I remember a time not so long ago that a meeting like the one I attended this past weekend in San Juan La Laguna would have not happened at all or ended in tragedy.

I am a volunteer advisor to the board of directors of an amazing organization called Casa Materna (@casamaternaatitlan). This organization’s objective is to reduce maternal and infant deaths in the remote areas around their headquarters.  They are able to do this by teaming up with local midwives and training them to better assist births in the Mayan communities around lake Atitlán all the while, respecting the local traditions surrounding midwifery and birth.

It’s an exciting moment for this organization as it has moved from being a small community project to a legally established NGO.

This growth, of course, does not come easily and growing pains are present. But as every entrepreneur and founder knows, this too shall pass, and these trials will be the fire that refines the gold at the nucleus of this organization.

This past weekend I attended one of the board meetings at their new location in San Juan La Laguna. Their building is tucked between houses and local stores on the fringe of town down a narrow cobble-stone street. When I asked the tuc-tuc driver if he knew where to take me from where I was staying, he did not hesitate; an indicator that the organization is well known all around the community.

Where I was staying, by the way, and allow me to sidetrack a bit for a good reason, is called Principito’s Universe (@principitosuniverse). You can find them on Airbnb or Booking.com. The property consists of several modern cottages with varying room numbers that trickle down a zigzag path to a private beach and dock. It is located a short 10min walk out of town and has ample parking and good amenities for couples and small families. It doesn’t have a restaurant, but has a stocked mini bar and options of frozen pizzas and burritos for purchase. I do recommend it!

The ride from my stay to Casa Materna Atitlán did not take me even ten minutes on the tuc-tuc and cost me Q15 ($1.97USD).

The building at Casa Materna is well equipped with labor and delivery rooms and office space, among other things. It even has a back garden where the women have begun to grow medicinal herbs.

It’s in one of the office spaces that the board of directors, advisors and collaborators met; some virtually and some on-site.
As I looked around the table it dawned on me that we were sitting at a table where at least 5 different cultures were represented (Hispanic, Maya, Ladino, Russian and North American) and at least 4 different mother tongues were spoken (Spanish, Tzutujil, Russian and English) and yet, here we were, all sitting at the same table voluntarily in order to reach the same objective.

If this meeting had been proposed on paper and coldly evaluated, maybe the conclusion would have been to have interpreters and moderators involved or maybe not to have it at all.

This type of meeting brings only the valiant to its table: those who can say what they think and who can listen and take criticism, those who can stand by their ideas and defend them without falling out with those who disagree, those who can commit to seeing an idea to fruition even though it was not their own, those who decide to be part of the solution to a big and complex problem even when it means sacrifice in their own personal lives.

I admired each person at the table. Every one of them has an inner life that I will probably never understand, as they may never understand mine, because we have different upbringings and world-views. We have all had such different life experiences and traumas and we lead very different lives and yet here we are, united in search for a solution to a problem that won’t directly benefit us.

It does restore one’s faith in humanity.

Especially in these times when we constantly hear bad news and the evil in the world wants to take over our minds and our time. Coming to this place and meeting with these people who traveled different distances to be here (10min – 4hrs) heals something in me that social media and news outlets had damaged.

So, I guess, in the end we do receive a personal benefit out of this. It’s just not a tangible one, it’s not a benefit that can be put into a dollar figure, and it’s not something that can easily be expressed even with words.

This realization makes sense of the Bible verse in Acts 20:35 that says: “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus that He said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”   As well as Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

It is important to clarify that this meeting was not without its challenges and that there were discussions that evidenced some character flaws and attitudes that were not the most appealing. But, isn’t that what we are all like at some point: challenging, with character flaws and unappealing attitudes? 

The key is to not give up, to give the benefit of the doubt, to always seek to do better, to be valiant and brave enough to be open to criticism and change and to celebrate the good things and learn from the bad…and in this case, also to enjoy the views, the culture and the amazing food and coffee at Nativos coffee shop. (@nativo_coffeeshop  – free advertisement but very worth the mention.)

If you haven’t found where to give and are looking for a place that is worth donating to, I encourage you to consider Casa Materna as your option. If you are from the United States you can reach out to Hava Foundation through their website www.havafoundation.org or contact Casa Materna through their social media platforms.

If you wish to look for other types of opportunities to give check out the member organizations of the foundation I lead Fundación Guatemala Activa. There is a selection of organizations that are trustworthy and transparent working in different geographical areas and working to address different social issues.

There are plenty of opportunities, choose one and experience the amazing blessings or rewards in doing good and giving.