August 20, 2002

Dear Karen, 

How great to hear from you! Of course, I remember you. I do wish that we could come to the 40th MHS '62 reunion! I would love to see everyone and introduce Bob to you; but we will be back in Guatemala by then.

I won’t try to fill-out and send the questionnaire at this late date; but here's a brief sketch: I graduated Pasadena Nazarene College in 1965 then went to Calif. State Univ. to do graduate work in art and education for a Calif. Secondary Teacher credential, then taught art in a junior high school in L.A. I met a Canadian mathematician there who I married in 1970. We moved to Montreal, Que., Canada in 1970. He was a professor of mathematics at McGill Univ. and I taught in a Montreal high school until I became a full-time mom in 1974. I have two daughters: Cathena, age 27, an instructor at Humber College, Toronto, and Anne, an occupational therapist at a hospital in Guelph, Ontario. After being "single again" for ten years, I married Bob (Roberto) Beattie in 1999. Some of our story follows:  

Bob: Background: I went to Todos Santos 10 years ago after a series of "leadings": May '90, call to minister to the poor; Jan '91, "saw" a Mayan family in a vision, and "was told" by God's spirit to sell my house; Mar '91, was led by God to stop work, met directors of Cause Canada a Christian development agency and was invited to help as a volunteer on their water projects in TS (Todos Santos, Guatemala). 

In TS I was led to attend all churches in sequence. (This was confirmed by my 3 spiritual directors at the time.) A year later, I felt directed to begin studying "Mam," the Mayan language of TS, and to go to a small village to do this. Shortly after going, I "saw" Jesus and "heard" Him say: "Yes, I want you here. I want you to love them." I built a house in Chenuwitz in '94. I have been involved with bringing drinking water to villages, building stoves to eliminate smoke inside the house and save firewood, and starting a village communal bank (they were paying 10% per month on loans, 5% was the friendly rate - our village bank, 3%). I felt I was nnot to buy a car but to use public transport to relate more with the people. This also helped to learn the language. 

Grace: Impressions of Chenuwitz, the Mayan village where we live: "Physically, it's at an altitude of 9,000 ft., on a steeply sloped mountain. The mountain-sides are largely cultivated both for family subsistence, producing corn, a white-fleshed squash called "chilicoyote", black beans, cabbage, potatoes, tzunis (a small tree with very interesting flavored dark green leaves) certain other edible wild greens, and (in recent years) export-crops of broccoli. There is a dirt road to Chenuwitz (as of only two years ago), but only footpaths within the village. Most homes are one room, made of adobe walls with dirt floor. Traditionally, roofs have been made of steeply pitched thatch (as ours is), but corrugated tin (a gift from Japan) is gaining in popularity. The view we enjoy from our front terrace defies description. We're situated on a steep slope and see the village homes and fields that continue below our terraces as well as three mountain ridges rising beyond with villages on each. On a clear day we see 2 distant volcanoes, the highest in Central America. We feel very close to God as we pray each morning on our terrace overlooking His beautiful world. We also enjoy the warmth of the villagers as they pass by our house, calling greetings from the path. 

The food selection here is nothing like North America. The villagers eat very simply and have little knowledge of nutrition. They're too poor to improve their diets to our standards. A noon meal often consists of just potatoes and tortillas. Every meal is corn-based. For occasional extended family celebrations they will slaughter a pig; but they use it sparingly and make it last for days. They have black beans several times a week (a good protein complement to the tortillas) and sometimes eggs. We grow just the same crops as the other villagers, but, admittedly augment our diet with foods we buy weekly at the municipality center, Todos Santos (a two and a half hour hike away). 

Grace: I have been in the village for 3 years now, after the Lord led Bob to propose marriage to me, and God's confirming words for me "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news," and then His invitation to me at a mission conference in Canada: "I want to take you to work with Me." (There's more to each of those stories!)  What are we doing here? Though we're convinced that God brought us to this place, we're not here to convert anyone. The evangelists came a generation ago, and the village is almost totally Christian. 

Now there are 3 churches in Chenuwitz: traditional Catholic, charismatic Catholic, and Pentecostal. Each considers the others wrong at best, unsaved at worst. This divides families that had historically been close-knit. Shortly after arriving in the village I sensed that I was there to pray for the spiritual unity of the three village churches, in agreement with Jesus' prayer: "Lord, make them one as we are one." I don't care how many denominations there are as long as we "encourage one another in the Lord." 

The Lord then impressed on me that Bob and I "becoming one" would be as intercession for the churches. I walk the beautiful village trails praying for this. I suffered much angst and apologetic embarrassment about not learning the 2 languages (I have severe short-term memory impairment) until the Lord spoke one morning in our prayer time saying "It's OK to be the weird white mute." In other words, I can do the Father's bidding without doing what Bob does or what others might expect. 

What We Face in Chenuwitz:

A.) 2 languages to learn, 2 cultures to adapt to: a remote Mayan village speaking Mam, in a Spanish speaking country. The culture is emerging from animism. In Todos Santos ("All Saints") celebrations of horse racing and costumed dancers, are accompanied by rituals including shamans, blood sacrifices (roosters), alcohol and cigarettes, all to appease the gods of the hills at a terrible cost to families. 

B.) Subsistence farmers with big families, and only an average of 3 acres of land for growing all their food. Most spend 1-2 months away from the village, working on a coffee farm or on the coast to earn cash. Recently some are growing broccoli for sale to an exporting company. 

C.) A survey in '97 of 60% of the heads of households showed an average of 4.2 children. Land is subdivided into equal shares for sons and daughters, when the parents are older. The next generation will have less than an acre each (3 acres/4.2 children) 

D.) We have sensed a growing oppression on us this spring focused especially on Grace's health. In early May Bob checked his prayer journal and found that over a period of 6 weeks, for 40% of the mornings, Grace had suffered extreme weakness, headache, nausea or dizziness, often all 4. We haven't found or imagined any natural explanation for these symptoms. 

If any of you feel led by our Lord to pray regularly for us, we can keep you informed by email every 4-6 weeks of what is happening and request specific prayers. 

May our Lord bless your reunion!! Wish we could be there. 

Love, 

In Him, Bob & Grace 

PS Would like a copy of the Reunion Booklet