August 4th-14th, 2006

The beautiful countryside of Guatemala (Lake Atitlan pictured)

A Wider Context - Tuesday, August 8th

After breakfast we left for Santiago Atitlán. This trip will bring us closer to one of the places in Guatemala that was most affected by "La Violencia", the most common term for the civil war in Guatemala. Along the way we stopped to view the Mayan ruins at Iximche (pronounced ish-im-CHE). Alejandro gave us an overview of how this place, a key Mayan site, played a decisive role in the Spanish conquest. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grass in a location that reminded me of a state park setting in northern Minnesota, pine trees and all. Claire commented that it would be cool to have her graduation pictures taken there.

We pulled into Santiago Atitlán a little behind schedule and checked into a hotel. It had been a long drive through mountain roads. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Chonita's niece's restaurant and then had our daily reflection time. The group moved to a new and more intimate level of sharing during this reflection. We are learning more about our own cultural differences at the same time as we are experiencing the Guatemalan culture.

Meeting in Chontala with the Widowed Women cooperative

Another Transition - Wednesday, August 9th

Lolita (Chonita's niece) prepared us a pancake breakfast. The morning was going to be a visit to the Peace Park, the Stanley Rother Memorial Chapel and Chonita's beadwork workshop. Since Chonita had to leave for another commitment at 10:00, we changed the schedule to visit her first. Chonita is a widow who lost her husband during the war and has been working to improve the lives of widows and children ever since. Her beadwork workshop provides work and support for many widows and school for many children. After hearing Chonita's story and buying some of her products we headed out to the Peace Park.

I didn't expect the Peace Park to hit me this time as hard as it had last time. I was wrong. We tried to read aloud the summary of the massacre that had happened here and had to go through three people before we could get through it without breaking down. On December 1, 1990, Guatemalan soldiers fired into a crowd of unarmed civilians who were demanding the return of the body of a man who had caught the soldiers raiding his house. The 12 memorial stones showed that the dead ranged in age from 9 to over 75.

The next stop was San Francisco church where Father Stanley Rother had been killed by the army. He was a priest from Oklahoma who refused to leave when things got dangerous and continued telling the truth in spite of the consequences. He stood by the Tzutuil people he served until the end.

In the fair trade workshop at the Ruth and Naomi's

We then boarded the van for the trip to Chichicastenango and the Ruth and Nohemí cooperative. This cooperative began through the efforts of several widows who had lost their husbands in the war working with Diego Chicoj, the pastor of the Methodist church at Chontalá. The army had locked 40 people inside the Methodist church in Chontalá in 1980 and blew it up with high explosives. Pastor Diego worked to help the widows develop a business making products from their native hand-weaved fabric. Several years later, a new and larger facility was started in Chichicastenango because adults working at the cooperative would have access to the schools there.

This was a very powerful day. The profound sadness and despair we felt at the site of the massacre transitioned to signs of hope. Father Rother's commitment showed that there were and continue to be people that are willing to give their lives to speak out about injustice. Chonita's work and the Ruth and Nohemí cooperative, born out of the violence itself, continues to serve people today.

Signs of Hope - Thursday, August 10th

The day started with a birthday party at breakfast. Clarence was 76 today and we celebrated with a cake and song. After the party we went to Chontalá to see the original site of the destroyed Methodist church and to visit the house where the widow's work is still sold. Maria told us about the history of the project and served us a generous lunch.

After lunch we loaded up for the return to Guatemala City. The long drive back provided many opportunities for conversations among the group. There was lots of laughing and many stories. We had seen the signs of hope - Work that builds lives born out of the midst of terrible violence. Jesus, crucified, lives still.

The Universal Langage A Smile A Real Warm Language A Child's Smile Among all of the wonderful happenings for us in Guatemala is the child's smile. Everywhere that we go the children are there for us never asking for anything but a smile and a hug. The extended families treat their children with love never excluding them. While we would not usually permit children at adult meetings, at TN2 they flow through the meeting room and play in open areas. This is very accepted and taller children watch and listen through the windows. While staying with our family only once have I heard the one year old cry. Her grandmother gave her a hug, placed her in the playpen, and softly told her to stay there. That was the end of the tears and she produced her ever beautiful smile. Avis Von Eschen has been a member at St. Joan's since 1978. She has been involved in many projects. Although she is presently traveling and frequently out-of-town, she continues to write occasional articles for the web and to send pictures. She also helps out in the office on occasion and has stayed involved with the St. Joan Bridge Club.

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.