Kapsners take a trip to Guatemala and Rising Villages
By Tina Snell
Staff Writer
Lexi Kapsner, left, a local young man named Eddie and Marilyn Kapsner take a break from their jobs in San Pedro las Huertas. Recently, Eddie had been sponsored by Mary of Lourdes Middle School until he left after third grade to make money for his family. Marilyn and Lexi did their best to convince Eddie to return to school and graduate. They told him he could better assist his family by getting a better job through a better education.
tina.snell@mcrecord.com
Several times a year, members of the local communities surrounding Little Falls make a trip to Guatemala for a working vacation. Recently, Mari-lyn Kapsner and her granddaughter, Lexi, both of Little Falls, did just that. They came back with an entirely different outlook on life.
The Kapsners spent their time in San Pedro las Huertas, near Antigua, through a program started by Little Falls residents Dave and Bina Huebsch. The Huebsches founded Common Hope and its offshoot, Rising Villages Inc., to work with poor children and families to help improve their lives. The organization’s purpose is to promote education, health care and family development primarily in Guatemalan villages.
Marilyn and Lexi, 16, were in Guatemala from July 26 – Aug. 5. They went for different reasons. Lexi said she wanted the experience of another culture, especially in a third-world country.
Lexi Kapsner chips the clay on an outside wall, preparing it for an outdoor light.
“It opened my eyes to all the blessings I have,” she said. “I don’t take doors, floors or roofs for granted any longer.”
Marilyn had always wanted to be part of a mission trip.
“When Lexi asked me to go with her, I said ‘yes’ right away,” she said, “even though I would have preferred going to Guatemala in the winter. But, we were in the mountains at about 1,800 feet above sea level, and the temperatures were in the 70s most days. It was cooler there than in Minnesota.”
Lexi’s first impression of Antigua when she got off the plane was the incredible poverty.
“There were so many people who just owned the clothes on their backs,” she said.
The narrow, dirty streets filled with rocks and the rusty tin siding or corn stalks for walls on the homes was what Marilyn noticed first.
“There were dogs and garbage everywhere,” she said. “But there were no litter such as papers, pop cans or bottles like we have. People there don’t have those things to throw away.”
While in Guatemala, the Kapsners helped put in a new electrical system in a new three-classroom school where the children attend from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. daily, and adults attend from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., two times a week.
Neither Marilyn nor Lexi went as experienced electricians.
“We were taught our various tasks on-the-job,” said Lexi. “It was so cool when the lights came on.”
Marilyn said the kids don’t have toys to play with. When one does have a ball or something else, all the kids in the neighborhood gather.
Lexi said she will always remember the day she played soccer with other kids on the street.
“I walked over a mile to find people to hang out with. I found a group with a soccer ball,” she said. “They were surprised when I asked them if I could join them in their game because women don’t usually play soccer. They were shy at first, but got used to me.”
Marilyn’s most memorable moment was being part of building the school and having the knowledge that it would help the community in immeasurable ways.
“I enjoyed being with the families,” she said. “We made bookmarks and played games with the kids. They were all so very excited to receive anything, even penny candy.”
There were a couple of hard moments for the two women. Some of their time was spent at Obras Sociales Hermano Pedro Hospital and Orphanage, run by a Padre Jose from Italy. All those with special needs were brought there for medical help.
“I saw abandoned kids with mental and physical disabilities,” said Lexi. “Some were kept in cages to protect others. Some lay in beds with bars to the ceiling. I bawled.”
She was told the deformities were due to poor nutrition. Families were unable to financially or physically take care of children who would never take care of themselves.
The Obra is run by do-nations only, and requires about $50,000 a day to keep open.
For more information about “The Obra,” go to www.faithinpractice.org/hospital.php.
Marilyn had a tough time when she met a young woman at the school who had club feet. The deformity would never be corrected because the required braces hurt her. The fact that she will be hampered for the rest of her life left an impression on Marilyn.
The trip was not all work. Marilyn and Lexi had plenty of fun, too.
Making a Chinese lantern from tissue paper and a candle, lighting it and trying to get it to fly like a hot air balloon was one of Marilyn’s highlights.
“Mine caught fire, then crashed,” she said.
Lexi loved bartering in the market places.
“A dollar was the same as eight quetzales,” she said. “I found a pair of sandals for 140 quetzales and I had to work to get them down to 90. I had a lot of fun talking and bartering with the store owners.”
Heather Zetah from Lincoln, Nancy Jennings from Elk River and Anna Korver from Little Falls joined the Kapsners on the trip to Guatemala. Korver stayed to teach at the school until April.
Both the Kapsners said they would definitely go back to Guatemala, or help in another part of the world.
“I would definitely do this again, but I think I would like to see new places,” said Lexi. “I would also like to have a job that is more hands-on with the people, live with a family and experience their life.”
Marilyn thinks another trip to Guatemala is in her future, but wants to go in January and help pick coffee beans.
