History

Since 2015 we have been building a partnership with Blessing Lives Guatemala, sharing our two cultures and improving the lives of those less fortunate by bringing skill development courses and medical care to those in the remote mountains of Cotzal, Guatemala. By exposing people to new ideas and skills we help them improve their financial and spiritual outlook.

In the past we have done baking, sewing, carpentry, candle making, sausage making, and food preservation by canning and drying. Not all projects are continuing but some of them may be revisited as we look to the future.

In 2019, we started renting a four-room house as a base of operations, called Casa Blessing, from which we provide courses in Finances, carpentry, baking, soap making, and sewing while the teams are in Guatemala. We provide access to the equipment for further skills development year-round, while also providing storage for the equipment that has been purchased over the last few years.

About Guatemala

Location

Guatemala is located in Central America between Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

There are 22 different departments (like provinces or states) in Guatemala. Our work is centered in the department called Quiché in the town of Cotzal. It is located in the western highlands and is in the third largest department in the country. There are 3 main towns in the area: Nebaj, Chajul and Cotzal. This is known as the “Ixil triangle”.

The People and Culture

89% of Quiché’s population is indigenous. The region is famous for traditional dress and languages, weaving, wood carving, and the local markets. Primary income sources include livestock and agriculture (corn, beans, coffee, wheat, rice, tobacco and forestry) and handicraft production (weaving, woodcarving, pottery). The local language spoken in the villages is Ixil and Spanish.

Who We Are

Eric & Margaret Wall

Eric is a recently retired farmer who lives in Southern Alberta with his wife Margaret who is a practicing Registered Nurse. They are the mission directors and were looking for ways to serve people in Central America during the winter months. Eric and Margaret were inspired to start the Blessing Lives Canada mission after being involved in short term mission teams in El Salvador and Guatemala starting in 2009. During the summer months they are still active in nursing, raising honey and cherries in Alberta Canada.

Tom & Esther Olfert

The Olferts are neighbours to the Walls and have been farming in Southern Alberta for 35+ years. In the late 80’s and 90’s they lived and served among the K’echi’ people in the Guatemalan lowlands for 6 years, so coming back to Guatemala felt a little like coming home to them. Tom and Esther have been with us for two years, Esther teaching sewing and baking, and Tom teaching carpentry and finance.

Learn more about how you can help!

Join one of our teams, donate funds to help us create new self-sustaining projects and courses, or simply agree to support us in prayer.