At 6:00am we met with met with our Global Ministries missionary to Guatemala and her family to travel to the town of Santa Cruz del Quiche where Gloria and her famil work on our behalf. After stopping along the way for breakfast, we passed by a village called Aldea Chuwipol. We were told by Santos (Gloria's husband) of how the Guatemalan Army during the armed conflict of the 80s had destroyed the people and the city. We also passed by many places along the way where mud slides had destroyed sections of the road two years ago. The road is still being repaired at this time and it appeared that it will be worked on for much longer before it is completed. We arrived at the offices of A.C. G. (Guatemalan Cultural Action) in Santa Cruz del Quiche at 11:00am. In a meeting with the representatives of A.C.G. we learned of some of the projects that are managed by them and their challenges to sustain these projects because of decline in funding sources. In the area of "sustainability" we learned about a very interesting project they call micro credit. A.C.G. awards small loans to groups of indigenous women of the surrounding areas. They use a system where the women must work with a small group of other women to apply for, receive and pay back the loans. We were impressed by the spirit of community and cooperation in this type of endeavor. The loans
are used for starting a small business, or to help the women raise animals which can be sold for a profit so that the women earn income and also have the possibility of paying back their loan with interest after a year. A.C.G uses the interest earned to pay the women's salaries who facilitate the program and for the administrative costs. It's a great lesson in sustainable development for us to learn from. After enjoying lunch with the A.C.G. board and staff, we traveled to some nearby Mayan ruines where we learned of how the Spanish overtook the capitol city of the area, killed many of the Mayan leaders and destroyed their holy place. We had a chance to witness some Mayan rituals that were taking place on the ancient ruines of the city. The government is also undertaking a project to rebuild some of the ancient structures on the property. Our Mission Funds channeled through Global Ministries are used to support some of the projects of A.C.G. which help repair some of the in equalities and injustices in this region. This also gives us access to the stories of a part of God's people in this part of the world and enables us to grow in our understanding of God's mission today. It also enabled us to learn more about how our missionaries accompany our partners, but don't do the work for them. Gloria has worked with Justina, the project coordinator of A.C.G., in building her capacity to plan, implement and help find funding for the various projects of A.C.G.
Jim Piper
At 6:00am we met with met with our Global Ministries missionary to Guatemala and her family to travel to the town of Santa Cruz del Quiche where Gloria and her famil work on our behalf. After stopping along the way for breakfast, we passed by a village called Aldea Chuwipol. We were told by Santos (Gloria's husband) of how the Guatemalan Army during the armed conflict of the 80s had destroyed the people and the city. We also passed by many places along the way where mud slides had destroyed sections of the road two years ago. The road is still being repaired at this time and it appeared that it will be worked on for much longer before it is completed. We arrived at the offices of A.C. G. (Guatemalan Cultural Action) in Santa Cruz del Quiche at 11:00am. In a meeting with the representatives of A.C.G. we learned of some of the projects that are managed by them and their challenges to sustain these projects because of decline in funding sources. In the area of "sustainability" we learned about a very interesting project they call micro credit. A.C.G. awards small loans to groups of indigenous women of the surrounding areas. They use a system where the women must work with a small group of other women to apply for, receive and pay back the loans. We were impressed by the spirit of community and cooperation in this type of endeavor. The loans 
are used for starting a small business, or to help the women raise animals which can be sold for a profit so that the women earn income and also have the possibility of paying back their loan with interest after a year. A.C.G uses the interest earned to pay the women's salaries who facilitate the program and for the administrative costs. It's a great lesson in sustainable development for us to learn from. After enjoying lunch with the A.C.G. board and staff, we traveled to some nearby Mayan ruines where we learned of how the Spanish overtook the capitol city of the area, killed many of the Mayan leaders and destroyed their holy place. We had a chance to witness some Mayan rituals that were taking place on the ancient ruines of the city. The government is also undertaking a project to rebuild some of the ancient structures on the property. Our Mission Funds channeled through Global Ministries are used to support some of the projects of A.C.G. which help repair some of the in equalities and injustices in this region. This also gives us access to the stories of a part of God's people in this part of the world and enables us to grow in our understanding of God's mission today. It also enabled us to learn more about how our missionaries accompany our partners, but don't do the work for them. Gloria has worked with Justina, the project coordinator of A.C.G., in building her capacity to plan, implement and help find funding for the various projects of A.C.G.
Jim Piper
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