What’s happening in Guatemala? You may have read a report recently which mentioned Guatemala or perhaps an article about impressions of Guatemala written by Bro. Bob Stodel of Victoria, BC. Following is an update from the viewpoint of one actually living and working in the country.
Good response
We are a New Zealand family with four children. We are currently working in a number of preaching avenues and are finding an extremely worthwhile response from the country as a whole and from the city in particular. As Guatemala City boasts about 3 million people, it is the logical place to seek to establish an ecclesia. With an average of 20 visitors, there is certainly enough response to sustain momentum in our bi-weekly lectures.
We are also running a postal Bible study course (the same as is run from Canada) as well as four personal study classes.
Hoping for a meeting room
Currently, my project is searching out an ecclesial hall. Once this is obtained, classes can be run in one place instead of being a rather costly exercise (in terms of time and money) of traveling to people’s homes. Getting around Guatemala City requires constant vigilance due to the unpredictability of other drivers and adopting the Guatemala style of driving. This involves viewing your car as a projectile which has to be propelled at any empty space in the traffic before anyone else gets there!
The regular lectures
We are now seeing about nine regular faces at our lectures. Two of these are receiving personal classes which will culminate, Lord willing, in baptism. A concurrent Sunday School is required as most contacts bring their children. We are averaging 10-12 students including our own. My wife, Sis. Wendy, is running it with much help from Sis. Nena of El Salvador — she is a regular visitor here to help us out.
So far in the lectures, we have covered the basic themes of Israel, the origin of the Bible, human nature, sin and a few difficult areas including “The Biblical Proof for the Devil,” “The Immortality of the Soul,” “The Trinity” and others. By the end of the series in July, we hope to have covered most of the basic themes in overview. We then plan to move on to more detailed considerations.
As we continue, we plan to increasingly employ a seminar format as people here are normally quite good about asking questions and like to feel they are taking part in the meeting. Also, the speaker gathers a clear idea of the knowledge level of his audience. This approach at first proved challenging because of our limited Spanish skills. Our confidence has grown, however, and with it our ability to interact with the audience.
We are currently adding a new group of contacts to our regulars at the lectures as a result of newspaper advertising the week of each lecture. The best responses have been for the themes “Israel” and “The Origin of the Bible.” Six attended the last lecture as a result of newspaper advertising, which is gratifying because the ads are relatively expensive. Three or four of the visitors are now on the postal course.
Lectures are currently being given by myself and brothers from San Salvador. The San Salvador Ecclesia is facing a manpower problem, however, and will have difficulty supporting us in the long-term. We may be faced with some logistical revision — one husband and wife with 20 visitors doesn’t seem a viable situation at this point! The brethren of El Salvador have been an excellent and regular help and we have been very grateful for them at this period of establishing a presence.
Postal courses
Currently, we have 140 contacts on our mailing list for the correspondence course. This figure grows by four to five every time we advertise. In addition, we have inherited some 1,300 contacts from the longstanding work of Bro. Frank Woodcock.
Personal study classes
The personal study classes cover themes from the “Christadelphian Instructor” which is being used as a curriculum. Each class is different, however, as each person has his own particular set of circumstances with poverty playing a big part in the “circumstances.” Therefore classes are usually quite personal in their thrust and often emphasis is given to matters of correct walk.
A Personal View
In addition to a report on the work, we thought you would find of interest a personal perspective on mission work here with a family of four children.
Sharp contrast of wealth and poverty
What immediately strikes anyone from a developed country such as New Zealand is the dichotomy between wealth and poverty. At every turn somebody wants money for the smallest things. To some extent, this is also the result of not having a social welfare system for those without work. The equation here is simple — you don’t work = you don’t eat. Most of our contacts come from the lower to middle group (called “Mestizos” because they are of mixed blood of Spanish-Indian decent).
Country versus city
Effectively there are two worlds in Guatemala — the Campesinos in the country and the city dwellers of Mestizos, the elite of Gringos (“whites”) and a dwindling pure Spanish remnant. It has been said that the difference between the city of Guatemala and the countryside is far greater than that between Guatemala City and any big city in a developed country. In our experience, this is an accurate observation.
Like Palestine of old
The constant outstretched hand is a reminder of the structure and fabric of this society. Christ’s world of first century Palestine is, in this sense, a close comparison with 20th century Guatemala. In our developed economies, we can easily forget that “the poor you have with you always.” At the same time, we realize that our 20th century western lifestyle is by no means the norm in the world today or in the course of history. One thing is certain, people with nothing to hold on to in this world have a much more urgent need for the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mk. 10:23). Thus in a sense, we are returning to a world like the apostles knew.
A challenge to the conscience
The lack of state welfare brings a raft of challenges to the conscience of a “Western” missionary. The challenges are exacerbated by the fact that as a “white” missionary one automatically slots into the Gringo/Spanish elite. Egaltarian attitudes to which we are accustomed don’t even figure in the world view of people here. We need a clear idea about what it means to be a “stranger and pilgrim” in this society and one where you are given a ready-made pedestal on which to stand.
Life as a Missionary
Then what does a person have to be prepared for in missionary work in Guatemala?
First, you need to be thinking of your wife and family. You need a strong base to work from. You learn to rely on one another and you learn a lesson in always communicating with each other.
Second, you need to be thinking of your children and the fact that they will not readily develop close friendships. You learn to develop skills of helping each other.
You need to prepare for the loneliness. You generally won’t have close friends with whom you can be on an equal footing and with whom you can have good solid Bible discussion. That is not to say people here are not interested in the Bible. But it does mean that in your potential ecclesia it will normally be many years before others will be able to discuss those topics in which you are interested. Your time is spent giving, giving, giving in the Truth which is generally the opposite of what most of us experience in ecclesias. In mission work, if you don’t hold a meeting, it doesn’t happen! So you need to set up habits and patterns which sustain your own spiritual growth. (We are using cassettes on various themes to have a “Bible Class” one night a week when the children are in bed.)
Fourth, you begin feeling a personal responsibility for those you are nurturing in the Truth. We can appreciate why it is hard to leave an area after working in it for several years. Your thrust must always be toward independence and the self-development of those you are assisting — a lot like raising children.
Fifth, you realize from all the above that it can be one of the most worthwhile things you will ever do in your life. This experience does more than anything to mature and solidify one’s faith and conviction.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One