The following is a blogpost that my dad wrote following our trip to Guatemala...
Enjoy! (More information re: the greenhouse project to come)
My eldest
daughter Rebecca wanted me to go and see Guatemala where she had spent 2 and a
half months volunteering last year in a medical clinic. It wasn’t really
something that was on the top of my must do things. However for those of you
who have daughters you know how they can convince you to do what you would
otherwise not even contemplate.
So it came to pass that I had committed to go to Guatemala with Rebecca for the
last week in June. I was rather busy with work at the time so it would have
been easy to cancel and legitimately say I was too busy. But I had committed,
so I kept my calendar clear and on June 22 we were on our way. I did not expect
to do much as I thought a High Tec farmer from North America would have little
to add to the Guatemalan way of agriculture.
The flight was 5 hours from LA to
Guatemala city. Once there, we went through customs, grabbed our luggage, and
exited the security area. Les Peters was there to welcome and take us back to
Tactic where the mission is situated. I had meet Les and his wife Rita a year prior
at our home in California. For those of you who don’t know him, he and his wife
are incredible people who have given up the comforts of Canadian life to
dedicate it to the people of the mountainous area of Tactic.
We
arrived late so we spent the night in Guatemala City after stopping for a late
night meal at Pollo Campero for some very over cooked chicken. There was
another group of school grads from Snohomish, Washington who also arrived that
night and would accompany us to Tactic.
After a good nights sleep we were off in a sprinter bus and another van
to our destination. Guatemala City is a sprawling metropolis of vehicles, shops,
and small businesses eking a living. It took us almost an hour to get to the
outskirts and take the highway to Tactic. The first stretch was a newly
concreted 4 lane highway that was almost better than North American standards.
It is said to have been donated by the Taiwanese government. We soon ran out of
the fine highway and downsized to a 2 lane highway. That would not have been to
dab had it have not been for the trucks of aging descent that had to climb the
hills and go to descend them again. The country seems to be endless mountains.
To be stuck behind a truck going 10 miles per hour was more the norm than the
exception. Solid lines on the roads that prohibit passing did not seem to be of
concern to the drivers. Many a close call were encountered as oncoming traffic
headed down the opposite lane as it went around the corners. We were about half
way to Tactic when the Sprinter began to act up. Les commented that there was too
many red lights appearing on the dash to be good – we needed to pull over.
After checking under the hood, it became clear what the issue was: the
serpentine belt had given up and broke in 2. The engine was over heated and we
had no charging ability. There wasn’t
much we could do but to get towed into Tactic. The other van stopped and we
loaded as many passengers as possible into it and got together volunteers to
stay with the van and wait for a tow truck or ride (I was one of them). This
gave some time to better observe the countryside. A lone farmer was
methodically going up and down on the steep terrain seeding his corn.
Watermelon was trying to grow on another section. Farming was all done by hand
what would have taken a mere fraction of time in the US. The police stopped by
to check us out and insisted that they needed to protect us. Some 3 hours later
the bus that had taken the others returned to pick us up. A staff member stayed
behind to wait for the tow truck to pick up the Sprinter. The police demanded
their payment for protection before the tow truck was allowed to take the van
to its final destination. We finally made it to the city in twice as long a
time as was planned.
We stayed at a guesthouse in the city of Tactic that was rented by the mission
for visitors. The accommodations were fine with a few exceptions that we were
not used to. The water was not potable and it was right behind a distribution
point for the cities wares. Also once it hit 5 in the morning, you may as well
forget about sleeping as the roosters, trucks, dogs etc. will keep you awake.
It is also a tradition there to light off firecrackers at 4:30 in the morning on
one’s birthday – and in a city of 8,000 that is a daily occurrence. There are
guns everywhere as guards need to protect anything of value or it would soon be
gone. Even McDonald’s in the main cities have armed guards
Yet all of these things are to be expected in a third world nation. I could
handle that. However, what was to come as I was shown more of the country and
its culture would change my life forever.
The next day was Sunday so off to church we went. It was a small church and the
preacher was certainly vibrant and had an intensity not often seen in our North
American churches. Even though I could not understand Spanish, this was
abundantly clear. It was a celebration in many ways. As the service began, Rebecca
had her sponsor child recognize her half and run to her arms. She stayed
sitting on her lap for the remainder of the service until the children were
dismissed for Sunday School. We were welcomed warmly.
That afternoon we went Rio de Vida church, which is Impact Ministries main
church where Les and Rita pastor. It was larger but had the same intensity as
the morning service we attended.
The following days Les took me around to see the agriculture and the countryside
and to gain an understanding of how agriculture was done. One of Impact’s first
graduates, Edgar, was along as he had gone on to attend college for agriculture.
I learned a lot about how they grew things and the challenges they were confronted
with. I also got to understand a piece of the Mayan culture and how it affects
their way of thinking and living. I also learned how Les and Rita worked to
educate the youth and build 5 schools with 1300 students in the 12 years they
have lived in Guatemala. Education is a huge need as many are illiterate and
the public school system is greatly lacking in Guatemala.
The Mayan religion is still highly pagan as witches offer sacrifices to their
gods. We saw places where the offerings are given to the corn god and also visited
a sinkhole where sacrifices are practiced regularly. As a result, these people
are stuck in a life that is under bondage and one that keeps them in a state of
hunger and despair. They are fearful of changing centuries’ old corn seed for
fear of retribution from the corn god and their ancestors. Marriage is not a
practiced custom in Guatemala and therefore, there are many children without
fathers. A lot of these children do not attend school and are suffering from
malnourishment and many other social issues that are appalling to us.
On the fourth day in Tactic, I attended one of Impact’s schools and witnessed
the beginning of their day. The children were all in uniform and sang their
hearts out, worshiping and praising God. This is where I was affected the most.
Questions ran through my mind. What
would become of these kids when they were done with school or when they needed
to stay and work or the girls would be given away at ages sometimes as young as
14? Les and Rita have done amazing things with the schools but there is so much
more that needs to be done to protect these precious kids from their
potentially destructive culture.
What could I do? Can one just sit back and shrug this of? Has God not commanded
us to help those in need? Or do we just say the challenge is too much and go
back to our comfortable life style? Why are we better than these kids? Did we
choose where we were born and who are parents are, or what country would be our
home? I could not say that I could go back home with an intact conscious and
continue to live in our luxurious lifestyle. God had called me to do more. What
could that be?
As the days progressed it became clearer to me. Most Mayans eat only beans,
rice, and corn tortillas. Vegetables and fruit are rarely eaten. Can this be
changed? I believe we can teach them to read and write and to do math. But we
must also teach them nutrition and to change their eating habits. New highly
productive corn needs to be introduced. Vegetables need to be introduced into
their diets. How can we do this?
This is certainly challenging and will take a generation or more. Too daunting?
Perhaps. I am sure that Les and Rita would have had that same thought yet they
persevered. The fruits of their labor are obvious.
I am committed to do my part.
Will you join me?
More to come.
Casey
