:: Sister City - Chiquimula

Port Huron Chooses a Sister City

In the fall of 2002, Port Huron City Councilman Jim Fischer suggested that Port Huron adopt a Sister City.  This would encourage a cultural exchange program between Port Huron and another city somewhere in the world.  A Search Committee was established with Mark Steinborn as the Chairman.

In March of 2003, Rev. Tom Seppo, Executive Director of Operation Transformation, and Dr. Tim North were on a mission trip to Guatemala. They were able to meet with the mayor of Chiquimula, Guatemala, to see if there was any interest in developing a Sister City relationship with Port Huron. There was great interest from officials there and the two men gave a presentation about Chiquimula to the Search Committee when they returned.

In the late fall of 2003, after researching approximately 30 cities, Chiquimula was unanimously chosen to be the Sister City that would be recommended to the City Council. In December, the Council approved the selection.

In early January, plans were made for a fact-finding trip to Chiquimula. Arrangements were made through Rev. Seppo and Operation Transformation and his contacts in Guatemala: missionary Nancy Sheldon, and pastor and businessman Otto Bonilla.

On March 6th, five delegates representing the City of Port Huron went to Chiquimula to meet government leaders and extend an official invitation to them to partner with Port Huron as a Sister City.

Mayor Pro Tem Alan Cutcher, SC4 Trustee Tom Hamilton, Sandra Reid, Rev. Tom Seppo, and Dr. Tim North received a very warm welcome. They were given the Key to the City and a flag of Guatemala. Each person also received a plaque as a "Distinguished Guest."

The trip included a tour of the city, visits with major business, service, education, church, and government officials, a trip to Copan, Honduras, to view the Maya Ruins, and opportunities to meet with many other people. The trip was truly a success and opened the door for future partner activities.

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Chiquimula Coat of Arms

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Here are some quick facts about Guatemala from the Servant Ministries website:

Guatemala, Central America, "The Land of Eternal Springtime" 

Location:  Guatemala is located just south of Mexico. To the south borders Honduras and El Salvador and Belize is off the N.E. border. Anyone traveling to Central/South America by car must travel through Guatemala to get there. 

Area: 70,000 square miles 

Capital City: Guatemala City (elevation: approximately 5,000 feet)

Population: Just over 10 million people, with 45% being Indians (Mayan) and the other 55% of mixed Spanish/Indian ancestry

Official Language: Spanish (although there are 22 Mayan dialects spoken by the various indigenous families).  Often English is spoken (or at least understood) in the "tourist" sections of the country.  

Chief Products: Agriculture: bananas, beans, beef cattle, cardamom, coffee, corn, cotton, and sugar cane. Manufacturing: clothing and textiles, handicrafts, processed foods, and beverages.

Money: "Quetzales"  (named after a nearly-extinct bird, native to Guatemala)The denominations are like those in the U.S.. Q0.50 (brown) Q1.00 (green), Q5.00 (purple), Q10.00 (red), $20.00 (blue), $50.00 (orange), $100.00 (light brown), and coins in 1, 5, 10, 25, & 50 "centavos" denominations. There is also a Q1 "gold" coin. Presently the exchange rate is approximately  $1.00 (U.S.) = Q8.00

Taxes:  Most goods and services are subject to a 12% tax (IVA).  Hotels also add an additional 10% tax on top of that. In restaurants tipping is at the discretion of the customer, but 10% is usual. 

Climate:  Tropical, where temperatures vary greatly from area to area due to great differences in altitude. There are six months of rain basically from May-October and then six months of dry weather from November-April.

Economy:  Guatemala is a developing country and the economy is slow.
Government:  Guatemala is a democratic government with a president and elected representatives. Elections are held every 4 years.

Education: Approximately 55% attend primary school; only about 15% go to high school. The over-all literacy rate is approximately 46%.

Time Zone:  Central Standard time zone, with no change for daylight-savings time.  (We hear they tried daylight-savings time once but it didn't work because everyone ignored it!!)