Family to Family Corn Project

 Family to Family Corn Project

We are initiating a Family to Family Corn Project on our website.  You can check it out at welcomehand.org or sustainablefamilies.group.

There are 13,000 farm families in the Cahabon District.  They are spread all over these mountains and hills, in 202 villages.  Each village has an official leader (chief), and they are encouraging the farm families to sign up on the Cahabon Corn project.  They will each receive one bag of fertilizer, and then they must return 25 lbs of harvested corn at the end of that planting season.  Last year the Cahabon District signed up 5,000 families.  They have hoped to increase it to 9,000 families this year, but the many problems caused by Hurricane Eta have used up many of the resources of the District.  They are looking for support to add more families to the project, and help them work toward a sustainable farming situation.

We are looking for 2,000 families that will share enough money to buy a bag of fertilizer for a family in Guatemala, in the Cahabon District.

Our deadline is April 1st -- because they have to know how many families to order the fertilizer for -- so they can plant for this growing season.  

This project is being managed by the Cahabon District Association.  Robert is the Agronomist and Marketing Consultant for the group.  We believe this project could go a long ways toward developing relationships of trust in this community, among these special people.

Please pass this information on to your family or friends, and urge them to check out this project on welcomehand.org or sustainablefamilies.group.

Love you all

Susan and Bob

The First Sacrament Meeting in Cahabon, in 40 Years

 

Back: Robert Roylance, Ruel Haymond, Romel Fraatz, Ricardo Lopez, Joshua Van der Beek, Isaac Willard, Paola Arkell, Rose Fletcher, Rachel Fletcher, Ottoniel Reyes Molina.

Front: Susan Roylance, Janaya Van der Beek, Ana Winters Gabriella Winters, Adam Willard, Melca Arkell.

All of the above group attended our Sacrament meeting at our house today, in Cahabon -- 16 people.  We were given special permission to have the Sacrament meeting at our home, for this Sunday only.  But, it was an historic meeting, since the Church has not had a Church unit in Cahabon for 40 years.    Included in the group are three very interested investigators and one former Branch President, living in Cahabon.  He has not been active for years, but has come to our house two other times for homemade cookies and ice cream.  He is becoming a regular.

Most of the people were part of a special excursion group from the American Heritage School in American Fork.  Ruel Haymond is the teacher.  He is planning on bringing other groups throughout the summer.

In the above picture you can see the two priests that blessed the sacrament, the young man that is a soon to return to a mission in the Phillipines (he had to go home temporarily because of Covid), who passed the sacrament, Bob is conducting the meeting, and I am in the back at my keyboard.  Romel Fraatz was also sitting by Bob, when the meeting started.  He is really the one that got the permission to have the Sacrament meeting.  (He is a former Coban Stake President and a Mission President in Nicaragua).

This is a picture of the Sunday School Class, Gaby is sharing her joy at being there, and meeting the members of the Church (particularly Debora Fletcher).   Her husband and sister are also there.  They are all very interested in learning more about the Church.  She said we all made them feel very loved.

Our front porch made a very nice place to meet.  We are very grateful for this house. 

Church in Sepamac

The Sabbath Day -- Feb 14, 2021

On Valentine's Day we traveled two hours to the Sepamac Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This is the Branch where our Church membership records reside -- it is the closest unit of the Church to Cahabon, where we are living.  The road is very narrow, with many many curves (hairpin curves), so we are not sure we should do it again (especially in a rented pickup).  The road isn't too bad, but there isn't much passing room, so it can be really tricky when a truck or bus comes from the other way, and we have to make room, somehow, to let them pass by.  Sometimes it's a big drop off on one side or the other, so one of the vehicles has to back up to find a wider place in the road .

We had arranged for a young man, Angel Gabriel (yes, that's his name) to meet us in Sepamac to be our interpreter.  He knows a little English from his mission service in Belize.  But, he was not there, so we had to go to Chulac to pick him up (another 15 minutes there and back).  So, by the time we actually got to Church we were 25 minutes late.  As you can imagine, it caused quite a stir to have an older white couple coming into the meeting -- late.  They only had available chairs in the front, so we had to walk to the front of the chapel to sit down.  (I think Angel had told them we were coming.)

