Karla Koll, Presbyterian mission co-worker in Quetzaltenango, was another participant in the recent Witherspoon mission conference, and one who contributed greatly to it.

She writes of the devastation wrought by yet another hurricane, "Stan" by name.

And she notes that a great deal of the destruction was caused by human action as much as by nature. A not unfamiliar reality.    [10-17-05]

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Grace and peace to you. Thanks to many of you for your notes of concern for those who have been affected by the landslides and flooding brought to the region by Hurricane Stan. Please note that I am writing to you from my Yahoo account. My CEDEPCA account fills up very quickly and I don't have access to our house account (kakjtb@cabledx.tv) from here.

I'm sorry not to have written to you until now. From Thursday through Sunday I was at an academic consultation in the New York Area. Since my return to San Jose I've been trying to gather information on what is happening in Guatemala. It's very hard to be away from my family and the Guatemalans among whom I live and serve.

The destruction caused by Stan is widespread. The unofficial death toll is around 3,000. Many bodies cannot be recovered, particularly in the village of Panabaj that was buried by a landslide. Over 100,000 people are in shelters. Many communities are still cut off because of mudslides and the destruction of bridges.

This disaster is continuing, as the rains have not stopped. More landslides are likely. There is flooding here in Costa Rica as well, but not nearly as widespread as in Guatemala. People are comparing the damage done by Hurricane Stan to the earthquake that hit Guatemala in 1976.

Carlos Cardenas of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is currently in Guatemala setting up mechanisms to coordinate the administration of disaster assistance. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has designated an initial $30,000 for Guatemala whichh will be transferred almost immediately. Action by Churches Together (ACT), in which the PC(USA) participates, is going to be sending $50,000. As Carlos himself says, these funds are not sufficient to even begin to meet the needs of the hundreds of communities that have been affected. I have been in touch with Javier and Tamara. Parts of Quetzaltenango did flood (where the Casa Presbiteriana is for those of you who have been to Quetzaltenango). I also learned that the sister of one of my former students drowned close to Quetzaltenango. My family is doing fine and Tamara resumed classes this week. The city has been cut off from outside traffic. Javier says food is still available, though prices are going up. Gasoline has become very scarce, as well as gas for cooking. Both electricity and phone service continue to come and go. We hope at least some of the roads will be open soon.

Please hold the people in the affected communities in your prayers and look for ways that you can help. CEDEPCA is assessing what we as an organization can do in response. Please contact me if you wish to know more about CEDEPCA's response. You can also check the PDA website at www.pcusa.org/pda for information. You can also donate on-line.

Thanks again for your concern. Below I have pasted an article about the disaster. Even though the hurricane was a natural phenomenon, the destructiveness of it is a disaster caused by human beings.

May the God of life accompany those who have been affected by this storm and us as well as we seek to respond in Christ's love.

Blessings,

Karla

PRECARIOUS PEACE: God and Guatemala

Gateway Films, Vision Video, 72 minutes, 2003
[10-18-04]

Precarious Peace is a documentary, "a case study of violence and hope", as the jacket of the video states. Guatemala has been a land of violence and injustice for at least 500 years. The first part of this documentary details the sad story of violence in Guatemala. The second part of the video discusses the role of the churches in Guatemala - both as contributors to the violence and as signs of hope for a better future. It suggests that a dialogue of mutual respect between indigenous beliefs and Christianity shows promise for a better future. Hope for the future is not the same as optimism.

Dennis Smith, a Presbyterian Mission Co-Worker, has lived and worked in Guatemala for almost 30 years. He is the Guatemalan co-director of this video. The video demonstrates his careful and factual approach to issues. As a result it is disturbing, and hopeful without sensationalizing. It is not for someone who seeks simple answers. It is a very important video for those seeking to understand our world and the role of thoughtful Christians in creating a more just and peaceful world. The video contains ample material for at least three sessions for older youth and adults.

Richard Headen

Richard Headen is Associate Executive Presbyter in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, and has traveled and studied in Central America.

