Page 3 - The Wayne Dispatch

Mission trip moves Rotarian

By Carolyn Marnon The other moment that moved
She lays the items out on her Trish was when she was visiting a
desk. A hand-stitched weaving. A 3rd and 4th grade classroom. She
piece of cloth that has extensive gave out bubbles and stickers to the
hand-stitching on it bought for ap- students. She says three little girls
proximately $30 US dollars. An sat next to her and took turns read-
apron with hand-stitching on it to ing to her. One girl could read well in
add to her apron collection. A beau- Spanish while another one struggled,
tiful hand-stitched table runner. A sounding out the words slowly. Dur-
hand-beaded sunflower bracelet. A ing this time, Trish says she closed
hand-beaded hummingbird dangle. her eyes, her mind went blank and
She is dazzled by the handiwork of then all she heard was the sound of
each item and how beautiful each children reading throughout the
item is. These are the treasures that classroom. She realized because of
Wayne Rotary member Trish Hamp- GLP, these kids were reading.
ton brought back from her mission Trish recalled a visit to a church
trip to Guatemala in February. where many Guatemalans are old-
Trish, a sales representative at school Catholic. She observed a
Mark Chevrolet in Wayne, says she woman who appeared to be about 70
has always wanted to do a mission years old praying on her knees. She
trip. She was turning 50 in January would “walk” on her knees to the
and decided now was the time to altar and then back away from it on
make that special mission trip. With her knees. Trish was told the woman
the Wayne Rotary Club sponsoring crued the funds to provide a new made with cornstalks. The student’s was offering a sacrifice because a
her trip, she turned a half-century on book. father had quit school at 3rd grade. prayer had been answered for her.
January 29 and was on a plane to Trish was so impressed with Her mother had made it through 6th On the last day in Guatemala, the
Guatemala on February 1. what she learned and her entire trip grade. When the father got sick, the group visited an upper class.
Why Guatemala? A network of that she has decided she wants to student, who is in 6th grade now, Guatemalans are done with school at
Rotarians improving education for save her money to go on another trip had to go to work to make money for 6th grade when they then decide
underserved students in Guatemala next year. She explains that when her family. The family didn’t have what they want to do for a living.
make up the Guatemala Literacy you see all that she saw, it makes you beds. They slept on the floor. The They then start riding school buses,
Project (GLP), the group that put to- want to help as much as you can. GLP group brought them rollaway called chicken buses there, to differ-
gether this particular mission trip. When she arrived in Guatemala, mattresses. ent high schools based on what they
Trish says she was joined by about she had to take a taxi from the air- The son of this family also lived want to do.
22 other people who came from port to her destination. She shared on the mountain. He picked toma- In downtown Guatemala, Trish
Michigan, California, Colorado and her licorice with the driver who toes for a living. The families got observed that everyone dresses
Florida, none of whom she knew. didn’t speak English. She was flab- their water at a ravine where there much the same as we do. It is in the
GLP was formed when co- bergasted when they pulled along- was a box around it. Trish was fairly rural areas where the dress is more
founder Joe Berninger’s brother side a big truck with an open back confident the water was not clean. traditional. In those areas, kids take
went to teach in Guatemala and end that held an assortment of cows, Members of the group had been told turns bringing chalk to school to be
found that the kids there didn’t have pigs and chickens. Not what you not to drink any water unless it was used on the chalkboard.
any books. The GLP website shares would see driving down the road in bottled water that was provided to There are many challenges for
that 90% of Guatemala’s poor kids this area. them and to eat nothing that could the people of rural Guatemala: dire
never graduate from high school, While visiting churches and not be peeled. poverty, the pressure to marry or
79% of indigenous Guatemalans live schools, Trish was moved emotion- At the 5-6 schools the group vis- have children at an early age, alcohol
in poverty, and 33% of indigenous ally by several incidents. The first ited, Trish says the students lined up or abuse in homes, the gang culture,
adults cannot read or write. “To- was a visit to a student. Trish’s to receive them “hootin’ and hollerin’ lack of family support and the belief
gether, these factors virtually guaran- group had been invited to the stu- and clapping. They were so excited that education is not worth investing
tee that the next generation will be dent’s home on a mountain. The bus we were there.” The kids performed in. Teachers have to be trained on
no better off than the last.” The web- dropped the group off at the base of ritual dances for the group. These in- how to use textbooks.
site goes on to say that “Teachers in the mountain. They had to hike up cluded dances to make it rain and As a result of her mission trip,
rural schools often lack formal train- the mountain to get to the girl’s for crops to grow. Trish has brought back information
ing and the resources—such as home. She says they passed by corn Before she left Wayne, Trish says to share with the Wayne Rotary
books and computers—that they crops, chickens running loose, and members of the WMHS Interact about sponsoring a child. Sponsors
need to facilitate learning.” raspberry bushes on their way up. Club, a part of Rotary for high school can email with the student, visit the
GLP finds people to sponsor stu- Once at the girl’s home, they were students, made bracelets for her to student and help pay for books, men-
dents, classrooms, textbooks and welcomed by the family, who had take and give out to the children. She tors, psychologists, social workers,
other needs. Trish says that each laid out a large area with pine nee- also took stickers, bubbles, Rotarian job skills and social justice work-
year, families involved in GLP in dles on the ground so their guest’s soccer balls, and a polaroid camera shops to give a student a step up and
Guatemala give $1 for the textbook shoes wouldn’t get dirty since there to hand out pictures. At each school, perhaps start reversing the trend so
they use that year. By the time new was dirt everywhere else. Trish says the group gave a projector, books, their family can get out of poverty for
textbooks are needed, GLP has ac- they sat on 2 x 4s. The home was soccer balls, pencils and erasers. future generations.
The Wayne Dispatch · April 2020 · 3