Living in Honduras this past spring and summer felt especially difficult and intense. What started as a labor dispute between teachers’ and doctors’ unions and the government became agitation against government corruption and economic desperation. Classrooms from elementary to university closed at various times, and taxi and bus drivers sometimes blocked streets and shut down cities. The U.S. Embassy was vandalized and partially closed.
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia is working for a just and lasting peace in a nation plagued by generations of politically and ideologically motivated violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a struggling economy along with the deteriorating effects of time and tropical weather make even basic healthcare inaccessible to the vast majority its citizens.
«¿Por qué vas a la iglesia?» preguntamos. «Porque creemos en Dios» dijo alguien. «para escuchar la Palabra», dijo otra persona. «para aprender a amarnos los unos a los otros». «para construir un mundo mejor».
The Presbyterian witness in Venezuela started at the Colegio Americano of Caracas, which was founded in 1896. That educational ministry continues strong today, and the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela.
Hurricane Matthew was like a very bad dream, watching a slow-motion bullet heading toward someone you love, unable to do anything to stop it. I kept the National Hurricane Center’s webpage open for five or six days, morning, afternoon and night; checking every few hours to see what the storm was doing.
Although all PC(USA) mission co-workers have left South Sudan, there is grave concern for those who are left behind. “Thanks be to God. I arrived in Nairobi at 10.30 a.m.,” said Leisa Wagstaff by email. “Let us continue to pray for the people I left behind.” Wagstaff expects to be in Kenya for a minimum of 2-3 weeks.
The pair of shiny, ankle-high boy’s boots sat in my kitchen most of that day. I’d seen Paul Sinette standing outside the gate when I left my house that morning. Paul Sinette works in my house, usually showing up about 9:30 each morning. She cooks, cleans house and generally makes my life better.
