two weeks of heavy rain the land is literally giving way, washing away and in some cases covering up entire communities and unknown numbers of people. Each day the figures for damage both human and material are rising as we begin the task of digging out and attempting to provide for our brothers and sisters in need. The rivers of mud and debris have swept away crops and highways alike leaving it difficult to know where or how to start.

Other than spending a few nights on the roof top of my house trying to remove the water pooling centimeters deep on the flat roof, and trying to fight the mold that has resulted, I have not been significantly affected. My VISA, as luck would have it, expires at the end of the week; I plan on petitioning migration for an extension as right now there is no safe way out of Guatemala via land. Esther and I are looking into helping at a distribution center of aid here in a local community that is working on preparing supplies for those in need; if they can use us we have the hands and willingness to help.

This morning Horacio Darynel and I hosted our third youth event with the youth of Guatemala City Lutheran Churches that are part of the ILAG… 50 people attended. Our biblical passages were Psalm 119:105 and Isaiah 40:3-5. We have faith that God will make a path in this wilderness that we are in the midst of here in Guatemala… that the valleys will be lifted and these mountains that we face will be made low. The light of Christ is illuminating our way and bearing witness to the truth. Amidst these difficult times that we: Guatemala, the ILAG, the Pastoral team and I have experienced since July 22nd, there is hope.

For those of you that I have not yet had the opportunity to tell personally: During this last year, I have been put to work by the Holy Spirit here in Guatemala… teaching leaders, preaching, working with women, youth and delegations. I feel strongly called by others and internally to stay as a missionary in Guatemala. The work is hard but I enjoy it and feel that it is a fit. Please keep in your prayers that I will also be provided the means to stay! God is providing for my call but in a way that each month is lived by pray alone that God will (and he does) provide us our Daily Bread.

It turns out that in addition to my ministry call here, that I have another vocation here. As of July 20, I am engaged. I am getting married to Horacio Darynel Castillo Jr., son of the President of the ILAG, from Guatemala. I have been blessed by God with a partner to share life with both in and out of the church.

Pastoral Letter October 2005

Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala
PASTORAL LETTER
October 2005

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
“The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” Psalm 46: 1,7

Even when we have lived through difficult moments, moments of anguish, God’s presence has been shown in the stability and growth of our church.

Last month we had a retreat of leaders from the northwestern and northern regions of the country to which 14 leaders from the different communities and two more, from new communities that are soliciting pastoral accompaniment, attended. The retreat was two days long.

Our activities were a success. All those who attended lamented that the time was very short; but we explained to them that the economic resources for these activities are very limited.

In the evaluation, that was carried out by the Executive Secretary of our church Karen de Gil, reflected that the lessons were communicated very well and the level of learning and participation of the students was excellent. In addition, the students expressed their gratefulness to the teachers for their delivery and content of the lessons. Participating as teachers were Esther Echeverria de Castillo, Masters in Education, the Volunteer Missionary Amanda Olson and the class about the history of our church as Lutherans was presented by this servant, myself.

We finished with a golden ending: with the solemn worship service, delivering the sermon was the Missionary Volunteer Amanda Olson. It was a sermon that was very in tune to the context of the region where the majority of the attendees were moved by the sermon and in some of them I saw tears.

In the way of God there are satisfactions, there are joys; but there are also difficult moments with very serious problems like the ones that we are living in these moments provoked by the Tropical Storm Stan. The storm has caused the overflowing of rivers, land slides, flooding in some parts in the interior of the country that have reached a height of three meters causing the death of some people including children, thousands of evacuees, destroyed homes, and roads and bridges damaged leaving many communities isolated. The most serious is the loss of all the crops: corn, beans, sesame seeds, cacao and all the plantings leaving the people without food. This disaster affects even more the life of the people because of the higher prices of the crops which is the main source of food of the people who are the most dispossessed in Guatemala.

We are worried about the brothers and sisters in our churches, because the constant rain that has fallen since Thursday, September 28. It has destroyed the harvest that would have given them the daily sustenance for the rest of this year and the beginning of the next.

I am leaving on Monday, October 10 in order to make a round to the communities which have suffered flooding and lost their crops. I will have to walk two hours in order to arrive in two of the communities because of the in climate weather; but to visit one community where there they are isolated, I will travel in a boat as close to the community as possible and then more than six or eight hours on foot in order to arrive in the community to see how they are. It is unfortunate that I am not going to be able to bring them material aid to resolve the problem that they lack food. I only have our solidarity and the manifestation of the love of true brothers and sisters with the Word of God.