Arriving at Church in Sepamac:

I had my Kekchi presentation in my purse, which could introduce us, so I showed it to Angel and he suggested I give it during the Sunday School time.  It was a nice way to connect with the Kekchi people (the meeting was in the Kekchi language).  I always get choked up when I tell about the Coban Temple, even though I am speaking in a foreign language.

No one was wearing a mask, and everyone wanted to hug us and shake our hand.  This whole area is "green" now (very little Covid), so I assume it was safe.  They are such sweet people.  The women came up to me and hugged me.  We felt very welcome.

This sweet sister was especially nice to me.  Look at her beautiful clothing.  They are dressed in these beautiful blouses and skirts ALL THE TIME (in different colors, but the skirt and blouse always match)!  They always look so lovely.  Even if they are working they are dressed beautifully.  

They had Primary, Young Women and Young Men during the Sunday School time.  In fact, their meeting schedule was the same as it used to be in Utah before the Covid restrictions changed everything.  They have a very nice building, with a separate building for classes.  Amazing -- in a land of such poverty.

I loved this little baby girl, and asked if I could hold her.  Here, she is looking at me, and wanting to take my glasses (she reached up for them several times).

Leaving the Church

"Social Event" -- at our home in Cahabon

On Saturday, we invited a formerly active member of the Church, who lives in Cahabon, to our home for homemade cookies and ice cream (oatmeal raisin cookies that I made from scratch -- interesting experience without a mixer or other usual ingredients.  Ricardo Lopez loved the cookies.  He didn't bring his wife (who is Catholic), but we sent some cookies home to her, and asked that he could bring her next Saturday.  We plan to make this "homemade cookies and ice cream" social event a regular Saturday evening event.

The Mission President previously gave us a list of names of 10 people, living in the Cahabon area, who have asked for information about the Church.  With Gady's help (our interpreter), we have been calling them.  Some have moved, and some have not answered their phone.  But three, and possibly four, have accepted our invitation to come to our home for cookies and ice cream this coming Saturday.   When I told President Poou about our "social event" he said,  "Great . . . we hope little by little to find the way to have something official for Cahabon."  So, things are moving forward -- little by little.  It may take several months before we can meet officially, but in the meantime we are inviting people to our home, to meet them, and hopefully become their friends.

Feb 14 Field Report by Bob Roylance

We have had a busy time sorting through all the options and issues this past month.  Initially, our primary objective is to build relationships of trust.  I think we are ahead of schedule on that one.  In the past month, the following actions have been taken.

Experimental Plot

Community leaders are excited about my plans to set up an experimental plot that will provide the farmers with comparisons that help them improve their approach to farming.  The Director of Agriculture of Cahabon will provide a two-acre plot for these demonstrations, and we will be looking at (1) seed variety testing, (2) fertilizer levels and (3) seed spacing.

Cacao Village Association

We are working closely with a village association of 140 cacao farmers (chocolate), with the intention of helping them with their organic certification.  Cacao is a major crop in the region, but prices to these farmers have been very low because of their inability to provide organic certified cacao.  They are already growing in an organic manner, so they wouldn't have to make any major changes, but they need the certification to gain the higher price and allow them to access sophisticated markets.  I was very pleased with this organization because of their intensity and willingness to provide me with timely information.  I first met this group three weeks ago when I was on a tour with the Cahabon Director of Agriculture, and there was something about these people that attracted me.  A few days later I went out by myself, with my interpreter.  They knew that I was coming so they had a white board ready and a PowerPoint presentation.  After going over the numbers I asked them to put together a five-year plan and then compare it to their current marketing program.  Within three days the whole board was in my home with a projector and Excel spreadsheets.  I was confused about some of the numbers and within 5 hours they sent, by email, improved numbers that clarified their plan.  To make a long story short, they have convinced me that a $22,000 contribution will allow them to move forward in a much improved way.  Most of the funds will be involved in preparing them to move to the next level of marketing.  This will help 140 families increase their income by about 20%.  I can provide an itemized list of the things that would be covered by that contribution.

