January 13, 2004

Saludos de Guatemala,

We wanted to share a few things with you, for your prayer, for your planning, and for your ongoing relationship with the Presbyterian Church in Guatemala.

First, many receiving this know Jorge Colindres, coordinator of the Diaconia program. Jorge is a Presbyterian pastor, member of Occidente Presbytery, and has been with Diaconia for some five years now. He has diabetes and has recently been suffering from some severe complications, affecting his eyesight. Last week he underwent a very painful procedure, described as "freezing" one eye. He is, at least temporarily, blind in that eye. Today he was to have a laser treatment to help stop the blood loss in the other eye, but could not get the treatment because his blood pressure was too high. I just got off the phone with him, and he said they believe they should be able to do it in a couple of weeks when they’ll also try some things with the other eye to perhaps restore vision as well. He said the procedure last week was very painful, that he wouldn't wish that pain on his worst enemy. I told him that we are sharing some of this information with folks in the PC(USA) connected with ministry and mission in Guatemala, and he will be grateful for your prayers.

It somehow seems especially appropriate to pray for Gadiel and family and for Guatemala on the 14th, because that is the day the new president, Oscar Berger, is to be inaugurated, and his government will take over from the discredited and corrupt administration of President Portillo and the leader of Guatemala’s Congress, Efrain Rios Montt. PC(USA) mission co-worker Dennis Smith commented yesterday to a group that it is clear that Berger would rather have had a coronation than an inauguration, and that seems in the direction of truth with regard to his style and mindset. He does seem to have something of a reputation of honesty, though, from his time as mayor of Guatemala City.

Thursday, January 15, is also a very important day for Presbyterians and for politics here in Guatemala. The new mayor of San Juan Ixcoy, Huehuetenango, is to be installed that day. He is the Reverend Andres Domingo Lopez, a member of K'anhab'al Presbytery, which has a long-term relationship with Cincinnati Presbytery of the PC(USA).

You may have read in the news about the murder of a U.S. citizen during a robbery of a van full of Mormon tourists last week. This happened near Coatepeque and Colomba. We don't know much about what happened other than the reports that all were robbed, a man was shot and killed, and the driver was also wounded. I don't know if they put up some objection or resistance, if one of the robbers was nervous, or what. That, combined with the murder on Saturday of another U.S. man, this time a man who had been living in Guatemala for 15 years, had a Guatemalan wife, family and farm, reminds us again that there are some risks in being here, in coming here to visit. While violence has been steadily on the increase over the past couple of years, there has been no particular evidence that it has been especially targeted either on U.S. travelers or foreigners. Most crime, including violence, affects our Guatemalan brothers and sisters, and they have lived with it for so many years, even centuries, that it boggles the mind. You can be sure that we in PRESGOV will continue to provide the safest experiences we can for the delegations and volunteers who come to work with the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church.

Selena is now with a delegation from Madison, Wisconsin, in San Juan Ixcoy, where they are working with Diaconia and the K'anhab'al Presbytery in the installation of a water system in the aldea of Yulguitz I. She has nearly fully recovered from her surgery now, and is back up to near-full strength and energy.

Some 23 delegations are now on the calendar for this year, with the first two this month. Twenty-one of those are scheduled to be here before we leave at the end of August. The next one coming is from Inland Northwest Presbytery to visit their partner, the Association of Maya K'akchí Presbyteries (APMK). On this trip, they will be going to Tactic, just south of Coban, to meet with the APMK folks in their new building, then to Polochic and Izabal Presbyteries.

Ellen Dozier leaves tomorrow for some four months of interpretation and some rest in the United States. We will miss her a bunch! You can contact her at ellendozier@hotmail.com.

Grace and peace,

Joe and Selena Keesecker

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 133