What happens in the first eight weeks of life?Pamela Godoy defines herself as "a spoiled daughter of God". This Guatemalan lover of life and family combines her professional work with her training in family and life and action in defense of the unborn and most vulnerable. Raised in a family of strong convictions, her faith is for her a driving force for her multiple tasks.
When asked about her life and studies, Pamela emphasizes that she has a degree in Business Engineering, in which she graduated "Magna Cum Laude" from Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala in 2014. She also studied a postgraduate degree in International Trade (2016) and holds a Master's degree in Engineering and Innovation Management (2019) from Universidade Federal do ABC in São Paulo, Brazil. During his working life he has held positions in multinational companies such as Colombina, Procter & Gamble and United Way Guatemala. Currently, he serves as Go-to-Market Manager, in the corporate accelerator of a multinational cement company, Progreso X.
Her restlessness to do something more, especially in the field of promotion and defense of life and marriage, led her to do the Diploma in Culture of Life of the International Institute Together for Life (Juvid) in 2019 in the XXI promotion. She has belonged to Juvid since the end of 2019 and for the last 3 years she has been acting as coordinator of that diploma course. Additionally, she studied a Diploma in Family Pastoral from the Catholic University John Paul II of Managua and the Integral Pro-Life Course of the Hispano-American Academy of Politics and Culture.
His life in faith
Pamela points out that she was born in a Catholic home: "I was baptized on February 25, 1990 at St. Anthony Mary Claret Parish in Guatemala, and my godparents were my uncles Plinio Eduardo and Ana Lucrecia Cortes Urioste. Right there, on September 12, 1999, I received the Holy Eucharist for the first time in my First Communion".
his life of faith was linked, in his early youth, to the San Cayetano parish in Guatemala City. In 2002, she learned of the existence of a youth group, Mi Aventura con Cristo, in this parish and began to attend. There, she says, "I was an animada [member/participant] for two years and in 2004, they made me animadora [leader]. I was the advisor [coordinator] of the second stage (Adventure II: 13-17 years old). Being in Cuarto Magisterio (fourth year of high school), many of my friends were confirmed. However, I was not sure about taking such an important and decisive step. In Quinto Magisterio, I finally made up my mind and looked for a place where I could really get to know more about God and have a closer experience with Him.
That search led her to the Confirmation group of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Guatemala City and "my experience in the group was so good that I decided to do the same for other young people and that is why I was a confirmation catechist for three years". Pamela has also participated as part of the facilitating team for the past 17 years in a retreat on the theme of the Exodus for graduates of the Belgian School. At one of these retreats she saw the testimony of Gianna Jessen, a survivor of a saline abortion and it changed her life: "God planted the seed of passion to promote and defend life from conception".
In favor of life
Pamela began participating in pro-life actions from conception, and in 2019 she organized a 7 Days for Life campaign in Santo André in São Paulo, Brazil. Upon her return to Guatemala, she met the person in charge of the 40 Days for Life, joined the peaceful vigils held twice a year, praying for unborn children or those at risk of being aborted. At that same time, she recalls, "I learned from a friend of mine about Juvid's Diploma in Culture of Life, where I was trained in relation to this topic and many more (euthanasia, gender ideology, feminism, among others). At Juvid, it was where I rediscovered Catholicism and fell in love with the riches of our Church!".
The legacy I would like to leave
Pamela states: "It is interesting to think about how one wants to transcend. I think I would like to leave my legacy along three lines: First, I would love (with much humility) that the people who have met me have been able to experience God through me, in a smile, a hug, a word or a look. Secondly, to be able to impact many people through education. Finally, I would like many people to know the truth of what is happening in our times regarding attacks on life and the family. We are called to be the saints of our times!"
