By Wayne Hess

My wife and I first visited Guatemala in 1996 when our daughter was serving with the Peace Corps in Chiantla, Huehuetenango. We had the good fortune to spend Christmas Eve with a Guatemalan family in Chiantla. At that time we fell in love with the Guatemalan people In February 2003, I returned to Guatemala with a Habitat team to build a house in Totonicipan. For that trip I contacted Casa Xelaju to learn a few words of Spanish. When I wrote to the school, I learned of the La Pedrera Project and some of their needs. My nephew and I delivered about four bags of clothing, school supplies, dental supplies and personal hygiene items. Included were over eighty dresses that my wife sewed for the girls in La Pedrera School. Again, good fortune smiled upon me and I met Teresa De Leon and the children, thus reinforcing my love for the people in general and the La Pedrera children in particular.

Wayne Hess giving a short lesson to Paty, a girl from La Pedrera.

My wife and I have adopted the school as our mission, and through friends, relatives and business acquaintances we have managed to raise money for a number of projects. Two years ago we raised enough money to buy a computer textbooks and a contribution for the baño.

In March of 2006, I returned to the school for the fourth time and was able to bring four laptop computers to the school. The reception that I received was overwhelming. The children and their mothers greeted me with such love that I was nearly in tears. The laptops had not been converted to Spanish and I was worried that the children would be unable to use them until that had been done. After setting up the computers, the children soon found the English programs and used them as though they were professionals. I am sure that the laptops will be a great learning tool.
My traveling companions and I were treated to a feast of tamales, hot chocolate and a dessert prepared by the mothers. That afternoon was the highlight of my three weeks in Guatemala.

There are still many unmet needs in including an additional room for the community building, a baño, books for a library, wireless connections from Casa Xelaju to the community and an Internet connection. We will continue to do our small part in but need additional assistance to meet all of these needs. I am so glad that I am a part of the Family of God. The families of La Pedrera are and will always be a part of our lives and prayers.

Center: Wayne Hess (with the hat) talking to the children.

Children from La Pedrera exploring their new laptops donated by Wayne Hess.