Loving Neighbors as an Indigenous Leader

In Guatemala, 25 languages are spoken—and 22 of them are Indigenous Mayan languages. But while nearly 44% of the population of Guatemala is Indigenous, the voices of these people groups are not often heard.

“Mayans make up almost half of the population,” said Francisco Enriquez, the country director for World Renew in Guatemala, “yet they have poor access to schools and health services.”

This ongoing lack of support and resources leads to high rates of child marriage, school dropouts, and even health problems. “Mayan traditions follow the seasons, but when there’s too little or too much rain, it leads to tremendous crop loss,” Enriquez said, and that in turn leads to high incidences of malnutrition.

Despite a pervasive sense of hopelessness in his community, Diego Alberto Catinac Guarchaj is full of hope for a better future—and not just for himself. This 32-year-old Mayan community leader—the secretary of his local board of directors—lives in a mountainous region in rural Guatemala. He graduated as a schoolteacher, but due to a lack of job opportunities, he now works as a day laborer in the fields.

When Guarchaj learned about initiatives by World Renew’s local partners to strengthen the leadership in his community, he was excited to contribute to the process through his role with the board.

“When I heard how they related the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples with leadership and the importance of service, I realized that being part of the board is an opportunity to serve my community,” he said. “I was happy to be a part of addressing leadership challenges and goals.”

Together with other leaders, he looked at some of the patterns of leadership that might have held the community back from reaching some of their shared goals.

Guarchaj, for instance, admits that he used to believe being a leader was only about asking for projects and attending meetings. Then he elected to participate in training offered through World Renew partners, and he saw that his position of leadership—which comes with social power protected by law—can help shape community life in much more collaborative and relevant ways.

"It’s not easy to be a community leader!” he said. “The responsibilities we have are great because there may be people who are in conflict with us. I always go to church and hold responsibilities there. But when I learned about the Good Samaritan, I realized that I was not doing things the right way. I was like the Levite or the priest who didn't love my neighbor. I just said I loved God, but not the people.”

For Guarchaj, spending time looking at leadership through the lens of Scripture has helped him recognize and prioritize his neighbors.

“The process strengthened me not only as a leader, but spiritually,” he said, “and now I try to talk to people, even if they don't talk to me. That doesn't matter. What matters is to truly love my neighbor and work with them for a better future.”

“God is working in our community,” Guarchaj said, “and I want to be a good leader so I can do better. I pray that this work will continue to motivate us to improve ourselves and work together to reach our goals within our community.”