GUATEMALA
Mazentenango Vendor
One morning, as I was walking through the west Guatemalan town of Mazentanango, I discovered many local farmers who had come to town for the day with produce for sale. This woman with her sparse offerings was sitting in a shaded alleyway waiting for her clientele to arrive. I asked if I could take her photo, she consented and I then contributed to her profit for the day. Smiling all the while, I imagined her content to wait out the hot summer day on her concrete sales stoop.
Plaza Union Homeless
In Antigua, Guatemala, one morning on my way to my favorite cafe for breakfast, I was stopped near the fountain by a lady with a bedroll in hand. Having spent the night there on the stone pavement, she came to me asking for something which I couldn’t understand; however, clearly it was a request to have something to eat. With breakfast, she would manage her way throughout the remainder of the day.
Antigua Hope Girl
While on a trip to Guatemala, I had the opportunity to meet with a mission-supported family in Antigua. Five children live with their mother in a small, simple masonry home located in one of the outlying barrios. The oldest girl had hopes that one day life could be better for her family. I could see the promise in her dark eyes that this could happen.
Evelyn’s First Year Grades
My friend Steve snapped this photo of Evelyn and me as she was giving me a report on her first year’s record at her new school. All perfect scores! She will be supported through high school as she continues to prepare for the future, free from having to work on the streets.
Aguas Calientes, Guatemala
Mayan Girl
Evelyn came to my attention through her sister, Leslie. Leslie and Evelyn are Guatemalan Indians of Mayan descent living in Aguas Calientes, Guatemala. Leslie was on the street five years ago with no hope of ever obtaining an education, but today is enrolled in a private school working on finishing her high school diploma. Evelyn is in her second year of primary school. I saw her a few weeks after she finished her first grade class work. With her mother and Leslie, I spent three hours listening and being shown all she had learned in her first ever year of school. Evelyn’s future will now be very different from what it might have been.
