The Mam people have lived in western Guatemala for more than 2,500 years. Descended from ancient Mayan peoples, Mam Maya remain one of Guatemala's many Indigenous people groups. Since the Spanish Conquest, Mam Maya have endured a great number of political, social and economic pressures. Today, more than 600,000 Mam people continue to live in Guatemala's western highlands. Mam, their language, consists of 15 distinct dialects. Spanish is also spoken widely. Many of today's Mam Maya wear traditional clothing, woven and sewn within local communities. Vibrant colors, stripes and geometric patterns abound on long skirts, shawls, infant slings, and other traditional garments. Textile weaving and small-scale agriculture support many Mam communities, which tend to be tight-knit and family-focused. Multiple generations in a family often live in one home and eat together around wood stoves, frequently sharing simple meals of corn tortillas, vegetables, fruit, eggs, and chicken. Mam holidays, which include high points in the Christian year such as Holy Week and Christmas, often feature markets, parades, and marimba music along the streets. Catholic Masses, along with other Christian celebrations like baptism, also mark time among these communities; many of the Mam people are Catholic Christians. Poverty presents an ongoing challenge. Many Mam people work hard to produce food, clothing and supplies for their own family units and communities. Many nonprofits who serve them focus on providing income-generating resources (like chicken flocks and sewing machines) for families' long-term benefit. During Holy Week this year, Aldersgate UMC will lift up the Mam people to our community and request prayers and financial gifts. Stay tuned for more information coming on Palm Sunday. For now, please lift up the Mam Maya in your prayers, as we have done for more than 30 years.

Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) has been described as the most influential Methodist woman in the 19th century. She has also been called "Mother of the Holiness Movement." John Wesley incorporated holiness into Methodism after he saw it in the Moravians. Wesley believed that holiness, also called "entire sanctification" or "Christian perfection," could be attained in this life. "Christian perfection" means being perfect in love. Phoebe Palmer grew up in a Methodist home. As a teenager, she questioned her faith because even though she knew she was a Christian, she had never had an emotional conversion experience like other Methodists. In 1827 she married Walter Palmer, a homeopathic physician. In 1831 the Palmers moved in with Phoebe's older sister, Sarah Lankford, and her family. Here they learned of the Doctrine of Holiness, and Phoebe herself experienced entire sanctification in a dramatic moment of conversion on July 26, 1837. After this, Phoebe began home prayer meetings for women. These grew larger and were later called "Tuesday Meetings for the Promotion of Holiness." These meetings continued throughout her life. In the 1850s Phoebe and Walter went on mission trips in the eastern United States. They spoke at camp meetings and revivals. In 1867, The National Association for the Promotion of Holiness was created and became the basis for the Palmers' evangelical ministry. In the 1840s Phoebe also became involved in charitable works. She was active in the Ladies' Home Missionary Society and the founder of the Five Points Mission in New York City. Through these organizations she ministered to the poor, orphans, widows, prisoners and freed slaves. In addition to her evangelical and charitable work, Phoebe was a writer. She was editor of the periodical called "The Guide to Holiness." In 1854 she published a book titled The Way of Holiness , the first of six books she would write during her lifetime . Using scripture and logic in her book The Promise of the Father , she advocated for the right of women to speak as ministers. We praise God for the life and ministry of Phoebe Palmer. Image credit: https://worldmethodist.org/phoebe-palmer-and-the-day-of-days/