Xe Abaj - Agricultural Project - By Rick Postma

In Guatemala, if you are walking or driving, your survival instincts had better be well honed. The rules are simple, if unofficial: bigger vehicles get the right of way. Walkers learn to glance in all directions and prepare to jump at any time. Drivers must be wary of bigger vehicles, like buses, apparently driven by men dreaming of being race car drivers.

We are on our way to Xe Abaj (Chay- a –bak), a one-hour drive from Quetzaltenango, Pastor Ken Herfst’s home. When Pastor Ken was involved in bringing emergency water supplies to this community after Hurricane Stan in 2005, he and his team realized that the 100 families living in this Quiche Mayan community had been surviving on only rice and corn for quite some time. Their malnutrition was immediately evident in their appearance and the children’s lethargy.

Against that backdrop, I am privileged to visit a community that has made great strides in the last eight months. I am traveling with Victor Mayorga, an agronomist (meaning he has a degree in agriculture), who is a member of the Saq B’e board, an elder in Pastor Ken’s church, and is overseeing our agricultural project at Saq B’e. Also with us are Pastor Herfst and Samuel España. The project has a three-year timeline and a budget of $90,000. In 2007, a series of workshops taught the people how to grow cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes (in wood and plastic cold-frames) at high altitudes.

All I see are mountain peaks in the distance. I feel like I am on top of the world. The air is noticeably thin, and as I walk up a hill, my breathing becomes labored.

A group of community leaders greets us, and I ask them to tell me what they liked best about the project so far:

Juan (president): I am happy and satisfied. We are a poor community and do not have many resources. The project has improved us economically. Everyone has been able to sell vegetables. The project has opened our minds to better ways of doing things. We are more aware. I was most impressed with the tomatoes growing in the cold-frames.

Manuel (secretary, school teacher): I was able to fatten my pigs (provided through the project) since we were taught how to look after them. Then I sold them. I used the money to buy 59 chickens. After raising the chickens, I sold most of them and was able to use some of the profits to buy a computer.

(Manuel is an enterprising fellow; the people live in shacks which look like our storage sheds.)

I am able to tell the parable of the sower and make the point that we hope the seed of God’s Word, shared with them on a regular basis, will also find fertile soil in their hearts. Indeed, each workshop is accompanied with a Bible lesson and the people have shown interest in what they are hearing. Now that they have seen that we have matched our words with deeds, the people are increasingly willing to receive spiritual instruction. Samuel España is starting to visit the families in their homes to share the Gospel with them and is being warmly received. There are no protestant churches in the area, and we hope that Pastor Ken’s church in Quetzaltenango will have a church plant here before the project ends.

Each participating family also received a small silo, made of metal donated by the government. They can hold 1200 lbs of corn, which can feed a family for six to eight months. The silos will eliminate the usual 20% of yearly spoilage due to insects. The families have been trained in the several steps necessary to make the silos work, and are clearly very happy to have them. Step-by-step pictures are also glued to each silo.

Victor Mayorga (the overseeing agronomist) makes the following observations as we discuss the project:

1) The crops were very successful, far beyond expectation.

2) All the sceptics in the community have been proven wrong. A number of them have now joined for this year.

3) He estimates that 90% of the people successfully completed the program – an astounding number 40% to 50% higher than most other similar projects.

4) One of the key success factors was that, using Word & Deed’s money, they were able to deliver on all their promises. There is complete transparency, and supplies arrive when needed. Saq B’e has already gained a reputation for keeping its word. Other NGO’s (Non-Government Organizations) have previously come and not delivered on their promises. Government programs are often delayed by red tape. Of the government programs Victor has run over the past 25 years, this one is by far the most successful.

5) He notes that the group is humble and eager to learn. They realize that they are being taught better ways of doing things.

6) Victor, Patricio (a Christian who has developed high-altitude agricultural techniques) and Samuel are careful to come alongside the families. After discussion, it is the families themselves who decide.

Finding doctors and nurses willing to come to Xe Abaj has been difficult. It is amazing, however, that with a much-improved diet, the population’s health problems have decreased dramatically. They also appear noticeably healthier.

Looking ahead to 2008, the people will be taught more animal husbandry and will also plant thousands of fruit trees. A re-forestation project already underway will continue, with thousands of trees being planted on the hills surrounding the community. Each family will care for a plot. And as we walk through the hills, we see that the weeds have been removed from around each seedling.

As we return to our vehicles for the bumpy ride home, I marvel at the dramatic impact North Americans can make on the lives of such a distant community. Please pray for the Saq B’e as they run this project, as well as for the community of Xe Abaj. May the Lord graciously cause the seeds of the Gospel among these dear people to bring about a living church, so that along with a rich harvest of vegetables, the Lord will also bring in a bounty of sinners who have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike survival on the roads of Guatemala, size and speed do not determine who enters into God’s Kingdom.

Rick Postma is director of public relations for Word & Deed Ministries.