While the self-styled medical missionaries are piling into the back of the truck, I spot a young man, at most 19, wearing a cowboy hat, smoking a cigarette, and leaning against the makeshift frame that converts the backs of pickups into the primary form of public transportation here in Guatemala. He is not a licensed medical professional; he is an American on vacation and he is about to distribute medication to patients.
I do not think he is aware of the power he radiates in this community. We are in a modest-sized village in the temperate green midlands of Guatemala, the coffee region. The most substantial source of income here is from day labor on the plantations, during the November-to-March harvesting season. Clean bottled water and fresh produce can be purchased at a lively outdoor market on Tuesdays and Fridays. However, for most families, these are luxuries that agricultural day labor cannot consistently support.