August 4th-14th, 2006

Transition - Saturday, August 5th

Saturday began with breakfast.
Simple enough...

Leslie, Willie and other delegates doing rubbings at the Cathedral in Guatemala City where the names of massacre victims are inscribed.

Orientation session number two. We talked about cultural differences. But this time the focus was more precise. What could we expect from the unexpected at Tierra Nueva Dos and what should we be careful of? We learned, for example, to be careful about speaking in English about topics that tended to excite us (like politics). Our hosts might think we were upset about something that they did or didn't do. They take our safety and comfort very seriously. After a lively discussion (we've found we are really good at this) we walked to the monument dedicated to Bishop Gerardi who was killed in 1998. He was murdered four days after he presented the report "Guatemala, Never Again" which documented, in detail, some of the specific massacres, murders and other human rights violations that occurred during Guatemala's 36 year war. The likeness of Gerardi, a bronze relief, was done in donated keys by Shannon's father.
Not so simple...

Anger, frustration, sadness and .... How on earth can taking the lives of over 250,000 civilians be simply called a war? Genocide seems more appropriate. Over 90% of the deaths were attributed to the military acting against Guatemalan citizens. Mostly unarmed. It helped to step into the chapel and pray. The next stop was the Cathedral. Thousands of names of confirmed civilian casualties were carved into the columns at the entrance. Reality check.
Not simple at all...

Group Leader Michael and other delegates meet familiar faces on arrival alongside San Marcos Evangelista Church.

When we went into the Cathedral there was a first communion celebration in progress. That was exactly what my spirit needed. Young faces. Laughter. Hope. There is hope in the future. If we learn from the past...

Back at the Sister Parish Center a speaker gave us a broad outline of the forces that have formed Guatemala since independence and showed us the marks of this history in the political, economic, and social situations and in the civic-government relationship of the current day Guatemala.

After lunch we left for Tierra Nueva Dos. We were greeted again by our friends and family of San Marcos Evangelista Church. On the way Padre Juan Pablo, the priest who serves San Marcos as well as three other parish communities, saw us coming and stopped in the road to greet us. He had already met many of us when he visited SJA last year. Once we arrived at the church we were greeted with a celebration including music, prayer, games and lots of hugs that was organized by the youth group Jesus Vive (Jesus Lives). We were introduced to the families we would be staying with and went home with them to get settled in and have some supper.

Now things have a bit more focus.

Yes, there is hope in the future. But, creating a just future out of the past we've been given is definitely not simple. We need other people who are involved in the struggle (and they need us as well) so we can lead each other from the past and into the future.

Home Again - Sunday, August 6th

Sunday started with Mass at 6:30 a.m. No time for a shower. There isn't one anyway. Wonderful smiling faces. Lots of children. Padre Juan Pablo introduced each of us(right) and told stories of his visit to SJA. He instructed everyone there to greet us before they left. I got hugs from several people more than once.

The relationship between SJA and San Marcos at Tierra Nueva Dos is over ten years old. That makes it different. We go down there to do something like help build a school. It’s not a “mission trip” either. It’s about solidarity – solidaridad. The difference is that we don’t leave. We keep coming back. We are in the struggle together. Our intention is not to give them a fish or to teach them how to fish, it’s to be in the same boat on the lake together.

As I was watching people come up to offer their weekly offering Sandra caught my eye. She is the mother in the family that my wife, Katharine, and I stayed with last year. She smiled from ear to ear. At the sign of peace she went out of her way to give me a hug. After Mass she came up to me and asked how Katharine was a why she hadn’t come along. After assuring her all was well, she gave me another hug and said that her mother had died two months ago and this was the first time she had had the strength to attend Mass since then. Then she said that seeing me there was, for her, a gift from God that made life seem much better. Now, I don’t know how you would feel, but for me that was a moment I will never forget.

During a tour of TNII the delegates are shown the location that will hopefully be the site of a new school.

Later in the day we went for a walk in the community. Our guide, Eluvia, pointed out many things over the loud noise of the frequent busses. She commented especially on the things that had changed in the last few years. I was occupied by Josefina and Brenda. Josefina is 11 years old and likes geography. She told her Mom that she wanted to come along on the walk to help protect us. She is part of the family that I’m staying with. I can also attest to the fact that she likes hugs. (Rita, one of the other delegates, will also witness to this wonderful fact.) Brenda is 18 years old and is studying (with the help of one of the scholarships that is part of the joint SJA/San Marcos Sister Parish relationship) to be a bilingual secretary. After talking with her a few minutes, I am convinced that she will succeed. She is outgoing, curious and very interested in other cultures. Between Josefina and Brenda I knew I would have an adequate warning of any approaching busses. I have never felt safer.

We ate supper at the rectory, which is located in Tierra Nueva Una. The food was very good. Padre Juan Pablo gave us a tour of the church and grounds. We reminisced about the visit he made to SJA last year. It was very clear that he considered it unforgettable.

Connections and Goodbyes – Monday, August 7th

Families from the Sister Parish community accommodate delegates in their homes where they are treated to the gifts of simplicity.

After breakfast we left Tierra Nueva Dos to return to the Sister Parish Center in Guatemala City to get ready for the next phase of our experience in other parts of Guatemala. The goodbyes weren’t too sad since we were going to return on Friday. That will be very different when we leave to go back home.

We visited the Popol Vuh Museum and Alejandro gave us a great introduction to Mayan history and culture. We could experience the abrupt and violent discontinuity when the artifacts in the museum suddenly turned to Spanish and Christian themes. This connected almost seamlessly with the presentation we had yesterday. The conquest is still a powerful force in Guatemalan culture and society.

Next was a moving presentation from an organization called CAFCA (Centro de Antropologia Forense y Ciencias Aplicadas). This organization is about reconciliation in the communities that were affected by the war in Guatemala. It starts at the beginning, with exhumation of mass graves and the reconciliation of the living with the death of their loved ones. CAFCA’s work doesn’t stop there. It moves to solidarity. Especially in those communities that still experience violence from powerful landowners or other sources.

Ross Starkson , with sincere devotion to this project, announced, “Every time I return from Guatemala I feel like I have gained so much.” Ross’s life has pilgrimed him through corporate success and RCIA team mentorship to a focus of learning more about cultural differences and commonalities among the people of Central and South America. Ross has been on other TN2 trips. His wife Katharine, who has previously participated, will be unable to join the group this year.

Jeff and Rita Nohner , on any given week, are involved with some project at St. Joan of Arc. Rita has been a member for over twenty years and Jeff joined when they were married ten years ago. St. Joan’s mission statement is a natural for Rita and Jeff, because they have always embraced these teachings. Rita stated, “St. Joan’s is the HUB of our prayer life.” Rita is an avid member of the Bible Study Group. They are Team OZ participants, have been St. Joan delegates to South Africa with Father James Cassidy and to Haiti. Rita is a reporter and photographer for the St. Joan website. Their love of music explains their involvement with the Cabaret for several years.. Jeff’s background with music and his expertise with videography have earned him the job of TN2 delegate who will capture images in Guatemala and return with footage to be shown to members later.

As I’m writing this, we are preparing to eat supper. Then it will be a good night’s sleep (hopefully) and the beginning of the next phase of our adventure tomorrow.

New bonds form quickly as Rita experiences the joy of meeting new sisters.

Representatives of the TNII Sister Parish Committee meet with the delegation.