Government of Guatemala Gives Award to Lilian Amaya
Lilian Amaya was one of seven people honored at a ceremony hosted by the Guatemalan government. Mrs. Amaya was the recipient of the "Order of National Recognition for the Aid, Assistance, Attention and Protection of Immigrants" award.
The Guatemalan government created this award for the purpose of recognizing those individuals advocating for Guatemalan immigrants within the US. Guatemalan immigrants are helped in several ways:
- With legal aid when they are either detained or in the process of deportation (while knowing and respecting the laws of the US)
- Assisting a family when they lose a loved one do not have funds to send the body back to Guatemala
- Providing information and resources to the community
- Coordinating donations and aid to projects that benefit Guatemalans.
At the ceremony
Mrs. Amaya received the award from representatives of the Guatemalan government. Officiating the ceremony were the Secretary of State (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores) as well as the Sub-Secretary, representing the President from Guatemala, Alvaro Colom.
The story in Mrs. Amaya’s words
For me, everything started when suddenly the immigration issue became very “delicate” in this country. I recall, what seemed to me, hearing God calling me to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”-Proverbs 31:8; it was like an order.
I started getting involved more and more within the Guatemalan community in Chicago, and through this, I was elected to represent nine states within this country. Since then I have been participating in different activities, training, and experiences that have enabled me to help immigrants. I gave opening prayers in some of the meetings held with authorities from the government.
In all of these activities I have been granted the highest honor: to be a representative of our God and Savior. I have to mention that for me, the most exciting event was when I had a business meeting with the president of Guatemala. My greeting to him was Numbers 6:24. I was almost in tears when I finally said to him, “May the Lord have mercy on you, and give you and the country you command His peace.” That was a divine experience, God is good!
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