Soni's message

I did not just come back from Guatemala. I was, however, one of 19 who was a part of Guatemala 2007. I am here today because I was asked to share why I volunteered this year to coordinate fundraisers, drive folks to the airport and be a prayer partner when I wasn’t going on the trip.

Before I can answer that question, I need to explain why I went two years ago.

Ben Langley, who helped to coordinate the 2007 trip, had each of us write the answer to that before we left for Guatemala. I wrote that: 1) It would be my first cross-cultural experience in another country 2) I may never have the opportunity again and 3) It would be a vacation like none other. I also wrote that I expected a life-changing spiritual awakening.

When I left for Guatemala I tried to remember something that Jerry Van Marter – a frequent world traveler – had said in one of our orientation meetings: “Set aside what you think you know. And let God step in.”

For me, that meant letting go of what I had heard and read about the abject poverty, strict gender roles and violence-- especially against women. I knew I was going to feel so helpless – knowing there wasn’t any quick fix for the conditions people lived in.

But, I knew that the purpose of our trip was to get to know people in El Estor and see if God might be leading us and them to build relationships to help each other on our spiritual journeys.

I saw for myself in Guatemala just how important church is to the people there. It was clear that it is within the church building that God’s presence is mostly felt.

Stenciled on the church wall at Arca de Noe was “Dios es Amor” – God is love. Those words were also included in the scripture from I John 4:8 that was read and recited and recited and recited as part of my first worship experience there.

Although that lesson is one that I was taught as a child growing up in the USA, I felt it even more deeply in my soul in that small, hot church in El Estor, Guatemala. It’s really hard to explain in words but having the opportunity to witness God’s presence among people who in many ways were so different than me, truly expanded my world vision and understanding of what it means to be children of God.

And so, why did I want to work so closely with this year’s Guatemala group?

Simply because although I wasn’t going, I already felt a part of the experience and had to be involved however I could.

I feel like I did have a spiritual awakening as a result of my 2007 trip. Guatemala is no longer just the name of a Central American country. Instead, it is a place close to my heart. As a child, and as a parent, I sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Although I have become more uncomfortable with the male language, I also have become increasingly comfortable with the concept. The whole world is in God’s hands. And, my view of that world has dramatically changed by my involvement with Guatemala.

That’s what’s wonderful about this agreement with the people of the Estoreño Presbytery. It’s an agreement for ALL of us. Anyone can be part of the personal growth that can come through learning of another’s history, culture, language, and life experiences. We can be mutually encouraged by each other in the faith and by so doing, praise a God who embraces us -- as we do each other -- with open hands and arms.

-- Soni