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Tierra Nueva Dos is a squatter community started in 1990 with a population of 5000. The words Tierra Nueva Dos mean New Land Two. Community members came from some where else in Guatemala to start a new life of hope. It lies 5 miles east of Guatemala City on a series of fingerlike ridges and ravines. Most homes have some electricity and some form of drinkable water supply. Although there are some small businesses in TNII, most workers travel to the city by bus. St. Joan of Arc is in a Sister Parish relationship with members of a Catholic Church that shares the name with its community, Tierra Nueva Dos.

Guatemala 14 of November of the year 2001

Dear brothers and sisters of St Joan of Arc:
I greet you affectionately hoping for success in your labors and hoping that this finds you in good health.

The reason for my letter is because I want to tell you that I am very happy for our brother Bob's visit, this Sunday November 11. It was a beautiful day to be able to share with him our Eucharist.

I also want to tell you that I am very sorry for what is happening there in the United States. It is a war that therefore one cannot hear that it finishes, but God knows why these situations are happening therefore we should pray and remain together with Him that He will know what to do with those people that don't have a heart to be able to harm and to wound innocent people. I also want to tell you that here in Tierra Nueva 2 the Catholic church is praying for you so that everything is again as before in tranquility and therefore peace.

Christmas hugs and a happy new year to the brothers and sisters of St. Joan of Arc. We look forward to your visiting again. Merry Christmas to all!

Sincerely: Paulina Gudiel and family

Guatemala 14 de noviembre del año 2001

Queridos hermanos de Santa Juana de Arco los saludo cariñosamente deseándoles éxitos a sus labores y desando que se encuentren bien de salud.

El motivo de mi carta es porque quiero decirles que estoy muy contenta por la visita de nuestro hermano, Bob el día domingo 11 de noviembre del año presente. Fue un día hermoso al poder compartir con él nuestra eucaristía.

También quiero decirles que ciento mucho lo que esta sucediendo allá en los estados unidos. Es una guerra que por lo tanto no se escucha que termine, pero Dios sabe porque están sucediendo estas situaciones por lo tanto debemos orar y permanecer juntos a él, que el sabrá que hacer con esas personas que no tienen corazón al poder dañar y herir a personas inocentes. También quiero decirles que aquí en Tierra Nueva 2 la iglesia católica estamos orando por ustedes para que todo vuelva a ser como antes que haiga tranquilidad y por lo tanto paz.

Abrazos navideños y un feliz año nuevo a los hermanos de Santa Juana de Arco. Esperamos nuevamente la visita de ustedes. ¡Feliz navidad a todos!

Atentamente: Paulina Gudiel y familia

We are in eve of Advent and because of this we have already begun Christmas handiworks.

We want to take advantage of the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas! And to thank you for the support that we have received for the woman's Pastoral.

Guatemala November 2001

Un saludo fraternal a la iglesia Santa Juana de Arco de la pastoral de la mujer Tierra Nueva.

Estamos en vísperas de adviento por lo que ya inícianos con manualidades navideñas.

Aprovecháramos la oportunidad para desearles una ¡Feliz Navidad! Y agradecerles el apoyo que hemos recibido para la Pastoral de la mujer.

Guatemala noviembre 2001

August 22, 2000: TNII Youth Killed

Enrique Morales, a youth group member of the church in TNII, was found dead at the bottom of a ravine amidst the garbage. Enrique had been missing for three days. There were no bullet holes or knife wounds and no-one knows what happened to him, but the police are investigating the case. Enrique was an active leader of the youth group of TNII and accompanied our last delegation on a trip to Atitlan and Chichicastenango

August 11, 2000: Flooding in TNII

Recent flooding in and around Guatemala City caused serious landslides in TNII and took the life of a 2 year old. Louise Eidsmoe, SJA's Sister Parish Chair, is leaving for Guatemala tomorrow. Hopefully, she will return with more and happier news.

March 22, 2000: Letter from TNII!! translated by Mary Beth

Summary of Committee Work, March 2000, Tierra Nueva

Brothers and Sisters of St. Joan of Arc:

Friends, I hope that the beginning of Lent will fortify your spirits as we continue to change our lives in order to contribute to the building of a new society that is closer every day to the Kingdom of God. We are thankful that you are reflecting on the NUNCA MAS document. In this way you will be in solidarity with Guatemala and understand more about how we have been mistreated and displaced. You will also see that we will surely achieve the unity of our people once again. It is a long process that each day gains strength as people of good faith are born in our communities, giving hope of a new world. GERARDI IS ALIVE, ALFONSO LIVES.

With regard to the suggestions for the carpet design that you asked us for: various ideas came forth, such as an eagle crushed by a heart or a pentagon crushed by a bloody heart. Above this is a campesino (peasant) hat representing all of the civilians murdered by their own brothers and the suffering and the products of civil wars: organized crime, common crime, alcoholism, in short, a total disrespect for life in all of its manifestations. The campesino hat is common in our two nations and it represents the millions of Northamericans that are not content with the policies applied in the countries of Latin America. Their hearts also bleed and they are in solidarity with their latin brothers that struggle for equality and social justice. The pentagon represents the policies that protect the various governments in Latin America and are financed by the US, with the false mask of keeping the peace in the world. This isn't anything too serious, forget it if you want. Similarly, I think the eagle might not be a good choice as it is a national symbol of the US people and the last thing we want is to wound your love for your country. The eagle is the liberating spirit that allows you to express yourselves against injustices, a hopeful symbol.

