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     GUATEMALA CITY — "Gift sharing is a new sign in our world!" "I wish we could begin workshops tomorrow!"
     With these words Rafael Escobar of Guatemala and Angela Opimi of Bolivia summed up the enthusiasm of 10 Latin American facilitators following a January 21 to 23 training session for the MWC Global Gift Sharing Program. MWC staff organized the gathering at the SEMILLA seminary campus here to prepare for Gift Sharing workshops with Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Latin America.
     Under the direction of associate executive secretary Pakisa Tshimika, Global Gift Sharing is an MWC venture to encourage closer relationships among Mennonite / Brethren in Christ churches worldwide through the exchange of gifts. In the initial stage, workshops with each MWC member church help identify gifts they are able to share with churches in other parts of the world.
     Over the past two years, Tim Lind, Global Gift Sharing staff person, and Tshimika have led workshops with African churches. The large number of member conferences in Latin America has led staff to train facilitators to do workshops there. According to Lind, the way the program incorporates new ideas from participating churches is itself an example of gift sharing.
     Tshimika, Lind, and Linda Shelly — former Mennonite Central Committee Latin America director — led the group in Guatemala in becaming more familiar with Anabaptist beliefs, MWC activities and programs, and the vision of Global Gift Sharing. They spent one day studying the nature of gifts and biblical and cultural understandings of sharing and giving. They developed sample workshop schedules and practised making an inventory of gifts.
     Along with growing enthusiasm throughout the sessions, there were also struggles. For example, the group noted that different cultures have many different kinds of families and interpret biblical views of family in different ways. They asked Ofelia Garcia de Pedroza of Mexico to prepare a brief Bible study guide on family for their use.
     The Latin American facilitators will hold workshops throughout the region between March and June. Meanwhile Pakisa and Lind will hold a training session for Asia facilitators in April. In the second half of 2002 the focus will shift to Europe and North America.