Sep 10, 2026
How One WALC Graduate Became a Leader of 2,019 Women Farmers
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19 NRSVue
Long before I became a Lutheran pastor, I was a pen pal. In the mid-1990s, my grandparents, Ken and Margaret, began sponsoring students in India through LPGM.
Grandma Margaret wrote faithfully to the two girls she sponsored and encouraged my sister and me to join her.
And so, at the age of 8, I made a new friend on the other side of the world and learned how education changes lives.
Over the years, my grandparents, and then my parents, continued to support students. As a young seminarian, I served on LPGM's Board of Directors and traveled to India and Guatemala to meet LPGM’s partners and programs.
I've stayed connected to LPGM all this time, because I have personally seen hundreds of lives permanently changed for the better by LPGM's deep commitment to staying in relationship with our partners for the long term.
This past June, I led an LPGM trip to visit Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC). CCFC works with Q'ecqchi' Maya communities in the Guatemalan Highlands to provide academic scholarships and agroecology training to young women and girls. Girls who might otherwise drop out of school are continuing their education – turning their dreams into reality.
Elvira Ac Macz is one woman who embodies dreams turned into reality. Before Elvira was born, her family was forced to flee their village following a series of murders. Her two older brothers tragically died in the process. The family settled in a remote area, where Elvira was born.
Elvira grew up attending a tiny village school with one teacher. She transferred to a bigger school in fifth grade, but it was further away and required her to walk a long distance each day.
Elvira's parents couldn’t afford to pay for her education after sixth grade. Like many of her former classmates, especially the girls, she dropped out to help with chores and to take care of her seven siblings. Eventually Elvira realized that going back to school was the only way to avoid being in the same position as her mother.
She started selling chickens and stopped replacing her shoes to save money for school. After six years, at age 18, she had scraped together enough money to begin middle school.
Then she heard about CCFC’s Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation (WALC) program, an annual 25-day training that teaches sustainable agriculture, leadership, health and hygiene, family planning, and self-esteem. Elvira jumped at the opportunity and participated over the next eight years.
After completing each session, planting her own farm plot on her family's land, and providing proof of school attendance, she was awarded a scholarship of $275 – enough to keep her in school for another year.
Eventually, she became a WALC teacher – mentoring and teaching young girls from similar backgrounds. She later married a man who insisted she finish university before starting a family.
Elvira, now 38, is a college graduate and a leader in her community. She supports over 2,019 women farmers in her area, each of whom has her own plot. She also sells jam at the local coffee cooperative.
Elvira’s dreams have come true, and now her three children are in school and thriving.
Just $275 allowed Elvira to stay in school for another year, bringing her one step closer to her dreams. Will you give today and transform dreams into reality for more girls like Elvira—both in Guatemala and around the world?
We need your help to raise $34,375 by October 15, which will open the doors of education with scholarships for 125 Qʼeqchiʼ Maya girls this year.
My family cares so much about this mission that my grandmother, my parents, and my spouse and I will give $50 for every scholarship provided. Now through October 15, three generations of Beenkens will match your gift to LPGM’s Advancing Access to Education Fund, up to $6,250.
If you’re 70 ½ or older, you may be able to make a gift tax-free through your IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution. LPGM also accepts gifts of stock, DAFS, and more…. Questions? Contact their office at 612-823-5058, or email office@lutheranpartners.org.
Our other partners, like Eripoto for Girls and Women, also transform girls’ dreams into reality. Read Lindah’s story.
The Rev. Mary Beenken lives in Peoria, Illinois. She is pastor at Grace and Peace Lutheran Church. Mary is a graduate of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she met her husband, Nathan Johnson. Following seminary, Mary completed a Graduate Preaching Fellowship that allowed her and Nathan to travel to five countries around the world and learn from communities of faith with vastly different experiences from their own. In their spare time, Mary and Nathan enjoy gardening, writing, making music, and exploring the great outdoors with their rescue dogs Obie and Nergal.
