Traveling the Rough Road

By Gloria Kilby, West Nottingham Presbyterian Church

On Wednesday, we hopped in the bus and took a 30 minute trip to the Association office, then another 30 minute trip to a small village where we switched into three pickup trucks with local drivers so we could make the two hour drive up the mountain, along the top of the ridge, and over the other side toward the valley below to Las Barrancas (which means “the ravines.”)  As always, Rosario, and several Association Board and staff members accompanied us – with a few kids in tow – for the day.

We laughed a lot as we bounced upward on steep inclines of rough narrow road, with lots of gullies and pot holes, then down again.  Often there was little or no shoulder and treacherous dropoffs straight down into a deep ravine.  The views were spectacular!

This is the only road in and out of the remote area. Often we met cars coming the other way on the one lane road. Sometimes there were huge dump trucks coming at us with a steep wall of dirt and rock on their side, a dropoff or deep gully on our side. We held our breath and creeped passed very slowly. 

Sometimes part of the road was paved for short periods. At one point we were stopped to pay a toll to a couple of guys who were collecting money for the community to pave their section of road. That was a surprise and took 15 minutes of negotiation to come to a fair price.

We drove through one tiny village after another. It’s a wonder there are so many people spread out way up there. It’s hard to believe they could eke out a living on these steep inclines and little patches of dry dusty soil, but they do! Just imagine their issues in the rainy season!

On the very top of the mountain we were close to 11,000 ft. above sea level and it was chilly – we were in the clouds. But when we descended into Las Barrancas, the climate completely changed. It was warm and humid, with different flora like banana trees and coffee plants.

When we arrived, an Association group called Las Venizias met us and we made our introductions.

Then we jumped back into the car for a another 20 minute jaunt to see some of the brand new family gardens sponsored by Presbytery of the James and CEDEPCA. The women showed us coffee trees and their plots of tomato, pepper, cucumber, cilantro, celery, radish plants and a bunch of coffee tree seedlings growing in bags prior to planting.  

Many people from the community were busy picking coffee beans, spreading them out to dry, etc. They talked a little about their issues with trying to negotiate a good price for the coffee.

We returned to the main village for an amazing lunch of soup with pasta, potatoes and chicken (of course the potatoes and chickens were home-grown!). We shared fellowship, with 22 of us around the lunch table, we chatted and laughed.

After lunch, the women proudly showed us their many projects: potatoes, chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, stoves, latrines (we visited one “personally”!) and water filters – all acquired through the Association and supported by the generous donations of all of you reading this, New Castle Presbytery, and so many churches. The women send their love, prayers, greetings and thanks. We gave them your greetings and praised them for their accomplishments.

Then we visited the Association’s sewing school which is in a temporary building as they are constructing a new church with attached space for the sewing school.

In the late afternoon, we met with students from three new literacy classes, sponsored by Concord Presbyterian and Westminster Presbyterian. Most people in rural Guatemala have had little or no formal education. This was a group of mostly adult individuals, with one woman set to turn 62 in February, who were eager to learn to read and write. 

There are two teachers, one female, one male. The students were very proud to be able to graduate from first, second or third grade with a formal government-recognized diploma through this program. Most seemed to want to learn more and plan to start classes again in March. A few even got up and demonstrated a little of what they learned to us.  That took courage.  We were very proud of them also.  

Sometimes we only needed one interpreter during the day,  sometimes two to cover English, Spanish and Mam languages.  It was all worthwhile.

Finally, we delivered another two suitcases of medical supplies to the small clinic here and another even smaller clinic in a nearby village.

All in all, the day was very exciting, adventurous and rewarding. These are truly amazing people who travel the really rough roads every day!