Sister Cities News

My Guatemala Mission Trip

Christoph Franke in Guatemala It is mid-March and this is my eighth month in the USA. The time is passing by so fast, and I cannot believe that I will be going back to Germany in three months. I am going to miss many things here, especially the American lifestyle and the things that bring me the most joy: my work, the kids, my host family, my friends and the mild weather.

In the past, my reports have been written in German for a German audience, but I wanted to change that. Many people here are interested in reading the reports that I write for the website but don’t have the opportunity to read those reports because of the English-German language barrier. I’m writing in English for my new American friends, my coworkers, acquaintances, and the students I recently shared an incredible experience with in Guatemala to give them the opportunity to hear about my biggest adventure to date. I also want people to learn more about the relationship between Magdeburg and Nashville. Unfortunately, many people do not know that a relationship exists and I hope to increase awareness.

I traveled to Guatemala with Vanderbilt’s Presbyterian Student Fellowship, and the trip has been a major highlight of my time abroad. Since this was my first mission trip, I had few expectations about the nature of our work in Guatemala, and I was anxious about everyone working well together. On the other hand, I was very excited to bring the people in Guatemala hope after the things they have been through.

Sixteen of us traveled, mainly students from Vanderbilt and Belmont University, during Spring Break, March 6th-13th, to serve the people of Santiago Atitlan in Guatemala. Due to the terrible mudslides during Hurricane Stan in October 2005, the village was declared a mass grave, with more than 800 deaths and twenty-five feet of mud covering parts of the town. It was a place filled with sorrow. When a previous mission group went to Santiago Atitlan during Spring Break 2006, they spent their time digging housing foundations that were six feet deep. These foundations were for future homes of children with disabilities. In 2008, these groups worked on preparing the foundations for the new hospital.

The organization Cedepca, which prepared and organized our trip, let us spend our time working on the new hospital in Santiago Atitlan for three days. On the first day, we mainly dug holes for the bathrooms and carried buckets up to a hill, probably to filter the water later. On the second day, we continued digging and pushed wheelbarrows filled with sand into the building. On the last workday, we continued to move the sand from the pile to the building. While half of us shuffled the sand into the wheelbarrows, others pushed the wheelbarrows into the hospital. At the end of the day we started filtering sand so that the workers could make cement out of it. It felt great to work, and I was so motivated to help that I never wanted to take a break! Before we left for the trip, decided to put at least as much effort in the work as I put in the work at Martha O´ Bryan. I hope I fulfilled my goal.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the service at the hospital was our extraordinary teamwork: if one person needed a break, another jumped in. Everyone faced obstacles, and the best way to overcome those obstacles was through teamwork. We didn’t know each other well before the trip, but we built our friendship on the basis of trust. Even though I do not speak Spanish, I tried to communicate with the workers and I believe that working together and putting effort into a project builds confidence. I became friends with one worker in particular, Huang, who I will always remember. I learned that people do not need many words to build a relationship. When we left, I was especially sad to leave the work and the new friendships behind. I sat in the bus, looked back and saw him. When he waved, I almost started crying.

Besides our work, we experienced nature and the different mentality of the Mayan people. The landscape was incredible. I have never seen such amazing natural beauty my life. Santiago Atitlan is in-between four volcanoes and the huge lake Atitlan. Wherever I looked, there was green around me, and I saw people living in harmony with nature. The women wore traditional skirts and clothing and washed clothes in the lake. I could see little boats everywhere, where the fishermen caught their fish.
Two main things made me both happy and sad at once. Whenever I thought that something was great, something greater happened. The first highlight was on our first day. We went to big market in Chichicastenango where many people try to sell their handmade souvenirs or fruit. I have never seen a crowded place like this market before. Mainly local Mayans but also tourists barged through the crowds. After I had been there awhile, a little kid tapped on my back and asked me if I needed my shoes shined. I didn’t, so I said “No thanks,” but he didn’t give up and followed me around for almost an hour. Wherever I went, he was next to me. First, I wasn’t sure what to do with him, but then we started communicating. He was a thirteen-year-old named Joshua who had to work on the weekend to pay for school and to support his parents financially. We became “amigos” (friends) and I wanted to do something nice for him. I asked him to take me to a place where we could get good ice cream, and smart Joshua took me to the most expensive place in the market! I bought him some ice cream and had to leave after that, unfortunately. It was sad to leave him behind, but it made me happy to watch him lick the ice cream cone with a smile on his face.

The second highlight was this: During our tour through Santiago Atitlan, we stopped at a memorial. I saw an old, short man sitting on the wall and next to him was a pile of wood tied together. The wood stack was almost as big as he was. I asked our translator if she could help me talk with him because I really wanted to tell him that I admired his strength, since he could carry the huge stack of wood on his back. We started talking, and I asked him if I could try to pick the wood up. He let me. When I put it on my back, I couldn’t walk more than three steps! I was amazed how strong he was.

After this experience, I learned that I should stop complaining about small things. I should appreciate all the opportunities I have and all the happiness I feel everyday. Everybody should value all the luxury we have here in the First World. We can drink out of the faucet, without any worry, the kids can attend the school and nobody has to starve.

The trip to Guatemala was indescribable for all of us. Our time was limited but wonderful. I learned so many things, felt so motivated to support, and was happy when I made friends with locals. I discovered another culture and another beautiful country full of beautiful people that will always be my friends.

Adios Amigos
Christoph