María, my translator[/caption]
“Kektmal” means joy and it was the first word I learned in quiche in order to bring greater focus to the theme of Philippians with the indigenous sisters of Guatemala. The women were filled with “kektmal” when they heard me say a word in their own language. The culture and language of quiche fascinated me and I greatly appreciated Maria’s help to translate the message of Philippians to the forty-six women who attended the seminar.
We explained things in great detail and very simply for the women—many of which never completed the third grade—the joy in suffering, joy through service to others and in imitating Christ’s attitude of humility, joy in trials, depression, and discouragement, and finally joy, contentment and gratitude in any and all circumstances.
I taught eight classes over the course of two days. It was supposed to be eleven classes during a three-day seminar, but one of the seminal members of the hosting congregation passed away—an elder and well-respected man of God, so we cancelled the last day and I combined the final three lessons in with second day’s lessons.
After each lesson, the ladies devoured their time in small groups. They worked together, encouraged one another, enjoyed each other’s company and learned from one another through the shared ideas. Small groups were a new concept, but they caught on quickly and appreciated the opportunity to take what they learned in the classes and put it into practice in a very personal way.
Their final assignment was to write a letter themselves using Paul’s letter to the Philippians as a pattern. “Put yourself in Paul’s place and use the themes that he presented in his letter to address your family or the women of your congregation.. Your “letter” can be written, drawn, sung… be creative!”
The women joyfully completed their task and, in this way, the teaching did not remain with them nor their small group, but rather was shared with others as well.
Since I was unable to conduct the seminar on the third day, I went to one of the Health Talents International clinics and prayed over the patients and their families after their doctor visit. What an honor to take them before the Great Physician in prayer.
As a side note, I was impressed with the indigenous congregations that were community-based in their fulfillment of the organization of the church—multiple leaders, elders, deacons, and family-oriented activities. They receive no financial support from the US (save an occasional seminar) and were growing in number and hunger for the Word.
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Joyful ladies on Thursday[/caption]
To see all of the pictures from my trip, you can view the album on Facebook.