'In Christ We Are Not Alone'

MISSION PARTNERS, WORKERS IN JAPAN FEEL SUPPORTED BY PRAYERS
March 28, 2011

General Assembly Mission Council
by Judson Taylor, Communications Associate

In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami catastrophe on March 11, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s global partners and mission co-workers have been buoyed by the transformative power and solidarity of prayer.
The Presbyterian World Mission ministry area has been in contact with several of its partner organizations and churches and with all of its mission workers in Japan since the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

Messages from PC(USA) mission partners and institutions have expressed thanks and provided information about specific situations and responses. “[Your] encouragement makes us realize in Christ we are not alone,” wrote the Korean Christian Church in Japan Many tell about churches and members suffering from the disaster, refugees living in shelters, and the shortage of food, relief supplies, and fuel. But they are organizing to assess the needs and help get aid to those in the greatest need. A spokesman for the Reformed Church of Japan wrote: “We would like to be effective witnesses to the Lord in the midst of devastation.”

The United Church of Christ (Kyodan), the church the PC(USA) works most closely with, reported a number of members missing and at least one confirmed death. A staff member of a nursery school related to Iwaki Church died on the day of the earthquake while communicating with the children’s parents. Some of the churches have hosted refugees. The chapel of Shinsei Kamaishi Church in the coastal fishing city of Kamaishi was reportedly filled with mud and oil. Built in 2000, it was known as a pioneer “eco-church,” with a solar-power system and transparent glass roof.

Rev. Isamu Koshiishi, moderator of the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ), is thankful for the prayers of so many in the United States. He says the NCCJ’s assessing the damages and recovery will take some time, but “we have been encouraged and strengthened by the many messages of support from our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world. Our immediate request is for you to continue to keep us in your prayers as we are coordinating a network of local support for those most severely affected. At this time of our great need, we want you to know how grateful we are for your expressions of support and solidarity.”

“We are touched by your prayers,” wrote an officer of the Kyodan. Yodogawa Christian Hospital in Osaka, one of the institutions with which the PC(USA) has had a strong relationship, wrote: “Thank you so very much for your prayers. Our hospital patients and staff and their families are all safe, but our hearts ache as the earthquake disasters are spreading in other parts of Japan. We are praying for God’s protection and comfort over those people in the earthquake-affected areas.”

Student Group Attacked In Perú

March 25, 2011
From Presbyterian News Service
by Jerry Van Marter

LOUISVILLE

Leaders of the Presbyterian Campus Ministry at the University of Arizona in Tucson have sent a letter to supporters describing the March 16 assault on a PCM student group in La Oroya, Peru, and thanking them for their prayerful response to the attack.

Group members were interviewed by KVOA, the NBC television affiliate in Tucson on March 24. That story and interview is available on the KVOA Web site.

The student group, along with advisors, PC(USA) mission worker Jed Koball, and Peruvian partners from the Joining Hands Network Peru ― a ministry of the Presbyterian Hunger Program ― traveled to La Oroya, a mountain city outside the capital city of Lima to meet with children and youth of that community whose health has been severely compromised by the operations at the Doe Run Company smelter.

A 2005 study by the St. Louis University revealed that virtually every child in La Oroya suffers from acute lead poisoning caused by air and water pollution from the plant, which is owned and operated by the St. Louis-based Doe Run Company.

With the permission of La Oroya’s mayor, the American collegians and their young Peruvian hosts were painting a mural expressing environmental themes on a wall near the smelter when they were attacked by a mob of between 200 and 300 who appeared to be coming from the Doe Run plant.

No one was seriously injured and the group returned to Tucson on March 20.

The full text of the letter, from PCM Director Ellen Dawson and Moderator Jayne Raffety, dated March 24:

Dear friends of Arizona Presbyterian Campus Ministry,

Thank you for all the support for the PCM Spring Break Mission Team as we headed to Peru. As most of you know, they landed in Lima, Peru on Saturday, March 12th. After worshiping at a church in Lima and spending some time together in the city on Sunday, the team drove 4 hours up into the Andes Mountains on Monday, March 14th to begin their mission partnership in the town of La Oroya. They were invited there by the PC(USA) and The Joining Hands Network Peru to work alongside children and youth in La Oroya who are part of two Non‐Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in that city: CambiaLo (ChangeIt) and Red de Jovenes Ambientalistas (Network of Youth Environmentalists ). These NGOs, as part of the Joining Hands Network Peru, have been working closely with the Presbyterian Church and engaged with partners of this community for a number of years on issues of the environment and public health.

On Monday and Tuesday, the team spent time with the children and youth, becoming friends through the language barriers, sharing stories, learning about La Oroya, and even sharing a presentation about our own local environmental challenges around conserving water here in the deserts of Arizona.

