2011 Calendar

The beginning of 2011 looks to be full of new adventure and a lot of work! :) We look forward to hosting a few new groups and reconnecting with old friends. Please see below for a schedule of activities for Jan-May 2011.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank Learning Tour – January 17-31

Westgate Mennonite Collegiate - February 10-24

Rockway Mennonite Collegiate - March 4-17

Rosthern Junior College - March 20-April 2

Immigration Learning Tour - April 27-May 10

MCC seeks constituents across the U.S. who are interested in issues of immigration & the church, limit is 10 participants; if interested please visit www.mcc.org

Semana de Servicio

Comité Central Menonita Semana de Servicio “Toma tu Lugar en la Mesa del Señor!”

“This service week provided a rare opportunity to not only meet youth from all over Guatemala and El Salvador, but also a chance to hear about the lives and work that each is doing in their own communities. It was beautiful and inspiring to be a part of an intercambio like this, which connected youth from an array of indigenous groups and ladino communities”, recalls a SALT service worker in Guatemala.

Each year the Mennonite Central Committee’s Guatemala/El Salvador team invites four or five youth from each partner organization to participate in a week of service and learning. This year over forty-five youth from all over Guatemala and El Salvador traveled to the area of Cuisnhauat in El Salvador.

The youth were brought together to learn about Food Security in Central America, engage the local culture by participating in home stays, share their experiences in their respective communities and work together in service projects to benefit the people of Cuisnhauat.

After enjoying freshly made hot pupusas on Wednesday night, the Service Week started out with a brief orientation and the night finished with get-to-know you games before heading out to the home stays. Each day began with devotions, followed by a time of learning, sharing and finishing with the service portion.

We spent time discussing and making collages of the media’s message and influence on our purchasing and food habits. We listened to speakers from San Marcos and Totonicapan talk about the work they do with food security in their cooperatives, which proved to be quite enlightening for all. The youth were also able to donate time and money to help the community build a wall next to the river, to prevent flooding, and repair roofs of two different families. But don’t fret! We were able to find time for fun playing soccer and taking a dip in the river.

Our time concluded with a night of cultural fun at ANADES’s coffee finca getting a coffee tour, swimming in the river and enjoying a camp fire. On Saturday, we said our goodbyes and headed back for the long journey to our respective communities, eager to share all that was learned.

Thus, this time, provided the youth an opportunity to learn more about food security and how they can help their own communities be more sustainable, all the while expanding their world view and making new friends. A big thanks to Toby and Yasmin, who organized this week for all of us!

And thank you to Anne Barkett for the article and the fotos!

Blessings at Year End

I remember with gratitude the fruits of the labors of others, which I have shared as a part of the normal experience of daily living.

I remember the beautiful things that I have seen, heard, and felt - some, as a result of definite seeking on my part, and many that came unheralded into my path, warming my heart and rejoicing my spirit.

I remember the moments of distress that proved to be groundless and those that taught me profoundly about the evilness of evil and the goodness of good.

I remember the new people I have met, from whom I have caught glimpses of the meaning of my own life and the true character of human dignity.

I remember the dreams that haunted me during the year, keeping me ever mindful of goals and hopes which I did not realize but from which I drew inspiration to sustain my life and keep steady my purposes.

I remember the awareness of the spirit of God that sought me out in my aloneness and gave me a sense of assurance that undercut my despair and confirmed my life with new courage and abiding hope.

Howard Thurman


picture courtesy of Leslie Hammer

giving thanks

Gratitude begets justice.

When the Spirit roars through, we know how deeply we have been blessed.

We cry out in thanks to our Creator.

The praise that most pleases God is not burnt offerings or pretty words.

When we walk with our sisters and brothers who are shackled by oppression, hunger and lack of opportunity,

God gives thanks.

Gratitude begets justice!

Rainbow Mennonite

The visit from Rainbow Mennonite Church in early October was short but full of many great experiences. Not only did they bring with them the end of the rainy season, as we had an entire week of sunny, clear skies during their visit, but also a lot of energy and interest in the context and reality of Guatemala. It was so nice to work with "older" adults for a change (although I love our high school groups, don't get me wrong!) We fit in a lot of activities in just one week, with a visit to ANADESA in Santiago Atitlan and a new agricultural program in Totonicapan. I'll let the pictures tell the rest!

Thank you to Jana and Mitch for the pictures!

ready to start the adventure

The group spent a number of days visiting the community in Panabaj, spending time with the children's program, learning about the history of the armed conflict, working on a stove project, cleaning Panabaj's Peace Park, and finally finishing the cleanup from Tropical Storm Agatha!

For more information on the ONIL stove project that ANADESA has partnered with, please visit: Cojolya or write to social@cojolya.org

much appreciated help with the mud at the community school

A couple of the group members decided to purchase wood as a thank you gift for their host family; fun idea that got the whole group involved!

