In early January, Casey’s daughter, Monica, along with Houweling’s team member Tara Tashiro, had the opportunity to visit Tactic, Guatemala, the site of Houweling’s Seeds of Tomorrow project. Their experience and the profound impact it had on them is shared below. (Editor’s note: total donations raised to date = $53,830 including the matched funds from Houweling’s. Thank you to all who have generously donated and we look forward to exceeding our original $60K goal)
Having arrived back from our trip to Tactic Guatemala, we can honestly say the journey has changed us as human beings. It was a humbling experience, and provided us with a whole new perspective on life. For Tara as a mother, it was excruciating to see the hunger and poverty in this little town where 50% of the population is under the age of 17. Amongst all of the poverty, we were moved by the amount of love families have for one another; they have close to nothing in regards to possessions, but no shortage of love to go around. We experienced this first-hand when we had the opportunity to meet Monica’s sponsor child. The unbridled joy in the family’s eyes was beyond words.
Unfortunately there is a sad reality within other homes, of child abuse and neglect. We get so caught up in the day to day, fast pace of life, that we don’t slow down enough to notice the suffering of others. When you see firsthand the desperation on mothers faces as they wonder where the next meal will come from for their children, it wrenches ones heart. We heard stories of children in school who save up some, if not all, of their meals to take home to their family so they can eat
Spending time with Les Peters of Impact Ministries reminds us that there is hope. He has done so much for the community in and around Tactic. What started out with one school 12 years ago, has turned into eight, (5 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools & 1 senior high school). Beyond providing education to the children of Tactic Impact serves over 1300 meals daily.
The ultimate testament to the lasting effect of their work was meeting students who had come through the school, went on to further their education and returned as teachers, to provide kids the same opportunity Les and his team provided them. Les and his wife Rita have accomplished so much through Impact’s work and they continue to do more every day.
The Greenhouse project will advance Les’s vision, providing education both in school and agriculture to empower the people. His goal is to continue to teach the Guatemalans how to sustain good growing practices, in order to have better producing crops with better nutrition for the children of Tactic. Additionally, the Seeds of Tomorrow Project will create jobs for people in the community who can desperately use them to better support their families.
We need your help to continue the incredible and noble work that is being done in Tactic. Construction of the greenhouse will begin in the last week of May where representatives from KUBO Sustainable Greenhouses who generously donated the greenhouse with incredible support from their partners in Holland and Houweling’s will work alongside the people of Tactic to assemble the structure. We cannot thank those enough who have already come forward so generously and if you would like to volunteer to be part of a construction team please email SeedsOfTomorrow@Houwelings.com for further details and information.
Please consider making a tax deductible donation to ensure a bright, healthy future for the children who touched are hearts, and those who will behind.
Click the appropriate link to be directed to a secure donation page:
US Donations
Canadian Donations
(select “Houweling’s Seeds of Tomorrow Project” in the fund designation drop-down box)
Blessings,
Tara and Monica
p.s. Here are some of our favourite pictures form our week in Guatemala and if you haven’t seen it, check out the completed video that was shot while we were there <VIEW>
