Jesus and Women’s Co-Op
Today we had our penultimate session on Jesus and Vocation, and we visited UPAVIM, a women’s co-operative in Guatemala City. We also began the day with an earthquake — the second one since we’ve been here, and one that registered 6.8 on the Richter scale at its epicenter on Guatemala’s coast — and ended with a get-to-know you game and a theological discussion.
The SSTT Scholars continued thinking about spiritual imagination today, wondering what a world more closely aligned with God would look like, meeting in groups and drawing images of that world. They drew on Scripture from Revelation and Isaiah to reflect on God’s hopes for the world, and on the power of imagination.
Greta wrote recently in her journal (quoted her with her permission): “Our study has increased my understanding of Jesus in many ways, but the first thing that comes to my mind is something we talked about today. Gilberto was saying we need to be guests and become at the same level as the culture we are visiting. He talked about how Jesus had all this power, yet he still lived like humans, so he could fully understand them, and learn from them. I think my biggest takeaway from these sessions is that when you visit other cultures, the goal is always to learn, never to save them, and also to serve. I also found it really interesting how he talked about Christianity being applicable to all cultures, and how you should never impose your culture on them because you think it is the right way.”
We also saw the sun today, a sun sufficiently bright to cast shadows on the beautiful SEMILLA lawn. That was greatly appreciated after about a week of cloud-covered skies and pouring rains.
At UPAVIM, a women’s cooperative in a poorer section of Guatemala City, we heard from several women who head up various projects that help women in their zone develop skills and make an income. Those projects included beading, sewing, baking bread (as a group, we brought scads of fresh bread) and other projects, and we were given an opportunity to purchase some of their handicrafts. Many in the group did so.
After dinner this evening, we played a game that Glorianne taught us, and then about eight members of the group discussed theology, identifying questions and issues on a whiteboard and then tackling a few of them before we were too tired to process further. It’s quiet time now, and within 45 minutes we’ll all be in our rooms. Another good day in Guatemala City.
