I traveled to Guatemala on a Saturday with our national senior account executive from Salem Radio, five of my colleagues from Food For The Poor (FFP) and the 13 coolest Christian radio hosts (some also pastors) that one could ever imagine, coming from as close by as the west coast of Florida and as far away as Hawaii…
Part V: Juanbi
While we were visiting Josefa Morales, I received a wonderful gift – a surprise.
Five years before I had met a young man, Juanbi, who helped 15 widows with a pig-rearing project in that area. Although he only spoke Quiche (one of the four main Mayan languages) I immediately felt a fatherly affection for him. He was so hardworking and he treated the pigs like pets, naming each one of the ten. He was orphaned from a young age and now he found himself responsible for the care of his three younger siblings.
Whenever I visited Guatemala, I would always try to see him and three years ago, when my wife and I vacationed in Guatemala, we took him shopping for clothes. I was amazed that for someone who had little, he had great dignity, refusing many of the pieces of clothing or shoes that we offered to buy for him. I often commented to him that my one regret was that we could not communicate without a translator.
Aloma with Juanbi
Pastor Chan, one of our partners in Guatemala, arranged for Juanbi to come and see me during our visit to Josefa. It filled me with joy to see him. He said, through Pastor Chan, that he had a surprise for me. Suddenly, he started speaking to me in the most beautiful Spanish that one could imagine. I hugged him and he started crying and so did I. I was moved that he credited me as his inspiration for learning the language, but I also thought that practically this would open job possibilities for him.
I invited him to dinner with us and I marveled at what he told me. Having learned Spanish at the Mayan Institute (a free school for Mayan descendants) he was able to get a job in construction from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays he continued to study all day and had just finished grade school and was about to begin secondary school and had ambitions for going to college. On Sundays he would study and play soccer with nine friends who lived in his tiny village of nine homes.
If this sounds amazing to you, please understand that he walks five hours each day to get to work and back home, and four hours on Saturday to get to school and back. What a great example of discipline, tenacity and will. What a great surprise!
WATCH BEYOND THE PLATE EPISODES LIVE IN OUR STUDIO
Join Paul and Danny live in the studio for Season 2 of Beyond the Plate as they engage in thought-provoking conversations with a powerful lineup of guests. From Barron Segar, CEO of World Food Program USA, and Monica Majors of World Central Kitchen, to Steve Urchin, manager of Sean Paul, and global music icon Shaggy, each episode dives deep into stories that go far beyond feeding the hungry. This season shines a light on thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are breaking the cycle of poverty and driving lasting impact through compassion and creativity.
You'll also hear inspiring perspectives from Cedella Marley, daughter of the legendary Bob Marley, Christian singer Blanca, and beloved Hispanic star Angélica Vale, as they share how uniting communities through sustainable development can create meaningful, long-term change. Tune in for powerful stories of hope, resilience, and real solutions that uplift lives and nourish the soul.
Why Support our new Pilot Initiative
A Mercado Global handbag isn’t just an accessory—it’s a meaningful gift that represents hope and resilience. When you shop on our website you're making the statement that poverty isn't inevitable.
Every purchase helps create a stable economic environment within impoverished communities, which can lead to food security and reduce dependency on aid. It’s an investment in breaking the cycle of poverty through fair trade practices that uplift entire communities.
Each handbag is a unique piece of art, handcrafted by skilled artisans who draw on traditional techniques passed down through generations. This supports cultural preservation while giving artisans a source of pride and financial independence.
Flora Petite Crossbody in Turf Moss
The Flora Petite Tote is a square silhouette trimmed with leather piping and paired with structured leather handles. The detachable leather strap means you can carry it comfortably over your shoulder or remove it to wear in hand for an on-trend look.
The Flora Petite Tote features a square silhouette trimmed with leather piping and paired with structured leather handles. The detachable leather strap means you can carry it comfortably over your shoulder or can be removed to wear in hand for an on-trend look.
Featuring a leather wristlet and zipper pull, our Mini Lily conveniently and stylishly stores your essentials. Keep in your handbag as an organizer and remove for a chic night look!
Handbags are ethically crafted, prioritizing fair labor practices and sustainable production. With each purchase, you’re helping prove that we can tackle poverty through sustainable community development.
Buying a Mercado Global handbag provides sustainable income for artisans in marginalized communities, directly helping them support their families. By working part-time, artisans can make up to $8 a day, which is enough to lift themselves out of poverty over the course of a few months of engagement.
By shopping with us, you’re supporting a test initiative designed to demonstrate that we can build a sustainable, closed-loop system between our micro-enterprise programs and an online marketplace. If the test is sucessful we'll be able to scale up our programs.
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