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	A letter from Ellen Dozier in Guatemala

	February 2002 Dear Friends, It was only 8 o’clock in the evening and I wondered why my body was so tired. As I sat down to a late supper and thought about my day, I realized that during the course of the day I had ridden on six different buses. No wonder my body was tired! I had spent the day with the Presbyterial of Mam, accompanying several members of the directiva (like a coordinating council for the Presbyterial) as they visited a sociedad (women’s group) in a local church. To get there I had taken two buses to meet up with the women from the directiva, then we all boarded another bus to get to the community, then a 10-minute walk to the church. After the visit we reversed all that to return to our homes

	Group from Presbiterial of the Pacific off to visit women on the island of El Chico. Group from Presbiterial of Suchitepéquez on their way to visit women on the island of Tecojate				When I first began my work with the Presbyterials, I discovered that for almost all of them the foundation of their life as a group are the visits they make to the sociedades in the churches. At first I resisted this as being an important and meaningful part of the work of the Presbyterial. Considering all the needs among the women, could they not find more important ways to use their time? Given the reality that most Presbyterials have little money, and these visits can be expensive (sometimes we have to rent a car or a boat to get to the church!) couldn’t they put their limited funds to better use? All I could see was a lot of work, a very long day, and seemingly few tangible results. But I have learned, and continue to learn, how important each visit is!

	On the surface it does not look like much is happening. We gather for a time of worship—prayer, hymns, Bible reading, a message from Scripture—then conclude with refreshments or lunch. But I discovered that what we do or say is not nearly as important as the fact that we have come! The women who are the leaders in the Presbyterial have given of themselves and their time to come and visit. They are affirmed as leaders within the women. And the group we visit is affirmed because people have taken the time to come and be with them. These are women who mostly live day to day, and their days are long and full of chores—the corn must be ground to make tortillas, clothes washed by hand in cold water and hung out to dry, time to search for firewood, preparing meals, planting and tending crops, animals and children. The visit provides a moment of diversion from the sameness of their days and allows them to make connections with other women.

	These women live their lives in a kind of isolation. I thought about the days when my mother, and before her my grandmother "went visiting," to see neighbors and friends. Mostly they just talked and, as a child, I found such visits rather tedious and boring, but now I understand the importance of women having the opportunity to be together. The words of Paul to the Roman Christians—those who have the gift to encourage others, should do so—is being lived out as I can see the excitement and pleasure of the women in the communities as they receive their visitors. On every visit, I see a multitude of needs: women and children who need to see a doctor; children who should be in school; women in their 20s and 30s who never had a chance to go to school.		Women and children from all over Guatemala making a visit to El Estor Group from Presbiterial of the Pacific on their way to visit a rural community

	The list goes on and on, and I can do little to even begin to solve the problems. But we really do not make the visit to bring health care or education or to solve problems. We come to be with our sisters in Christ, to encourage one another, to share the faith that binds us together, and that is enough. Ellen The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 242

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