My Thursday class, in Zone 16
Dear Friends,
THE MINISTRY OF TEACHING.
At the PANAMERICAN UNIVERSITY School of Theology, we have new students since January, and I taught one group at the main campus in Zone 16 on Techniques of Research. Surprisingly, this group has five couples who are studying theology together! In the Saturday group there are new students sign up each year to studytwo couples. In a country where 30% of the population can’t read or write, and many pastors have only a junior high education, it is a joy to see theology, many who have a second profession. The lady behind me on left is a medical doctor. Next to her is a young girl, whose father was my student 30 years ago! About half of our students are either pastors or leaders in their churches.
Do you remember this picture of Pastor Boris Mendoza from the last newsletter? He graduated from our high school last November, and when I walked into the classroom in January, there he was in first year of theology! He is in the center back of the larger Saturday group. Several of the older students have told me that returning to the classroom has been difficult for them, but they were trying their best. So besides the course on learning to write formal research papers, I throw in tips about study, reading, agenda management, etc. And via e-mail I write letters to inform and motivate them. They are also sending homework via e-mail. It costs the students $55 dollars a month to study and even so, some have a hard time to pay it, forcing some to drop out.
HISTORIOGRAPHY PROJECT Dr. Clifton Holland visited from Costa Rica and Sam and I organized a session April 14th to help get the ball rolling in collecting information and writing the history of the evangelical church in Guatemala. God has done marvelous things in this country, and we have several mega churches, though very little has been documented. As brother Cliff said: “If we don’t study our history and its flaws we will repeat our mistakes.” We invite you to pray for this new project. I invited Cliff to teach my Saturday class on research techniques, with the 4th year students joining in. It was a well-spent hour and a half.
WRITING AND PUBLISHING.
My new book, out mid January, has been of much help in my courses. It is being used in other universities also, and 360 books have been sold in three months. I plan to write a course on Introduction to Pedagogy, to fill another need for textbooks in Guatemala. Books published by Ediciones SA BER and selling well are: Cómo Predicar, Enseñando con Eficacia, and Sam’s Hablando de Frente.
FAMILY:
Susy is kept busy with her three little ones. Lisa continues working at Christian Academy of Guatemala, with school out end of May, and studying School Administration at the University on Saturdays. Steve continues taking care of lots of patients in his clinic and at various hospitals in Houston. I am very thankful for my Mom and Dad, Phil and Ruth Saint, who with their example motivated me to Christian service. Here is a picture of them from 1980.
1 John 3:17-18 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
Your sister in Christ,
Martha Saint-Berberian
Note: if any of you have access to e-mail, please send me a note from your e-mail, since we communicate more via email.
From Sam and Martha Berberian
P.O. Box 1602, 01901 Guatemala, Central America
Telephone: 011 (502) 2478-0634 (home)
www.BerberiansInGuatemala.blogspot.com
