The Right Side of “The Tracks”

WAITSBURG - "Little did I realize, 20 years ago, when I walked through an area known as 'The Tracks' in Guatemala City, that I would return some day," said Donnie Henderson, who recently led a team of local women on a ministry mission in Guatemala City. Henderson, Pam Conover, and Debbie Seney, of Waits- burg; Sue Bell of Dayton; and Sherri Sumstine of California visited Guatemala City last month, presenting a women's conference and teaching poverty-stricken women, sewing skills.

Henderson and her husband, Wayne, visited Guate- mala City 20 years ago with the Christian Motorcycle Association, purchasing off- road motorcycles and de- livering them to indigenous pastors.

"At that time, ' The Tracks' was a section of Guatemala City that was ex- tremely impoverished," said Henderson. "I recall huts made of tin and plastic and the animals would go in and out. Babies would be left ly- ing on the ground. We would see people poking through garbage with sticks, trying to find something to eat."

Today, trains no longer run through the area, but the train tracks remain, func- tioning as the lone "sidewalk". While inhabitants still live in poverty, Hender- son noted improvements in the area. "Ministry groups have come in and performed 'Shack Attacks', building cement block homes, which has made a big difference."

Henderson started going on mission trips in 2002, and has trekked annually since. Her first trip was to Zambia, Africa in 2002. In 2003, she organized and led her own team, returning to Africa for the next six years.

In 2008, Henderson began taking teams to minister in Nicaragua. 2012 would have marked Henderson's fifth year in Nicaragua, but a last-minute knee surgery prevented her from going; the group she organized was able to continue without her.

In a conversation with long-time friend, Steve Beam, president of St. Peter's Foundation, Henderson asked, "Where would be a good place to minster to women?" Steve put her in touch with his brother David Beam, a missionary oversee- ing a church school in Guatemala City. The mission had never hosted a women's group but it was decided that offering a women's confer- ence and teaching sewing skills would best minister to the needs of area women.

At the two-day confer- ence, the team, limited by capacity issues, ministered to 50 women. They showed the film Magdalena in Span- ish, and Henderson, Conover and Sumstine spoke to the women via translators. At- tendees received gift bags containing the Gospel of John, candy and toiletries that had been purchased or donated ahead of time.

Next year they are hop- ing to include 100 women in the conference. "They weep because somebody cares about them," said Henderson. "They hug you; they touch you. I think these people, whether in Africa, Nicaragua or Guatemala, are just so hungry for someone to even know they are alive; for someone to hug, touch and pray for them, even if it's not in their language."

The following two days were spent instructing 20 women in how to sew. The team used money donated from people in our area and raised at fundraisers to pur- chase five sewing machines. Team members presented each woman with a draw- string backpack filled with fabric, a pattern, and all the supplies necessary to make a tote bag. "They were quick learners," said Pam Conover. "You didn't need to know Spanish to get across the point that you don't want to sew your finger!"

At one point, the school ran out of paper, but the team needed one more pattern. After taking a quick group photo with The Times, the newspaper was cut up and put to use as a tote bag pattern!

The sewing machines will be left at the church school to be used by women in the community or by church members to help raise funds to buy land next door to expand the church. Four additional machines were purchased for individual women, who will use them to make items to sup- port their families.

Henderson hopes these women will experience the same success as those they taught in Nicaragua. "When we went back our second year, we were told that some of the women were doing so well they no longer needed to go out to the coffee fields to work."

While sewing lessons took place, Sue Bell worked at the back of the room, teaching basic First Aid and CPR to over 75 women and children, using an older model Resusci® Baby donated by the Waitsburg Am- bulance Service. The doll was left with the church for further training.

" The women were just delightful," said Pam Conover. "They don't seem to have the sense of en- titlement there that we have here. They don't spend time being angry or bitter over what they don't have."

Henderson intends to keep organizing mission trips, "hellip;as long as God will give me health." She has a trip scheduled to Nicaragua in August and is looking forward to returning to Gua- temala next March. You can learn more about St. Peter's Foundation at www.tfofsp.org.