The Final Stretch

A woman from Mensajeros de Cristo, Santa Elena, Guatemala cooking on her new ONIL stove.

For the past several months, the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG) has been purchasing and delivering new stoves to all of the member families throughout the ILAG. These stoves, called ONIL stoves, are a safe alternative to the open fires typically used in homes. Not only do these stoves remove smoke from the home and protect from burns, they also reduce firewood usage by 70%. This saves both time and resources, especially for the women who do this labor.

Like the campaign for water filtration tanks or for the dry latrines before that, the stove campaign is a part of the ILAG's health initiative. Today we are happy to report that the stove campaign has been funded and the final stoves are being purchased. Below, Pastor Karen Castillo, president of the ILAG, shares her thanks.

With thanks

Thank you all for the support and good heart that you have had with the faith communities in Guatemala. I believe that many people have been with us for many years, others have been added over time, but we all go hand in hand in the path of Christ expressing God's love for one another.

The project of the ONIL stoves goes in the final stretch, the last part of this adventure. The only thing I can say is thanks from the heart. You have saved lives and have given support to a group that had not been noticed so much. The Guatemalan women, during International Women's Month, extend this gratitude to you. From all the women, thanks a lot for the effort of the synod, churches, and different families who have given unconditional support.

You will always be in our hearts and in our prayers.

Pastor Karen Castillo

Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala