Living in Guatemala off and on for six years, being native Texans, we traded hot weather, southern drawls, rich southern heritage and leaving our families for the beautiful tropics and mountains of Guatemala and falling in love with the people, culture, beauty and pain of this country. Weaving through the stories, journeys and lives we now live were these phenomenal people and ministries that appeared to be rising out of no where but, instead we just discovered that these ministries had been loving Jesus in the trenches and in relationship for years, often “unknown” by the church and others around the world but, making lasting, eternal differences in the lives of the people of Guatemala!

The questions we heard over and over from the Body of Christ in the states were “Where can we plug in?” or “How do we best support and come behind the Body of Christ in Guatemala” or maybe one of the most compelling “I want to be apart of the work, beauty and love of God we see in Guatemala” So the cry of our hearts developed into a passion for exposure. Who better to expose than our dear friends, Scott and Amelia Moore and the Athentikos team who were loaded with talent, a love for Guatemala and a passion for this beauty to be documented. So when they contacted us and asked that we could join the team in Guatemala to help collaborate and coordinate, connecting the team with these ministries we couldn’t get on board quickly enough. We have been humbled by this team’s dedication, incredible hard work, persistence in truth being exposed, unbelievable talent and beautiful hearts.

To sit in a room with over 200 Guatemalan pastors, our friends with Strategy of Transformation and others who have served in this project for over two and half years in the private screening of Reparando, as you can see was “A dream come true” as it moved us, like true exposure of beauty often does and filled us in that entire auditorium with HOPE…hope for the future, hope in a God who brings redemption and hope for the country of Guatemala which is being rebuilt from the inside out!

Melissa Scott Davis
Guatemala Family Coordinator
The Shepherd’s Crook Ministries
melissa@theshepherdscrook.org
http://www.facebook.com/l/abd51yzPKIDpQGtWbPxbE3eK63Q;www.theshepherdscrook.org

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Author: Joel Van Dyke, CTM Latin American Director

Last weekend was the culmination of a week filled with anger, pain and heartbreak that miraculously turned into a celebration of life.

Daniel Antonio Puac Calderón, 38 years old, was shot and killed this past Friday night as he was closing up his little cell phone store in Guatemala City.  We all knew him simply as Azucar (Sugar). Anyone who has ever met Azucar and witnessed the way he sweetened his neighborhood understood immediately the rationale behind his nickname.

Azucar lived his life in one of the most infamous neighborhoods in Guatemala City called “Sakerti.” Like so many others, he fell prey to the common traps of drugs, gangs and violence. A couple of years ago he hit the bottom and found himself at the drug rehabilitation program started and run by Pastor Erwin “Shorty” Luna.   Shorty has been a core member of our missional community for many years in Guatemala City, and one of the chaplains in a demonstration project focused on incarcerated gang members.

It was through his relationship with Shorty that Azucar encountered the message of the Gospel.  It radically and authentically transformed his life.  He was warned by many not to go back to Sakerti for fear that his past would catch up with him, but like Esther he had an “if I perish I perish” attitude and felt compelled to go back to his neighborhood despite the inherent dangers of doing so.

Azucar opened up his home for a Bible study for four people in the neighborhood. After a few months those four people grew into a couple dozen and to make room in his home, Azucar simply knocked out a wall. A few months later when the numbers doubled again, he knocked out another wall to make more room.

On Friday night he was gunned down in the middle of the neighborhood that he loved. There are many speculations as to who did it and why, but a week after the killing there is no police investigation and no suspects in custody.  As in virtually all violent homicides in Guatemala City amongst the poor and disenfranchized, impunity is all but assured for the perpetrators of such violence.  It is maddening beyond measure.

At the funeral last Monday in the General Cemetery of Guatemala, six buses jammed to the gills carted some 300 residents of the Sakerti community who had come to say good-bye to a special man who truly has sweetened each of their lives. I joined the procession carrying the casket to its final resting place in a huge wall of grave markings.  I recoiled in anger and wanted to scream BASTA YA (Enough is enough!). When will this violence ever stop? Where is justice in the face of such a terrible tragedy?

When the time of internment was concluded I lingered around the grave in the midst of that inner turmoil and met a friend of Azucar’s who had been a hired killer before Azucar entered his life and showed him another way.  I met another friend, Jairo, currently in the same drug rehabilitation program where Azucar had been given his second chance. Jairo shared with me how he had sustained his addiction for 25 years as a ringleader of a band of thieves that preyed on shop owners and small businesses. It was Azucar who had convinced him to leave that life and had personally brought him to meet Shorty and to get a new lease on life. At the memorial service this past Saturday night, I realized that these were just two of hundreds and hundreds of stories of people who had tasted the sweet sugar of scandalous grace as a result of the life of this one very special unsung hero in a very hard and “forsaken” neighborhood.  As I left for my car after the funeral was finally done, Pastor Shorty wiped the tears from his eyes, embraced me and said, “Danny was pure sugar man, he was pure sugar.”

