Greetings from Guatemala!
Hello and greetings from Kathleen and Bruno Soucy in Guatemala where we serve as team leaders for Latin America and the Caribbean. We are presently in San Pedro La Laguna where we are accompanying our sending church, The Journey Church from Moncton, NB as they participate in a SENT learning and serving experience. They have been invited into the lives of teachers and students, and a few of the students’ family homes, as well as the community as they serve in a school of our partner churches. These experiences enrich and expand our understanding of God and the privilege and responsibility we have as co-workers in His Kingdom both globally and locally in our own communities. It has been a blessing and encouragement to have representatives from our own Canadian church with us. They have seen firsthand the impact of their support for Children at Risk and for the churches leading these ministries.
Ministry/Project Update:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
This year we will welcome at least 12 SENT teams in our LAC region. We believe that while our primary focus is to serve our LAC partners and their efforts to be salt and light in their context, we also have an important mandate to serve the Canadian church. We seek innovative ways to engage Canadian visitors in the work of the local church, to learn from them and awaken their own hearts and minds to see their church engage their own Canadian community. We are thankful for our staff who are committed to preparing the local community and being with visiting teams: Byron Velasquez (Guatemala & El Salvador), Kathryn Scott (Dominican Republic teams), Huttons and Patty Nacho (Bolivia).
Partner relationship and capacity building:
We signed new MOUs with Semillas in El Salvador and with IBAREDO in the Dominican Republic.
Recently, we have engaged with several of our partners in a “Partner Assessment”. This is not an evaluation of competence or ability. But rather an opportunity to explore areas where CBM and our partner can leverage each of our resources, our vision for mission and ministry, and areas for growth, to maximize the impact for the Kingdom in the communities where we work together. We have completed assessments with our Bolivian and Cuban partners and prepared new 5-year partnership agreements. Partner leaders from around the world also came to Canada and participated in a partner assessment of CBM to highlight areas where effectiveness of ministry and collaboration with our partners might be possible. We pray that God will honour these efforts to grow healthy partnerships.
Family Update:
This year we celebrate Kathleen’s mother, Barbara Gladman, who will be turning 100 in December. Well before the snow flies, we plan to gather family from Norway, Guatemala, and throughout Canada to be together to celebrate her life in Halifax. We thank God for her good health and for the steady presence she has been in our lives and especially for giving us all the rare opportunity to be together.
Prayer Requests:
- For SENT teams to have good health, open minds, and meaningful engagements with our local church partners. Pray that as SENT teams join our partners that these connections with Christians from Canada would be an encouragement and a blessing to them.
- For CBM staff supporting SENT trips and regular partner programs and ministry in each country: Guatemala, Bolivia, El Salvador, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Pray for energy, health and for a dependence on God who is at work in the world.
- Guatemala faces Presidential runoff elections August 20. There are two quite different candidates left in the running. Pray for peaceful elections and that the future president will be a worthy leader in a challenging context.
- While economic challenges are everywhere, in most of the places where CBM collaborates with our partners, church and community members are particularly vulnerable. Numerous families are struggling to put food on the table and economic hardships often lead to an increase in family violence. Please pray that churches can be a light and hope in challenging contexts.
- As in many places, children were set back significantly when many schools were closed for almost two years during the pandemic. Already weak public education systems did not have the capacity to invest in online learning nor in catching up on lost learning post-pandemic. The impact of weakened education and much higher dropout rates will affect individuals and entire communities for many years to come. Please pray that church leaders will have vision for what can be changed and that local and CBM resources can have significant impact.
Closing Greetings:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matt 22:37-39
Thank you for your faithful support through financial giving and prayer. May God richly bless you.
