Young Friends in Bolivia and Peru

Young adult Friends in South American yearly meetings were prominent throughout our trip. Wherever we went - with the exception of a few small, rural churches near Lake Titicaca - we met young Friends. We were always being introduced to the leadership of young adult Friends' groups. At both INELA (Iglesia Nacional Evangélica Los Amigos) yearly meetings in Peru and Bolivia we spoke with young Friends at length. At most of the individual churches we visited, in other yearly meetings, we addressed young Friends who were gathered at the time.

'Young Friends' are defined differently depending on where you are. What I've seen in Bolivia, Peru, Central America, as well as among Hispanic Friends in the US and Canada, is that a young Friend is someone between the ages of about 18 to 35, who is not married. The rationale lies in the belief that what married young couples are focused on at this stage of their lives differs from single folks. I imagine it can be a hard transition for some. One fairly-newly-wed woman I met still considered herself part of the young Friends group - she couldn't have been much more than 21 - and was not ready in the least to join the women's group that she 'should' have transitioned into.

This explains why Jesus Huarachi, who at 30 is young by some standards, was not considered part of young Friends. In fact, he is the presiding clerk of the Peru yearly meeting, and he coordinated all of our visits and even accompanied us for two full weeks, leaving his wife and young daughter at home to do so. His commitment to seeing that Nancy and I visited as full a representation of Friends as possible was very strong. I hope some of you get to meet him when he comes to the FWCC Annual Meeting in March (prayers for his visa approval are appreciated!)

At INELA Bolivia YM, young adult Friends have been given an important charge: together with the women's society, the national leadership of both groups are responsible for developing and implementing plans for a yearly meeting camp and conference facility. Located in Palos Blancos in Sud Yungas province, quite a distance from La Paz, this camp already has an architectural design created by a professional young Friend. The idea to build the center came from young Friends and was approved by the yearly meeting last year.

Perhaps the most exciting thing I want to share is about plans for what is hoped will be an international gathering of young Friends in Peru for 2011. The preliminary plans I saw look good, and I think this could be a great opportunity for young adults to connect with Friends throughout the Americas. My hope is that FWCC will be able to support this effort to the extent we are able, and that other Friends’ groups will join in with their support and by encouraging young Friends to take part. Look for news to come in the future of this event.