Changing lives and transforming futures in Guatemala

  While Guatemala may be an ocean away, it has many striking similarities to the Philippines. It is also a Catholic-majority country but also has many local Protestant churches. Hurricanes, political unrest, and inadequate health facilities are long-term struggles the country faces. There are many tribal groups that experience poverty at a much higher rate than the rest of the population, particularly the Mayan community. Pastor Oscar is one of our partner pastors in Guatemala. He decided to give up a well-paying job with the local government to pursue his call to ministry. He heard about ICM through a fellow pastor and decided to bring Transform — ICM’s core program that trains participants in Values, Health and Livelihood — to his church. “I want people’s lives to change so that we are not the same and there is some development in the community. I want them to have a better quality of life, to feed their families, to have income they can hold on to,” he told us.