We are thinking of a periodic mural reflecting the social problems and the advances that have occured in our country. We will send you more details as this develops. We also may make a carpet. We're not sure yet. Other activities include the Stations of the Cross, taking place every Friday in Lent in different parts of the community from 8-10 pm. All of the different groups of the Catholic community participate. At each station, we will reflect upon life, reconciliation and peace in our community.

As a committee, the most important activities that we continue doing are the following:

1. English classes: Some are learning a great deal and are doing very well. Others are not. Therefore, we are going to make a general invitation for people to participate in this opportunity so that the number of students grows.
2. Scholarships: This project is supporting 7 young people with $14.28 (100 quetzales) a month for 10 months a year. The total yearly budget is $1000. We have improved this project this year and we want to improve it more next year. This year we went from 75 to 100 quetzales and from 6 to 7 students and to awarding students that obtain the best grades. If you have any suggestions, let us know. We also want the parents of the scholars to form a committee for the direction of this project. They will suggest the budget the next year.
3. Bible reflections: We are trying to give a response to the group of SJA in the following way: involving all of the groups of the community, we think that there will be more diversity and it will be difficult to understand but it will give you a more complete idea of life and the reality of the community of TN II.
4. Goal of the Hermanamiento Committee: On Sunday March 12, we were remembering the role of the hermanamiento committee in the community and what the relationship between the two communities of TN II and SJA is all about. This was suggested by Bernardo, the philosopher of the group (just kidding). He is always careful that we do not lose the vision with which we began this relationship. This is a very positive thing as it refreshes our spirits and gives us the opportunity to examine the road we are on, how far we have come and at the same time, improve so that our progress is increased. Among the ideas that the members of the committee are the following: An administrator or intermediary between the communities of SJA and TN II, to make decisions on the activities or projects, to make proposals for bettering participation and improving the relationship between the communities, to be organized. The person should be named by the community, receive proposals from the community, consult with the community and be representative of the community. The person should also make sure that the vision of the parish and the vision of the hermanamiento are compatible, meaning that they have the same spirit of integral development as the people of both communities.
5. Efrain and Leonel, song leaders for the Sunday masses, asked if it would be possible for the Hermanamiento committee to donate a keyboard to the church in order to offer a better service. They also have ideas of teaching children or youth so as to develop more musicians in the community. The keyboard and accessories costs about 5000 quetzales ($700). The committee here is in agreement. Before giving a final affirmative answer, we want to know your opinion and if you are in agreement with this expense, since we have a common fund. We await your answer in the coming days.

Sincerely, TN II Hermanamiento Committee, PAUL

January 23, 2000: Another Letter from TNII!! translated by Mary Beth

Summary of Sister Parish Meeting January 23, 2000 , Tierra Nueva

Brothers and sisters of our dear community of St.Joan of Arc's Sister Parish Committee:

We greet you with much affection in the name of the community of TN 2. We send this mail with two goals: To share some general information with you and to send you a summary of our last committee meeting.

We received the summary of the meeting of January 5, 2000. Thanks a lot for the effort of sending it in Spanish and in a very clear Spanish, surely the credit is for Jackson or whoever did the translation. We would also like to thank you a lot for the big card that you made for us for Christmas. Even though we didn't have the opportunity to see it until the middle of January as the mail took a while to get here, it was a neat surprise and a very nice idea. It helps us to see that we are present in your hearts and minds, especially on such an important date as Xmas and New Years. Your package also helps us to get to know more about you and the natural marvels that there are in Minnesota.

We also sent some cards. We hope that you got them. We are happy to hear that Margaret is coming to Guatemala for April and May. It will be perfect if she could come to visit us in the community and we will receive her with open arms if she would like to stay some weekends in our homes. Furthermore, it would be an excellent opportunity for her to talk with the youth about the planned delelgation from TN 2 this year. It would be a good idea if we could speak with her in our committee meetings.

We are aware of the invitation that Don Laureano received on behalf of Bob to spend some time in Minnesota and we have offered him our support. We think that his visit ought to be seen as a form of exchange between our communities, although we are not directly involved in the matter as a committee.

In way of summary of our last meeting, we wish to share with you the following:

• We are promoting a more complete and active participation by the various community groups in the Hermanamiento Committee. Thats why we were joined at todays meeting by the leaders of the Charismatic Renovation Group, the Youth Group, and the Childrens Group. These people agreed to name two official representatives that will join the committee starting this month. This initiative is made with the goal that the committee will better representation of the groups of the Christian community, who at the same time represent the community in general. As a result, there will be more consensus in making decisions in matters related to the hermanamiento. The committee meetings will be held every two weeks the second and last Sunday of each month.
• With regard to the delegation of 8 people that will travel this year, we are considering who it will be, but the definitive list will be done in the coming days when everyone has confirmed their participation. We will then let you know the names of who will go. In terms of the dates of the visit, as Walter indicated, we think that it could be the months of April, May or October, leaving the exact week and other details to be decided later. We are a little worried that it is not very clear if we have the necessary funds to cover the costs of the delegation. At the same time, we want you to know that we agree with the idea to use some of the funds that the committee here manages. This consists approximately in Q. 20,000 without counting the Mission Sunday funds that we have here in Guatemala but are already committed to a program or something else. We have made the recommendation that the people that have confirmed their participation begin the paperwork to get their passports.
• Next Saturday, we will begin English classes and we have plans to improve the program and achieve better results this year. Thanks to the new method of English that we received at the end of last year, your support helps us to dedicate ourselves to our studies with more enthusiasm.