Guatemala heroes

Surrounded by smoking volcanoes in central Guatemala last April, 10 students and several adults from Matanuska Christian School spent two weeks in the Qkecht Indian villages of La Linea and La Tinta, helping build a Christian school and visiting the kids they sponsor.

"In Guatemala, not all people can go to public school," said Marilyn Redd, a teacher at Matanuska Christian School. "Most schools have uniforms and the uniform costs money. Not everyone can afford it."

Matanuska Christian School sponsors 12 children in La Tinta, paying for their uniforms and their Spanish education. Spanish education is important for Indians in Guatemala, because it means better jobs.

"There's so much prejudice," Redd said. "The lighter your skin, the better you are and men are better than women. I know one woman in Guatemala who keeps her baby out of the sun so his skin is lighter. If Indian kids can speak Spanish, they can get good jobs," she said. "Otherwise, they do menial work."

Because of this, in the Qkecht Indian village of La Tinta, school is taught in Spanish. Kids attend school during the day and adults attend at night.

Before the Matanuska Christian School group arrived and began working with La Tinta resident Andres Caal to build a new school, students attended classes in a two-room bamboo hut with benches and a slanted trough for books.

The Matanuska Christian School group helped Caal cinder block a new Christian school and pour concrete with a tin bucket line. They also bought 100 desks for the school.

When the Matanuska Christian School group wasn't helping out with construction, it held ministries. Joanne Simpson, principal of Matanuska Christian School, translated from English to Spanish, and Caal translated from Spanish to Qkecht.

"We had a church service where we washed their feet," Redd said. "At the end of the service we got out basins filled with water and we washed their feet. Spiritually, it did something for every one of us. I've never been to a more powerful church service before, and I've been to a lot of services.

"Afterward, they came out and laid their hands on our van and prayed for us. Both the men and the women came. This is a culture where the men and the women sit on opposite sides of the church. This was a big thing, that they allowed the women to come and pray, too," Redd said. "We were the 20th group and they had never done anything like this before."

Guatemala is a very diverse country. Three million people speaking 23 different languages live in Guatemala. Villages are built on the sides of hills because hills are not usable land. Residents of La Tinta live in bamboo huts with thatched roofs.

There is no electricity and the only running water comes from a single spigot outside the school.

"The kids were just completely blown away by the poverty," Redd said. "We don't have poverty in the United States. Even our poor people aren't poor.

"It gave them a sense of what a blessed nation we are. [The Guatemalan Indians] live in bamboo houses and thatched roofs and a pantry and all that's in it is corn. It makes you want to come home, sell all your stuff and send them the money."

Kathy Marshall, who owns the Earthly Treasures Thrift Store in Wasilla and once taught at Matanuska Christian School, accompanied the group and brought bags of clothing to distribute. Redd brought books, clothing, and packets of vegetable seed. The spirit of giving made for a lighter return trip.

"I left nearly everything down there," Redd said. "When I came back, there wasn't much in my suitcase."

Redd, along with the other adults, was proud of the students. "They were such servants," she said. "I couldn't believe how giving they were. In La Linea one of the girls looked around and said, 'I wish I had enough money to buy every kid a pair of shoes.' They got very attached to the kids. We braided their hair, we made balloon animals, we made little tambourines."

The group spent a day in La Linea pouring concrete steps for an elderly couple living on a hillside. They also distributed clothes to children, held Bible studies, sang, and held ministries.

"People need to come to our country and minister to us," said Raina Yoc Chavez, a Qkecht Indian from La Tinta who is currently at Matanuska Christian School to learn English, "It means everything to us."

Volunteering to help came with a price. Everyone who participated in the two-week trip had to raise $1,500 for airfare, food, housing, and transportation, but it was money they gladly raised, so they could help people in tough situations see the brighter part of life.

Matanuska Christian School supported the effort with a taco feed, silent auction, Christmas bake sale, and by selling chocolate.

On Sept. 21, Matanuska Christian School will hold a second taco feed and silent auction to help support a return trip to La Tinta in November.

Admission for the taco feed will be $5 per person.

To make a donation, or for more information about the Guatemalan trips, people may call Marilyn Redd at 746-6789.