Advent 2008
November 17, 2008

In those days, Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.
- Luke 1:39-41a

Friends,

We often read the story of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth during Advent, though usually we skip over this introduction and go right to Mary’s song. A couple of years ago I heard a wonderful reflection on this passage by Josefina Ainay, one of the first women ordained as a pastor by the Kaqchikel Presbytery in 2001. Josefina reminded the indigenous Guatemalan women gathered to hear her that they, just like Mary, often go to visit other women. In these visits, women share with one another not only about the joys and struggles of their daily lives, but also about what God is doing in the world in and through women.

One of my joys in returning to Guatemala after a year of working in the United States has been visiting with women to hear how God has worked in and through their lives during the past year.  They have shared their joy at discovering that they have been bearers of new life in Christ for those around them.

Bety Cifuentes de Sanchez.

Bety Cifuentes de Sanchez lives here in Quetzaltenango and has been active in the Presbyterial of Occidente over the last several years. In November of 2007 she was elected the moderator of the Sinodica, the national organization of Presbyterian Women here in Guatemala. Along with her national leadership responsibilities, Bety supports her family of eight children by running a concession stand at a local Presbyterian school. Her husband, Rubio Noe, is a Presbyterian pastor serving two small churches. Bety, who holds a degree from the Evangelical Presbyterian Seminary and who has studied as well with CEDEPCA, glows when she talks of all she is learning from the women in the 16 presbyterials that are part of the Sinodica.

Marina de Monterroso has just finished her first term as a ruling elder at the Jehovah Jireh Presbyterian Church here in Quetzaltenango. Serving on the session was a challenging and frustrating experience at times, as there were men in the congregation who did not support her in that role. Now she has been chosen for a new role. In May of 2008, Ellen Dozier, a PC(USA) mission co-worker who had been serving with the Sinodica for eight years, retired and moved back to the United States. The leadership of the Sinodica used Ellen’s departure as an opportunity to think about how they could reorganize their work and accompany one another more. The Sinodica named five Guatemalan women to work with the various presbyterials. These workers receive a small stipend and travel expenses. Marina was chosen to work with five presbyteries in the western part of the country, including two of the Mayan presbyterials. Her work is mainly to encourage the women, to help them believe that they, too, can participate in God’s mission, serving in their churches and communities. The courses Marina has received from CEDEPCA helped prepare her for her new job.

Aracely Itzep (left) and Alma Lili Rodriguez, the women pastors of Occidente Presbytery.

Aracely Itzep de Sontay has been serving as pastor of the Lilies of the Valley Presbyterian Church in the small community of Calahuaché since she was ordained and installed at the end of May. It has been a steep learning curve for her. Some days have been overwhelming, like the day I stopped to see her and she was on her way to visit one family grieving the death of a grandfather before holding a funeral for a baby that was stillborn. But she knows that God has called her to serve in the church and that God will supply her with the wisdom and strength she needs to guide the struggling congregation toward greater faithfulness.

Gladys Carrillo Martinez is a student at the Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA). Gladys is originally from Nicaragua, but she has lived in Guatemala City for the past several years. She decided to study theology in the university-level program at CEDEPCA, even though she hadn’t finished high school. After several classes she realized that if she wanted to learn more, she really needed to finish high school, which she did last year while I was gone. Now she’s back in the university-level courses, still struggling with writing, but eager to learn more about God and the church. Recently she was telling me how her understanding of God and of God’s desires for human beings has expanded through her time at CEDEPCA. Before, based on the preaching she had heard in church, she thought God was principally interested in saving people for life after death. Now she doesn’t think much about God’s judgment, but rather sees that those who follow Christ are called to work in the world in service to others. She’s volunteering with the Women’s Ministry Program at CEDEPCA.

Like each of these women, each one of us is called to share new life in Christ with those around us. May you be filled with blessings this season, even as we await God’s coming Reign.

In Advent hope,

Karla

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258