16
f
orms of violence—psychological,
p
atrimonial, ecological, social and sex-
ual. Through theatre, the women of
Las Poderosas have found a healing
outlet through art; they also have
found a path for change. Their work
has tangible effects on the lives of the
women and men who see their per-
formances, especially in the rural areas
where other awareness-raising efforts
fail to reach. After one workshop, a
man stood and said, "I can't believe
the harm I've done to my wife," and
pledged to change.
Corazon de Mujer (Heart of
Woman) is a weaving cooperative
made up of indigenous women who
are survivors of the internal armed
conflict. They share stories, support
each other in their efforts to gain liter-
acy and educate their children, and
build enterprises for a better liveli-
hood. They weave beautiful fabric in
their homes so they can attend to
everyday household needs, while con-
tributing to the financial wellbeing of
the household. With the additional
income, their families are thriving and
can afford to send their children to
school. The women of Corazon de
Mujer have found financial interde-
pendence and a healing space through
meaningful work.
For I, I call to God,
and GOD will rescue me.
At evening, at morning, at
midday I lament and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
He will rescue my life for salvation
from the quarrel against me,
For they are too many about me.
How do we imagine reconciliation
in this context? A few years ago, there
was a rift between CEDEPCA and
the IEPNG, the Presbyterian Church
in Guatemala. For the first time in
three years, these two groups were
brought together for an all-day work-
shop to combat sexual violence from a
faith-based perspective. Our group
from the United States bore witness
to the reconciliation of these two
groups, who are on opposite ends of
the progressive to conservative spec-
trum. Some women had traveled as
long as 24 hours to attend this work-
shop. We worked, played, laughed,
cried and prayed together. It was a
day of healing, hope, heartbreak and
reconciliation.
I learned in Guatemala that recon-
ciliation is first an inner process of rec-
ognizing God within us—recognizing
that we, as women, also bear the
image of God. When we are recon-
ciled to the beauty of God within us,
our reality comes into focus. We see
that we are not alone in our experi-
ences. We see that we deserve more
than to be trapped in a cycle of vio-
lence. We begin to recognize when
others are trapped, and seek to dis-
rupt the violence internalized within
others. When we see the image of
God in ourselves, the image of God in
t
he other comes into sharper focus.
W
e see beauty. We see that violence
is not what God wills for us. In
Guatemala, our hearts were cracked
open in heartbreak, filled with beauty
and hope, esparando (waiting and
hoping) for God to weave our hearts
together in solidarity and love.
B
ut I, I trust in you.
7
E
mily Wilkes, a native of South Carolina
and recent graduate of Davidson
College, is currently serving as a Young
Adult Volunteer in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Notes
1. The scripture passages woven throughout this
article are from Psalm 55, which I invite you to read
as though it were written by a woman who has
experienced sexual violence.
2. UN Women, "Fast facts: statistics on violence
against women and girls," Virtual Knowledge Center
To End Violence Against Women and Girls (New
York: UN Women, 2012); www.endvawnow.org/
en/articles/299-fast-facts-statistics-on-violence-
against-women-and-girls-.html.
3. UN Women, "Guatemala: Young Mayan
Women Shape the Future," November 21, 2011;
www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2011/11/gua
temala-young-mayan-women-shape-the-future.
4. Center for Justice and Accountability, "Silent
Holocaust": The Mayan Genocide, in Guatemala
section of CJA website (San Francisco: Center for
Justice and Accountability, 2014);
www.cja.org/article.php?list=type&type;=294.
5. "Femicide: A Global Problem," Small Arms
Survey 14 (February 2012): 3; www.smallarmssur-
vey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-
Research-Note-14.pdf.
6. United Nations Development Fund for Women,
"Violence against Women and Millennium
Development Goals," n.d.; www.unwomen.org/
~/media/Headquarters/Media/Publications/UNI
FEM/EVAWkit_02_VAWandMDGs_en.pdf.
7. This article was originally published on Emily's
blog, https://emilykwilkes.wordpress.com, where
you can read more about her service as a Young
Adult Volunteer.
v Engage your congregations and communities in
awareness raising activities, advocacy and ministry.
Wear orange to raise awareness of the global
campaign to end violence against women
(http://endviolence.un.org; @SayNO_UNiTE). Visit
Presbyterian Women's Justice and Peace web page
for many more ideas and resources
(www.presbyterianwomen.org/justice).
v Support the work of Presbyterian World Mission's
reconciliation catalyst, Shannon Beck, who planned
the travel study seminar to Guatemala. Learn more at
www.pcusa.org/reconciliation.
v Support Sandi and Brian Thompson-Royer who are
serving as mission co-workers in Guatemala. Sandi
works particularly on ending violence against women.
Read updates from Sandi and Brian or invite them to
speak at your church by going to
www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/missionconnec
tions/thompson-royer-brian-and-sandi.
Here's What You Can Do
T