“It is necessary [as a duty] for me to be about my Father’s business” Luke 2:49 AMP
"The Food Machine"
Have you ever seen the cartoon movie “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs?” In the movie, Flint Lockwood, the main character invents a machine that rains food. Any and every kind of food you can imagine, the machine rains it down on the town. Could you imagine having any and every kind of food just fall out of the sky, and eat until you could not move?
Well I know many people across Guatemala who just wishes they had some food to eat. They live off just a few tortillas, and a few spoons of beans each day. They have learned to live with the pain of hunger and malnutrition. It is a normal, everyday part of life for them. The Worldometer says the population of Guatemala in October 2023 was 18,159,411 souls. World Bank says 54% of the population lives below the poverty line or in extreme poverty. Deutsch Welle a German broadcaster wrote in an article published in 2014, “Guatemala is the only country in Latin America where the poor are getting poorer.” 40% of the population lives on $1.50 or less per day! That is 7,263,765 people starving to death every single day!
What if I told you we have the technology to change this deplorable situation, and you could be a part of making that change happen. Well we have a solution! I call it “The Food Machine.” The food machine is a 2000 gallon, 400 sq. foot of growing space, totally organic, self-sustained, aquaponic farm. The system is made of all locally accessible materials and can be transported anywhere in the country, and in a matter of just a few days it can be assembled and functioning. When the system is fully mature and running at full capacity it will produce hundreds of pounds of organic, nutritious fish and vegetables to eat and sell each month. We set up and install the system, and provide technical support to the families. Then, when the system is mature and the families are producing an income, we require they make 12 monthly payments for the system. We then use that money to re-invest in new systems and for administrative costs to operate the program. Your investment into this project will continue to grow food for the poor for a long, long time.
We partner with pastors, struggling to survive in the harsh climates of rural Guatemala, who are serving as spiritual leaders to the poorest of the poor. These pastors and their families make the sacrifice to move into the very communities that have been identified as the "extremely poor" to share the Gospel of a loving Savior. The Food Machine will be a tool that these pastors can use to provide for their families and the families of their communities. We have several pastors and their families waiting for your donation to this project so we can provide a Food Machine system to them.
The complete Food Machine system cost $10000. That includes all the infrastructure, setup and assembly, fish, plants, fish food, transportation, follow up visits and training, and a totally self sustaining wind power, or solar generator to power the whole system. With just a few thousand dollars, the Love of the Savior, and a little effort we can change the quality of life and standard of living of these people forever.
Bio-Sand Filters and Family Kits
There are two things I believe every person on Earth has a God given right to; salvation, and fresh water. I have dedicated the last 17 years of my life to helping as many people, as I can, on Earth have access to both. For several years now I have been a member of a Guatemalan church called Vida Real. I volunteer with a ministry of Vida Real called I58. We have a project called Family Kits. The Family Kit consists of a energy efficient wood burning stove, a water filter, and a solar light kit. We install these kits in the homes of the poorest families in the country. Over 500 kits have been installed so far. On August 19-21 we will be installing kits in the homes of the 16 poorest families of the village of Navajoa, Izbal.
I have been friends and working with Pastor Miestalai Gonzales (Pastor Miesta), who lives and pastors a church in Navajoa since 2006. Pastor Mista and I will also be kicking off our next Bio-sand filter project on this same date. We are offering bio-sand filters to each of the 250 families in the community. This will be a community based and staffed project where we will build the filters together. This will be the largest filter project I have done to date. We are excited about getting started. This filter will provide clean water for up to 16 users, and will last virtually forever. It is a completely organic filtering process, and has no moving parts to break or replace. The filter requires very little maintenance, and when used properly will filter water between 95-100% clean. Your donation of $70 will provide a bio-sand filter for one of these families.