On Tuesday, they were able to go together with the youth to meet with the Mayor of La Oroya, as well as the Mayor of Santa Rosa de Sacca. The youth and our own PCM students were able to ask questions about their environmental concerns and how the city plans to involve children, youth, and young adults in the ongoing challenges and needed change.

On Wednesday, March 16th, the CambiaLo kids and the Red de Jovenes Ambientalistas came to meet with the PCM Team for breakfast. After sharing a quick bite to eat, they gathered together to begin planning what they would paint that day ― a mural that would give those youth a voice about the environment.

Just as a group from Colorado College had done so last summer, the PCM Team would work alongside these youth to paint something they had designed as friends and partners. The NGO had received permission from the La Oroya Mayor’s office to paint a mural, and the office had even prepared the space with white paint that morning.

Around 10:00 a.m., as they started to outline the mural in chalk and then paint, several locals and a reporter stopped by to question them to what they were doing. Their leader, PC(USA) Mission Co‐Worker Jed Koball explained the project, as did Sherly and Jaime, the directors of the CambiaLo and Red de Jovenes.

People continued to question them as they continued to paint. Around 12:45, some of the group noticed a large number of people exiting the nearby plant, walking across the bridge toward where they were painting. The people surrounded them and started taking the paint and other items and throwing them in the river across the street. These people, numbering over 200, were allegedly workers from the Doe Run smelting factory in La Oroya.

Once the pushing started, as well as getting items thrown at them, they immediately left the site and sought shelter. They were all eventually reunited at the police station, and they left for Lima immediately. The rest of their time was spent in Lima, and they all returned home safely on Sunday, March 20th.

We invite you to read the full account of this event at www.pcusa.org/news. We also invite you to read the students’ own account on the PCM website’s Blog. A few of the students and our ministry colleagues were hurt, though not seriously. We are thankful that the group responded non‐violently to the assaults.

As PCM Director Ellen Dawson said to the Arizona Daily Star, “they (PCM students) all were very protective of the kids that were with us, and never responded with violence. I’m so proud of them.” Police reports and notifications to the Peruvian government were made, and human rights lawyers in Lima are investigating the case further.

You too can be proud of our students, who though rattled, are doing their best to do what Ellen and I have encouraged them to do: look at this through the lens of their faith, pray about it, and listen for God’s voice in the midst. We hope that you can do the same. We believe that we will all continue to process this sad, unfortunate, and harrowing event. We also pray that this will not prevent nor hinder anyone’s desire and ability to serve our brothers and sisters here and all around the world.

The PCM Team met with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance First Responders and the Presbytery has offered additional resources and support. Counseling resources are also available, and the entire team appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers they have already received.

As we gathered Tuesday night at the Campus Christian Center as a PCM faith community to share a meal, fellowship, and worship, we were humbled and overwhelmed by the love this community has for the team! We ask for your continued support, prayers, hugs, and understanding in the days ahead ― not just for us, but also for our mission partners in Peru. May we all continue on, seeking justice, and loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

In the Peace of Christ Jesus,

Ellen Dawson, PCM Director

Jayne Raffety, PCM Moderator

Iquitos & Gallito

Sharon Presbyterian mission groups have been fortunate to be able to visit the Amazon region of Perú (2002-2004).  The people there remain in our thoughts and hearts to this day.  We spent many days in Iquitos, Gallito, Santa Clara, Santa Maria and Tamshiyacu.  We worked in churches, helped with health clinics, built malocas, built walkways, painted churches and clinics, sanded and painted exterior walls, cut and installed ceiling tiles, painted jails and dug wells.  We interacted and shared time with our hosts.  We played and laughed with the kids.  We participated in church services and received opportunities that gave us memories for a lifetime.

In 2006, the Sharon mission group was able to make a side trip to Iquitos and Gallito after our mission trip to Moyabamba.  In Gallito, the community center/church was locked up and looked as though it had not been used for some time.  We also heard that the water wells had fell into disrepair.  In Iquitos, the boulevard building was not a church any longer and looked as though is was being used for storage.  We all had so much hope when we were working and praying in the Amazon.  After catching up with some old friends, we left with sadness in our hearts.  We were not so much sad that the physical things were not being used, but sad because of the lost hope and the feeling that we had abandoned our friends.

The Medical Missions, Inc. website is under construction or nonexistent.

The Amazon Mission Fellowship site lists that visits have thankfully been continuing by Westminster Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, SC and First Presbyterian of Huntington, WV.  Hope has returned and is continuing.  We all are eternally grateful.

Responding To The Japan Earthquake And Tsunami

PDA is responding to needs from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan and the ensuing tsunamis across the Pacific rim.

