CHET is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church that provides theological and pastoral training for Hispanic pastors and lay leaders.
Part of the day included doing various role-plays as suggested by In Her Shoes, Living with Domestic Violence published by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The Pacific Southwest Conference Women Ministries Commission donated English and Spanish copies of the material.
During the role-plays, “victims” proceeded through a series of situations that unfolded based on the choices they make along the way. “It continues to be a long series of events and a continuous cycle that is difficult to break,” says Lynda Delgado, AVA Southern California regional coordinator. “The person going through this exercise begins to understand and feel what a victim experiences and how difficult it is to get out of it.”
Attendees included seven men and 12 women. Delgado co-taught the sessions with Yvonne DeVaughn, AVA director, assisted by interpreters Flor Graterol, CHET chaplin, and Vilma Martinez, a member of Primera Iglesia del Pacto Evangelico.
Volunteers Salvador and Cathy Baldizon and Karen Figueroa translated the training material over the course of a year. The material includes PowerPoint, live testimonies, drama and Scripture-based studies.