May 11, 2007

Dear Friends,

Working with the indigenous Kekchi people of Guatemala has been extremely rewarding; however, at times, equally frustrating.

The Kekchi do not speak with one voice, and there appears to be no organization with which we work that purports to do that. The APMK, Association of Presbyteries of the Maya Kekchi, was formed about 10 years ago and is made up of five presbyteries that stretch across northern Guatemala. It was funded almost exclusively with income from a special fund designed to develop leaders. Now that the special fund has essentially evaporated, the APMK struggles for significance. It has no money, little recognition, and no support, even within its own presbyteries. The secretary of the association has worked to form an NGO called ADIR, Association of Regional Integrated Development, and hopes the APMK can exist as a unit under the new association. The APMK had purchased land and built a small office but has now lost all of that due to their inability to pay when the money from the special fund ceased arriving. The equity they had disappeared in fines and fees for non-payment. Still hopeful, the secretary plans to raise money, find land, and build an office in Cobán, but under the auspices of ADIR.

Leaders with generally recognized influence across the Kekchi regions are not apparent. There are capable Kekchi who do have the ability to see beyond their immediate needs, but they do not work together. Information is kept within a tight circle of people and is not shared or distributed widely. Frequently this is true even within a given presbytery.

We continue to work, for the most part, with the same people we initially met eight years ago. Young people do not seem to be coming to the fore. Most leadership positions are a matter of musical chairs, with the same people rotating from position to position within a presbytery. The Kekchi have no champions from outside their ethnic group and no recognized leaders within their group. Although we see glimpses of God’s grace working among them, the general situation of the Kekchi, like most of the poor of Guatemala, is deteriorating.

Only educated people can lift themselves out of poverty; but because poverty works to the benefit of those in power there does not appear to be political will in government to make the necessary investment or changes in approach. Glaring examples of this were published in the Guatemalan newspaper of April 30.  Four million of the five million economically active Guatemalans work in the informal sector. That means they are not enrolled in any of the government programs for health, social security, pensions, etc., nor do they pay taxes. They exist as they can, shining shoes, selling pirated CDs, making tortillas, selling food, shoes, clothes, pins and needles, medications of questionable value—anything to earn a living. Chances for work simply do not exist, and even agricultural workers and opportunities are diminishing in numbers, which does not bode well for our friends. Poorly educated people are not attractive to international investors, because they have to learn skills necessary in the modern workplace. Some countries have invested in the workers of their informal sector in order to improve the workers’ lot and make the country more attractive. Chile has invested $322 million in these workers, El Salvador about $1 million, while Guatemala has invested a paltry $175 thousand.  Across Guatemala, the government only spends 1 percent of its budget in the rural areas where our friends live. The Kekchi have a steep, uphill climb to improve their situations; prospects of doing that on their own are grim.

Corruption, violence, and impunity still lash Guatemala. Education is a scandal. The projects that mission groups do have a benefit.  If they could also be used as a catalyst to discover, then promote, a Kekchi political, social, spiritual will in the process, then they could create another real benefit. We all recognize that God’s mission is more than mere projects. All of us have been enriched by our involvement with the Kekchi, and we have benefited more from the relationship than have our friends. Our sense of God’s presence is abundant. That is not lost on them.  Many have told me they appreciate the visits people make and pray that they continue making them, but they would also like to see some change in their own status and a brighter future for their children. They cannot be subsistence farmers forever. Clearly their kids cannot, since there is not sufficient land and, as we have seen, agricultural work is declining.

Many lament their lack of education yet cannot overcome that lack. Education itself usually means only the ability to read and write; therefore, when discussing this theme one must put aside his notion of what education means and listen very closely to what is said.

Economic globalization has generated much controversy, but it is the reality with which they and we now live. The Kekchi must learn to exist in that environment rather than eke out a few cents with their machetes. They will need God’s help and yours to do that.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes.
-Psalm 113:7-8

Peace,

Roger

Roger and Gloria Marriott

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 65