A letter from Marcia Towers in Guatemala
September 2012
Friends,
Kristi Click worked at a school for children who work and who are behind in their studies. These were some of her students.
Those of you who know current or former PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs)* know how committed and inspiring they are, and how they’ve really learned to focus on the meaningful parts of life. You know how they’re involved in their churches in various forms of leadership, and how they are working in or out of the church in ways they are giving to others. You know how they talk about their year as a YAV as a transformative, life-changing and life-giving year. You know how they live out the YAV motto of “A Year of Service for a Lifetime of Change.” Those of you who don’t know a YAV, please read about some of their experiences at https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/yav/ (go to Read YAV blogs).
That’s why we’re so excited that part of PC(USA) World Mission’s new strategic plan is to expand the YAV program threefold over the next few years. The staff in the PC(USA) offices will expand from 3 to 4, more funds will be dedicated to the YAV program so that the fund-raising requirements are dramatically reduced, and we’ll focus even more on recruitment. Most YAVs apply to the program because they know someone who has participated, or someone in their lives has recommended the program to them. If you’re reading this, remember that you can be one of those people who let our young people know about this program.
Jackie Wonsey was involved with the community in Pachaj, Cantel. They asked her to direct their choir and she accepted, as you can see in this picture.
The four YAVs in Guatemala this year, who arrived in August 2011 and left in July 2012, represent some of these wonderful young people.
Jackie Wonsey spent the year living in a small agricultural community called Pachaj, whose population is Maya Quiche. She lived with and supported the community work of a Maya Quiche woman who is extremely involved in helping others in her community. She also went each week to one of only two shelters for abused women in Guatemala to lead fun activities with the women and children who live there.
Austin Langley lived in the town of San Miguel Dueñas. She had several roles during the year including helping at an after-school program for kids, working at an organic farm, and helping with house construction. Austin went on to participate a second year in the YAV program in Tucson, Arizona, where she’ll help lead delegations with BorderLinks.
Julianne Blaha worked in support of Guatemala’s public school system through an organization that places promoters in public schools to model reading lessons that make kids love to read and other helpful teaching techniques. She led a homework center in San Miguel Escobar, outside of Ciudad Vieja, where she lived. In this school up to one-third of the children can fail first grade, and the goal is to help improve the quality of education.
Austin, Kristi, Julianne, Marcia, and Jackie at the Christmas retreat this year.
Kristi Click was halfway through seminary at Austin Seminary when she took a year away from the books to focus on interacting in communities of need. She worked with a lunch program for elderly at San Marcos Episcopal Church in Quetzaltenango, where she also got the chance to preach in Spanish. She also served at a school for children who work and who are behind in their studies, helping by supporting teachers and giving some psychological care to the children.
I was very privileged to know these wonderful women during their year in Guatemala. Please join me in praying that this experience will enrich their future.
Marcia
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 6
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The PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer program is a one-year program for 19-30-year-olds who serve in a variety of sites within the U.S. and internationally. Goals are:
- To experience living in intentional Christian community — Whether or not the young adults live under the same roof, they explore what it means to be a Christian community.
- To focus on spiritual formation — Through the mentorship of site coordinators and fellow interns, young adults reflect on their experiences and explore their relationship to the church and their ministry in a broken world.
- To engage young adults in the church’s mission — The church seeks to provide opportunities for young adults to serve the church and their communities. Young adults experience and develop leadership within communities of faith. With training and support, they can provide leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and in the ecumenical church.
- To assist YAVs in vocational discernment.
- To be present in communities of need and to facilitate young adults’ engagement in communities of need.
