Agros Blog

As we give thanks for all of our partners who supported Agros in our Fiscal Year 2011, I am mindful of the countless intangible gifts that were shared.  In the past year, a total of 417 people traveled to Latin America with Agros. Together they formed 26 Service Teams, who journeyed with Agros villagers and enjoyed mutual encouragement; 8 Vision Trips, who explored developing opportunities with Agros and met our amazing international staff and communities in person; and a couple of unique combination trips that did a little of everything!

The coming year is already starting off well, with many more trips on our calendar.  I look forward to collaborating with many of you to that end! My role with Agros includes facilitating all travel, including planning and training for, then executing and following up on, dignifying inter-cultural exchanges.

While participation in a trip with Agros may not contribute to the financial support of our partnership with communities throughout Latin America, it does reflect an awareness of the value of presence, not only presents. Thank you to everyone who helps raise the Agros core values of fostering relationships, facilitating participation, and following in the ways of Jesus by supporting and engaging in these opportunities for the greater Agros community to connect with and serve one another.  Connecting with people in this direct and relational manner is an Agros distinctive that so many of us are truly grateful for and excited about.

One trip participant, veteran international photojournalist Amanda Koster, who helped organize Agros’ collaboration with SalaamGarage,* summed up her experience recognizing Agros’ success:

“After over a decade and a half of working with NGOs, something powerful affected me on this particular trip, working with this particular NGO, Agros International.  It was one of the first times we did not directly face extreme poverty, remnants of warfare, exorbitant levels of deadly diseases, or even the beautiful yet invisible presence of an NGO. Instead, we got to face success. The people themselves shared their success with us, right down to the last boxbole**.”

Agros and our partners value people, not only projects. We recognize that by physically coming alongside someone, even if only for a short time, we are demonstrating they have value, are worth visiting, and that we believe in them.  We believe that development is something we do with people, not to or for them.

Thank you for joining Agros in empowering people by sharing your presence.

* This unique collaborative trip resulted in some great citizen journalism and a beautiful book.

**Boxboles (pron. bosh-bow-lees) are an indigenous food creatively developed by the Mayan people of the Ixil region in Guatemala.  During Guatemala’s bloody civil war (1960-96), preparing tortillas by slapping the dough between hands was too risky for people in hiding.  To keep from being found in the highlands, boxboles were prepared by steaming, not slapping dough.