The group also had the chance to visit a new MCC partner in a community outside of Totonicapan. The various community agricultural programs are managed mostly by women and have been very successful so far; a really great place to visit to see yet another part of the diverse context of Guatemala.

helping with the start of a water catcher

farewells and applauses for all after a special meal shared with the local community

What are you afraid of?

"My neighbor is hungry"

I was hungry and you fed your animals with my food.

I was hungry and your transnationals planted your winter tomatoes on our best land.

I was hungry and you wouldn’t give up your steak from South America.

I was hungry but they grew tea for you where rice might grow for my daily meal.

I was hungry but you turned our sugarcane and manioc into fuel for your cars.

I was hungry but the waste from your factories is poisoning the fishing grounds of the earth.

I was hungry but with your money, you bought up my food.

I was hungry while my land grows exotic fruits for your table.

What are you afraid of?

Forgoing excessive and harmful consumption?
Having to change your attitudes?

The power of the politicians?

The work involved in achieving greater self-sufficiency?

The disappointing looks of your neighbors?

What are you afraid of?

I was hungry but you gave me no food.

taken from Earth Keepers

by chance

song written by youth from San Miguel

¿Acaso eres tú q’ a los mineros enviaste?
Violentan el vientre de la Madre Tierra.
Llevan el oro, destruyendo los cerros.
Un gramo de sangre vale mas de mil kilos de oro.

¿Qué pasa con mi pueblo?
Y tu, mi Dios, ¿Dónde te escondes?
El miedo nos paraliza.
Mi pueblo esta vendido y no se de cuenta.

El agua se agota, tiene color de infierno.
Se levanta el aire ya contaminado.
Buscamos milagros – a última hora,
Buscando sanar a los enfermos y danos mortales.

Un pueblo pobre es fácil comprarlos.
Regalos apagan sospechas y dudas.
Los sueldos se llevan las cantinas del pueblo,
Hogares oscuros quedan y dividida mi gente.

Creaste un jardín – y no un desierto.
Queremos progreso con respeto al ambiente.
El hambre de oro come más y más tierra.
Y, Tú mí Dios, te preguntas:
¿Qué esta haciendo mí pueblo?

By chance is it you who sent the miners?
They violate the womb of Mother Earth.
They take the gold, destroying the hills.
One gram of blood is worth more than a thousand kilograms of gold.

What’s happening with my people?
And you, my God, where have you hidden?
We are paralyzed by fear.
My people have been sold and they don’t realize it.

The water is depleted; it is the color of hell.
The air rises, now contaminated.
We search for miracles at the last minute.
Seeking to heal the sick and the mortal damages.

It is easy to buy a poor people.
Gifts turn away suspicions and doubts.
The towns’ bars eat up salaries.
Homes remain in darkness, my people divided.

You created a garden and not a desert.
We want progress that respects the environment.
The hunger for gold eats more and more land.
And you, my God, ask yourself:
What are my people doing?

reflections on connecting peoples

We always appreciate hearing from past participants once they have returned home and have had a chance to reflect on their experiences here. It is often difficult to know how to connect what one experiences here with his or her life at home. However, through thoughts and memories like these, we are encouraged to think that these experiences are life changing and not something that can be easily forgotten.

"Fourteen U of S Education students, a teacher from Manitoba, and one professor travelled to Guatemala for two weeks on a study tour focused on service based learning. The group was a very dynamic assemblage of people of different ages, bringing many unique experiences and personalities, yet all with a common link to a passion for social and ecological justice. Over the course of two weeks, many laughs were shared and lessons learned about the lives and culture of the Mayan people, as well as some rudimentary Spanish picked up along the way (it is actually "buenas noches" not "nachos" and "disculpeme" not "escuchame"). We learned that chances are you will not, in fact, die when driving in a chicken bus in the mountains, regardless of rain, fog, cliffs, and muddy road conditions, and that at least seven others have gravol or pepto if you just ran out. But beyond the bus drivers strike against dangerous driving conditions, protests in the street, and 16km hikes through the mountains, the experience was rewarding and enlightening and we all agreed that this journey has forever changed us and empowered us to actively influence the students we will teach.

Three principles learned:
1. Language is only one aspect of communication
2. True generosity costs something
3. A small group of motivated people can help change a situation

Fourteen days were spent travelling, learning, discovering, and experiencing a new culture and way of life. The people of Guatemala have an open kindness and generosity that is hard to rival and the memories made and people met have made quite an impact. As sad as it is to see the physical part of this journey end, it is the influence and effects of this experience that will always remain with and influence me. Small changes by a small group of people help make a difference." - Ashlyn, University of Saskatchewan

"It was dark by the time we were taken by Sa’ul to his home. We were led to a door and let into a small clean room with three beds, a cement floor and a single bare lightbulb. It was obvious to myself and the two others staying with me that we were being given the families beds for the night.

