Greetings!

We’ve done a lot of crying this week. This has been a time of very mixed emotion here in the U.S. This week we saw the number of deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 surpass 100,000 and in the same time frame, we watched a Black man being murdered in front of us by a white police officer while three other officers looked on. These deaths, and those which came before them shine a light on the injustices with which we co-exist in a broken system. They hurt our hearts.  

Keeping humanity in our hearts and minds

Then, in contrast, we look in awe at amazing experiences that give us hope. One of those was magnificent in the history of Chajmaic, Guatemala, a remote village of 3,000 people – 250 families – which is experiencing tremendous hunger during this time of quarantine and lack of work or public transportation. 

On U.S. Memorial Day, May 25 th, we put out a cry for help, understanding that, due to increased COVID-19 cases, the Guatemalan President Giammattei might very well shut the country down for – not the weekend, as in the prior weeks, but – for an entire two weeks. On Sunday evening, May 31 st, the decision was not to shut it down for two weeks, but to open it back up on Monday morning, June 1 st. 

However, in the meantime, 16 of you sent $1,095 – enough to feed not 8 families this time – but 17 families for two weeks or more! Yes, it costs only ~$64 to feed a family for two weeks. Not only this – each of the families received not 50 lbs., but 100 lbs. of corn! Not 25 lbs., but 50 lbs. of beans! Not 2, but 3 cartons of eggs! And, not 10 lbs., but 15 lbs. of rice!  

Your generosity was overwhelming, but it didn’t stop there! After we sent the funds for groceries, 9 more of you sent an additional $375, so we are well on our way towards funding an additional grocery run for 8 more hungry families. The need is overwhelming. Our associate, Ricardo, told me that they had a big surprise on Tuesday when people came to ask for help. It was very moving. He said that, if we identified all those with need, it would be incredible.

And, the need is here: The UN is warning that the world is on the brink of a famine of “biblical proportions.” Hunger, not disease, could emerge as the biggest killer in this crisis. All over the world, families are struggling to feed their kids.*

Due to the quarantine, we can't send Ricardo and our agricultural engineer Antonio yet to meet with advisors and officials in Chajmaic or to survey the village regarding their interests and needs, but we are able to keep people alive, and to help them to realize that we have their best interests at heart. Looking at these photos, we cry with joy.  You will see that we are already developing community buy-in for when Ricardo and Antonio are able to travel to Chajmaic.
Look what your generosity has done!
A beautiful message from Ricardo on Tuesday, May 26, 2020:
“We are working at full speed right now. We are looking for the other 8 families that we need to get to 16. Our partners, Lety and Wendy, are as excited as I am. We here in Guatemala truly celebrate this. I feel so much joy in my heart that right now, as I am writing this message, tears are forming in my eyes.

“ On Friday (May 29) there will be a real celebration of life. Entire families are eating delicious things, which perhaps they went months, going without. Mothers can feed their young children. Fathers feel hope in their hearts. This is a celebration of life.

“Maybe for the people who have donated, it is something a little more normal, but for all these people, the help they are receiving is everything, and it comes in the midst of a global pandemic. Nobody in this world would believe that this was possible.”
We are incredibly grateful for your kind assistance during this time of great need. If you are interested in continuing to give or know of an organization that would be interested in sponsoring or funding this need, you can contact us via www.sowingops.org or info@sowingops.org .

Love,
Fern and Ginny

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* Ref. Coronavirus pandemic 'will cause famine of biblical proportions' (The Guardian)

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