October 14th

Guatemalan Seminary Connects with MCM

Congregations and individuals from across Mennonite Church Manitoba had a rare opportunity this September to engage in person with representatives from SEMILLA, a vibrant Anabaptist seminary in Guatemala.

SEMILLA, Spanish for “seed,” serves over 700 students from Central and South America. It traces its roots to Mennonite missionaries from Canada and the U.S. decades ago. The seminary has had connections for many years with groups across Mennonite Church Canada, including Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, but due to stringent visa requirements for Guatemalans, personal visits to Canada do not happen often.

“We are very happy to visit our friends in Canada,” said Rector Willi Hugo Perez as he met with MCM and MC Canada staff. Karla Vásquez, a SEMILLA Ambassador who joined Willi on the Canadian tour, added: “We have hosted many Canadians, and this time we are being hosted by you.”

Karla is referring to the CASAS program (Central American Study and Service), which has hosted school groups and others from Canada at the SEMILLA campus in Guatemala City. Groups or individuals who participate in this program can “encounter Latin American culture and faith,” she says, through learning Spanish, staying with a local host family, taking courses in peace studies from a Latin American perspective, and more.

Danika Gingerich (Sterling) is one of those who has participated in CASAS as part of the Estamos program at CMU. “SEMILLA provided amazing hospitality and learning moments for our Estamos group,” she says. “I cannot believe the ends to which Karla, Willi Hugo, and the others at SEMILLA worked to make our experiences in Guatemala the positive experiences that they were.”

At an evening event with Willi Hugo and Karla for interested people from MCM, Danika told the story of how SEMILLA staff arranged for her to do her Estamos practicum in nearby Honduras. This involved a complicated twelve-hour journey, and SEMILLA arranged for a companion to accompany Danika on the trip. This was simply one example noted during the evening of the many ways the SEMILLA staff and faculty serve their guests.

In addition to the seminary and the CASAS program, SEMILLA also operates Casa Emaús, a guesthouse that offers accommodation and meals to church groups, pastors on sabbatical, and others visiting Guatemala.

To learn more about SEMILLA, check out their introductory video. If you’d like to join the Witness Support Network for SEMILLA, connecting with others across Canada in partnership with the seminary, contact Jeanette Hanson at jhanson@mennonitechurch.ca. If you’d like to support the work of SEMILLA financially, see www.mennonitechurch.ca/giving and give with the note “SEMILLA.”