New Beginnings
Gloria Vicente – Guatemala
Greetings from Guatemala! May this find you in good health, good spirit and peace! Here is a short update on my behalf for those of you who continue accompanying me in my journey to Guatemala.
I thought of starting by sharing my experiences from the first day I left Chicago. While sitting in the waiting room to board the plane at 3:30 in the morning on October 1st I began pondering and reflecting on my life thus far and how far I had gotten in the last years of my life. It finally hit me that morning as I was waiting for the plane. I was not scared or apprehensive about the decision I had made, I was just nostalgic about leaving the place I call home. That place called Chicago.
Leaving my parents, and being the second oldest child made me feel a sense of responsibility and guilt for leaving as well. You see, I come from a family structure where being the oldest, or in my case the second oldest, means having a sense of responsibility for your parents both emotionally, spiritually and to some extent financially. But I was encouraged by them about making this decision and they were happy to see me go find a sense of mission among a people I shared ancestors with. It meant to go do mission in a country that was no longer the place I called home after having been taken away and separated from the rest of my family for 21 years due to the 36 year old war. Yet, I was determined to get to the place where my parents had buried my umbilical cord 21 years ago, and to attempt being a bridge for my community and extended family in the US and with the Mayan community in Guatemala, particularly with members of Accion Cultural Guatemalteca (ACG). ACG is a Mayan organization founded by families who endured the civil war in Guatemala as well as returnee families coming back after leaving many years in exile in Mexico. It is an organization that works on community development projects that encompass social, cultural, spiritual and economic aspects of Mayan life and reality.
As I continued waiting for the plane to board, I opened the hand woven textile sack I carried across my shoulder, which I received from a dear friend as a send off gift. I took out my little pouch. In it was the stone I had received from another friend. I took it out, felt the coldness and smoothness of it and held it tight in the palm of my hand. I closed my eyes and gave thanks to my ancestors for putting me through this journey. I gave thanks to everyone who in one way or another who walked with me in times of joy, pain and sorrow. When I opened my eyes, and felt the warmth in the stone, I knew it was time. It was time for new beginnings, commitments and roads to walk. I then heard the call to board the plane.
Landing in Guatemala was exhausting as I had not slept on the plane, I had to gather my luggage, look for ACG staff who were meeting me at the airport, and then get on a pick up truck for another 4 hours long ride to Santa Cruz del K’iche’, where I would begin my mission for three years. I was greeted by Francisca Sales the Micro Credit Coordinator, Juan Carlos de Leon the Youth Program Coordinator, and his wife Maria Cristina and son Sebastian.
As I write this newsletter on the fourth month here, I feel a better sense of direction and belonging. In a way, I feel this has taken a long time, but in retrospect it has really been a short while. While my goal was to do language training in the local language (K’iche’), I am yet to make those arrangements. Being fully bilingual in Spanish has helped me pick up on learning about ACG with ease.
This is an important and critical time at ACG. It is a critical time because there are not sufficient funds to sustain its community development programs, nor its personnel. It is also a time to think critically and respond to the changes taking place socially, spiritually, politically, and GLOBALLY. It is a time to re-think the ways in which an orga
Gloria Vicente – Guatemala
Greetings from Guatemala! May this find you in good health, good spirit and peace! Here is a short update on my behalf for those of you who continue accompanying me in my journey to Guatemala.
I thought of starting by sharing my experiences from the first day I left Chicago. While sitting in the waiting room to board the plane at 3:30 in the morning on October 1st I began pondering and reflecting on my life thus far and how far I had gotten in the last years of my life. It finally hit me that morning as I was waiting for the plane. I was not scared or apprehensive about the decision I had made, I was just nostalgic about leaving the place I call home. That place called Chicago.
Leaving my parents, and being the second oldest child made me feel a sense of responsibility and guilt for leaving as well. You see, I come from a family structure where being the oldest, or in my case the second oldest, means having a sense of responsibility for your parents both emotionally, spiritually and to some extent financially. But I was encouraged by them about making this decision and they were happy to see me go find a sense of mission among a people I shared ancestors with. It meant to go do mission in a country that was no longer the place I called home after having been taken away and separated from the rest of my family for 21 years due to the 36 year old war. Yet, I was determined to get to the place where my parents had buried my umbilical cord 21 years ago, and to attempt being a bridge for my community and extended family in the US and with the Mayan community in Guatemala, particularly with members of Accion Cultural Guatemalteca (ACG). ACG is a Mayan organization founded by families who endured the civil war in Guatemala as well as returnee families coming back after leaving many years in exile in Mexico. It is an organization that works on community development projects that encompass social, cultural, spiritual and economic aspects of Mayan life and reality.
As I continued waiting for the plane to board, I opened the hand woven textile sack I carried across my shoulder, which I received from a dear friend as a send off gift. I took out my little pouch. In it was the stone I had received from another friend. I took it out, felt the coldness and smoothness of it and held it tight in the palm of my hand. I closed my eyes and gave thanks to my ancestors for putting me through this journey. I gave thanks to everyone who in one way or another who walked with me in times of joy, pain and sorrow. When I opened my eyes, and felt the warmth in the stone, I knew it was time. It was time for new beginnings, commitments and roads to walk. I then heard the call to board the plane.
Landing in Guatemala was exhausting as I had not slept on the plane, I had to gather my luggage, look for ACG staff who were meeting me at the airport, and then get on a pick up truck for another 4 hours long ride to Santa Cruz del K’iche’, where I would begin my mission for three years. I was greeted by Francisca Sales the Micro Credit Coordinator, Juan Carlos de Leon the Youth Program Coordinator, and his wife Maria Cristina and son Sebastian.
As I write this newsletter on the fourth month here, I feel a better sense of direction and belonging. In a way, I feel this has taken a long time, but in retrospect it has really been a short while. While my goal was to do language training in the local language (K’iche’), I am yet to make those arrangements. Being fully bilingual in Spanish has helped me pick up on learning about ACG with ease.
This is an important and critical time at ACG. It is a critical time because there are not sufficient funds to sustain its community development programs, nor its personnel. It is also a time to think critically and respond to the changes taking place socially, spiritually, politically, and GLOBALLY. It is a time to re-think the ways in which an organization like ACG can become more sustainable and interdependent due to the changes and challenges at the national and international level.
I think my experience in the non-profit sector, working with the Mayan Diaspora in the U.S., my interfaith and ecumenical involvement and upbringing in Chicago have been helpful in the ways that ACG has welcomed, encouraged, and invited me to participate in the organizational and institutional development of the organization. Accordingly, ACG has activated an Executive Committee. The committee is lead by don Mateo Castillo (Coordinator of the Media and Truth Program), don Luis Lopez (Legal Representative and Executive Director) and myself. I am the Executive Committee Coordinator.
Thus far, I have received many blessings in working at ACG. Blessings of putting my skills and gifts into practice and more importantly, getting to meet ACG staff on a personal level and to hear the stories of survival, hope and longing for a better future.
Many thanks and blessings to Global Ministries, the Illinois Conference of the UCC, all Mission Partners, my family, and extended brothers and sisters who are committed to Guatemala and who walk with me, spiritually and emotionally day by day. I ask for your prayers, continuously and humbly.
Respectfully submitted,
Gloria Vicente
Gloria serves with Guatemalan Culture Action (ACG) as a youth and communication worker.