July, 2013
The Begats
One of the least interesting sections of any book of the Bible for our Western culture seems to be the genealogies, or the 'begats', as that term is repeated many times in one translation. But that is what one of the students wanted to back-track to, long after the study in Genesis was over and Marty was prepared to teach from Romans 2.
Before Marty started the lesson, Domingo wanted to know if Cain was our ancestor. So Marty took Domingo and Basilio, his brother, through the early genealogies. We are not sure what occasioned the question but they seemed to be relieved to know that Noah and everyone else can trace their lineage to Seth rather than Cain.
Building The Wall
A volunteer team from the US made great progress in June on the perimeter wall for the Christian school in Uspantan. It may not sound like much in print, but in person, the work is impressive! The property is on the side of the hill. When the plans were first presented by Engineering Ministries International, most of the streets were at the same level as the school.
But since then the local government raised the street level on one by side several feet, with the consolation that maybe they would build a retaining wall for the affected area. That never happened, so the volunteer team and local hired hands have done it. Now only about 300 feet of perimeter wall remain to be built before classroom construction can be resumed. We are so grateful for those who have invested in Christian education by helping with this construction project.
Tragedy of the Commons
This term in economics refers to communal property that gets exploited to the point where it no longer serves anyone. And that is what has happened to the palm trees that produced large leaves needed for thatch houses in the warmer altitudes southeast of Uspantan. The local community leaders have forbidden residents to cut the few remaining palm leaves for at least ten years so that the plants can recuperate with new growth. Without new native materials, the locals cannot replace their leaky roofs.
Two women approached a local church leader with their request for help for roofs, a greater need than their need for food. They could live off the land for a while with some home grown corn along with wild herbs and plants, but getting through the rainy season without a solid roof had led them to despair. (The situation is more dire for one of the two widows because one wall has partially collapsed.)
Troy Church has provided the metal roofing and paid for the rented horses to transport it into the hills, far beyond where the road ends. Fortunately these families live in an area more accessible than the previous families helped, so horses carried the materials rather than local men being the carriers.
Old Testament project
Diane continues to read through the manuscript the K'iche' translators are producing, noting sections that may need more polishing or where there may be some confusion in terms. Suffice it to say that the Mayan sacrifices and the Hebrew ones do not have enough in common to use the same terminology. The concept of sacrifice needs to be clear to make the message of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, have an impact.
She Said “Yes”!
To end on a happy note, Joe is engaged to Lauren Mesaros, also a recent graduate of Abilene Christian University, with a wedding planned for January, 2014. Meanwhile, Joe has started working for USAA in San Antonio, TX, as a software developer and Lauren is living with her family near Kansas City.
Miriam is spending the summer in Michigan and taking an online American History course. She will return to Abilene, TX in late August.
With gratefulness to all who share in this venture with us,
Marty and Diane
Contact information:
Marty: mjq2.48@gmail.com Diane: guatediane@gmail.com
Mail:14 Avenida 5 09, Cond. Bakara #15 / Cd. San Cristobal Mixco Z. 8 / Guatemala, Central America
Phone: 011-502-2443-0622
Financial Support:
Please make check payable to: Church of Christ, Troy with the memo “Quigley Guatemala Ministry” and send to:
Troy Church of Christ 800 Trombley, Troy, MI 48083 Attn: William Palmer