PC(USA) has mission partners in Japan. World Mission has received positive reports on the welfare of mission coworkers. Read updates on the World Mission Japan page.

PDA staff and National Response Team members are contacting potentially affected presbyteries to offer assistance.

One Great Hour of Sharing funds have been sent to support an initial response through our ecumenical partner. We are meeting with a PC(USA) mission worker with experience in Asia to determine a response with our mission partners.

Read reports as they become available, and find resources on the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami index.

Denominational leaders have issued a Call to Prayer for those impacted by the earthquake and tsunami.

Prayers Needed For Pastor Santos Buendía

Dear Friends,

We write to ask your continued prayers for Pastor Santos, President of the IEPRP. He was in a car accident on March 2nd. As a result of the collision many bones in his face were broken. Rusty and I were traveling most of the time since then but we got to his bedside on Monday. He is coherent but the broken bones in his jaw keep him from talking much and he is suffering a lot of pain. The hospital does not allow flowers or food so we propose to give the money Maria would have allocated for them to the family for all of the unexpected expenses of his continuing hospitalization. The family is searching for the plate needed for his jaw surgery. The hospital has scheduled it for March 25th but it could go forward earlier if they can find the plate. He is grateful to be hospitalized for the month as the State will cover the costs of his care as long as he is there.

He is also grateful for your prayers.

Saludos de Sara y Rusty

Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Coordinadores de Alianzas y Delegaciones con las Iglesias Reformadas de Perú
http://www.puentesperuanos.org/

Prayer And Understanding Can Make A Difference

Hey guys! Just thought you might be interested in another story from the PCUSA church from South America. Sarah is great a friend of mine and served as a YAV in Guatemala with me.

Love you guys!
Leslie Acton

Hola amig@s,

Below is my second (and probably last) letter from Colombia. My experiences here have been deeply challenging and yet encouraging. As I said in my last letter, I want to share the stories of the people of Colombia in hopes that we can make a change. Thanks to each of you for who you are and what you do.

Que sigamos adelante, That we keep moving forward...

Sarah

Dear Seven Oaks Family,

I just got back to Barranquilla a few days ago; being back in the city feels like a different world. I spent the past two weeks in the town of Chigorodó, in an area of the country called Urabá. When I think of Latin America and the 2/3 world, I imagine rural areas like Urabá. The big cities of Colombia are very well developed and pretty far removed from the reality of the Colombian people. Modern cities and the rich people who run them are like fancy yachts floating on an ocean of poverty, neglect, and oppression. It takes a lot of intention to seek and to follow Jesus in cities like Barranquilla or in countries like the US. It is a quite a statement that the Presbyterian Church of Colombia has such a presence throughout the country, living out the call to work for justice.

The area of Urabá is currently known for its ubiquitous banana plantations and the huge cattle ranches that occupy too much land and employ very few people. The majority of men in the area work for one of the large US banana companies that monopolizes the banana production. But until 50 years ago, the area of Urabá was pure jungle. Poor farmers were forced to move deeper into the jungle to try to make a living for themselves. Some of these people were Presbyterians and when they moved, they took their faith with them and with the help of PCUSA missionary, Alice Winters, new churches were formed in many of the little towns. I had the pleasure of traveling with delegates from the Colombia Mission Network as we visited seven churches of the thirteen that make up Urabá Presbytery. At each church they welcomed us with homemade refreshments and we spent some time talking with the congregation about the Mission Network and the Accompaniment Program, and we learned from them about the church itself.

The following week, Phyllis and I traveled to the town of Chigorodó to spend eight days with the congregation of La Playita Presbyterian Church. Each day we visited the homes of church members, probably 20 families in all. The conversations we had were varied, most started with a summary of typical weather in the U.S. (most people are not aware of the diversity of climates across our country, similar to how many U.S. citizens are not aware of the diversity of climates in Latin American countries). We had many conversations with men about working at the bananeras, banana plantations. And with almost every family, we listened to their story of displacement and how the ongoing violence has affected their families.

In the congregation of La Playita, the large majority of members were displaced by the violence that erupted in neighboring departments during the late 90s. Many families lost loved ones - sons and husbands - as they fled to safety in Urabá. They arrived with only the clothes on their backs and had to start new lives in an unfamiliar land. Over the past 15 years, these families have enriched the community and indeed the church as they testify to God’s goodness even as they’ve struggled to deal with immense grief. We heard over and over from the congregation members that they wouldn’t be here today without God’s help. They proclaim God’s presence and mercy, God’s goodness and love. La Playita members shared with me and Phyllis their living, breathing, growing faith as we visited, talked, and worshipped together.