In the Psalm 74:16-17 it is said, “The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter”. Now we simply trust in our Lord, and we know that He will walk by our side in each moment as He has done it until now.

We ask for your prayers so that in these difficult moments in our lives we can survive and not be overcome with the work that God has commended to us.

In the Bible it is said that we should pray one for the other and that we should pray for all men and women and we are sure that you are praying for us.

May the peace and love of God be with you all.

Blessings,


Padre Horacio Castillo
President
Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala

(Translated by Amanda Olson and Horacio Darynel Castillo)




Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala
CARTA PASTORAL
Octubre, 2005


“Dios es nuestro amparo y fortaleza, nuestro pronto auxilio en las tribulaciones”.
“Yahvé de los ejércitos es con nosotros; nuestro refugio es el Dios de Jacob”. Salmo 46:1,7.

Aun cuando hemos vivido momentos difíciles, momentos de angustia, Dios se ha manifestado en la estabilidad y crecimiento de nuestra Iglesia.

El mes pasado realizamos un retiro de Líderes de las regiones noroccidente y norte del país, a la que asistieron catorce líderes de las distintas comunidades y dos líderes de dos comunidades nuevas que solicitan el acompañamiento pastoral. El retiro duró dos días.

Nuestras reuniones fueron un éxito, todos los asistentes lamentaron que el tiempo fue muy corto, pero les explicamos que los recursos económicos para estas actividades son limitados.

En la evaluación que fue realizada por la secretaria ejecutiva de nuestra Iglesia, Karen de Gil, se reflejó que la comunicación de las enseñanzas fue muy buena y el nivel de aprendizaje y participación de los estudiantes fue excelente, además expresaron agradecimientos a los maestros por su entrega y contenidos de las enseñanzas. Participando como catedráticos la Lic. Esther Echeverría de Castillo, La misionera voluntaria Amanda Olson, y la clase de la Historia de nuestra Iglesia como luteranos fue presentada por este servidor.

Finalizamos con broche de oro: con una misa solemne entregando el sermón la Misionera voluntaria Amanda Olson, un sermón muy afín al contexto de la región donde se vieron conmovidos la mayoría de los asistentes y en algunos hubieron lágrimas.

En el camino de Dios hay satisfacciones, hay alegrías, pero también hay momentos difíciles con problemas muy serios como los que estamos viviendo en estos momentos provocados por la tormenta tropical Stan, que ha causado desbordes de ríos, deslaves, inundaciones que en algunas partes del interior de la república han alcanzado la altura de tres metros provocándole la muerte a varias personas incluyendo niños, miles de evacuados, casas destruidas, carreteras y puentes dañados dejando incomunicados a muchas comunidades y lo mas serio es la pérdida de todas las plantaciones: maíz, frijol, ajonjolí, maicillo, y todas las siembras dejando a las personas sin alimentos, lo cual viene a agravar la carestía de la vida con los precios altos de los granos básicos que es la alimentación principal de los mas desposeídos del pueblo guatemalteco.

Estamos preocupados por los hermanos de nuestras Iglesias, por las lluvias constantes que han prevalecido desde el día jueves 28 de septiembre. Destruyéndoles la cosecha que les daría el sustento diario para el fin de este año y el principio del próximo año.

Yo salgo el lunes 10 de octubre, para hacer un recorrido a todas las comunidades que han sufrido las inundaciones y pérdidas de sus cultivos. Y tendré que caminar dos horas para llegar a dos comunidades por el mal estado del tiempo. Pero a una comunidad donde están incomunicados viajare en lancha hasta donde sea posible y luego tendré que caminar de seis a ocho horas para llegar a ver como están; pero lo lamentable es no poder llevarles ayuda material para resolver sus problemas de alimentación, solamente llevare nuestra solidaridad y la manifestación de amor de verdaderos hermanos con la palabra de Dios.

En el salmo 74:16-17 dice: “Tuyo es el día, tuya también es la noche: Tu estableciste la luna y el sol.” “Tu fijaste todos los términos de la tierra: el verano y el invierno Tu los formaste”.
Ahora solamente confiamos en nuestro Señor, y sabemos que El caminara a nuestro lado a cada momento como lo ha hecho hasta ahora.

Rogamos sus oraciones para que en estos momentos difíciles de nuestra vida podamos subsistir y no desmayar en el trabajo que Dios nos ha encomendado.

En la Biblia dice que debemos orar unos por los otros, y que debemos orar por todos los hombres y las mujeres; y estamos seguros que ustedes están orando por nosotros.

Que la paz y el amor de Dios sea con todos ustedes.

Bendiciones,


Padre Horacio Castillo
Presidente
Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala