Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Saying goodbye was so difficult: after just four days, we felt as though we were lifelong friends. Certainly, we had shared a great deal in a short time. We spent the morning talking with the UPAVIM Board about our purpose, vision and mission statements, and deepened our understanding of what our relationship means for each of us, and how it might develop in the future into practical outworkings that "promote quality and dignity of life: in BOTH our communities". As we left, we were presented with work done by the school's 6th graders, and with a beautiful painting of the exquisite quetzal, Guatemala's national bird, by the board themselves.

Wednesday morning, we'll have a brief walking tour of central Guatemala City, before heading to the airport. We'll be sad to leave a country we've come to love, admire and pray for deeply, but very glad to see family and home again. From here, it's the task of the whole church to reflect prayerfully on our friendship with these remarkable women and their wounded but extraordinary country, and to carry our relationship forward. We are involved in work that is promoting peace and deepening human dignity and faith, on both sides, and as a delegation we feel grateful to have had this amazing opportunity.