"Precarious Peace" has a full running time of 72 minutes. It can be shown in two or three sessions.

A missionary letter from Guatemala

by Karla Koll, Presbyterian Church (USA) mission co-worker
[10-1-03]

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala -- September 29, 2003 -- It's September and the sound of martial music fills the air. Each year Quetzaltenango marks the anniversary of Central America's independence from Spain with a week of parades and a fair. Marching bands are called "bands of war" in Spanish.

As I watch the young people practicing marching in lockstep I wonder what they are learning -- the joy of making music together or the discipline of following orders. In Guatemala, as in many other parts of the world, patriotism or love of one's country is often identified with militarism rather than the struggle for peace and justice.

This year's celebrations are taking place in the midst of the election campaign. The twelve candidates vying for the presidency include retired general Efrain Rios Montt, who as dictator in the early 1980s oversaw massacres carried out by the army against the civilian population in many indigenous villages.

The Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), the political party founded by Rios Montt, currently controls the presidency and the congress. Though the constitution prohibits those who participated in past coups from running for the presidency, the courts voted to allow Rios Montt's candidacy.

Followers of Rios Montt, armed with machetes, held riots in Guatemala City on July 24 and 25 to demand that he be allowed to run. As of September 17, the Prensa Libre newspaper reported 98 incidents of violence, including 20 assassinations, in this election period.

Human rights organizations denounce ongoing attacks and intimidation. Seven years after the peace accords that ended the armed conflict here in Guatemala, there are those who still want to use violence and intimidation to rule this country.

A recent book by Edgar Alfredo Balsells Tojo, a judge who served on the United Nation's Commission on Historical Clarification, describes Guatemalan society as caught between remembering and forgetting. Balsells Tojo asks if it is possible for Guatemalans to build a just and peaceful society as long as war criminals enjoy impunity and power.

Rios Montt's candidacy is forcing discussion of the past, including the role of the United States in that past.

Some, like the general himself, deny that the massacres happened or claim that whatever was done was necessary to save the country from communism. Though the Reagan administration supported Rios Montt while he was in power, the U.S. embassy here has spoken out against Rios Montt's candidacy.

Meanwhile, the forensic anthropologists, who often receive death threats, continue their patient labor of unearthing the bones of the men, women, and children killed by the army.

On a recent Sunday I was attending worship at the Presbyterian church here in La Esperanza, the community where I live. The church is located next to the central plaza. As we worshiped inside, the candidates for mayor held rallies, one after the other, in the plaza. Lots of noise and flash, and few concrete proposals to improve the life of the residents here.

The current mayor, part of the ladino minority in this mostly K'iche' village, is a member of the FRG. Yet his family has dominated political life in this community for decades, long before the FRG was founded. Here, as in many places, the national party structure overlays local power struggles.

In this electoral context, one of my students offered the following reflection as part of his final paper for a course on Introduction to the Bible. Heber Ruiz is an Episcopal priest serving in his hometown of Totonicapan, a K'iche' community close to Quetzaltenango.

Heber chose as his text the healing of the deaf-mute man by Jesus in Mark 7:31-37. Jesus takes the man aside, puts his fingers in the man's ears, and orders the man's ears to open and his tongue to be unleashed.

We often see Jesus' miracles as something in the past, said Heber. Yet Jesus is ordering the ears of the Christian community to be open to listen with discernment to the speeches of the politicians. Jesus wished the tongues of his followers to be unleashed to denounce lies and injustices.

The church should not be deaf and mute today, but should assume responsibility for listening carefully to the world around it, for speaking out and for working for peace and justice. Good words for Christians in any context.

The election will be held here in Guatemala on Sunday, November 9. If a run-off election is needed, it will be held on December 28. As the human rights organization Amnesty International wrote in a recent letter to the presidential candidates, these elections offer Guatemala a chance to move away from its dark past.

Please hold the people of Guatemala in your prayers.

Karla Koll