Baptism

Today in worship Tammy Walker was baptized and welcomed into the fellowship of the church.  She is a neighbor and attended a nearby church when she was a child.  Her father wanted her to make her own decision about baptism, and now she has done so.  Her sponsor is Delores Valentin.  It was a wonderful service and a joyful day.  Her sisters and their families attended with her.

President Baynum visits ESL Program

President Baynum of Blackhawk College visited the Light-ON family literacy program here at the Church of Peace today.  Here he is with the adult students in Fellowship Hall.  President Bynum is near the center of the photo and I've slipped in over at the left.

Blackhawk is a partner, along with RI Schools, RI Library,  Regional Office of Education and the Church of Peace in providing this needed program in the community.

NIGHT

From Huehuetenango

When the bell rings at 5 pm in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, the bell ringer is right up there in the tower. I wonder if he has a hearing loss.

Today our newly composed group, now twelve persons, took a van to Huehuetenango from Antigua. Tomorrow at about 8 am we finish the last leg of the journey to Nueva Esperanza in Chacula.

"Hola" from Antigua

It is a new world when the modest backpacker Posada San Vicente in Antigua, Guatemala, has free wi-fi! Here is our group at dinner 2 hours ago. We are assembling, and spent this afternoon getting to know each other better. We will take a van to Huehuetenango tomorrow, and on Monday we will go higher into the mountains to Nueva Esperanza, at Chacula, for the fiesta to celebrate their return to Guatemala in 1994, after being international refugees in Chiapas, Mexico.

Guatemala Delegation

Off to Guatemala on Friday, January 6 on a mission delegation.

The main order of business is to be present at a fiesta celebrating the return of refugees from Mexico to Guatemala that took place in January 1993. The community is called Nueva Esperanza and is in Chacula. These people were among the 200,000 or so refugees who fled the scorched earth policy of the Guatemalan military in the 1980s who were in camps in Chiapas, Mexico, under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. When peace accords were achieved in Guatemala they decided to return as an organized community. Sort of a modern day Passover narrative. Last time I was there was in January 1994 and the people were literally living under blue tarps. I am looking forward to see how far they have come.

We will also visit human rights groups which have their offices in Guatemala City.

I ask your prayers for our group as we travel. Please pray that our support and bridge-building will be effective. And that everyone will be safe and healthy.

The photos are from an earlier visit to Guatemala.

ESL Program, Women's Health

Lisa Viaene, Blackhawk College Program Manager writes:

"Had a wonderful event at the Lights-On ESL program yesterday....the

Health Dept came and did free breast exams for 38 of the women in the program.

Eight have a lump of some sort, so

we will be trying to follow up on this during the next

month or so."

Big thanks to Nora Steele and Mary Oelschlaeger, from the Stand Against Cancer program for helping get that organized with the Rock Island Health Department.