Year 2008: The search

The year 2008 brought about some major changes in our lives. We sensed that the time had come for a new direction in our ministry. We once again began praying and exploring. Our search opened three doors of opportunity.

St. David's Episcopal Church Mission to Chimaltenango

In late February, Laurel participated with a team of men from St. David's Episcopal Church who painted the interior of Santiago de Jerusalén Episcopal Church in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. St. David's is located in Wayne, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia.

The Episcopal Church has a program which provides the opportunity for a Diocese in the United States to be a "sister" diocese to one in a developing nation. The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is the sister diocese of the Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala . St. David's is the sister parish of Santiago de Jerusalén. The help that St. David's has given to the church and people of Chimaltenango is continuous and immeasurable. The relationship between these two parishes, from two very different cultures, exemplifies the heart and standard of what it means to be a "sister" parish.

On Sunday the team had the opportunity to worship with the Guatemalan congregation. The following day they painted the interior of the church and made other repairs. But, more significantly they continued their bond of worship, fellowship and service with a sister parish. The warmth and friendship between the team members and the people of Chimaltenango was abundantly evident.

Santiago de Jerusalén recently lost their beloved pastor, Padre Lucas, to cancer. The new rector, Padre Miguel, and his family, had just arrived from his home in Xela. This will be his first parish following graduation from seminary. St. David's rector, the Rev. W. Frank Allen, participated with the group and established a new relationship with Padre Miguel.

Diocese of North Dakota Medical Mission
Laurel and Audrey also applied to serve as translators with a medical mission from the Diocese of North Dakota. The medical mission will be conducted in July in the city of Xela, a location we have never visited.

Inter-American School

We also discovered Inter-American School, also located in Xela. Laurel applied and was accepted to teach Bible and Religion to the high school students. IAS is a Christian school which teaches all classes (grades Pre-K through 12) in English, using a curriculum based upon North American college preparatory standards. All of the teachers are Christian volunteers from English speaking countries. There are 150 students in the school, with class sizes no larger than 15 students. The overwhelming majority of the students are Guatemalans, with the remainder coming from North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Years 2003-2007: Independent Volunteering and Arrow Trucking

We obtained legal permanent residency shortly after arriving in Guatemala and expect to remain here the rest of our lives. We also became members of the Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala, joining San José parish.

During this time we lived in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, near the capital. Villa Nueva has a very bad reputation as the center of gang activity in Guatemala. Violence is a daily part of life. Three young brothers who lived directly across the alley from us where shot (one killed, one paralyzed, and one wounded) in a drive-by, believed to be part of a gang initiation.

Our ministry during these years had two facets. First was a daily ministry: we found numerous opportunities to materially help, and pray with, our Guatemalan neighbors. The second facet involved performing short-term volunteer service with various Christian organizations, a few times a year.

We also performed some limited (mostly translating letters) volunteer work with New Life Christian Home, an orphanage in our colonia in Villa Nueva.

From 2003 to 2006 Laurel returned to the U.S.A. for about 6 months each year to supplement our retirement income. Laurel drove flat-bed tractor-trailer throughout the United States for Arrow Trucking, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Donna and Audrey continued living in Guatemala.

Audrey came to Guatemala when she was 16 years old and completed high school through a homeschool program. She was also a fulltime volunteer with CFCA. She became fluent in Spanish and completely adapted to Guatemalan life and culture. She married Edgar Diaz and Novali Cristyna Diaz was born in 2007.