I woke up first the next day and met Sa’ul and the rest of his family. His wife was well along in her pregnancy and they had four adorable children, all of whom were of preschool age. I then saw the only other room in their home for the first time. We had been unable to see it when we arrived because of darkness.

It was a small lean-to kitchen with open windows and a dirt floor. The only furniture in the room was a small table with four chairs and a large cement block wood stove in the middle of the room. The walls were blackened with soot and hundreds of corn cobs hung from the rafters to dry. A chicken sat in a wooden box off to the side, clearly at home on her nest.

I realized that this is where this young family had slept for the night, huddled together on the dirt floor around the fire to keep warm while we were given their beds. The community is high in the Guatemalan mountains and gets cool at night, so all of the blankets and pillows had been given to us to keep us warm and comfortable.

It was the most humbling experience of receiving generosity I have experienced in my life. We were then fed a feast of tortillas, tamales, potatoes, beans and eggs for breakfast, a meal three or four times the size of what the family would usually begin its day with. After, as we began to make preparations to leave their home we were thanked for coming to stay with them.

I have come away from these experiences acutely aware of the culture of discontent and concern for wealth that I live in, and am thankful for the example of Mary, who disregarded the sticker price and doused Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. I am thankful too, for my brothers and sisters in Christ at Lo de Carranza who taught me, through their worship and friendship, how to be truly thankful for all God has given. Most of all I am thankful to Sa’ul and his family who taught me more about hospitality and generosity in one homestay than I would have thought possible." - Jim, Rosthern Junior College

more thoughts on mining

Seeking to understand the perspective of indigenous communities in Guatemala
Nate Howard and David Janzen
09/02/2010
http://ottawa.mcc.org/stories/news/seeking-understand-perspective-communities-san-miguel-guatemala

"In recent weeks we have been visiting communities in and around San Miguel, Guatemala, and have had the opportunity to interview around thirty individuals involved in resisting the Marlin Mine, a large gold mine operated by the Canadian-based company Goldcorp.

Given recent incidents of violence and the international attention the situation has attracted, we have been surprised at the openness with which people have shared with us. Some of what we have heard has been painful and disorienting—indeed, the situation is direr than we had anticipated—and yet, in spite of the fear, violence, and threats faced by local people, we have encountered a profound sense of hope in these communities.

The resistance movement seems to be fundamentally about the freedom to live in community with one another and with creation in a way that is not compatible with the logic of transnational corporations. We do not purport to understand the worldview of the San Miguelense people, but in our many conversations with local people several significant ideas have consistently come through:

(1) Land is both an inheritance to be passed on to future generations, and a gift from God entrusted to a certain group of people. As an inherited gift, land is to be used to support the subsistence and well being of the present and future of the community. To exploit land for purposes beyond this is excessive, thoughtless and unnecessarily destructive.

(2) Environment is inseparable from community. Hence, “contamination” refers to something beyond the measurable negative effects on the land; contamination also includes societal imbalance, a disregard for tradition, and, ultimately, a failure of human communities to assume their role in creation as co-creators and caretakers.

(3) Development occurs when it is spread across the community, not when it is experienced by a small number of individuals, and especially not when it leads to inequality and conflict between people and land.

(4) Community is based on direct relationships of mutual respect between people. Mutual respect implies creating space for each person to voice his or her own perspective. This notion of respect is embodied in Mayan forms of democratic decision-making, which are based not on the rule of the majority but rather on a form of conversation that aims to build community-wide consensus. Stressing the inherent value of land, the importance of tradition, and direct relationships built on respect, these norms are clearly at odds with those of mining companies, which operate on efficiency, hierarchy and, ultimately, economic profit."

Nathaniel Howard has been serving as a community development worker with MCC Guatemala since 2006; David Janzen served in Guatemala through MCC's SALT program in 2008, and is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario

As with the majority of our groups this year, Enlace spent a week in San Marcos learning about this complex issue and Canada's influence in the region. They also heard a lot about what they (and you!) can do at home, things such as supporting Bill C-300; join the Facebook group "I Support Bill C-300 (the Responsible Mining Bill)" to learn more.

"We have a whole new perspective on multiple things including consumerism, the projects of MCC, wealth disparity, natural disasters, and mining. Ask us about them. We've come home to share with you about things we have experienced first hand, and advocate about issues that have become very dear to us. I encourage you to listen and learn." Enlace 2010 co-leader Hannah

julio y agosto

Lombard Mennonite Church
This was LMC's first experience with the Connecting Peoples program and I'm sure something they will never forget :) After spending a few days getting oriented with the CASAS program in Guatemala City, the 11 youth and 4 adults spent time helping with Tropical storm Agatha clean-up in Santiago Atitlan. They then visited communities in Sibinal, San Marcos and learned about how the issue of migration is affecting that area. The group also had the pleasure of learning what it means to be in the mountains of Guatemala during the rainy season!






