Denims for Guatemala
“a hand-up, not a hand-out”

Greetings from soggy Xela.  The rainy season has begun in Central America and it evokes remembrances of Hurricane Stan a few years ago. 
It was after Stan that we really started sharing Christ’s love thru the micro-business concept to impoverished families here helping them break free from this cycle of poverty.  Since then we have brought the bakery project to Las Nubes, developed the shoes micro-business project with Soles4Souls, and worked on various sewing projects on a smaller scale.
This summer, we are rolling out a new micro-business outreach that is perhaps a little more ambitious than any of the others to date.  It is our vision to recycle used jeans from the United States for sale in Guatemala.  We hope to obtain these denim jeans from groups or individuals as donations across the United States.  This question and answer letter explains the project in considerable detail.
We would like to invite you to help us bring this vision to reality.  We are asking our family and friends of the mission to serve with us as local area coordinators in this micro-business project and we would be honored if you would partner with us as a coordinator where you live.  The attached Q & A letter gives you a good idea of what it means to be a local area project coordinator.
I would welcome the opportunity to give you a call and discuss the project more in detail or answer any questions you may have, if you would like.
We look forward to hearing from you,
In Him, David & Kathy

Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.
(Luke 5:7 CEV)

Pressing forward with new and innovative ideas in partnership with people from North America to help the “overlooked and ignored” in Central America provide for their families with dignity.

Denims for Guatemala, common questions and answers;

Q: What is the purpose of this micro-business project?  A:  The micro-business projects of Maya-Mesoamerica Mission serve to provide opportunities for impoverished families in Central America to supplement the family income in an atmosphere of dignity in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Q:  With the rising cost of gasoline and other essentials there are many needs in our own community.  Why would I help someone in a foreign country?  A:  In obedience to God’s word.  Yes, we are commanded in the Bible to share God’s love with those in our communities and those far off as well.  

Q: What is Denims for Guatemala?  A: Denims for Guatemala is a project of Maya-Mesoamerica Mission that provides good quality denim jeans in partnership with churches, civic groups, businesses, and individuals from the United States for resale in Guatemala.

Q: What happens to the money in Guatemala after the jeans are sold?  A: Like income from other micro-business development projects, income from the sale of jeans by a participant in the mission’s micro-business outreach is theirs to keep for use in meeting the daily needs of their family and achieving economic and social justice.

Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.
(Galatians 6:9-10 CEV)

Q:  Where will Denims for Guatemala obtain the jeans that they sell in Guatemala?  A:  The jeans will be donated by partners of the micro-business project in the United States.

Q:  What kind of jeans do we want?  A:  We can use good quality used women’s, men’s, and children’s denim jeans with no holes, tears, stains, or broken zippers.    Keep in mind that Guatemalans are generally not large people.  For women’s jeans, size 0-14 is a good target.  We can only use denim jeans. This is not a general clothing drive.

Q:  How will the jeans get from the donor in the United States to the family participating in the Micro-business project in Guatemala?  A:  Donors will give their jeans to a local area coordinator who will ship them to the Maya-Mesoamerica Mission collection point in Missouri.  In Missouri, the jeans will be sorted and packed for shipping to Guatemala.  The jeans will go by truck from Missouri to Miami and by ship from Miami to Guatemala.

Q:  What are the responsibilities of the local area coordinator?  A:  The local area coordinator will ask groups, individuals, or businesses to donate jeans.  Then the coordinator will receive the jeans in their area and ship them to the collection point in Missouri.

Q:  Where are the jeans to be shipped in Missouri?  A:  Ship the jeans to:

Maya-Mesoamerica Mission
c/o Heartland Church
777 NE Highway 23
Knob Noster, MO 65336

Q:  How will the shipping be paid for?  A:  Donors will pay for the cost of shipping and all associated fees and taxes. 

Q: On a per pair basis, how much will it cost for shipping, fees, and taxes to get the jeans from the point of donation to the mission in Guatemala?  A:  It will cost about three dollars per pair.  We ask that the person donating the jeans include three dollars in the front pocket of each pair to help cover this cost.

Q:  What is the time frame for this project?  A:  It is our goal to have at least 1,000 pairs of jeans ready for shipment at the collection point in Missouri on August 11.  Local area coordinators will have to ship their jeans to Missouri no later than August 1 to meet this deadline.  If this first effort is successful we will have another jeans drive in December.

www.mayamission.org

Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'
(Matthew 25:40 MSG)