Worship with Casa Horeb Mennonite Church

In her journal following our day around Lago Atitlan, Talia reflected on our visit to ANADESA, the women’s co-op that empowers mothers in the community. Her reference to leaving her stone behind is about students bringing a stone from home to orientation on GC’s campus, with the intention of leaving it, and what it represented, behind in Guatemala.

From Talia, with her permission: “Hearing about programs at ANADESA was very inspiring to me. As I have progressed through high school, I have had an increasingly difficult time trying to discern where my life is going. I chose a fairly broad major (Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies) that I am still passionate about, but I have still been unsure of where it will take me. Seeing the work at ANADESA was super cool and because of it I feel more reassurance that my life is going in the right direction. The work that ANADESA does is the kind of work I hope to find myself doing someday. I just hope I can find programs like ANADESA that can help me channel my passion into something sustainable.

“Today I left my stone at ANADESA. My stone represented laziness or hesitation to take action because that is something I want to leave behind. So often, I find myself just talking about the issues in the world and not really living in a way that really shows that I care. ANADESA was definitely a highlight of the trip and really inspired me to pursue something like it in my life. I want to start really channeling my passion for peace and justice into a way of life. I want to stop just talking about injustices but also start living out my passion.”

This morning we went to one of the two local Mennonite churches, Casa Horeb, for worship and celebration of Father’s Day. The morning began at 8:00 with a delectable Guatemalan breakfast at the church, followed by our group singing “We Have Come to the Lakeshore” and “Guide My Feet” and then, surprisingly, by an hour-long Christian mariachi band, which festively honored Father’s Day. Much to his chagrin, Keith was coerced by the group into performing a sustained mariachi note while wearing a sombrero, a first for him.

The worship service began after that and included a good deal of singing as well as a sermon. The worship was followed by a graduation ceremony for SEMILLA seminary students who are members at Casa Horeb, led by SEMILLA rector Willi Hugo Perez. Students left for Sunday School with the youth and then played soccer until the rest of the service was over. The group returned from the worship service at around 1:30.

This afternoon was devoted almost entirely to rest and relaxation, as well as catching up on journal entries, laundry and relaxing. Our upstairs worship room is almost completely covered in drying laundry now since it has been too wet to hang laundry outside.

This evening after dinner various group members went to bed early (a few are suffering with minor travelers’ stomach illnesses — nothing to worry about), and others have been chatting and playing games. After a week of intensely scheduled events, it’s been good to have a day of rest.

And, finally, here’s what Lena wrote in a reflective journal that again referenced ANADESA (used with her permission): “I find myself falling in love with this country. Though globalization and marginalization have doubtless harmed them, I see hope in these communities. I see a people clinging to and slowly taking back their land, their life, their culture. I see beautiful cultural dress, hear people express themselves in languages once forbidden, see kids going to school, smell foods unknown in America.

“I especially see hope in the women of ANADESA. The passion in their voices, both as they speak of injustice and the fight against it. They put their efforts and their faith into these programs for education, leadership, health and empowerment. Though every day they meet the begging boy who tugged my sweater and broke my heart, they still hold a hope for restoration. If they can hope, I can.”