I’d like to share with you the story of one family in the Playita congregation (all names have been changed). One afternoon we visited Raquel and her four children in their home not far from the church. Six months ago, Raquel, her husband, and her 9 year-old daughter were sitting in front of their house when a motorcycle zoomed past, raining bullets in every direction. The target was Raquel’s husband; however she and her daughter were shot indiscriminately. The assassin killed the husband and she and her daughter were rushed to the hospital. Raquel suffered several bullet wounds to the abdomen and right arm which was shattered. She spent 45 days in surgery and recovery in the hospital. Her 9 year-old daughter, Susanna, received several bullet wounds to her legs, but fortunately, they only penetrated muscle and other tissue, sparing her bones and internal organs.

Think of a 9-year-old you know and imagine that person. He or she is probably in 4th grade, losing teeth and playing sports, falling off their bicycles and getting bruised and scraped, most likely unself-conscious and without much worry at all in life. Now, think of Susanna again. At 9 years-old she has lost her father, very nearly lost her mother, and has scars on her legs not from her bicycle, but from the bullet wounds that will always remind of her the day her world changed forever. In our conversations with the congregation, her simple yet profound question, “Is there violence in the United States?” hit me to the core. While the adults ask us questions about the weather in the states, what this innocent child wants to know is whether we suffer in similar ways.

Take a minute to think of how you would respond to Susanna.

The simple answer is yes, there is violence in the United States. But to answer her question takes some deeper evaluation. She and her mother were shot and her father killed for reasons unknown and by people un-identified. The justice system is not capable of holding anyone accountable for fear of retribution and so the impunity and violence feed one another. Is this happening in the US? Are we afraid to call the police if we witness a crime? Are the police afraid to act for fear of being targeted? Yes, this does happen, but it is the exception and not the norm. We worry about our national security yet we live the most privileged lives. The violence in the U.S. is different, it exists, but the majority of us do not suffer directly from its effects. Remember just a few months ago, a 9 year old was shot and killed in Tucson, AZ along with several others. The shooting made international news and our president attended the memorial service. We all felt grief for the tragedy. In Colombia mass violence is so common that families do not even have the luxury of sharing their grief with others, their mourning is mostly private. And yet their resilience is incredible. Raquel told me that she could not have found the courage to live and fight for her life for those 45 days in a Colombian hospital if God hadn’t helped her through. She realized that her children need her; God was giving her another chance at life. She had to overcome the physical and emotional pain of her situation and dedicate her life to her children and to her Savior (literal Savior). Though our lives vary greatly from our brothers and sisters in Colombia, we are invited to join them in the struggle for peace and justice, and to pray and work each day for the Kingdom of God.

Before I left Chigorodó, Susanna wrote me a note that nearly broke my heart. In it she says:

“I just want to write you a little bit because the sheets of paper in my notebook wouldn’t be enough if I start to tell you how important your presence has been in my life this week. In my heart, I hope that your dreams become a reality and that one day we fight together against the violence that tramples the innocent. I want you to keep me in your prayers so that my dreams also may become reality. Many hugs and kisses. Susanna”

This is the heart of accompaniment, to dream, to fight, and to pray together with and for one another. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Colombia.

Grace and Peace to you,
Sarah Robinson

A Note From Samuel

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Please receive my cordial greetings and pass on that I am in good health.  My wife Julia and my children Denil and Yesenia are also doing well.  We are here in Huanta enjoying the rainy season.  The whole landscape is very green, there is good crops in the fields and families are very happy.  I'm at work without any major developments to date.

I have fond memories of my stay in your beautiful city with my brothers and sisters.  I remember Connie picking me up at the airport and arriving at the home of my brother Randy.  It was much as I had imagined.  The Sharon Church was a dream for me.  I still can not explain how I could travel to another country, for as you know, it's not very common here.

Above all, I thank God and say thanks to each of the delegation of Sharon.  I am praying for you as I am sure you are continuing to pray for me.  I am praying brothers and sister that the Lord himself can bring us back together again.

I have already set aside my work schedule for the month of August.  God willing, this time we will be together.

I remain supporting the presbytery here in its activities by visiting small groups that live close to the city of Huanta. Tonight we will have a meeting in the house of a family who recently came to Christ.  We will be blessed again with another small group.

We have received land that we have been able to split into lots to give to 150 families in need.  These families were affected by political violence in the 80s and 90s.

There is also another initiative for workers to continue to build new churches in the mountains.

Thank you very much and may the Lord bless us.
Samuel Montes

Good News!

Because of prayers and hard work, the Amen Presbyterian Church of Lima (Brenda Paredes' home church) has found a new home.  After the completion of cleaning and painting, services began March 6.  Praises be to God!

Also, because of prayers and faith Kelsey Oswald {Relative of Rose Boelke} is doing much better... no more headaches! Thank God for answered prayers!