WR Location Feature: Guatemala

When going on the World Race, it’s important to learn about the
countries you’re potentially traveling to. Having an understanding of
the history and tidbits about the culture helps in relating to the
people you will meet. There are numerous times while on the field, you
will speak with locals who will refer to a particular situation in their
country, whether it be past or present. This some information on Guatemala.

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Background
Located in the cradle of Mayan civilization, Guatemala is the most populous Central American country[1] with 13.3 million inhabitants.  About sixty percent of the population is of Mestizo / European background with the remaining forty percent of indigenous background (Mayan and Non-Mayan).[2]  Over half the country lives below the national poverty line, with fifteen percent of that half living in extreme poverty.  Guatemalan expatriates, most of whom are concentrated in the United States, Mexico, Belize and Canada (in that order)[3], have made the country the top recipient of remittances[4],[5] in Central America.  These remittances are the country’s principal source of income.
 
History
The primary impetus of this “diaspora” wasn’t so much the pursuit of better economic opportunities or the American dream as much as it was the Civil War that broke out during the 1960s.  The war ended in 1996, making this the longest civil war in the history of Central and South America.  Despite what the name suggests, Guatemala’s Civil War was more than just a domestic conflict; the key players were the left-leaning insurgency and the military government, who were supported by the American United Fruit Company & US Central Intelligence Agency.  Indigenous guerilla groups arose among the insurgents, frustrated by being overlooked and oppressed by the smaller but wealthier, more powerful non-indigenous landowners.  Under dictatorship, human rights abuses were rampant.  During the course of the war, several thousand people disappeared and about 200,000 were killed.
 
While Guatemala still reels from this decades-long conflict, the very land itself has been volatile.  With several hurricanes and earthquakes (and the landslides that result), and a few active volcanoes, the country finds itself in geographic predicaments occasionally.  Mostly, it is the rural poor (many of them indigenous Maya), as most of the well-off live in or near the capital, Guatemala City (which has also been moved from time to time), who bear the brunt of the damage of these natural calamities.  Sadly, even after declaring independence from Spain in 1821, the legacy of the Mayan culture and people hasn’t fully recovered.

Faith
The Spaniards in their conquest also brought along the Catholic church and to this day, fifty to sixty percent of the population is at least nominally Catholic.  The Protestant church has been growing steadily, with forty percent of the country claiming this line of faith.  Remnants of the Mayan religion still exists and its rituals often blended in with Catholic practices; this blending of different religions is called syncretism.

Ministry
You’ll meet people who are open and thirsty for something more and real; they try filling the void with other things – alcohol, drugs, sex, power gained through violence.  While in Guatemala you’ll be a vessel of hope and life; God will pour out His Spirit through you in a variety of ways.  You may be His hands and feet by completing construction projects, laboring alongside your new friends, and clothing and feeding the naked and hungry.  He’ll put His words and you’ll be His voice through “traditional” avenues of evangelism – out on the streets, preaching in the churches, laying hands on people and praying for them.  You’ll catch His vision for what He’s already set in motion among the local church and go along for the ride.

By Sydnee Mela

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https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html
Ibid.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala
[4] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala