St. Andrew's UMC Guatemala mission team leaves for Lemoa Guatemala on July 11, 2011. Our mission travels to Guatemala City then enbarks upon a three hour bus ride to Lemoa. Lemoa is located north of Guatemala City in a mountainous region of about 5500 feet.
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| Children of Guatemala |
Hogar del Niño Huerfano
http://www.samaritanhands.org/hogar/ is an orphanage in rural Guatemala sponsored by the United Methodist Church. There are currently 18 children living in the orphanage, and two full-time adult staff members. We will be doing some construction, as well as VBS for the children. We are planning a community gathering on Friday evening, inviting the VBS parents, familys and friends.
Our team consists of:
Sarah Hahn, Jeanie Howell, David Howell, Sarah Redpath, Nancy Waller, Kasey Waller, Dylan Leggett, Logan Leggett, Richard Leggett, Ken Musick, John Daniel Roy, Joshua Duke, Andrew Tarver (team leader). We are also excited that Nick Miller will be joining our team for the week!
MORE FACTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT GUATEMALA
The highland area was one of the hardest-hit by massacres and destruction of villages during the years of guerrilla rebellion and army repression. These began in the 1960's, escalated after the 1976 earthquake, and reached a peak during the 1980's, tapering off slowly until a peace agreement was finalized in 1996.
Recovery from the 30-year civil war has been very slow, with many setbacks. The Iglesia Evangélica Nacional Metodista Primitiva de Guatemala (IENMPG) was active in emergency relief work during the period of the worst repression, with help from the General Board of Global Ministries and other agencies.
As a result of its violent and tragic history, Guatemala is at or near the bottom of the international rankings that indicate general welfare in Latin America and Caribbean countries: literacy, infant mortality, life expectancy, nutritional status, family income, etc. In Guatemala overall, the average level of schooling is 2.3 years. In indigenous regions such as Quiché, it is 1.3 years, well below the 3-year minimum considered necessary to achieve functional literacy.
The national economy is chronically in crisis, with high unemployment and inadequate wages for those who are fortunate enough to have jobs. Pastors in the Methodist Church do not receive salaries, but support their families by farming; by small businesses or selling in indigenous markets; or by hiring out as construction workers. Recently a few churches in the U.S. have begun support for some of our Methodist pastors by donating a monthly stipend to assist their ministry. More assistance of this type is always welcome. VIM teams have made critical contributions to the survival and function of the IENMPG, which in turn plays a vital role in improving the spiritual and material health of its members at the individual, family and community levels.
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