August 2006

God’s Unfolding Drama in Guatemala

One of the privileges of being mission co-workers in Guatemala is meeting creative, committed North Americans who are making a huge difference here, in partnership with Guatemaltecas who have so much to share. A Louisville-based drama troupe of four young women, called Looking for Lilith, was here for a month this summer, crisscrossing the country leading drama workshops and retreats for Presbyterian women. Two of the troupe women lived here three years ago, serving in the year-long PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. This was the troupe’s second summer visit and they hope to return next year. They were elated to receive the 2006 Presbyterian Women’s Thank Offering grant, which helped fund their month of work and relationship-building. Member Jennifer Thalman hopes to find funds to return this fall to train the incoming YAVs, equipping them to use drama techniques in their work within communities.

Jeannene participated in two of Lilith’s Xela workshops and attended a lively weekend retreat. The indigenous women are ordinarily quite timid and reserved. The four drama troupe women are fluent in Spanish and had the amazing capacity to invite these indigenous women to open up through group-building games and low-threat activities. The women giggled with delight like schoolgirls and later confessed that they had not thought of their home responsibilities all day long. Throughout the retreat and with the encouragement of other participants, each of the Guatemalan women began to act out one event in her personal life story: the grave illness of a son who was subsequently healed, the death of a difficult spouse, a disbanded presbiterial by the men in charge, the election of a gifted young woman to church leadership despite the pastor’s opposition. Many women in the indigenous villages are illiterate and this method of self-expression seems especially life-giving for them. The hope is that the Lilith team can train Guatemalan women leaders to use drama dynamics and methods as they work within their communities to reflect on their life journeys. We mission co-workers have also garnered fresh ideas for our work connecting women’s lives with the biblical story.

Inviting the women of Guatemala to know more of God’s delight in creating them and God’s desires for their well-being, self-esteem, and education is crucial here. Fifty-one to seventy percent of Mayan or indigenous women are illiterate, a statistic beyond belief for those of us who regard education more as a given than as a gift. Violent crimes against women are also “routine” and the two are not unrelated. Without question, we serve a God whose burning desire is that all people should be treated with dignity and nurtured with respect.

In June, we were both the recipients of these sacred gifts when we were invited to share a meal at the home of an indigenous family. As we fumbled with our best Spanish in this household where Spanish was their second language as well, we all swapped stories about our families and our faith communities. At some point the conversation shifted to the 36-year “civil” war that continues to serve as backdrop to Guatemala’s tangled history. Our host drew us into his confidence about some of his personal painful memories during the conflagration, including the story of his family home being burned to the ground and the neighbors who “disappeared” or were murdered before family members. In some parts of the country, especially in the mountainous regions of western Guatemala, irrational violence and slaughter were routine, referred to as the government’s “scorched earth policy.” It is difficult to imagine living with the fear that brutality is lurking around every corner. As our host recounted these events to us, suddenly, with no previous signals, he began to weep silent tears, yet continued to complete his story as if there were a healing power to his grief. It is humbling to realize how difficult such recollections must be for him and how steeped in fear some of the Guatemalan people have been for a significant portion of their lives. We were reminded that sometimes “we are able to see through tears what dry-eyed we cannot see,” (Nicholas Wolterstorff).

How different from our own are the lives of many Guatemalans! That they have found strength to courageously continue is part of the unfolding drama and on-going faith story each has to share with us. “God is good. We are still here.”

Mil bendiciones,

Jeannene and David Wiseman

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 64

Note: Those who wish to offer financial support to the on-going work of PC(USA) mission co-workers like the Wisemans may do so through PC(USA) Directed Mission Support. Contributions from individuals may be sent to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA, 15264-3700. Contributions from churches should be sent to: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Church Remittance Processing, PO Box 643678, Pittsburgh, PA, 15264-3678. Write the title (David and Jeannene Wiseman) and the DMS number (D506992) on the subject line of the check and put it on your cover letter, too. Send a copy of the cover letter to Central America and Mexico Area Office at 100 Witherspoon St. Louisville, KY 40202-1396. Gracias!