Village Associations

Tomorrow I will be traveling with the Cahabon Agriculture Director to visit additional village associations.  (There are 202 villages in the Cahabon District.)  One of the problems with many of these associations is that they tend to gradually exclude the small ineffective farmer.  This is probably due to their inability to produce quality products.  We feel that there needs to be a mechanism to provide the training and education that will help them provide a positive contribution to the association.

Marketing Program

They would like me to head up the marketing program for a Cahabon community-wide association.  This would be similar to the Community Development Centers we had in Africa, where we marketed products to Europe and Dubai.  I would prefer these associations be operated by each village, but it might be a way to get some of the weak villages involved to help them eventually see the way to do it on their own.  This project could use some major funding.  However, it may be unrealistic, so we will be studying it further.  I'm opposed to government getting involved in private businesses, but this may lead to the formation of more private village associations.

Soil Building Presentation

I had the opportunity to share some of my philosophies on crop production to the Cahabon Agriculture Department, and one of the PowerPoint presentations was on Soil Building.  They thought my approach may resonate with the peasant farmers and wanted me to do a Soil Building podcast that would be used on the Kekchi TV station.   They have tried and tried to get them to stop burning the corn stalks, and other crop residue, and have failed.  They were hopeful that this presentation might convince them.

Cahabon Corn Project

The Agriculture Department of Cahabon has historically provided small amounts of fertilizer to some of the more needy farmers.  5,000 farmers were included in the program last year, and they have a goal of including 10,000 farmers this year.  Because of the hurricanes, their budgets have been stretched, and they are in need of additional donations.  This fertilizer can be provided for $25 per family.  This is very important to them, and they consider it a high priority.  If we provided $25,000 it would help 1,000 families.

Polochic Corn Project

We are planning to support a number of farmers that are members of the Church in the Polochic area.  We will be helping them with a complete corn production package.  This will be a demonstration of what can be accomplished.  This is done under the leadership of good farmers in the area, including the District President.  We are planning to contribute $10,000 to this project.

Corn Production Information

The average corn production in Guatemala is 2 ton per hectare.  The average US production is 11 tons per hectare.  On the farms which I previously managed the average was 14 tons per hectare.  There is clearly room for improvement.

Donations to our Agriculture Initiative in Guatemala can be made on our website at welcomehand.org. 

 

First English Students in Cahabon

 These girls are my first two English students in Cahabon.  They are very bright!  

Building Relationships of Trust

13-year old English Student

Many of you have asked about the English lesson with the 13-year old girl.  The truth is, it didn't happen.  I wondered what happened, because the father was so anxious for his daughter to learn English.  Well, the next day he showed up and told me he couldn't find 9 other students, then he asked, "Will it be OK if we only have 3 or 4 students?"  I said that would be OK, so he said they would be here the next week.  

More English students

Then, last Thursday I got locked out of the house.  (Our new air conditioner was on, and when I went outside to turn on the water, the door shut.) Bob and our interpreter, Gady, were out visiting the farmers.  I usually wear my purse when I go out of the house, but I had left it in the house, as well as my phone and my computer.  I didn't even have the phone number of the landlord, so I just had to wait until Bob got home (1 1/2 hours later).  I was supposed to teach an English class at 3:00, to the advanced class, but I couldn't even get in touch with them to tell them that I was "missing."  After Bob got home we called the landlord.  A woman and her daughter came to give us another set of keys (to make copies).  As we were talking, we mentioned that I was supposed to teach an English class.  They were very interested, and both of them plan to come to my English class at 3:00 pm on Sunday.  They are both fairly influential people, so being locked out might have been a good thing.

People in Cahabon that are interested in the Book of Mormon

On Friday the Mission President brought us some Books of Mormon in Kekchi and Spanish, and some missionary pamphlets, in both languages.  He also gave us a list of 11 people living in Cahabon that had requested information about the Church.  Oh my, that was like gold.  Then, when he left he asked Gady if she would like to go back to Coban with them for the weekend.  She hesitated, but I said "yes," and then she was gone.  Bob sat there and looked at the list of interested people, and wondered how we could contact them.  Then we remembered the young man we met in Lanquin, who could speak English, Spanish, Kekchi and Hebrew.  So we called him to see if he could come to Cahabon on Saturday.  He was available, so we told him we would pay for him to come to help us with calling some people.  He agreed to come.  The Mission President told us to make it very clear that we don't pay people in the Church, but it was OK for us to pay him to interpret for us, if we wanted to pay him.  So, when he came we talked to him about it.  That turned out to be another blessing, because he knew Kekchi, and our interpreter, Gady, does not.

