Journey With a Village
Nuevo San Pedrito, Chiapas, Mexico
. . . faith and community in the face of adversity, survival against all odds, unbounded love and generosity in a place where compassion and tolerance do not exist . . . they humble you and they teach you what greatness is . . . they embrace you and show you how they in fact can save you….
Late in the 1990’s a group of forty five indigenous unarmed Mayan people, including women and children were massacred in the town of Acteal in Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala. Several dozen more people were jailed apparently without proper representation or fair process, where many remain to this day. A group of Tzotzil families fearing further violence and seeing no future in a feudal land system quietly moved to some land that nobody wanted. Far from their homeland and their people, they called their new home Nuevo San Pedrito. Although the violence and persecutions have long died down, the people can no longer return to their homeland.
The government granted them ownership of the land. Their circumstance wass complicated but thankfully the land is now safely theirs. While they have a considerable amount of acreage, it is almost entirely mountainous forest. They only have about 7 cultivable acres for 14 families. This may not seem like much. However, with good crop management, introduction of new agricultural techniques, and most importantly water, this land and the surrounding forests can eventually be developed to sustain them and future generations. Cottage industries can eventually provide additional sources of revenue. However, much longer term, the village will need to save to find and acquire additional land for crops for their future generations to multiply.
 The 80 men, women and mostly children of San Pedrito were struggling to survive when we first started working with them in October 2005. Rejected by a surrounding population of Mestizos, they were marginalized and discriminated because of their skin color, language and cultural differences. Ignored by outside institutions hey had nowhere to go for help and resources. They had to learn to make do with what they had, but lacked the skills to ensure their community’s future. There was no access to health care or education. They suffered from disease, hunger and malnutrition, and lack of water (none at all for several months of the year). They did not have adequate shelter. San Pedrito declined from a high of 20 families to 14 families today. They were eroding like the very sand they live on and deforested hills behind their village.
 However, the village is very different today, and now has a real chance to begin its long climb out of poverty, and even begin sharing its many blessings with other similar communities in the region. With ours, and our many partners' help, they now have potable water year round, and sufficient reserves to begin irrigating their crops and building their adobe homes. Four families are already living in dry and warm adobe homes, with running water and energy efficient wood burning clay stoves. Each family has its own vegetable garden and fruit trees - papaya, mango, plum and citrus.
 The children can now count on a more balanced diet that includes eggs and poultry, rather than just tortillas and beans. Most of them are now attending school full time and learning to read and write both Spanish and Tzotzil. They have a bright future and they now have real dreams. Their dreams used to be about having enough food for the next day, or not getting seriously injured when out in the fields or hills working with their parents to bring in fire wood or catch something to eat. When asked about their dreams they now talk about growing up to be pastors, doctors, teachers, attornies...
Cross Sound Church, of Bainbridge Island, WA has made a five-year commitment to the people of San Pedrito. Cross Sound's immediate goals consist of not only immediate relief for water, food and basic survival, but a holistic program to promote long-term, sustainable development. This aspires to empower rural poor like the people of San Pedrito so that they can survive and thrive.
We have embarked on this Journey With a Village (JWAV) together with Seattle-based Agros International. Agros exists to restore hope and opportunity to the world's poor. Their mission is to see rural poor families own agricultural land, attain economic self-sufficiency, realize their God-given potential, and pass on to future generations the values and resources that enable them to flourish.
Our long-term goals include support of local teachers to build the foundations of academic growth; implementation of sustainable, organic agricultural practices; development of commercial capabilities; and promotion of social reconciliation and tolerance in the region. San Pedrito is just one of a few dozen similar groups scattered throughout the immediate region. Any great work begins with the first step, and this step is the commitment to San Pedrito. As resources become available, the work can be spread to other nearby groups.
You can help. The JWAV partnership takes shape through financial support and service trips. We invite you to join us in this partnership. There are many opportunities to give, serve and grow, contributing your individual God given talents, whatever they may be. Let’s learn together what it means to truly walk alongside the poor as we get to know these families. Let’s join together to help them move from hunger and malnutrition towards opportunity and peace.
This work brings us close to remarkable people who are passionate about transforming their lives, overcoming tragedy, and building a better world for their children. Their energy and optimism motivate and inspire us.
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