A letter from Richard and Debbie Welch in Guatemala
February 2014
Dear friends and supporters of our ministry,
One of our responsibilities as mission co-workers in Guatemala is the accompaniment of visiting groups from churches and presbyteries from the U.S. Due to the nature of our work with indigenous members of the Presbyterian Church of Guatemala, we are encouraged when we are invited to accompany groups from our home denomination that are called to partnership with indigenous people of the Guatemalan church.
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Leaders of Sayaxche Presbytery meet with leaders of Hillsboro Church to discuss new and ongoing projects
In February we completed our first accompaniment assignment, traveling and working alongside members of Hillsboro Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as (in a wonderful expression of our connected church) two members of two other churches in their presbytery. This church maintains a mission partnership with the indigenous Sayaxche Presbytery, in the northern panhandle of the country. For us, being alongside this group of faithful missioners was beneficial and encouraging, enlightening and educational, and of course, renewing and restorative. We discovered how much we love traveling and working alongside groups of dedicated people who give of their valuable time and other resources to be present with their partners in another part of the world.
The benefit and encouragement to us was in the visits to the churches and communities of Sayaxche Presbytery. As a part of introducing ourselves to the communities, we were presented as mission workers who would be working with them. We exchanged contact and personal information. It was a great way to meet the leaders of a presbytery with whom we hope to work as part of our ongoing assignment. We were encouraged by being a part of community and church visits. This was the type of ministry that got us hooked on Guatemala in the first place. Until we joined this group, it had been a long time since we experienced the joy of fellowship with our indigenous partners.
Visitation is a vital component of a mission partnership. People gathered together to worship, to share music, pray together, pray for one another, and to eat a meal together with no special agenda on the table other than to celebrate our common faith and encourage one another is foundational in the creation and maintenance of a meaningful partnership. While we were together a retired pastor in ill health and nearly blind from the ravages of diabetes asked for the prayers of the community. What a privilege to gather as a blended community of faith, lay hands on this afflicted brother, and lift him up in prayer!
Hillsboro Church has been committed long-term to sponsoring basic education for the youth of Sayaxche Presbytery. Over the years the project has provided education to many kids in the presbytery, some of whom are now setting their sights on college. It’s a success story many of us in the world of mission partnerships can learn from. We were not only re-educated by witnessing the results of long-term commitment to mutual partnership goals, but also enlightened by the dignity and mutuality of intentional and respectful reviews of the details of project goals, finances, and results. Leaders from this delegation met with leaders of Sayaxche Presbytery to review the ongoing progress of the project. Witnessing a respectful and informative project meeting was enlightening in how it puts partners from completely different demographics on equal footing.
Finally, we were renewed and restored by the daily fellowship, morning devotions, and evening reflections. After a week or so of living and working together, we've renewed existing relationships and forged new ones. We hope this great bunch of folks enjoyed and benefited from our time with them as much as we enjoyed and benefited from our accompanying them. After our time in Sayaxche, we’re happy to join more groups of U.S. Presbyterians on their visits to indigenous Presbyterians here in Guatemala! Blessings and thanks to you all!
Richard and Debbie Welch
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 39
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