Guatemala: El Poder 2018

A Story of El Poder, Guatemala

The Galilee Mission Community operates four churches in the city of Chisek that specialize in child and youth worship. The churches are arranged in a way so that our beautiful sanctuary lies centrally, allowing children to safely navigate the four churches.

El Poder Church was the first church established in the city of Chisek. In the poorer regions of Chisek City, many women are tasked with the challenge of supporting their families alone on a single income. This has led to many of them seeking out and cultivating borrowed land in order to support an entire family. For that reason, El Poder Church was established in order to aid these families in need.

Despite having a stable educational system in Guatemala that enforces mandatory education up to the high school years, many children are unable to attend. For some, this is due to a lack of school supplies and, for others, more important priorities are deemed paramount. Some of these priorities include the difficult task of raising younger siblings or finding work in order to supplement the income of their single parent.

In the beginning of August, with the help of GCF, 30 students were chosen who showcased excellence in their daily lives and were gifted with piglets. To these families this gift was a symbol of trust and a chance for these families to plan ahead for the future. On the following Sunday the church halls were filled with children and their parents. To spread the gospel to the families and help them in any way we can is our mission. We hope that our actions provide these individuals with dreams and hopes during their challenging times.

As time progressed, it was turned out that most of the children did not immediately sell or eat the piglets. Instead they kept them in good condition and raised them well. Well enough for them to become sows and to give birth to even more piglets. This project shows that the love of Christ is present in their daily lives as these children practice their field exercise of loving thy neighbor.

Ten years ago we had a similar program where adults were gifted instead of children, but unfortunately there was only a 5% return. Despite these results, we hope that by providing piglets to children, we will have a better return.

In the meantime, a missionary, who could not forget the eyes of the two girls who looked longingly at a pig after sitting next to him, prepared the pigs.  They turned out to be eight- and ten-year-old sisters who couldn’t attend school due to their poverty and lived with three other step-siblings.  The missionary promised to help them attend school the next year with the hopes that one gifted piglet might be the answer to their prayers.

Former Chief Elder of Galilee Mission Community

Chung-Soo Chun