Peruvian voices in Church and in Lawmaker's Office

by Karen Wilson, Giddings Lovejoy JH Team member

On the Saturday following the joint Joining Hands-Peacemaking events in California, Conrado Olivera, Eler Salazar and Jacob Goad of Peru returned to St. Louis with the our Presbytery delegation. The next morning, the three from Peru traveled with me to Imperial, Missouri. At Rock Presbyterian Church, they led the discussion in the adult Sunday School class and presented the story of the people from La Oroya, Peru, where almost all children are highly lead poisoned by U.S.-based lead smelter, Doe Run.

On this page:

Peruvian voices in Church and Lawmaker's Office

by Karen Wilson, Giddings Lovejoy

Rice Farms, a Farmers Market and a Water Campaign

by Thomas John, India

A Visit with Focus on GMO's

by TMS Letela, Lesotho

Gaining Momentum

by Gretchen Williver, Cascade

Sharing the energy

by Chenoa Stock, Sri Lanka

Listening to our Partners: Palestinians for Peace

by Terry and Michele Finseth

and the Greater Atlanta Peacemaking Committee

Of Rice Farms, a Farmers Market and a Water Campaign

by Thomas John, JH Companionship Facilitator India

The post-conference visit to our partners in Sacramento and the exposure they provided us were extremely revealing and challenging. Our delegation from Chethana was flabbergasted by the visit to a rice farm, with one person holding about 1000 acres of rice farm and cultivating it with only three laborers. We were less impressed, however, with the aerial sowing of seeds and other labour saving devices, which we thought to be unscientific and not cost effective.

We also visited an organization of family farmers, the organic farm in the Sacramento University, and also a farmers market where organic farm produces were sold by farmers themselves.

To top it all, we went to Mount Sastha, the source of pristine water that runs through the Sacramento River. We met with McCloud Watershed Council, a group that is fighting Nestle about buying a prime location near the water source to establish a bottling plant and thus siphoning of water for commercial purpose. As we shared with them our stories  they were greatly encouraged by our fight against Coco Cola in a small village in Kerala (Plachimada). The company had established there a bottling plant that depleted the ground water in the nearby areas and polluted their water sources. Eventually Coca Cola has had to move out under pressure from the local community.

A Presbytery Visit with Focus on GMO's

by TMS Letela, Coordinator KKM Lesotho.

After the Joining Hands Consultation and the Peacemaking Conference, the Lesotho delegates enjoyed the hospitality of their partner presbytery hosts from Los Ranchos. The sharing of ideas and concerns through conversations with the partner presbytery has helped us update each other on what is happening in each country and clarify expectations.

The issue of GMO seeds and fertilizers has caused more harm than good in many developing countries and among many poor communities. GMO seeds have infiltrated many developing countries from developed countries at the expense and demise of the indigenous seeds. GMO seeds are patented and cannot be shared by farmers and this promotes individualism and competition rather than cooperation and sharing. The seeds cannot be sown more than once and poor farmers and households cannot afford to buy seed every year, let alone in needed quantities. Where GMO seed is grown among or near fields of indigenous seed, the former spoils the quality of the latter. There is adequate evidence that chemical fertilizers damage the soil texture and natural fertility in the long run.

Some wealthy countries exacerbate the HIV/AIDS infection rate in poor countries by giving food aid and sorts of donations to people who test positive. Consequently, people allegedly infect themselves in order to qualify for the food aid and donations. To a large extent, therefore, perpetual poverty in developing countries is caused (by design or by error) by policies or actions of developed countries.

Understanding this complex issue will help particularly the Presbytery of Los Ranchos to know how to better assist the KKM on its campaign against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) based on the real causes and needs as apposed to the perceived needs.

	top: Gifts from Los Ranchos Presbytery to KKM network left: Mali teaches a ladies group a traditional Basotho dance

Gaining Momentum

by Gretchen Williver, JH Team leader of Cascade Presbytery

Gretchen Williver and Ali Kent, both of First Presbyterian Church of Bend, traveled July 13-19 to Chapman College in southern California to represent Cascades Presbytery at an international gathering of all Joining Hands partners. Delegations from nine nations around the world met with Presbyterians from eleven partnering presbyteries to share their experiences and strategize for the future. A common theme of nearly every group was the issue of water – how can we assure that all people have affordable access to clean water in the years ahead.

Julie Dunsmore (the partnership facilitator in Bolivia,) and Ely Lopez (Director of UMAVIDA, our Bolivian partner), spent the preceding week visiting congregations in Cascades Presbytery, concluding their visit by participating in a workshop and speaking on the floor of the Presbytery meeting in Klamath Falls in July.

During their itineration they gave presentations at two Presbyterian churches in Central Oregon and learned about some of the water issues in there.

They then spoke at three partner churches in the Portland area, where they explored Kellogg Creek as it runs through the church property at Milwaukie and later canoed around Ross Island in the Willamette River.

After their itineration in the Portland area Ely and Julie visited a partner church in Salem, Oregon, toured Crater Lake with and concluded their itineration by learning about Klamath Basin water issues.

Sharing the energy

by Chenoa Stock, JH Companionship Facilitator Sri Lanka

After the JH Consultation in Orange, we had the opportunity to share the energy that was felt during the International Gathering, with six churches in the Charleston-Atlantic Presbytery in Charleston, South Carolina. Our week there was filled with everything from informal discussions to formal presentations about Praja Abhilasha and the Joining Hands mission. It was a time to express the deeper understanding we gained about Joining Hands and to make the congregations aware of the Sri Lankan context and our work within those circumstances. The southern hospitality was at its finest, as we were received with such warmth and sincerity at each venue and activity.

Though it is unclear if Charleston-Atlantic will join as our US Presbytery partner, the opportunity to reinforce and share what we had learned at the conference brought about growth and a deeper understanding about our work as a Joining Hands Network that otherwise would not have occurred.