A Normal Partnership

“Do you like being a gringo, or would you rather be normal, like me?” asked a little girl at a public school in Guatemala. It begs the question. What is normal? Who defines normal?

Ixcan is a region in north central Guatemala near the  border of mexican state of Chiapas.  The people are primarily of Mayan descent. The Guatemalan Civil War ran from 1960 to 1996. It was mostly fought between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups supported chiefly by ethnic Mayan indigenous people and Ladino peasants, who together make up the rural poor. The government forces of Guatemala have been condemned for committing genocide against the Mayan population of Guatemala during the civil war and for widespread human rights violations against civilians.  Some of the fighting took place in Ixcan. Where even today mass graves give a silent reminder of the atrocities that had taken place.

At a global missions conference in 1994, a pastor from Redeemer’s Fellowship began to form relationships with key church leaders in Guatemala. The church was seeking to fill its charge to reach the “end of the earth” with the gospel.  While there might be more remote locations in the world, a Guatemalan partnership afforded the church the opportunity to become personally involved.

What was once a search for a potential ministry contact has now grown into a strategic partnership with a community in Ixcan with the help of Mission Impact.  Mission Impact is a Guatemala based ministry that addresses many of the social needs that are often barriers to the gospel.  These barriers can be overwhelming.  Water, while not scarce, is contaminated. 

As a church we have taken on the full (100%) support of Roduel and Hilda Perez. Roduel is a Guatemalan pastor/teacher who has almost single handedly opened up the Ixcan, to the gospel. Over the years we have sent teams of Doctors, Nurses, and Dentists to help treat some of the needs of the community. Teams have participated in a variety of construction projects...making water filters, installing clean/safe stoves, upgrading latrines, and helping develop a small but thriving chicken business for the women of a local church. At it’s core of this ministry it addresses the value and needs of a person made in God’s image.

Our partnership has grown. A new "normal" is that we not only know the missionaries, but we know the people they serve, personally. Today we are not only addressing physical needs, but are helping prepare a new generation of leadership for the growing churches in the region. Our combined staff helps train pastors and church leaders in cooperation with Harvest Bible College. It has been my personal joy to be able to teach these men and women for the past three years. The continuity of this relationship has deepened our commitment to the people of Ixcan.