The list turned out to be very positive.  One very nice man even came right up to our house to meet us.  Two more are coming today, another one wants to meet us tomorrow, etc.  Two calls were "no answer," but one called us back.  Of course, we couldn't talk to him, so Gady will call him when she gets back.  All in all it was very promising.  Another missionary has already been talking with someone in Cahabon, and wanted to get a Book of Mormon to him.  She will send the contact information and we will follow up with that.

I could go on and on.  We really feel like guardian angels are helping us in this important work to build relationships of trust.  I have been teaching 17 different classes in English in a week -- to missionaries.  This has really helped me fine-tune my English teaching skills.  So we are grateful to a Father in Heaven that is watching out for us.  I now sit in a house that also has a good air-conditioning unit, so I will surely survive the heat.

(I'll try to take some pictures today.)

Field Report Feb 5, 2021

 Feb 5, 2021  Field Report by Bob Roylance

I have spent the last few days touring some of the 202 villages that are a part of the Cahabon District.  It is hard to describe the abject poverty that is everywhere.  This is very hard to understand because these are a very bright people.  Their young people seem to have intellect and bright minds.  However, as they grow older the light goes out, and they resign themselves to their only option -- hard menial labor.  Some leave for the big city, but most stay behind and stay connected to their close-knit families.  This situation was forced upon them by the Spanish Conquistadors when the Kekchi (Maya) people retreated to these mountains to avoid the Inquisition.  In addition, the Guatemalan Government is constantly harassing them.

Every day I become more aware of the real problems and opportunities.  We originally had in mind to support the Cahabon leader's corn project -- where they gave two bags of fertilizer for each family.  There are 13,000 families in this District, and last year they only provided bags for 5,000, and were planning to move up to 8,000 this year.  They would like us to cover another 2,000 -- to make it 10,000 this year.  The leaders were under the impression that the farmers were giving enough corn back to the Cahabon corn project to fund the next crop.  This small amount of corn was also intended to provide some corn to those who were in extreme poverty.  As it turns out, it was not enough to fund the next crop, which meant it was not sustainable.

When Darwin, who is Director Agriculture, realized it would not fit our criteria he asked for a better idea.  Actually, even though on first-blush their program looked really good, I pointed out that it was actually creating a huge dependency problem, and he seemed to agree with that.  He asked me what I thought was the best way forward and I told him that we needed to provide resources to these families that would allow them to sustainably increase their cash flow.  We need to help them to establish and improve their Cacao (chocolate) and cardamon plantings, plantains, and possibly others.  They would then have the funds to improve their farming practices and they would then be able to break away from subsistence living.  These people generally know what to do, they just don't have the money to do it.  Actually, there is one thing that has really caused problems, and that is the practice of burning corn stalks and other crop residues.

I had a saying that I developed in Africa that seemed to really hit home with these people.  "If you give less to your land, it will in-turn give you less and less back.  However, if you give more to your land it will give you more and more."  Darwin said they have been harping on this problem for the last twenty years, but it has not done any good.  He is in hope that I can persuade them to do differently.  This really hit home when we tried to take some soil samples. The ground was so hard that we to get a hammer to pound the soil probe into the ground. Because of the hardness of the soil, the much rain would run off the field and be wasted.  It will take some time to bring these fields back into a reasonable production level.

We spent some today with a village that had created an Association of farmers that had come together to market their Cacao.  They were hoping that I could help them find a way to by-pass several middlemen and go direct to the final marketer.  I do have some contacts  where I might be able to find some help.  We will see.  They also wanted help on certifying their crop as "organically grown."  I can probably help them with that one.

Friday is the day the farmers bring their produce to the road so it can be picked up by local buyers.  They, in-turn, will sell it to the regional buyers, and so on, and by the time it reaches the final destination there is not much left over for the farmer.  We hope to correct that.  

The following is a farmer turning his Cacao over so it will dry faster.