Kickstart A Dream
In Guatemala the past three years, I have had the privilege of working with an unbelievable servant and his family.
Three years ago, German Espana came to Dave Sgro of GO! Ministries and asked a simple question: How can I help?
German was unemployed at the time, and he had a huge heart for the people of his village, Santo Domingo Xenacoj. He did not want to sit around doing nothing while he waited for a job opportunity to open up, so he volunteered his time.
I didn’t interact with German a lot the first year, but I could see that he was a hard worker. He coordinated stove installations for 75 widows in the village. He personally interviewed each of the 175 widows in the village to make sure the stoves made it into the homes of those who most needed them. He delivered the materials to each home, and he made sure each installation team had the tools and supplies necessary to install the stoves properly.
Then last year, I saw a whole new side of German as our family worked more closely with him and his family serving children and widows in the village with meals for the children and a special gathering for the widows. Our family had a real opportunity to see German’s heart as he served and prayed with the needy people in his community. At this point, GO! Ministries had hired German on as a member of their team. I’m not sure how much they paid him, but I think it still left him struggling to meet the needs of his family which included his wife, Susie, and six children. None the less, German worked hard and always seem to have a spirit of trust that God would provide for the needs of his family.
This year, was a continuation of what we experienced last year. German and Susie opened up their home for our meal times. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in their house every day. We spent time laughing and playing with their family. And I had more opportunity to talk with German on a one-on-one basis. His heart continues to pour out for the broken and hurting people of his village. He literally is taking the food from his table and the clothes from his back to feed and clothe the people of Xenacoj.
During our time together, he shared with me the struggle his family has had financially. He confessed his fear in continuing to provide for his family and for those in need in his village. He also shared some of his dreams. He hopes to start a church one day in his village. He also shared that he and his wife Susie have been praying about ways they could provide more effectively for their family. One of the ideas or dreams they have is to build a restaurant in the front of their house – a place where people can gather for a very good meal and time with friends and family. A place where their family can earn money to provide for themselves and others. I’ve tasted Susie’s cooking, and I know she could attract many. And I think this dream has real potential to help German and Susie stay on their feet and serve Xenacoj more effectively.
Here’s the thing: It will take some funding to build out the front of their house in order to make this a reality. German shared that it would probably cost about 10,000 quetzals in order to make this a reality. When we were in Guatemala a couple of weeks ago, one U.S. dollar was worth about 7.8 quetzals. If you do the math, you can see German and Susie need about $1,300 to take the next step in making this dream a reality. Since we left them a few weeks ago, they applied for a loan with a bank. They were turned down based on German’s income. (Honestly, I think this may have been a huge blessing as I’m sure they didn’t need to take on any debt.) What if there is another way? Wouldn’t it be cool if we could help them kickstart their dream? I checked out the rules of Kickstarter, and I don’t think this scenario fits into their rules, but maybe there is something we could do to help out. If you are interested in making this Guatemalan dream a reality, let me know. (And if we somehow get more than $1,300, I’m sure Susie could use it to fit out her kitchen.)