Presbyterian Mission Agency

The Struggle for Life: Reflections on the International Peacemakers Program

Wilhelm Piérola Iturralde, President, UMAVIDA, JH Bolivia, as translated by Chenoa Stock, Companionship Facilitator, Bolivia

Wilhelm and Chenoa with San Francisco Presbytery partners. Photo courtesy of Chenoa Stock.

The mission of the PC(USA) is inspired by a vision of a world where peace exists between nations and families are spared the pain of violence. I travelled to the U.S. in the fall of 2013 as an international peacemaker with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. I was invited to participate because as the President of the …

A letter from Sarah Henken in Colombia (regional liaison for the Andean Region)

October 2013

Entertained by Angels

Sarah enjoying patacón con hogao (fried green plantain with tomato and onion) with her friend Jacky

A welcoming smile. A cup of coffee. A good place to sleep. Interest in hearing my stories and sharing their own. These are some of the gifts of hospitality I receive from the people I visit, things that help me feel at ease wherever I find myself in the Americas.

I’ve been blessed to receive such hospitality from some of you this year. I was in the U.S. for five months of Interpretation Assignment and visited 6 states, connected with 24 congregations, preached 16 times, presented at 5 presbytery meetings, and led workshops both at a Presbyterian Women summer conference and with wonderful colleagues at World Mission’s Big Tent event. It was an invigorating season that helped me get in touch with my home base in the United States. I was back home with my parents in Los Angeles for some of the time, while simultaneously preparing for a move to my new home in Barranquilla, Colombia. In the midst of it I found myself reflecting often on the meaning of home.

A letter from Chenoa Stock in Bolivia

October 1, 2013

Sharing the Story

“Are you visiting another church?” asked my 10-year-old niece as I walked through the living room to the door with my backpack in hand and rather dressed up for a Wednesday night.  Ah yes, Rayna has now recognized the lifestyle to which I am committed for these three months of Interpretation Assignment—a time for me to return to the U.S. in between terms to visit Presbyterian congregations and share what God is doing in Bolivia through the UMAVIDA Joining Hands network. But Rayna knows what she is questioning, as she helped me tweak my Children’s Sermon (“I don’t think they’ll understand that”) and accompanied me to my first church in Pittsburgh as I gave my presentation to an adult class and later preached during worship. She now has a better understanding of where I live and what I do, and my hope is that the churches I visited over this past month and a half and those I will visit in the month to come can and will say the same.

I know not everybody on this list is Presbyterian, but I must profess the pride I have for our Presbyterian family after visiting many of them in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Towanda, Pa. With every visit I was only reminded more of how we are a part of such a beautiful, strong and faithful network of support and love.

Youth Confront Their Realities in Relation to Water and the Environment

Clotilde Loza, Coordinator of UMAVIDA, JH Bolivia

2012 UMAVIDA Water School on the Water Route field trip in El Alto, Bolivia to learn about the distribution of water from the surrounding glaciers. Photo: UMAVIDA

In Bolivia, environmental problems are putting the availability of fresh water resources at risk. Despite being faced with the potential of water rationing in the near future, a culture of disregard for the care of water resources continues to be prevalent in the country, particularly in the Andean Mountains, where …

A letter from Chenoa Stock in Bolivia

July 19, 2013

Balanced and Transformed

Harness buckled. Chalk bag clipped. 8-knot tied. Climbing shoes squeezed on. One look up.—“All right, rock, it’s you and me.”  I have recently started to dabble in the art of rock climbing.  Perhaps it was unavoidable, living in La Paz at 12,000 ft, surrounded by amazing mountains and natural formations. And it is indeed an art. I have always been a lover of the environment and outdoors, but this sport literally puts you in the heart of nature and in her hands. In learning the technique of how to elegantly move my hands and feet in a graceful rhythm with the figures of this nature-made structure, there is a sensation of being "one with the rock." As you attempt your ascent, your mind can only think about your next movements and how to move yourself using the textures and crevices nature has left you.  It is an individual sport—a mental and physical challenge with one’s self; but one can never forget the person who holds the other end of your rope—attentively watching your every move, should you make one wrong step. Many people may claim that you need muscles and strength for rock climbing, but one quickly learns that the key movements are not about power or strength, but about balance and focus. I of course do not claim to be an expert rock climber, but I am learning with each route and ascent how to open my eyes and see the natural steps provided for me.

