Author: Michael Pelletier

In October, a small Escrito Está team traveled to Guatemala to distribute water filters to a community desperately in need of them. We also joined a local radio station to share solar-powered radios with the Kekchi people, giving them access to Escrito Está programs translated into their native language! 

It all began with a recently baptized young couple who wanted to share the gospel in a small community in southern Guatemala. A friend from a small village in Moyuta told Anthony, “If you want to do service, please remember my town, it needs as much help as it can get.” After visiting a village in Moyuta called Palos Abrazados (hugged trees), Anthony and Angie realized their friend was right.

Despite government efforts, the people there live in extreme poverty. Many work in agriculture and only earn between $2-4 a day. Anthony and Angie started visiting once a month and invited other young people to come and serve. The amount of work grew so much, they created a non-profit organization called Familias con Futuro (Families with a Future). Now, every month a group of young people travel 2.5 hours from Guatemala City to Moyuta to spend time with the families there.They celebrate birthdays, play with the children, bring school supplies, organize health fairs, help repair homes, and other things.

Volunteers unpack the water filters.

For their most recent project, the volunteers decided to provide water filters to local families. They realized people did not have access to clean drinking water and were getting sick as a result. High heat and humidity only compounded the issue. Drinking water is essential for people who work under extreme heat and who have no AC in their homes, to stay hydrated; and for children to avoid illnesses, such as cholera. In February 2021, Escrito Está joined forces with the church to support this initiative. 

Thanks to various donations, 300 families, the entire community of Moyuta, received water filters this fall. We helped distribute the water filters and shared a special message: “God loves the people of Moyuta. You have not been forgotten. Every time you drink of this water, remember the One who has promised to give you the water of life. If you drink from it, you will not thirst again. Trust in the love of Jesus.”

As he received his water filter, one person from the community expressed, “Thank you for what you have done for our community, for coming all the way here to show us the love of Jesus.” Another lady stated, “I thought Jesus had forgotten me. This means so much to my family, thank you!” Alejandro, one of the community volunteers, said: “Thank you for supporting this project. Seeing an organization like Escrito Está coming to Guatemala to help a small group of volunteers serving in a poor community defines what church should be. I’m very encouraged and will continue helping my community with more fervor than ever.”

Our next stop was in Chicanutz, a small village in the middle of the mountains populated by the Kekchi, a native Guatemalan community. It was an eight-hour trip north from Guatemala City. Roads are rough and not all cars can enter the area. We traveled along with members of Unión Radio Guatemala, a radio station that covers most parts of the country and broadcasts Escrito Está programs. They recently began broadcasting in the central part of the country, where there is a large Kekchi population.

Approximately half a million people speak Kekchi. A local volunteer is translating the daily devotionals, Una Mejor Manera de Vivir, and our half-hour programs into the Kekchi language for his community. We called this trip “Una Mejor Manera de Vivir para los Q’eqchies” (A Better Way to Live for the Kekchis).

There is no electricity in the area. The only building that has a generator is the small church, and they only turn it on during worship hours on Saturdays. Only a few people in this community know how to speak Spanish fluently. Having Christian content that they can understand is essential for their spiritual growth. 

Oscar Cucúl is a Bible worker who has been pastoring the kekchi community. He is a Kekchi himself and feels that God has called him to look over and train new disciples to continue his work. He said, “I wish I had met Jesus when I was younger. Before coming to Christ, I was a homeless man. I only learned of the gospel when I was 39 years old. My dream is to have a school of discipleship to train young Kekchis how to share the gospel. I’m getting older and the day will come when I won’t have the strength to continue. This is the greatest burden in my heart.”

Oscar provides translation.

During worship service, Oscar was our interpreter, playing a key role in our connection with the community. We were received with smiles and a lot of love. B’antiox was one of the easiest words to learn, which means “thank you.” Children were shy but curious when they saw our cameras. The congregation proceeded to sing from the Spanish hymnal, many not understanding what they were singing. Can you imagine singing to God without understanding what you are saying to Him?

The weather was very humid and hot. We only stayed for a few hours due to the threat of rain, which would cause us to be stuck due to the poor roads. We delivered the radios and hurried to the next group that lived further up the mountain. The second group is a growing church, but they meet in someone’s house because they don’t have a church building. There was no AC and the room was dark. The locals were very excited to receive us and prepared a delicious soup for us to have for lunch.

During each short visit, we spoke about the importance of sharing Jesus and learning of His Word, then distributed the solar-powered radios. Many rushed to unbox because they wanted to learn how to use them. The people were excited to discover that they could listen to sermons in Kekchi and look forward to receiving more content in their native language.

Further above the mountains, there is a third group. It was starting to rain, so we were not able to visit them. We left Oscar in charge of distributing the remaining solar-powered radios and training locals how to listen to the Christian programs. 

Although this trip was a great achievement, it is only the beginning of an important mission: creating more content that can reach areas that are yet to hear the gospel in their tongue. Let us continue to pray for people like Oscar who are in a vast mission field. Let us continue to support the creation of more content in different languages. 

Thank you for your support of Escrito Está in making these donations possible. You are also helping in the translation of more content into the kekchi language.  Together we can reach many more people with the good news of Jesus and provide a better way to live for the Kekchis.

The people hold up their new radios in their church building.