We continue to listen to and record testimonies of the local people. Their stories are breathtaking --- both heart wrenching and inspirational. Below is another example of one of these testimonies. A special thanks to Destiny W. who first interviewed Serbando in 2000.
My name is Serbando. I was born in a village called Jua, near Chajul. My dad had land there where he cultivated coffee and sugar cane. My brothers and I worked alongside him in the fields. Things were pretty good, until the war came in 1982. Then we had to abandon everything and run for our lives. We escaped with only the clothes on our backs, leaving behind our house, dishes, tools, clothes, and our animals. The coffee was ripe for harvest, but we had to leave it.
We went to stay with my grandma in Sotzil, and there struggled to survive. We could not go home to Jua because the guerillas had destroyed the bridge which was the only access into the village. We passed the time in Sotzil in deep poverty; struggling just to have food and clothing. We could not even go out walking because the guerrillas were always roaming about. My dad had a tiny store where he sold goods like sugar, salt, and soap. We lived off those earnings.
Soon we received word that they were going to burn Sotzil too. My older brother arrived and said, “If you want to stay alive, you have to leave right away and come to the plantation with me.” So, we gathered what little we had and headed for a plantation named The Pearl. Those were the most difficult months of the war. It was not safe for people to gather together, and all the time we saw dead bodies left along the roadsides or next to their houses. It was during this sad time that both of my younger brothers died from something we call “susto.” Basically, they were literally stricken with fear, their bodies swelled, and they died. We were full of grief and despair, but the war marched coldly on. Then we received the horrible news that the army had assassinated my mother’s parents. After shooting them all, the army surrounded the house and lit it on fire with five bodies inside; my grandparents, my uncle and aunt, and their five year old little boy.
My family eventually moved back to Sotzil, and in 1989 I left to join the army. I was stationed in Santa Cruz del Quiché and that is where I met my wife, Ana. We got married and in 1994 I left the army. We moved to Ana’s hometown of San Juan Cotzal, where we lived with her parents. I tried to find work, but I did not really have a skill or an education. Once the war arrived, no one thought about the future. It was enough to focus on trying to survive just that day, so I did not go to school when I was young. This made it really hard to find a good job. I ended up working as a mason’s helper, but I only made 10 Quetzales ($1.20) a day. I’m not sure how we survived, but thank God we did ---- with hunger pangs, that’s for sure. Later we found a house to rent apart from Ana’s family.
Then one day I overheard someone saying that Agros was looking for people to integrate into a village. I wanted to be a part of that, so I went to the office to find out how I could become involved. In the year 2000, we officially began La Esperanza, and the new community members elected me president. Building La Esperanza was a slow process, but today it is a beautiful place. My family now has our own home, which I am constantly expanding on and improving. During the building process, Agros recognized my masonry skills and asked me to help teach others in the village how to properly build their homes. Later my work with Agros expanded into other building projects throughout the Ixil. Then in January 2007, Agros hired me as a fulltime employee. I am now a promoter for basic infrastructure and I am working on the creation of a large development center for Agros.
One of most beautiful things about Agros is how they care about the whole person. They do not want us to just have houses to live in and land where we can grow food. They care about who we are as people --- physically, mentally and spiritually. I am very thankful for the role that Agros has and is playing in my life. I am very blessed and happy. My life has not been easy, but I know that God has been with me through it all. For that, I am very thankful!
Monday we hosted a goodbye party with our neighborhood kids. A friend from the US sent down some sidewalk chalk that the kids really enjoyed. We are really going to miss “nuestros patojos.” 
Tuesday we had a final celebration with the village youth who helped us with the project. At the end we had 3 - 5 dedicated youth from each of the five villages where we worked. They all received diplomas of participation and a copy of the work they helped with. It was a fun afternoon, filled with silly games, a clown (Paola was a great sport), a piñata named "Patojose," yummy cakes, and sad goodbyes. 
