God Never Forgets Us - World Renew

GUATEMALA – In north Guatemala, a small community, San Martin II struggled to thrive. San Martin II didn’t see many outsiders, but someone was praying that her community and family will flourish. When World Renew’s local partner in Guatemala, the Presbyterian Service Committee of Kekchi paid a visit to her village 3 years ago, Teresa considered it a response to her prayers.

When World Renew’s local partner in Guatemala, the Presbyterian Service Committee of Kekchi (or ADIP), paid a visit to her village three years ago, Teresa Yaneth Maquin considered it God’s response to her prayers.

Teresa and her husband and their four children settled in San Martin II three years before ADIP visited the community to talk about their work and how they help communities become places of thriving instead of subsistence. The Maquin family had moved there to try to make a prosperous life for their family and they had been struggling. Their corn and bean harvests were poor and Teresa’s husband had to work on farms in other communities to make ends meet, making at most five dollars a day.

So when ADIP began meeting with the community, Teresa was a regular at every meeting and enthusiastic about what they had to offer. In her heart, Teresa believed that this was God’s answer to her prayers, an opportunity she had to take. She participated in every workshop or activity, especially if it involved trainings about agriculture, and she convinced her neighbors to come too. Through ADIP’s agriculture trainings, Teresa has learned about growing crops like tomatoes, cilantro, papaya, onions, moringa, pineapples, yucca, and chaya and is having success with all of them. She has learned how to do composting to keep the soil rich and how to select and store seeds for the next crop cycle.

Teresa says this about life in San Martin II since the community has partnered with ADIP:

“We are very thankful to God. We know that this is a blessing and that we can change the future of our children, teaching them values like responsibility and about how can they get involved in agricultural activities. My vegetable garden has been an example for the ladies in the community; they can realize that it’s better to cultivate our own food and medicinal plants. I have been able to sell some of my produce locally, generating income which I can use for my kid’s education or health. I encourage the other women to grow vegetable gardens and to participate in the courses and trainings that ADIP offers so they can learn a little more. When I see the results of implementing what I learned in the trainings, it reminds me that God never forgets the community of San Martin II. I pray that God continues blessing ADIP and the donors who make this program possible. I believe that they demonstrate what it really means to love our neighbor.”