I have no profound theological statements to share, just a deep sadness at the loss of an extraordinary life.  Daniel Antonia Puac Calderon sweetened the lives of many in a forsaken and violent neighborhood called Sakerti and he paid for it with his life. His is a life story that will not be forgotten and a legacy that will be celebrated by those of us who were profoundly blessed to call him our friend and teacher.

Azucar represents the best of the grassroots leaders that we have the distinct honor and privilege of serving around the world.  He will be profoundly missed.

Here is a three-minute tribute video made especially for Azucar’s family and the Sakerti community.  It was made by a friend who had the chance last year to meet Azucar, hear his story and walk through the streets of Sakerti with him.  It was shown at his memorial service this past Saturday night.

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Joel Van Dyke came to Nashville to host our Vision to Respond event and also took some time to do a promo piece for the film.

Joel lives in Guatemala City with his wife Marilyn and two children, Joeito and Sofia. After 16 years as a pastor in North Philadelphia, he currently serves in Central America as the Director of the “Estrategia de Transformacion” (Strategy of Transformation) which is a grassroots training initiative with a mission “to equip the church in Latin America to reach high-risk youth and their families in hard places.”

Joel has been a key member of the Athentikos team as one of primary contacts in Guatemala and has been a vocal advocate for the project. Special thanks to him and his family for dedicating time and effort in the vision for the film.

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We know that many people desire to make donations towards the end of the year. Would you consider giving to Athentikos? All donations are tax-deductible.

Update on the Film Project

“We are currently focused on editing the documentary. Like any project, we’ve hit a few obstacles. The sheer amount of footage to comb through is a hurdle in itself, especially when this is not our “day-job.” We are a small team doing the work of a large production crew. There are times when it all seems impossible, like this will never be finished. But, I rewind and watch the stories again… and I am reminded why we work late into the night. I am reminded why we want to share these stories with others. People like Shorty and Tita remind us who God is. Their stories are not merely inspirational, but transformational as well. God is transforming us through this, drawing us closer to Him.” – Scott Moore

Joel Van Dkye of Estrategia de Transformacion was in town during November. He joined us for our last promotional event, Vision To Respond at Rocket Town. We also hosted several meetings with him, which included a Mission Trip Roundtable Discussion and other logistics meetings.

We have had several promotional opportunities this fall to get the word out about our project. Scott Moore and Amy Stroup were on the Brian Mason Show. Amy Stroup was on Better Nashville.

In addition to editing, we are currently working on details for the Mission Liaison and Business Plans. These plans will be completed in January so that we can start recruiting leaders for 2010-2011 mission teams; and continue to raise funds through local businesses. We will be hosting a team leader informational meeting in January for those interested in possibility leading a mission team. (More information will follow.)

Thank you for your commitment, investment and interest in this project. Your support and prayers are much appreciated. If you would like to volunteer your time towards this project, we have several needs. Contact us at info@athentikos.com if you are interested in learning more:

Volunteer Needs

Are you one of those people who have a passion for working for non-profits, seeing a task from start to finish, coming up with new ideas to complete a project, not getting paid…. then we want you!!!! Seriously, we are looking for some people to join our team in the following areas. We can’t promise you riches, but we can promise you’ll enjoy working with great people who all have a passionate vision for serving! Here’s what we need:

Funding Coordinator
Grant Writer
Copy Writer (for newsletters, website, etc)

If you fit the bill, please, email, call, open a window and shout it out (if you live in Spring Hill, TN, we may actually hear you!) that you’d like to team up with us! Thanks!

View the latest trailer:

Athentikos: Guatemala Trailer 3 from Athentikos on Vimeo.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

We are still in need of financial support to complete our mission. You can partner with us by providing a tax-deductable donation online through paypal:

http://athentikos.com/support.php

Or you can write a check out to Hupomeno (our 501c3 Partner) and send it to:

Athentikos
p.o. box 1957
Spring Hill, TN 37174-1957

SPREAD THE WORD

Please help us by telling your family and friends about what we are doing. If you have a blog or a website, you can add an Athentikos banner with the following code:

<a href=”http://athentikos.com/support.php” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://athentikos.com/images/STV-banner-small.png” alt=”Support the Vision banner small” width=”314″ height=”157″ border=”0″ /></a>

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In about an hour we will head over the mountain to La Limonada to spend some time with Shorty. We are hoping to capture the footage we need to portray Shorty’s personality and the love he has for his community. Shorty is a major character in our film … and we need these shots.

Right now we are headed to breakfast at Cafe Condesa one more time before we leave Antigua. If Antigua is a crown, Cafe Condesa is one of it’s jewels.

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