By Ken Herfst

Guatemala is an incredibly diverse country in terms of climate, terrain and people. There are 23 different language groups. While some of them are related linguistically, they are different enough to warrant recognition as separate languages. Climate conditions range from steamy hot coastal weather to frigid cold mountain weather where temperatures regularly drop below the freezing mark.
The community of Xe Abaj (Shay-a-bach) is nestled high in the Western Highlands, near a place that is called (literally) “Alaska.” The intercontinental highway passes only seven kilometers from this community, but until recently it was left untouched by time. Located at 3000 m above the sea, Xe Abaj faces unique challenges for a way of life that is still mainly based on agriculture. To put it in perspective: Mt. Baker in Washington State is just as high. Imagine farming at its peak! Like the rest of Guatemala, corn is the main crop, and yet the growing season is very long. Corn is planted in February and harvested in late November. Other crops include potatoes and fava beans.
In early 2005, a group of seminary students and I visited this community as we looked for areas in which we could do some hands-on mission work. A new dirt road had recently connected this community to the highway, so access was easier. We met with the community leadership. Some of the men still wear the traditional Nahuala kilt. Meetings were held in their K’iche’ language. It shares some similarities with Achi, so I was able to follow to some extent, which immediately helped gain the leadership’s confidence.
The students from the seminary wanted to begin preaching right away since there was no Protestant church in the area. However, I resisted. We needed to gain a hearing. We met numerous times and listened to their stories, their concerns, their dreams, and their struggles to reach those dreams. Until then, the community had been traditional, with youth learning to work the land alongside their fathers. Some learned weaving as well. But with easier access to the outside world, many of the youth and men began looking for other opportunities. Crops don’t do well. Corn yields are very low; the potato and bean crops often rot. Young men think of joining the migrant workers who travel north in pursuit of the American Dream.
After six visits, the leadership approached us with a specific request. They knew we were Christians. “Give us some spiritual orientation,” they asked. Specifically, they asked for talks about alcoholism. Realizing that not many people had Bibles, we offered Bibles to them at a reduced cost. They requested 100 Bibles. Initial studies were held and there was considerable interest. One of the students from the seminary preached in the K’iche’ language and connected very well.
Then came Hurricane Stan. Travel to Xe Abaj was impossible and other pressing needs required our immediate attention. In 2006 we took up contact with them again. A tremendously resilient group, they were surviving…but barely. There was noticeable malnutrition among adults and children. I asked about diet. “Tortillas, rice and wild herbs,” they responded. “When was the last time you ate an egg? How often do you eat eggs?” I asked. They just smiled. No one had been getting basic protein for months already. We had done a detailed area study with the students and already knew that under the best of circumstances, life was tough. Hurricane Stan brought them to the brink of disaster. They had sufficient corn from the previous year to get by, but Stan wiped out the next year’s food supply. Poor yields in 2006 severely compounded their situation. “How can we work together?” we asked. “Teach us better methods,” they responded. That was encouraging: not give us, but teach us.
Together with the local leadership of Xe Abaj, we have drawn up a comprehensive agricultural project to respond to their immediate needs. The project began in May after it was approved for funding by Word & Deed. Over 40,000 broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants have been planted to improve nutrition as well as to sell for income. Two basic greenhouses have been constructed to provide tomatoes and sweet peppers. Ten families currently have quality hogs for fattening. These will be processed in the community. The villagers are being taught improved farming techniques, including animal husbandry, vegetable planting and fertilizing. Over 10,000 fruit trees of a variety that grows well in high elevations will be planted over the next three years (the duration of the project). Goats and cows will also be included in the project. Since soil erosion is a big challenge, reforestation as well as soil and water conservation methods (simple water irrigation, for example) are being taught.
Our longer range planning includes teaching alternative skills that would enable the youth to remain in their communities and not pursue the American Dream. Statistics show that many who return come back with HIV/AIDS and what begins as a legitimate concern for a better way of life, ends up as a nightmare. The whole gang problem in Guatemala has been largely fed by returning or deported youth who cannot find employment in their native land. Xe Abaj is strategically located to influence the entire area and we trust that with time, we will see a transformation that is community-based.
Xe Abaj means “beneath the rock.” Ultimately, our dream is that this resilient community will find refuge in the shadow of the Rock of Ages. Please join us in working together with them to provide lasting hope through real transformation.

Pastor Ken Herfst teaches at the Presbyterian Seminary in San Felipe, Guatemala. He is also involved in reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan.