Villa Hortencia is a remote village at the end of a long circuitous road in a mountainous region of western Guatemala. A group of 142 families settled in the long-abandoned peach plantation.  They planted corn and black beans, drew water from a handful of natural springs, and built homes with daylight showing between the wooden slats.  Life is hard for these Mayan descendants who are part of the Ixil (i’sheel) people.  They cover long distances and large elevation gains merely to supply their homes with water, food, and firewood.  Isolated and praying for help to develop their community, the village sent a representative each month to walk the 22-kilometer dirt road to the Agros office in San Juan Cotzal.  Each month the representative would ask the same question, “Is there a sponsor so that our village can become an Agros Village?” For years the answer was, “No.” Then, roughly two years ago Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church said, “Yes” and became a major supporter of Villa Hortencia. The villagers reclaimed the peach plantation and Chapel Hill helped reclaimed their lives for the cause of Christ.

Chapel Hill is now roughly 18 months along in our five-year journey with Villa Hortencia and Agros. This past April you commissioned and sent a group of nine to encourage and work alongside the villagers of Villa Hortencia. We found improvements and areas to develop. Mostly though, we found gracious, loving, and welcoming people.

In the village we were welcomed into homes, prayed over kneeling families in Ixil style (each person prays out loud simultaneously) and watched as families stood up with tears in their eyes knowing that others care enough to visit, help, and pray with them.  We spent a day moving stones from the construction site of a new road to deep troughs in village roads.  Our effort and trucks transformed a many day back-aching project into one day of light labor.  We celebrated a day of play and art with the children and enjoyed a cultural exchange with our village friends.  Kati (aka Charli Meachem) played fiddle while her husband, Carlos (Chuck) called steps to the Virginia Reel.  A poignant experience for the team was honoring the memory of Nicolas Toma, the Agros Villa Hortencia promoter who died of cancer several months prior to our trip.  We planted a bougainvillea shrub in his home village of Los Angeles.  His family wept in grief and gratitude as we presented them with a quilt sewn by the Chapel Hill quilting group and pictures of Nicolas.  In Villa Hortencia we planted a jacaranda tree offering the words of Jesus, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  The villagers agreed that Nicolas truly loved them.

The village strives for self-sustainability. This requires the villagers to risk farming new crops with new methods, learning new skills, and living in new ways.  Century old practices do not change easily.  Some families agree to take risks and others watch to see how they fare. A handful of pilas (washbasins) were introduced previously and now every family has a pila with running water close to their home.  Unfortunately, there is draught two-three months each year and some of the springs dry up.  A plan to install a pump, powered by spring-water, to supply running water to the upper elevations of the village during the draught months is being considered.  This discovery and pump plan came as a direct result of our visit.  Stoves have been introduced in 25 homes.  These vent through the roof so that their living areas are not congested with smoke. The stoves improve air quality in homes and also burn less wood.  These two improvements (the pump and stoves) would relieve the children from carrying water and as many large bundles of wood up the mountainous terrain.  Another addition to the village is a few composting latrines that will soon be operational.  Also, at least one family will have a greenhouse in which to grow tomatoes that will yield almost 33 lbs of tomatoes per plant.  A variety of crops were seen growing throughout the village including cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.  All children in the village are educated up to sixth grade and the village now has seven teachers; over twice as many as last year.  Until secondary education is available in the village, Agros encourages families to send their children to San Juan Cotzal for further studies.  However, the families must pay for this additional education.  The village is also deciding if they will to raise money for a health clinic in the village.  The village would need to raise roughly $600 for building materials and build the structure. The government would then supply a nurse to live in the village as well as supply medical equipment and materials.  Currently several villagers provide basic medical assistance, aid organizations immunize the children, and health-nutritional education is offered sporadically.

The village also continues to grow numerically and spiritually. There are a number of churches in the village. Love and forgiveness are not abstractions to this village. A heavy price was exacted from the Ixil people during the last decade of the 35-year Guatemalan Civil War.  Some villagers were conscripted into the army, others into the guerilla forces, and all experienced trauma and atrocities within their families.  Now, former soldiers, guerillas, and traumatized all live in the same village.

Self-sustainability abhors unhealthy dependency.  Therefore, our team embraced the no-gift policy of Agros, but begrudgingly.  It was difficult to pass people on the steep and long road without offering the “gift” of a ride in our pickup trucks. Likewise, we wanted to, but did not, give our work gloves to villagers with hands sore from carrying sharp stones.  In the end, every improvement, every successful crop, every advance is the product of their effort and collective agreement to partner with Agros, which in turn relies upon sponsors like Chapel Hill.  The result is a depth of dignity that is lifting a people out of poverty and offering hope for a better future.

We encountered an exceptional team experience.  Each morning we prayed and studied one fruit of the Spirit. These studies set the tone for each day.  Our team was healthy and functioned well without complaint or conflict.  This allowed us to be fully available to Christ’s leading throughout our trip and to encourage one another, which happened often. Dave and Barb Martin led superbly with grace and Christ-centered humility.  As happens with all mission endeavors, we left Villa Hortencia with intense gratitude that we were privileged to serve others and a keen awareness that perhaps we were blessed more than we blessed others.

Much is left to accomplish in Villa Hortencia. The village must decide if they will build a health clinic, a pump system is needed to provide running water from February through May in the higher elevations, and all homes would benefit from stoves.  Composting latrines will be tested, malnourishment still needs to be eradicated, and access to local secondary education is a goal of many. Your continued prayers are requested.  Updated prayer cards are available.  We would like Chapel Hill families to cover each Villa Hortencia family in prayer. Some at Chapel Hill will consider taking a further step and serve on the next Go Team scheduled for this October.

Taking a long view allows us to see beyond what is needed in the future to what is possessed in the present: The joy of productivity leading to dignity and the love of Christ reflected in the warm smiles and welcoming spirit of a people who glory in the grace of God.

To read all the reports from the Guatemala GO Team please visit our blog.