ENLACE 2010
http://mccoenlace.blogspot.com/

"Enlace is a Spanish word meaning "to weave together." The Enlace program is about providing 16-19 year olds with the opportunity to grow in faith as global Christians by living in community and working alongside Guatemalan partners."

This year the Enlace group spent time visiting communities in Santiago Atitlan, San Marcos, and various parts of El Salvador. Please read the blog above to hear more about their experience from their own perspective. I, for one, thought it was a fabulous time and especially liked the mini-sticks! :) We were pleased to continue this connection with MCC Ontario for the 5th year in a row - yeah Enlace!

Tropical Storm Agatha

At the end of May, Guatemala was hit by the first tropcial storm of the season, Agatha. Many parts of Guatemala City and the country were severly damaged as a result of the heavy rains that lasted for more than 24 hours. What follows is the story of a community in Zone 6 in Guatemala City and images from the storm taken in the department of Sololá where the communiteis of Santiago Atitlan and Panabj are located.

Rock of Salvation Mennonite Church opens its doors as shelter for those suffering the affects of the start of the rainy season

Story Antony and Irma Judith Sanchez

Claudia Alamnzo, 23, lives with her husband Estuardo Bernal, 26, and their two children Denilson, 4, and Venessa, 1 month, in a shantytown near the neighborhood of San Juan de Dios, Zone 6 in Guatemala City. On May 29, Claudia, along with her two children were caught off guard by the strong rains caused by the tropical storm Agatha. Her tin-roofed, wooden house along with the lot where the house was located, 50 meters down the side of a canyon, were completely washed away and destroyed by a landslide caused by the rain.

Claudia moved to this area five years ago when she decided to share her life with Estuardo who has lived in Zone 6 since childhood. “I was alone in the house with my two children when the rains started. Our house started to flood so I decided the best thing to do was to leave. I took my two children and we went to the highest part of the community. All of our things were buried underneath the landslide that happened just a few minutes after we left. Now our house simply does not exist. Thank God that the Mennonite Church has opened its doors and we can safely sleep there,” said Claudia. “We were watching the news when we heard the sound of the water and a landslide of mud and trees; our houses were filled with water and mud,” said Nora Muralles, another mother who lives in the same area.

The neighborhood of San Juan de Dios is located on the edge of a canyon where the Las Vacas River runs deep below. The families’ homes have been built down the sides of the canyon which is approximately 100 meters deep. The area had been used as a garbage dump, but about seven years ago dozens of families started arriving to build their homes in the canyon. The construction of the houses has not followed any type of construction regulation, being built piece by piece as the owners are able to find the economic means to buy the materials. The houses are mostly built of wood, tin, and cardboard with some retaining walls made of brick or concrete.

In general, the families here are very poor and many of them have multiple children. The men work informally at selling on the street or driving buses and taxis, while some have more formal work. Their income is around $10-$12 a day and very few of them have access to social security benefits. The women dedicate most of their time to taking care of the home, helping to sustain the family economically by working occasionally for other families doing housework.

Claudia’s husband is a bus driver. He generally leaves for work at 5:00 am and returns home at 8:00 pm. Claudia lives double amounts of stress on a daily basis. On one hand, she deals with the stress of having a husband work as a bus driver in an environment of violence that often affects city bus drivers and the transportation system in Guatemala. On the other hand, she has now lost her home and finds herself living in a shelter. Approximately thirty-five families from various parts of the community are in the same situation as Claudia and Nora. They have yet to find out to what extent their lives will be changed by this disaster, and where their new homes will be.

The Rock of Salvation Mennonite Church, which is located in the community, has opened its doors as a temporary shelter for around seventy people whose homes where destroyed or were found to be in high risk areas after the storm. The work is being coordinated by the church’s women’s society, which Fialiley Ruano, Gladys, and Connie de Veliz are all members of. These three women are in charge of organizing and working together to attend to the needs of the families.

The rainy season has started strong in Guatemala. The first tropical storm of the year has devastated the country, causing approximately 156 deaths and more than 150,000 people affected throughout various parts of the country, many of whom are currently in temporary shelters. MCC hopes to respond to this disaster through material humanitarian aid for 800 families in various areas where local MCC partners are located, specifically in the departments of Guatemala, Sololá and San Marcos. The work will be coordinated between the Mennonite Church and Caritas of Guatemala.

the school in Panabaj was again filled with mud, making the construction of a retaining wall even more important


canal that runs through Panabaj during the rains



canal after the rains


road to San Pedro


road to Santiago, near Ana's house




destruction in San Antonio Polopó, community near Panajachel that suffered a lot of damage