A letter from Sarah Henken, on home leave from Bolivia

June 2013

A group of jovial marimondas in a carnaval parade in Barranquilla.

In February I found myself once again in Barranquilla, Colombia’s carnaval epicenter, for the enthusiastic holiday celebrations. The streets pulsated with music at all hours of the day and night, and residents decked their homes, cars, and clothing with colorful characters of the season—marimonda and garabato, among others. Over the weekend at least one Presbyterian church held a carnaval-themed worship service, while others kept vigils to pray for the city. With such divergent responses from churches in the same denomination, what does it mean to bear Christian witness in this context?

For those who abstain from and criticize the festivities, carnaval (the days leading up to Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent) represents debauchery, excess, vice—signs of godless living to be rejected by those who know Christ’s saving work. Members of these churches often disapprove of drinking and dancing in general, seeing them as emblematic of immoral behavior unsuitable for those who would offer Christian witness in their living. The church where I preached on Transfiguration Sunday had held a morning fast the day before, with a Bible study at the church on the “true fast” described by the prophet Isaiah.

The Campaign Continues: Results of the Parallel Audit of the Kori Kollo Mine

Mónica Zelma Rocha Bellot, Intern for CEPA an UMAVIDA partner in Bolivia, translated by Chenoa Stock, Companionship Facilitator, JH Bolivia

An Agreement is Made

Taking water samples in the Tailings Dam Zone Photo Credit: Technical University of Oruro

The extraction of natural resources through mining oftentimes results in the destruction of the ecosystems in those areas. This has been the case of the Kori Kollo open-pit mining operations of the Inti Raymi SA Company.

Open-pit mining removes great volumes of …

A letter from Chenoa Stock in Bolivia

March 11, 2013

Sharing God’s Unconditional Love in Bolivia and Beyond                                                                              

To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.—Thomas Merton

Greetings to you all from La Paz during this Lenten season! As I have been moving through and contemplating during these weeks, I have found that many of my Lenten devotionals have been focused on God’s unconditional love. Beyond the immediacies of our daily lives as individuals, these devotionals not only discuss the love between humans, but a love that is extended to all living beings. As we learn more about the effects of climate change, corporate exploitation of communities, and free trade agreements that do not favor or support local governments, these devotionals call to me and say that it is time to use that love to bring healing to that which needs our compassion and care—our entire global community.

Environmental Justice for Communities Affected by Mining Contamination in Oruro, Bolivia

By Clotilde Loza Quispe, UMAVIDA

 “We do not want the contamination to continue in our communities. Before, we raised our cattle and sowed our fields, but now we have nothing to do. Our lands are contaminated by the mining companies, and we want them to know that we are being affected…”

Mrs. Florinda Ajuacho from the Altantañita community of the Huanuni Sub-basin, asking the government - "enough contamination". Photo: CEPA, Bolivia

These and many other stories are heard from women and men …

“Poverty and Pollution” Photo Contest and Exhibit Raise Awareness

By Jean Gregory, Presbytery of San Francisco

You never know what discoveries you’ll make when on a journey—especially when going as part of an official delegation with the Presbyterian Church’s Joining Hands program. We here in the Presbytery of San Francisco are partners with Bolivia’s network UMAVIDA. The San Francisco Joining Hands groups along with our partners in Oregon’s Cascades Presbytery send a delegation to Bolivia once a year or so. The purposes are many: to investigate root causes of poverty, to establish personal relationships in Christ’s name, …