As the years unfolded and his practice grew, Li admits to feeling puzzled about God's plan for him. Li pondered the comment. He knew that Latin American land reform was either non-existent or a failure, and that unequal distribution of wealth created great social and economic strife. I realized that land doesn't have to involve government. He persuaded the Guatemalan elders that he was trustworthy and that the plan could work.
Local churches help identify poor families willing to commit to the hard work of creating a village.
Selected families build the village while paying off the loan through income generated from the land. The money is then used to purchase more property. Eventually, villagers receive clear title. This is remarkable because land ownership is unknown among the Indian peasants of Guatemala. Victims of the civil war and hundreds of years of extreme discrimination, indigenous populations are utterly without means to better themselves.