Central America Travel Seminar: Stories of exile and oppression

  1. Our Central America travel seminar has landed!
  2. Central America Travel Seminar: Silencing Christian Justice
  3. Central America Travel Seminar: The War Years
  4. Central America Travel Seminar: The day we met Jon Sobrino
  5. Central America Travel Seminar: “Power is for the people”
  6. Central America Travel Seminar: Echoes of Womanists
  7. Central America Travel Seminar: Illiteracy, human rights, and deportation
  8. Central America Travel Seminar: Stories of exile and oppression
  9. Central America Travel Seminar: Colonization in Guatemala
  10. Central America Travel Seminar: Worship and futbol
  11. Central America Travel Seminar: Buzzing over Guatemalan coffee and a volcano 🌋
  12. Central America Travel Seminar: Our last morning in Guatemala

BY ALEXANDER LESTER-ABDALLA

Our first full day in Guatemala was a treat. We substituted our travails through the countryside for a morning back in the classroom. At our host organization, CEDEPCA, we were able to sit in on a lecture about church mission and converse with students about their theological training. Each student we met at CEDEPCA seemed to share a common experience:  learning a Jesus who suffers with the oppressed and professes a gospel of liberation especially for women, indigenous, poor, and politically oppressed people. The students’ experiences spoke to the larger mission of this great organization, and I don’t use that adjective lightly. CEDEPCA is dedicated to the transformation of individuals, communities, their country, and all of Central America through education. They do so through four major programs: a Theological Seminary, Intercultural Encounters program, a Women’s ministry, and a Disaster ministry. Through these programs, CEDEPCA is bringing about the Kingdom of God one enlightened mind and nourished body at a time.

Another highlight of the day was a surprise visit from Julia Esquivel (top photo). Julia is a renowned poet, theologian, and activist from Guatemala. In our meeting, she told us about her forced exile in 1980 fleeing from certain murder by the oppressive Guatemalan government. Over the course of her nearly decade-long exile, she worked diligently to spread awareness and create solidarity around the world for the situation in Guatemala. We were truly blessed to be able to speak with her and be in the presence of such a courageous witness to the Guatemalan people.

We ended the day with a visit to the National Cathedral where Monsenior Gerardi is buried. Gerardi was assassinated by the Guatemalan government because of his work to uncover the human rights abuses perpetrated mostly by the Guatemalan military over a 36-year civil war. This was a powerful moment to stand in the resting place of someone who died living a liberating life of Christian faith on the 20th anniversary of his death.

In all, this day spoke to the call of Christian life: transformation for ourselves and neighbor. Through this trip, we have had the opportunity to learn about the men and women who have died and continue the sacrificing work of transformation.

Alexander Lester-Abdalla is a Master of Divinity student at Union.